Sid Wilson

[KembaStepback]

So it doesn't look like we're going to get a response on our appeal with any meaningful time left. So my question is, have we heard any updates about Wilson in practice? Is he allowed to practice with the team? If so, has he looked good? Worst case, he's gaining some valuable experience against next level competition and getting better accustomed to the pace of the game. Looking forward to seeing what he can do. How was his shooting last yr? He's a scorer, correct?

 

[UConnStats]

He can practice, but can’t travel with the team.

 

[Travelman6]

The NCAA is not coherent.

 

[HooperScooper]

UConn Men Notebook: Sidney Wilson's Appeal Denied By NCAA

 

[notthestuff]

Granted, I don't have the access or the talent evaluation/coaching chops most everyone else on this board seems to have, but from what I saw at practice Sid was by far the most dynamic player on the floor (Alterique was already out). He was head and shoulders above everyone else athletically and was a much better ball handler and three point shooter (the only player to actually make more than one in live action) than I expected. He looked the part of a UCONN athletic wing. Before I start the hype train running, I say all that with the caveat that all of this was observed against the competition he was going up against in practice, which as I think most of us can agree, is somewhat limited. I'm sure it will take him some time to adjust to real D1 competition next year, but the tools are there.

 

[Chief00]

Granted, I don't have the access or the talent evaluation/coaching chops most everyone else on this board seems to have, but from what I saw at practice Sid was by far the most dynamic player on the floor (Alterique was already out). He was head and shoulders above everyone else athletically and was a much better ball handler and three point shooter (the only player to actually make more than one in live action) than I expected. He looked the part of a UCONN athletic wing. Before I start the hype train running, I say all that with the caveat that all of this was observed against the competition he was going up against in practice, which as I think most of us can agree, is somewhat limited. I'm sure it will take him some time to adjust to real D1 competition next year, but the tools are there.

Mostly agree -but he is one skinny dude - needs to get a lot stronger - and keep working hard.

 

[uconnever]

Wilson, Carlton, the point coming in next year, a healthy Gilbert, Whaley a great energy role player and the other two recruits are a wait and see, but I think Ollie is slowly getting some pieces. He may not get the chance to see it all come together, but if he just can land one stud impact player, we may have a team with good potential. I guess as they say, Rome wasn't built overnight. I never liked Ollie as a Uconn player, he drove me nuts. I really didn't like Calhoun's decision to make him coach. In my opinion, he's coaching like he played.....awful. Calhoun knew he was handing over a bad situation. I kinda see things differently now. He didn't expect Ollie to do well in the beginning. Uconn was gonna have to get fixed over time. I think that's why he chose Ollie. When I watched him play, never in a million years would I have thought NBA player. Hearing bad rumors, but by all accounts Ollie is a fighter. Calhoun knew he needed a fighter for the long haul because the state of the program was not good. I'm starting to think that if he makes it to the other side, Uconn will be alright. Just a lot to overcome and we fans want Now. You guys don't think Ollie knows this team sucks. In recruiting you may get only one real piece a year that may have been a target.....but you still have to have a team. May take a few years to get four five pieces that make up a good team. I think Ollie will succeed in most things given time,but his actual coaching needs to get better. Also think about how long he's actually been a head coach.

 

[Kathy]

Wilson, Carlton, the point coming in next year, a healthy Gilbert, Whaley a great energy role player and the other two recruits are a wait and see, but I think Ollie is slowly getting some pieces. He may not get the chance to see it all come together, but if he just can land one stud impact player, we may have a team with good potential. I guess as they say, Rome wasn't built overnight. I never liked Ollie as a Uconn player, he drove me nuts. I really didn't like Calhoun's decision to make him coach. In my opinion, he's coaching like he played.....awful. Calhoun knew he was handing over a bad situation. I kinda see things differently now. He didn't expect Ollie to do well in the beginning. Uconn was gonna have to get fixed over time. I think that's why he chose Ollie. When I watched him play, never in a million years would I have thought NBA player. Hearing bad rumors, but by all accounts Ollie is a fighter. Calhoun knew he needed a fighter for the long haul because the state of the program was not good. I'm starting to think that if he makes it to the other side, Uconn will be alright. Just a lot to overcome and we fans want Now. You guys don't think Ollie knows this team sucks. In recruiting you may get only one real piece a year that may have been a target.....but you still have to have a team. May take a few years to get four five pieces that make up a good team. I think Ollie will succeed in most things given time,but his actual coaching needs to get better. Also think about how long he's actually been a head coach.

Didn't like Ollie as a player?
Career FG% 55
Career FT% 80.6
Big East ranked in top 10 total assists all 4 years - 1st, 2nd, 5th and 8th
Big East ranked in top 10 assists per game 3 out of 4 years - 1st , 4th, and 5th
A Sweet Sixteen and Elite 8 and 2 Big East regular season Championships.
I would take a point guard capable of all that any day of the week.

 

[husky429]

Didn't like Ollie as a player?
Career FG% 55
Career FT% 80.6
Big East ranked in top 10 total assists all 4 years - 1st, 2nd, 5th and 8th
Big East ranked in top 10 assists per game 3 out of 4 years - 1st , 4th, and 5th
A Sweet Sixteen and Elite 8 and 2 Big East regular season Championships.
I would take a point guard capable of all that any day of the week.

Seriously, lets not confuse the coach with the player. He was an excellent player

 

[Travelman6]

Didn't like Ollie as a player?
Career FG% 55
Career FT% 80.6
Big East ranked in top 10 total assists all 4 years - 1st, 2nd, 5th and 8th
Big East ranked in top 10 assists per game 3 out of 4 years - 1st , 4th, and 5th
A Sweet Sixteen and Elite 8 and 2 Big East regular season Championships.
I would take a point guard capable of all that any day of the week.

He was a great player. Will always remember him fondly. But one has to wonder, especially after looking at those assist stats, why his team ranks so low in assists. The players do not take on his style of play, sadly.

 

[joober jones]

The only way you couldn't have liked Ollie as a player is if you're in love with the three or highlight reel plays. He was slow and steady, but won the race.

 

[boog204]

He was a great player. Will always remember him fondly. But one has to wonder, especially after looking at those assist stats, why his team ranks so low in assists. The players do not take on his style of play, sadly.

You know I was thinking about this the other day. I think KO was a solid player. I'd never say he was great. As a Soph, he was on the verge of being replaced by Cup Cormier at the beginning of the season as he was not bringing much to the table. Eventually, Cup became a mess and KO definitively took over the reins. That team went 15-13 with him as the only PG and he was okay. The team took off the next two seasons with Doron and KO in the backcourt. Again, KO was super, super solid. But I think our offense becoming huge was more due to Doron (and obviously Donyell and Ray) changing our team than KO, personally.

It's funny, we talk about KOs style of play. He was quick and was great at pushing with the dribble and going to the hole; think the Providence game-winning layup. But in the half court, I'd say our team plays a lot like he did. He was tentative offensively and got a ton of assists hitting guys like Donyell and Ray in good position. If we had anyone who could hit a shot, then we'd see our assists numbers rise. By the time KO was a senior, he was a pretty consistent 12-15 foot jump shooter but many times we were playing 4 on 5 in the half court as he was not someone you had to really worry about.

The "legend" of KO is more about what he was able to endure in the pro ranks. He had an incredible run, but again, he was a deep bench player on a lot of teams because he was solid, would play D, and was a great chemistry guy. He wasn't a 10+ year pro because of the talent he brought to the floor. Just my $0.02.

 

[Dubs]

How the jelly made a layup the coolest move in basketball



Sid is a part of Jelly Fam. He's real. If you don't know what that is here ya go. Also here's one of his highlights on youtube. He isn't a 4-star for no reason, he is crazy athletic.

 

[Madmannsucks]

He was a great player. Will always remember him fondly. But one has to wonder, especially after looking at those assist stats, why his team ranks so low in assists. The players do not take on his style of play, sadly.

Ummm, because they don't have a Point Guard?

 

[AdamaNation]

Wilson, Carlton, the point coming in next year, a healthy Gilbert, Whaley a great energy role player and the other two recruits are a wait and see, but I think Ollie is slowly getting some pieces. He may not get the chance to see it all come together, but if he just can land one stud impact player, we may have a team with good potential. I guess as they say, Rome wasn't built overnight. I never liked Ollie as a Uconn player, he drove me nuts. I really didn't like Calhoun's decision to make him coach. In my opinion, he's coaching like he played.....awful. Calhoun knew he was handing over a bad situation. I kinda see things differently now. He didn't expect Ollie to do well in the beginning. Uconn was gonna have to get fixed over time. I think that's why he chose Ollie. When I watched him play, never in a million years would I have thought NBA player. Hearing bad rumors, but by all accounts Ollie is a fighter. Calhoun knew he needed a fighter for the long haul because the state of the program was not good. I'm starting to think that if he makes it to the other side, Uconn will be alright. Just a lot to overcome and we fans want Now. You guys don't think Ollie knows this team sucks. In recruiting you may get only one real piece a year that may have been a target.....but you still have to have a team. May take a few years to get four five pieces that make up a good team. I think Ollie will succeed in most things given time,but his actual coaching needs to get better. Also think about how long he's actually been a head coach.

Keep your shiny optimism to yourself, there is no hope and it’s of course all Ollie’s fault as you will see in the following responses. I agree with you in all honesty by the way. By year 10 he will have seen it all as a head coach. The peaks valleys and the voyage back the top on your own path.

 

[Chief00]

You know I was thinking about this the other day. I think KO was a solid player. I'd never say he was great. As a Soph, he was on the verge of being replaced by Cup Cormier at the beginning of the season as he was not bringing much to the table. Eventually, Cup became a mess and KO definitively took over the reins. That team went 15-13 with him as the only PG and he was okay. The team took off the next two seasons with Doron and KO in the backcourt. Again, KO was super, super solid. But I think our offense becoming huge was more due to Doron (and obviously Donyell and Ray) changing our team than KO, personally.

It's funny, we talk about KOs style of play. He was quick and was great at pushing with the dribble and going to the hole; think the Providence game-winning layup. But in the half court, I'd say our team plays a lot like he did. He was tentative offensively and got a ton of assists hitting guys like Donyell and Ray in good position. If we had anyone who could hit a shot, then we'd see our assists numbers rise. By the time KO was a senior, he was a pretty consistent 12-15 foot jump shooter but many times we were playing 4 on 5 in the half court as he was not someone you had to really worry about.

The "legend" of KO is more about what he was able to endure in the pro ranks. He had an incredible run, but again, he was a deep bench player on a lot of teams because he was solid, would play D, and was a great chemistry guy. He wasn't a 10+ year pro because of the talent he brought to the floor. Just my $0.02.

I agree D’Yell and Ray34 might have had a little to do with it.

 

[boog204]

I agree D’Yell and Ray34 might have had a little to do with it.

The point was that he wasn't Marcus Williams threading the needle or even Taliek driving and dishing/kicking out. Ollie was the guy, at least as I remember it, hitting Ray coming off a curl or feeding Donyell for a turnaround J. His assist numbers were in large part due to talent around him as opposed to him being a masterful distributor.

I said this a couple of years ago and people thought it was dumb, and perhaps it still is. But we haven't had a true offensive player on our staff since JC and Blaney left. Ricky was a defense first guy, Hobbs distributor, KO defense and distributor, KFree was a garbage guy, Killings was a walk-on at UMass and then a small-time player at Hampton, Glen Miller was not a big scorer... I don't know Chillious' background as a player; I do not think he was a D1 guy. So I look at our offensively challenged team, lack of quality sets, no inbound plays, etc. and wonder, well, who/where is the guy who can give some of those nuances?

I know the response. Ted Williams would never have been a great hitting coach, etc. But, we have a staff of hard working grinder types. The team reflects that.

 

[Son of Robert]

How the jelly made a layup the coolest move in basketball



Sid is a part of Jelly Fam. He's real. If you don't know what that is here ya go. Also here's one of his highlights on youtube. He isn't a 4-star for no reason, he is crazy athletic.

Looks good man.

 

[KembaStepback]

The kid looks like he's got solid handle for his size. Jumper has decent form and he's athletic. He will absolutely be a huge help next yr. Looking forward to seeing him play for UConn.

 

[Nebraskan18]

Danny Hurley is gonna love using Sid

 

[Penfield]

I saw Sid at the Cinci game. He was held up by the security guards at the entrance waiting for someone from the athletic department to come over and tell them that he was allowed to enter without a ticket or something.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Didn't like Ollie as a player?
Career FG% 55
Career FT% 80.6
Big East ranked in top 10 total assists all 4 years - 1st, 2nd, 5th and 8th
Big East ranked in top 10 assists per game 3 out of 4 years - 1st , 4th, and 5th
A Sweet Sixteen and Elite 8 and 2 Big East regular season Championships.
I would take a point guard capable of all that any day of the week.

Ollie was never spectacular as a player. Playing in the the backcourt with Ray Allen helps his numbers but also makes him easily overshadowed .
He certainly wasn’t going to be a shining star . He knew his job, shot enough to keep the defense honest and rarely missed a foul shot. Compared to the other great PG’s we’ve had he is down the list some. He never was close to the focol point of the team the way a Kemba was or even JA is. His job was to bring up the ball pressure or not and find an open shooter. Very workmanlike. He is the type of a point guard that only a team fat with talent could afford but we were.

 

[August_West]

Granted, I don't have the access or the talent evaluation/coaching chops most everyone else on this board seems to have

You're definitely no chief. But I would rate you a generous cut above the garden variety casual fan.

You just need to jump off the Polley train.

 

[AdamaNation]

Ollie was never spectacular as a player. Playing in the the backcourt with Ray Allen helps his numbers but also makes him easily overshadowed .
He certainly wasn’t going to be a shining star . He knew his job, shot enough to keep the defense honest and rarely missed a foul shot. Compared to the other great PG’s we’ve had he is down the list some. He never was close to the focol point of the team the way a Kemba was or even JA is. His job was to bring up the ball pressure or not and find an open shooter. Very workmanlike. He is the type of a point guard that only a team fat with talent could afford but we were.

Antoine Anderson

 

[gtcam]

He is the type of a point guard that only a team fat with talent could afford but we were.

In my opinion, he's coaching like he played.....awful.

Two really weird statements
So if KO went to a mediocre team at the time, he wouldn't have been a productive player? I find that very hard to envision. JC could afford him because he could "hide" him among the talent? If that's what your are thinking you are way off base. I am quite sure KO would have melded into any type of guard that you needed. It so happened he was needed to be a floor general and a director so he took that to another level. Who cares if he wasn't flash and dash like Williams - Williams couldn't have effectively played the role KO did. A guy doesn't last 14 years in the league because he was just a plug -in. That's what the G league and overseas is for. A guy in the league needs to step in at any moment and be one of 5 CONTRIBUTORS not a fill-in. Decades ago maybe but not in the last 20 years with salary demands.

As far as him being awful as a player - that's just plain nonsense from someone looking for likes from the KO bashers or never saw him play with open eyes

I am not grading him as a coach but as a player, an all around player, I would thinks 95% of NBAers - coaches and players - would rate him above awful.