The Athletic: KO Article

[Banta55]

How do they do this financially? I can't think of how it would get done?

The money is not a issue, he doesn't make the tournament he's gone..

 

[intlzncster]

The money is not a issue, he doesn't make the tournament he's gone..

The money is a MASSIVE issue. The athletic department is already hemorrhaging money. In the face of that, you'd be paying KO $10m per to take a vacation. You'd then need $3 million or so for a new coach. Good luck getting that approved.

This isn't professional sports backed by billionaires. In this conference, UCONN has a lot less money available. The only hope would be for KO to negotiate his buy out way down, something I doubt he'd agree to.

Maybe Werth will throw the basketball program another $20m?

 

[freescooter]

Even if you wanted to by the argument that the league is a problem, it isn’t like UConn dominates or for that matter even competes for the regular season title. We don’t have to be Wichita in their old league but it would be nice to be Cincinnati for a change. But you have to admit that this team is not well coached and hasn’t been for the last few years. Conference affiliation we can’t do much about. Coaching we can. And if we are playing in front of 3500 come February something will be done

 

[intlzncster]

So if we used 2017 as a proxy, Revenue and subsidy would be a wash with KO's 10m hit. And the next coaches 3m would come off student fees. So you'd only be 5.3m plus, all from student fees.

 

[Zissou]

So if we used 2017 as a proxy, Revenue and subsidy would be a wash with KO's 10m hit. And the next coaches 3m would come off student fees. So you'd only be 5.3m plus, all from student fees.

Total expenses = $80M.

Total Revenue =
~$40M in real revenue (TV money, post season distributions, gate sales, etc.)
~$10M in student fees.

The department is $30M in the red, made up from subsidies.

The Revenue Subsidy balances the books so revenue = expenses.

Expenses are going up. Real revenue is going down. The subsidies to cover losses are therefore going up.

 

[Javjudah]

Akinjo is a really nice player and I'm happy we landed him, but hold up with the "superstar" talk. He's not that guy.

You must not have heard the sharks are out following last weeks success. The guy is underrated and special.

 

[Javjudah]

Yeah but he had a bad back then so you can't really blame him.

He's always sick and take leave of absences when he has a bad team.

 

[pj]

Finally... someone says this. People are acting like he's the top guard in the country who will turn this program around, but he's not.

He has a CHANCE to be a solid player with good coaching and hard work. Currently he's not a very effecienct player at all, but has tenacity and drive. Those are the ingredients, but he hasn't been baked yet.

Personally, I think Matthews has a better chance of being great, despite his ranking. He is the definition of an athletic versatile wing--exactly the way the game is moving towards. There isn't a lot of room for 5'9 guards in basketball. Takes someone with a lot of hard work to get there. Much more wiggle room when you're 6'7 and can shoot

Akinjo's shooting stats in spring play in Nike EYBL were average (33% from 3, 76% free throw) but he had a good A:TO ratio, decent rebounding rate for a small guard (4.5 per 40 minutes), and more steals than personal fouls. But his game kept elevating in the summer. In Peach Jam pool play he was 43% from 3, 82% on free throws, 4.6 rebounds per game. Then he elevated again in the the tourney where he won MVP. Word is he's just kept getting better since. He has to be considered a top 40 player at this point.

Matthews has tremendous potential thanks to his height, quick hands and feet, athleticism, and ability to shoot. But don't sell Akinjo short.

 

[husky429]

Akinjo's shooting stats in spring play in Nike EYBL were average (33% from 3, 76% free throw) but he had a good A:TO ratio, decent rebounding rate for a small guard (4.5 per 40 minutes), and more steals than personal fouls. But his game kept elevating in the summer. In Peach Jam pool play he was 43% from 3, 82% on free throws, 4.6 rebounds per game. Then he elevated again in the the tourney where he won MVP. Word is he's just kept getting better since. He has to be considered a top 40 player at this point.

Matthews has tremendous potential thanks to his height, quick hands and feet, athleticism, and ability to shoot. But don't sell Akinjo short.

I watched akinjo a bunch this summer. He IS an amazing player. But he will have a learning curve against d1 defense. I could see him ending up like boat--maybe less scoring more assists--by senior year.

My gut just tells me matthews will have an easier transition because of his height.

Both have an argument to be regarded as top 50

 

[Zissou]

Ollie signed a 5 year contract last year, through 2021. I doubt with the shortfall in revenue that your President will want to pay that contract in addition to another head coaching contract.

On merit KO deserves some more time. Politically they will have to give him a few years, rather than explaining the new contract last year, and a firing next year.

 

[superjohn]

A 3 and a 4 star and we've got people calling them top 50 recruits, peak boneyard!

 

[8893]

He's always sick and take leave of absences when he has a bad team.

That was my point.

 

[UCDaveD]

Both have an argument to be regarded as top 50

In what world?

 

[pj]

I watched akinjo a bunch this summer. He IS an amazing player. But he will have a learning curve against d1 defense. I could see him ending up like boat--maybe less scoring more assists--by senior year.

My gut just tells me matthews will have an easier transition because of his height.

Both have an argument to be regarded as top 50

All point guards have a learning curve as they move up, especially short ones like Kemba, Shabazz, Boatright, and Akinjo. Akinjo will definitely have a lot more assists than Boatright, Boat was just not a gifted distributor. I suspect Akinjo may exceed Boat in scoring too, just because he's a genuine triple threat from every spot on the floor, even though Boat is a better pure scorer. I agree Matthews has great potential, he touches all the bases in terms of physical gifts.

 

[pj]

In what world?

They are top 50 in potential, Akinjo is just blooming now and Matthews hasn't yet faced the competition he needs to develop and prove himself. But both will be regarded among the top 50 college sophomores in 2020, I predict.

 

[superjohn]

In what world?

In the same world where Polley and Carlton were grossly underrated and are going to be studs.

 

[Tenspro2002]

The money is a MASSIVE issue. The athletic department is already hemorrhaging money. In the face of that, you'd be paying KO $10m per to take a vacation. You'd then need $3 million or so for a new coach. Good luck getting that approved.

This isn't professional sports backed by billionaires. In this conference, UCONN has a lot less money available. The only hope would be for KO to negotiate his buy out way down, something I doubt he'd agree to.

Maybe Werth will throw the basketball program another $20m?

One could envision a scenario where they negotiate his buy-out downward in exchange for letting KO resign in dignity and the university keeping his alleged embarrassing misdeeds quiet.

 

[Paesano]

We have a winner!

 

[intlzncster]

A 3 and a 4 star and we've got people calling them top 50 recruits, peak boneyard!

To be fair, anyone from 25-100 is a 4 star. No comment on the 3 star.

 

[superjohn]

To be fair, anyone from 25-100 is a 4 star. No comment on the 3 star.

He's ranked 96th, which means he's a top 40 or 50 guy according to the boneyard.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

He doesn't get next year if this year is the same as the last, which I think it will be.

The reality is that shy of his doing something off the court that embarrasses the school, KO has the remainder if this season and all of next season. Is he capable of returning the program to where we want it? I don't know but we aren't in a financial position to be as impatient as you desire.

 

[willie99]

He's ranked 96th, which means he's a top 40 or 50 guy according to the boneyard.

really not much difference between 50 and 100, only a few at the very top stand out

ALL UCONN FANS SHOULD KNOW THIS

Carry on

 

[huskyblooz]

I'll waste my time and respond one more time. I think Ollie is the man people closest to him say he is, people like Bazz and Calhoun. I know Ollie has a tremendous work effort, that's how he survived in the NBA for so long. I think it's pretty darn funny when some fan on the internet tells me "LOL, Ollie is not the person you think he is". I've heard good & bad about himself. And it's all opinion. But he hasn't a clue about college offense!

I'll just have to leave it at that, don't want to get too disrespectful, not why I'm here

 

[Chief00]

People should consider what the off-court life is like for the average NBA player.

Get a life!

 

[AntG168]

In the same world where Polley and Carlton were grossly underrated and are going to be studs.

I still believe Polley will be a stud