That Confirms It

[UConnSwag11]

Ok Brimah.... but what about Purvis? Top 15 player in college.. McDonald's All american? Started in the ACC as a freshman? What's his reason for being actually worse this year than 3 years ago?

Not ollies. Does Ollie get credit for Adams and faceys improvement? How about Vance and vital from when the beginning of the year? Are we only going to talk about players that make ollie look bad? Two players. One that we knew what he is as just a defensive presence. The other who plays his ass off but will never fix his shot or have confidence going to the rim. Maybe Ollie realized this and focused on the future with Adams and the rest. Hopefully it's addition by subtraction next year. Having larrier and Gilbert out, even diarra, threw off ollies idea for the season as he stated his goal was to have two pgs on the floor and those are extra bodies and points. Idc about Wagner they would've fixed that. Our seniors are not an extension of our coach on the floor like bazz and kemba. Next year Adams is the oldest on the team. We need to bring a senior and a big man

 

[UConnSwag11]

KO has not been great this season, I think most of us can agree. But, he has been working with a depleted, super young roster with no depth. Genuinely think, if these exist, that he should go to a coaching camp for a little in the summer, I know it sounds weird but his in game coaching needs some work. He doesn't make many adjustments, maybe due to personnel, but not 100% on it. Needs to use his timeouts strategically too. We'll be better next year, but starting to question how much better.

We only get four timeouts a game and with all the injuries do you want only one going into the second half? He needs confident and smart players and when purvis and brimah are gone I believe he'll have hat. Our freshmen are vey confident as is Adams even Enoch. We just need to be smarter which comes with experience. Also you can tell the entire team is gassed. This isn't kemba when he had other help. The entire team is exhausted

 

[mauconnfan]

Ok Brimah.... but what about Purvis? Top 15 player in college.. McDonald's All american? Started in the ACC as a freshman? What's his reason for being actually worse this year than 3 years ago?

He peaked at 10th grade as an athlete do I really need to spell it out to you guys or can we grab someone who knows a little about basketball. Do you even watch the games? He is what he is, can make some shots, plays good D most of the time but for a "superior athlete" he can't finish, doesn't change direction at all he's a straight at it guy, he's not a good passer at all and not a good ball handler. If he's not any of these by the time he walks through the door at Storrs he's not going to get much better they're all natural gifts. He wasn't going to be any better if he played for K, Pitino or anyone you care to replace KO.

Man this place is full of crap! Hard to believe this is the BY today it's pathetic.

 

[4UConn]

Oh stop the excuses. We have lost to East Carolina Wagner Northeastern. How much worse does it have to get before people get the point that he is just not a good head coach. The next time he calls a time out to stop a run wii be his first

He's definitely the worst coach in the country to have won a national championship.

 

[Candyman]

I think Ollie is average at best as a coach. Loses to Wagner and Northeastern with a fully healthy squad was unacceptable, don't care if it was the beginning of the year. Those two games were all coaching even if everyone had a bad game we should still win those games by 10.

Why on gods earth are they switching on Defense so much? They look lost and it showed, they never did this before this season. They needed to win this on Defense since everyone was hurt but they looked like a team that wants the season to be over.

This team will be better when Purvis is gone, Gilbert and Larrier are back. Purvis really hurts this team. Only Adams and sometimes Jackson can create on their own right now. Adams didnt have the hops yesterday and it showed but his turnovers were bad including the turnover that lost the game for us.

 

[UconnFanNVa]

I think its a bad season!!! They happen! I understand. Good coaches sometimes make bad in game decisions, Ollie is no exception. Its funny though how short our memories are. We beat UK in the Championship... How? Because Ollie clearly out coached Calipari. They had more NBA talent and bigger guys, yet Ollie strategized and motivated on a level that Calipari could not compete with. I have a hard time forgetting that. Does that give Ollie a pass for life? Ofcourse not, but lets give him another season or 2 especially WITH a team that isnt decimated with injuries and lets see how he and the players respond.

I actually think a season like this primes us for something much better next season. The guys will be unified and have something to prove. Some of the extra fat will be trimmed (bye bye Amida and Purvis), and while Facey will be hard to replace, lets see how things shape up. If we have a healthy Larrier and Alertique and our freshman (now sophomores) arent improved and we are looking the same as we do this year... Then lets start a little conversation. Talking about canning Ollie at this point is a joke though if you ask me.

Are people really that dissapointed about losing last night. No Vital, and a gimpy Jalen.. Not to mention, the season is over for us!! Lets stop with the delusions of running the table in the AAC and getting a tournament spot.

Bring back the pizza and beer threads and relationship threads (no political threads!!) and get through another off season before we get all wound up. There is nothing to see this year if you are looking for winning. Its all about trying to set the stage for next year imo.

 

[mauconnfan]

I think Ollie is average at best as a coach. Loses to Wagner and Northeastern with a fully healthy squad was unacceptable, don't care if it was the beginning of the year. Those two games were all coaching even if everyone had a bad game we should still win those games by 10.

Why on gods earth are they switching on Defense so much? They look lost and it showed, they never did this before this season. They needed to win this on Defense since everyone was hurt but they looked like a team that wants the season to be over.

This team will be better when Purvis is gone, Gilbert and Larrier are back. Purvis really hurts this team. Only Adams and sometimes Jackson can create on their own right now. Adams didnt have the hops yesterday and it showed but his turnovers were bad including the turnover that lost the game for us.

Here's the funny thing, when he took the job over in a time of weakness for the program and won 20, then a NC was he average at best? I mean JC's players yes but none were great or impactful as they were when KO took them on. Deandre and Giffey certainly did very little until KO, Bazz became a leader under KO like no other in college (Kemba prior same thing). He fit the pieces together, made that calls as a coach that won it all. How quickly we forget?

His players now aren't smart at all - on him for sure - can't turn crap into diamonds. He has seen improvement in some Adams has been very good as a soph still learning, VJ is solid and will be a piece, Vital is more than one can imagine but that can't be KO right, he's a failure? LOL - while others who would have impacted are hurt, out for the season. How do we just brush this aside as if it happens all the time? Maybe it can at UK, KU, Duke but it can't right now where we are but it did.

The guy can coach, this crazy talk is really not like UConn fans, more like UConn spoiled whining fans.

 

[yukonyc212]

He peaked at 10th grade as an athlete do I really need to spell it out to you guys or can we grab someone who knows a little about basketball. Do you even watch the games? He is what he is, can make some shots, plays good D most of the time but for a "superior athlete" he can't finish, doesn't change direction at all he's a straight at it guy, he's not a good passer at all and not a good ball handler. If he's not any of these by the time he walks through the door at Storrs he's not going to get much better they're all natural gifts. He wasn't going to be any better if he played for K, Pitino or anyone you care to replace KO.

Man this place is full of crap! Hard to believe this is the BY today it's pathetic.

FYI, some publications I read called him the "best finisher in his class". Maybe he forgot when he got here? So he's not a good shooter, driver, finisher, passer, handles.... shoots 34% from the field. Also I would argue his d is terrible. He's always on the oppositions best perimiter player and gets lit up. Why does he play? Ya last night we were short a guy but at this point the season is a dumpster fire and Adams, Vital and Enoch should play all the rest of the minutes with the Brimah and Purvis coming off the bench.

 

[Greathusky]

I get the effect of injuries but this team has the collective basketball IQ of a walnut.

Isn't it upon the a coaching staff to teach and drill the fundamentals? Or is the argument that these players are too stupid in basketball to be taught?

I have no answers here other to wait for next year.

 

[EBonz30]

We had 3 100% healthy players. Fire Kevin Ollie for recruiting guys with the ability to get hurt.

I am getting to the point where I am embarrassed by being associated with this forum because of the way some of you treat our great coach, I don't know how much more of this I could take.

 

[mauconnfan]

FYI, some publications I read called him the "best finisher in his class". Maybe he forgot when he got here? So he's not a good shooter, driver, finisher, passer, handles.... shoots 32% from the field. Also I would argue his d is terrible. He's always on the oppositions best perimiter player and gets lit up. Why does he play? Ya last night we were short a guy but at this point the season is a dumpster fire and Adams, Vital and Enoch should play all the rest of the minutes with the Brimah and Purvis coming off the bench.

Wow stupid question like that I'm not sure you deserve a response but here goes. Why does he play? Oh never mind this is way too stupid to answer. He has to what else do they have and by the way, he's won games for them too I know you forgot about that because that's what whiners do they pick and choose. They jump off the boat, congrats you win! LOL

 

[UConnSwag11]

He peaked at 10th grade as an athlete do I really need to spell it out to you guys or can we grab someone who knows a little about basketball. Do you even watch the games? He is what he is, can make some shots, plays good D most of the time but for a "superior athlete" he can't finish, doesn't change direction at all he's a straight at it guy, he's not a good passer at all and not a good ball handler. If he's not any of these by the time he walks through the door at Storrs he's not going to get much better they're all natural gifts. He wasn't going to be any better if he played for K, Pitino or anyone you care to replace KO.

Man this place is full of crap! Hard to believe this is the BY today it's pathetic.

These are trolls who only come out when uconn loses. It's not hard to see. But then you have regular good posters who start slightly acting like them. It's a disease

 

[yukonyc212]

Wow stupid question like that I'm not sure you deserve a response but here goes. Why does he play? Oh never mind this is way too stupid to answer. He has to what else do they have and by the way, he's won games for them too I know you forgot about that because that's what whiners do they pick and choose. They jump off the boat, congrats you win! LOL

No why would you play him at this point in a lost season? You said he can't do anything yourself?? Why not get the underclassmen more minutes??

 

[mauconnfan]

No why would you play him at this point in a lost season? You said he can't do anything yourself?? Why not get the underclassmen more minutes??

I never said he can't do anything, if you can read into my post he is limited. You said he came in with all these tools, he showed they weren't there for the college game. He was a man among boys in HS and it never transitioned into college because of what he needs to be better at. He is proof of not being able to improve the things which come so naturally to others because Lord knows as hard a worker as he is he's tried to be a better ball handler, a better finisher (small hands hurt) , a better passer - he's not. If Larrier and Gilbert were here he may been relegated to the bench more who knows. But with this team explain to me who will take his minutes? jackson can't guard a 2 hardly a 3. The rest of the bigs can't - he still needs to play he is one of their better options not sure why you would ask that question. It is what it is!

 

[yukonyc212]

These are trolls who only come out when uconn loses. It's not hard to see. But then you have regular good posters who start slightly acting like them. It's a disease

Maybe the majority can see things for what they are and you're the blind one???

 

[SirHypeAlot]

We literally had zero backup guards tonight. I can't remember ever being in that situation. And I'm not sure if you noticed, guard play is our thing.

Yah because Ollie was holding out scholarships for home run commits that never happened. He cooled off Bruce Brown who is lighting it up at Miami in the best conference in college basketball. All indications were that Brown was ours ...maybe Ollie will learn from this past offseason the old proverb a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Hanging on to scholarships has done us ZERO.

 

[Candyman]

Here's the funny thing, when he took the job over in a time of weakness for the program and won 20, then a NC was he average at best? I mean JC's players yes but none were great or impactful as they were when KO took them on. Deandre and Giffey certainly did very little until KO, Bazz became a leader under KO like no other in college (Kemba prior same thing). He fit the pieces together, made that calls as a coach that won it all. How quickly we forget?

His players now aren't smart at all - on him for sure - can't turn crap into diamonds. He has seen improvement in some Adams has been very good as a soph still learning, VJ is solid and will be a piece, Vital is more than one can imagine but that can't be KO right, he's a failure? LOL - while others who would have impacted are hurt, out for the season. How do we just brush this aside as if it happens all the time? Maybe it can at UK, KU, Duke but it can't right now where we are but it did.

The guy can coach, this crazy talk is really not like UConn fans, more like UConn spoiled whining fans.

Spoiled whining fans? Fans that expect to win against East Carolina are now whiners? What are we spoiled about? The last three seasons? If being a UConn fan that expects to win against mid majors a whiner than thats me.

He had a great game changing player in Shabazz Napier, sure Ollie was crucial in his development. How has he been since Bazz moved on? Since then UConn has fell off the national radar fast. Each of those years we were ranked in the top 25 to start the year and plunged fast. I dont want to hear well we won the AAC tourny, cmon first its the AAC tourny and 2nd SMU didn't play in it.

I don't hate him think hes an average coach, since we have been an average team since Bazz left. I feel his style of coaching is suited for the NBA. It worked with Bazz and Company but hasn't since and he hasn't adjusted. This year he gets a pass and hopefully next year he gets us back to the top but if we are average again is it time to move on or will you settle for average?

 

[yukonyc212]

Spoiled whining fans? Fans that expect to win against East Carolina are now whiners? What are we spoiled about? The last three seasons? If being a UConn fan that expects to win against mid majors a whiner than thats me.

He had a great game changing player in Shabazz Napier, sure Ollie was crucial in his development. How has he been since Bazz moved on? Since then UConn has fell off the national radar fast. Each of those years we were ranked in the top 25 to start the year and plunged fast. I dont want to hear well we won the AAC tourny, cmon first its the AAC tourny and 2nd SMU didn't play in it.

I don't hate him think hes an average coach, since we have been an average team since Bazz left. I feel his style of coaching is suited for the NBA. It worked with Bazz and Company but hasn't since and he hasn't adjusted. This year he gets a pass and hopefully next year he gets us back to the top but if we are average again is it time to move on or will you settle for average?

Ollie isn't settling for "average pay." He's one of the top 10 highest paid coaches in the game. Why should we be ok with poor - average results. The problem is when you are paid a salary like that, there are certain expectations that you need to live up to. I don't think he's earned his money the past few years.

 

[mauconnfan]

Spoiled whining fans? Fans that expect to win against East Carolina are now whiners? What are we spoiled about? The last three seasons? If being a UConn fan that expects to win against mid majors a whiner than thats me.

He had a great game changing player in Shabazz Napier, sure Ollie was crucial in his development. How has he been since Bazz moved on? Since then UConn has fell off the national radar fast. Each of those years we were ranked in the top 25 to start the year and plunged fast. I dont want to hear well we won the AAC tourny, cmon first its the AAC tourny and 2nd SMU didn't play in it.

I don't hate him think hes an average coach, since we have been an average team since Bazz left. I feel his style of coaching is suited for the NBA. It worked with Bazz and Company but hasn't since and he hasn't adjusted. This year he gets a pass and hopefully next year he gets us back to the top but if we are average again is it time to move on or will you settle for average?

Let me answer this about since Shabazz moved on. Adams is better than either Kemba or Shabazz as a sophomore. Vital came in with many of you wondering why he even took him? Seems to me he's exceeded expectations, maybe just hard work maybe some of KO and the staff. Vance, looked to be overmatched early is playing well and I'd project him to be a big piece in the program for the next few years. The bigs are a different story, some has to do with recruiting and some just not having the smarts to get better. I'd just be rehashing the obvious in going over this piece of it and yes, it stings need smarter more skilled bigs, that's on him. Larger and Gilbert, somehow they are forgotten as if this would not have been huge to this year?

Not calling you a whiner, this was purely within the realm of the way this site has gone since last night. To think the way this team played his first 2 years as a coach has suddenly just become "an NBA type" is ridiculous but hey you can think what you want. He has plenty to learn still but he can do it he's proven it already no need to do that again to many of us. For me he needs to get healthy players and more intelligent players and he will once again be a solid Husky coach as many of you first thought. Up to him to win some naysayers back I guess what else is there to say?

 

[3rdbass]

I do agree with the outrage on the board somewhat but let's not call for KO's head yet. He is short-handed right now and just starting getting decent recruiting classes. I still think he is a not a great game plan coach as evident in the ECU game. I mean one guy was killing us so what do we do but stay in a loose zone with no one really keeping tabs on White. It looks like we didn't go to a quite box in one when we played zone in the second half but we definitely kept tabs on him which was needed. Not sure why KO seems always late to realize changes in the game and gets TO's at the end of the game when we still have a chance instead of early. Maybe he is a little slow understanding the game and needs a real good Assistant Coach like we had with George Blaney. I'm not saying KO is dumb but he might need some help understanding the flow of the game due to his lack of experience. I think next year with a full team and all his recruits there is no excuse if we don't finish in the top 3 in the AAC and get into the tourney. UCONN men's basketball is an embarrassment right now and I have been a fan since the late 70's with Don Perno. This is the worst feeling I have had about the program and I want changes if KO can't coach well next year. UCONN Men's basketball can't be left to go into purgatory.

 

[3rdbass]

Let me answer this about since Shabazz moved on. Adams is better than either Kemba or Shabazz as a sophomore. Vital came in with many of you wondering why he even took him? Seems to me he's exceeded expectations, maybe just hard work maybe some of KO and the staff. Vance, looked to be overmatched early is playing well and I'd project him to be a big piece in the program for the next few years. The bigs are a different story, some has to do with recruiting and some just not having the smarts to get better. I'd just be rehashing the obvious in going over this piece of it and yes, it stings need smarter more skilled bigs, that's on him. Larger and Gilbert, somehow they are forgotten as if this would not have been huge to this year?

Not calling you a whiner, this was purely within the realm of the way this site has gone since last night. To think the way this team played his first 2 years as a coach has suddenly just become "an NBA type" is ridiculous but hey you can think what you want. He has plenty to learn still but he can do it he's proven it already no need to do that again to many of us. For me he needs to get healthy players and more intelligent players and he will once again be a solid Husky coach as many of you first thought. Up to him to win some naysayers back I guess what else is there to say?

I really think the reason why we were good the first two years was having George Blaney right next to KO. Once he left, the program has fallen off the cliff so to speak. We need to hire an assistant coach who really understands the game and create plays and get the team in the right defenses. I just don't think KO is good enough of a coach in that respect to not have someone strong who understands the x's and o's of the game. KO's coaches might be decent recruiters but I don't see a good x's and o's guy on the staff to help him with game management.

 

[tcf15]

I really think the reason why we were good the first two years was having George Blaney right next to KO. Once he left, the program has fallen off the cliff so to speak. We need to hire an assistant coach who really understands the game and create plays and get the team in the right defenses. I just don't think KO is good enough of a coach in that respect to not have someone strong who understands the x's and o's of the game. KO's coaches might be decent recruiters but I don't see a good x's and o's guy on the staff to help him with game management.

Blaney was here for only 1 year under KO. He retired in June of 2013.

 

[3rdbass]

Blaney was here for only 1 year under KO. He retired in June of 2013.

Ok I missed on that one. Though we still had JC and GB coached kids on the staff as well as a long time coach in Karl Hobbs. Who do we have on the staff besides GM who might understand the game? GM was never a long time head coach like Karl Hobbs or George Blaney. I really think they are missing a coach who can really teach x's and o's to the players. I just don't see it in KO or his current staff. I also still think KO has changed a lot emotionally from the first 2 years which could be contributed from his divorce. It seems like he has lost something emotionally from when he started at UCONN. I love KO as a person but just not sure he is the right coach going forward especially with the current staff. Either way he is getting paid too much money not to be able to get us into the tourney next year. If he falters next year his job is clearly in trouble.

 

[HuskyBandDad]

Well it's the coaches that run the practices, right? I always thought practice was supposed to make you better and step up, at least according to Geno.

Do not compare the men to women. Geno is a great coach but the last 4 years he could have stayed in the locker room during games and still won 4 NCs

 

[QDOG5]

The team is exhausted and banged up. If Vital plays last night we win by 10. I'm looking forward to hitting the refresh button for next year. Some our saying we will miss the seniors( I thank them and wish them well) but I'm looking forward to seeing a different group of guys out there. On paper they should be a tourney team and I think KO will show his coaching accumen with them.