The 7 most disappointing teams in college basketball

[ctchamps]

I just see it differently. Jalen was, in his mind at least, the PG and leader of this team. He was recruited as a PG and played 100% PG at Brewster. That's the role he needed. Gilbert is a PG, but as you said he needed time behind someone else, that someone was Adams. Purvis is a SG, so his role was made unfamiliar as well. Facey has had underutilized talent for four years. He put on muscle in the offseason and should have been given a greater opportunity. It's Ollie's job to find out what has has before the games start for real. I think he probably let his own biases towards small lineups impact his decisions and it cost the team. The team was ranked #18, and this was no "transitional" year. Kentucky has those kinds of years every year. It's on the coach to figure it out and quickly, before you lose games to lousy teams, at home. To start the season everyone but Gilbert and Brimah were playing out of position, and Gilbert should have seen more bench time and Facey more floor time. It showed and we looked awful.

I'm no "fire Ollie" guy...hell no. But I suspect even he would tell you he did not do a good job in getting the team ready for the season or in utilizing what he had.

The only point I can stretch and agree with you is to have had Jalen run the point, Rodney the off guard and have Gilbert come off the bench. And he employed that at times. But the reason UConn won the NC championship was that teams in the tournament struggled with UConn when we went small. Most of us were drooling about next season with the Bazz - Boat combo of Gilbert - Adams and then Alterique screws things up getting hurt (which could impact the development of the team next year).

I'm sure KO was as shocked as the rest of us that the team shot so poorly. It was far worse than their historical averages. Had he known perhaps he would have started the players as you suggest sans Kentan. But what if he did and the same results happened. I'm wondering how much people would have been critical of playing that lineup and not starting Alterique alongside Jalen. Backseat coaching will always win.

As far as Kentan goes KO got his wings playing for JC and JC emphasized DEFENSE first and foremost. He had a playbook and offense was only rudimentarily practiced until the defense was at the level he insisted. Kentan never got into the line up because his defense was poor. Same with Steve even though both Steve and Kentan could do more on the offensive end.

If you want offense you seek out teams like Kansas and Duke. UConn won its NC's on the basis of emphasizing defense. And bringing up Kentucky as an example for modeling is an outlier. There is always some program in any sport people can point to and say look at them. How about looking at the predominance of programs that struggle when major changes occur. And even Kentucky was an 8 seed in 2014. It took a while for that team to gel.

 

[gtcam]

Well you might wanna examine that personnel and the depth of that personnel after the injuries.

You took the words right out of my mouth
Thanks

 

[gtcam]

Injuries are an excuse for bad team management. Ollie should have looked at his roster and said what if.....
If Ollie had even brought in a graduate senior as good as RJ Evans UConn could be 11-6. Ollie left unfilled scholarships on the table and this is why this season is not successful to this point. He could have found someone to be the third point guard, rebound or shoot a three. Hopefully, he will never go into another season without a full quiver of arrows.

Can you name a few that are out there that were left unclaimed or picked up late that would have helped?