Sick of OLLIE Bashing

[Huskybass]

This past season was a nightmare, in large part due to injuries. By itself, no big deal.

My concern comes from 3 straight years of underperforming. The team is rarely ranked, falls behind by double digits to mediocre opponents and doesn't even contend for the AAC regular season title. That is troubling for a program of UConn's stature. Add that to one post season win in that span and the results are underwhelming to say the least.

I like KO and would love to see him turn things around. However, returning only 2 fully healthy players (at this point) will make next season quite a challenge.

All I am looking for is a return to being relevant. Just a glimmer of hope that we can contend. Sure, I would love to see another championship or two, but honestly just being in the mix again would be great.

 

[August_West]

I love the a forum or message board is called a blahg

Frickin noobs

 

[willie99]

oh boo hoo

some prefer to hear "they're trying their best", and that's good enough for them

well, I'm an Ollie guy too, for now, but there's been plenty to bash, so bash away

I hope he shuts me / us up real soon. Hell even Dom Perno would beat Wagner and Northeastern every year. it's OK to point stuff like that out

 

[MASSconn]

Winning shuts the people up. Sorry.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

You call this blog for passionate fans? It's a blog for nut bags who are irrational and have not a clue what they're talking about. Really it is.

I know you are but what am I?

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Call me crazy, but I feel that the highest paid employee of any state, corporation, hf, small business, etc should always be evaluated by actual performance.

You're crazy.

(Not sure why you made the request, but figured I'd comply if only to brighten your spirits on a wet, gray, un-lamb-like day.)

 

[ivrytontusker]

If you think about the 'good' coaches (as measured by win %) who have never won a title -Ryan, Dixon, Brey, Beilein, Huggins, Matta, Barnes, just to name a few- you appreciate what we've got with Ollie.

It sounds crazy to say he's not getting enough credit from the fans for the 2014 title, but it sort of feels like that with some fans.

 

[intlzncster]

It sounds crazy to say he's not getting enough credit from the fans for the 2014 title, but it sort of feels like that with some fans.

Sorta?? It totally is. "won with Calhoun's recruits is such a myopic thought, you wonder about those posters analytical abilities. Hopefully they didn't go to UCONN?" Ollie recruited those guys under JC, and he was responsible for the majority of their development. Bazz, Boat, Daniels all made their best leaps forward under Ollie.

 

[CTBasketball]

16-17 and no postseason does not equal $3 million dollars IMO.

He will be a good coach, but he has his deficiencies. Everyone does. So did JC. I just think his deficiencies are larger than other notable coaches - a lot of that is due to inexperience.

 

[intlzncster]

16-17 and no postseason does not equal $3 million dollars IMO.

He will be a good coach, but he has his deficiencies. Everyone does. So did JC. I just think his deficiencies are larger than other notable coaches - a lot of that is due to inexperience.

Zero coaches in the history of the game make the tournament with that depleted of roster (and personnel). No coach in history can force players to make open shots, as our guys did time and time and time again. You have to face and accept that.

 

[Paesano]

Call me crazy, but I feel that the highest paid employee of any state, corporation, hf, small business, etc should always be evaluated by actual performance.

You are crazy...like a fox...a male fox...sporting a pair.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

It is called being held accountable. Grow a pair.

Posting on a message board isn't holding someone accountable. It's just being a fan.

Incidentally, have you ever posted anything that didn't contain some reference to male genitalia?

 

[Paesano]

If you think about the 'good' coaches (as measured by win %) who have never won a title -Ryan, Dixon, Brey, Beilein, Huggins, Matta, Barnes, just to name a few- you appreciate what we've got with Ollie.

It sounds crazy to say he's not getting enough credit from the fans for the 2014 title, but it sort of feels like that with some fans.

He does get credit. If the team performs like this, or even close to it, next year, the bashing will get loud and more frequent. This has been tame.

As time goes by, that championship becomes less and less relevant and the doubts about it being due to having Calhoun's players become bigger and bigger. Some people try to claim that those kids were somehow Ollie's because "he recruited them" and "he developed them". That's convenient but NO ONE knows how much of role Ollie actually played in either. I am sure he player some part and maybe even a big part. But did he make the final call on which recruits to prioritize and go after hard or did Calhoun do that? Would Ollie have gone harder after other kids if it were totally up to him? How much of a role did Calhoun play in developing those kids? How about the other coaches on the staff? It isn't like this is a new phenomenon either. Steve Fisher? Tubby Smith? Both are good coaches but neither are considered great because of their one championship earned in their first season as coaches.

 

[ctchamps]

Call me crazy, but I feel that the highest paid employee of any state, corporation, hf, small business, etc should always be evaluated by actual performance.

No arguments there. I also think the evaluators should be evaluated on their performance and given that the Boneyard is littered with casual fans, evaluations expressed in the Boneyard merit super secret double probation!

 

[ctchamps]

I love the a forum or message board is called a blahg

Frickin noobs

Opposite. Old farts.

 

[ctchamps]

Winning shuts the people up. Sorry.

You sound like an apologista.

 

[Paesano]

Posting on a message board isn't holding someone accountable. It's just being a fan.

Incidentally, have you ever posted anything that didn't contain some reference to male genitalia?

Do you ever not act like a ? Better?

 

[nyhuskies13]

Bump

You were saying... actually, I'll just paraphrase here...

I'm tired of everyone being big ole meanies to the Ollie and this team. Those guys are trying their best. That's all that matters. Let's give them an A for effort! Yay! Ollie did great this year - it wasn't his fault. We should be so appreciative to have him. If we keep trying our best, maybe we'll make the tournament again some day! Yay Huskies! Hoorah! Let's get ready to cheer them on next year when then play Tulane on Tues night in Hartford at 9pm!! Ollie, you're the best! Keep the continuity, winning, and positive headlines coming! Yay!

 

[Doctor Hoop]

I don't like the Ollie bashing either.

I named my cat Ollie, and he's only 2 years old. KO must stay for the relevance of my cat's name.

Be honest, you named him after the team manager in Hoosiers...

 

[TheDude]

I have seen a lot of different opinions here. But here's mine. I think Calhoun's philosophy was hell take anybody in the top 50 - 100.
And then he would just rely on coaching. I think that year Drummond came in he was #1 overall or something like that.
We got trounced that year by Iowa State, I think in the NCAA. So I don't think it the #rated recruit. Its Chemistry. I think KO
is just trying to shake things up to find the Chemistry. I remember year of the ban, KO was asked with the question
"What are you playing for?" and he said ..."it playing for what's it says on the jersey, UCONN. I want all my players to
to understand that, if you don't I don't want you on my team." I think as fans we should think the same. If these
players leave and don't want to be here or come here, we as fans shouldn't want them on our team either.

 

[UCFan1513]

I have seen a lot of different opinions here. But here's mine. I think Calhoun's philosophy was hell take anybody in the top 50 - 100.
And then he would just rely on coaching. I think that year Drummond came in he was #1 overall or something like that.
We got trounced that year by Iowa State, I think in the NCAA. So I don't think it the #rated recruit. Its Chemistry. I think KO
is just trying to shake things up to find the Chemistry. I remember year of the ban, KO was asked with the question
"What are you playing for?" and he said ..."it playing for what's it says on the jersey, UCONN. I want all my players to
to understand that, if you don't I don't want you on my team." I think as fans we should think the same. If these
players leave and don't want to be here or come here, we as fans shouldn't want them on our team either.

I like what you're saying here. I also think that a lot of what has happened has actually been a product of KO's casting a wide net with recruiting. It seems we have offered more players than ever, granted with the recruiting ban we needed to throw a high volume of offers out there and see if anything would stick, but we saw this last year that Ollie brought in a high volume of players off his high volume of offers. I think his offers are based more on purely talent than knowing if a player has the UConn mentality, and I think we saw that with what has gone down the last couple weeks. Players seem to have been brought in on talent alone rather than their grit, determination and will to play UConn basketball. This is where I believe Calhoun thrived. He didn't have to bring in the top talent, but he knew the players he could work with and also the players who had the mentality of team first and what we all know it means to play UConn basketball. I think Ollie may have realized that with this latest batch of transfers and decommits, and rather than coddling the players and trying everything to get them to stay, it is my hope that he told them like it was and realized they weren't UConn material. Here's to hoping KO goes into the coming years with that mentality when recruiting, and starts to be the fiery, hard nosed and pissed off coach we saw in 2014. I think he has it in him, and hope he has learned from what has happened these past couple weeks.

 

[Athlete94]

I thought you were quitting and starting your own board?

This is Warde, I took over the account

 

[freescooter]

I'm sick of the Ollie bashing and if it happens again there will be a strongly worded letter to the Times.

 

[pj]

I'm sick of the Ollie bashing and if it happens again there will be a strongly worded letter to the Times.

New York, London, or Hartford?

 

[jibsey]

KO as a former Husky has been treated with kid gloves here for the most part. At his current salary should there not be an uptick in performance this season, that treatment will end.