The Program's Turning Point

[Bonk]

I think most of us on here know why Water$ didn't get much interest from UConn. Every wonder why he ended up at L$U? I know he wanted a great academic school and L$U is basically the Harvard of the South and all but.......

He committed to Georgetown before L$U. And a friend of mine who played for St Thomas More when Tremont was at South Kent and played with him in the AAU circuit said to me that Tremont wanted to go to UConn

 

[TerryA88]

When KO got served with divorce papers.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

He committed to Georgetown before L$U. And a friend of mine who played for St Thomas More when Tremont was at South Kent and played with him in the AAU circuit said to me that Tremont wanted to go to UConn

Respectfully, that's nonsense. The kid himself called Duke his dream school. The idea that he was begging to come to UConn and Ollie prioritized someone else is just not true. His father was pretty politic about the whole thing but they were definitely getting the Heisman from that family.

 

[husky429]

He committed to Georgetown before L$U. And a friend of mine who played for St Thomas More when Tremont was at South Kent and played with him in the AAU circuit said to me that Tremont wanted to go to UConn

His father (RIP) demanded $ and a certain amount of shots for Tremont or he would not commit. Tremont also called Duke his dream school. Your friends heard wrong, or Tremont told him what he wanted to hear.

 

[BFieldHusky]

His father (RIP) demanded $ and a certain amount of shots for Tremont or he would not commit. Tremont also called Duke his dream school. Your friends heard wrong, or Tremont told him what he wanted to hear.

I can confirm this is true.

 

[husky429]

I can confirm this is true.

People talk in hs basketball around this stae. Seemed like Tremont and Mustapha Heron's need$ were the worst kept secrets around

 

[UconnFanDC]

Lol. Are we really dwelling on what's not and what was? Right now is a problem that I hope turns around so we are not talking about what could or would have been. "19-20" is now. We have seen top recruits flop and lower recruits make it to the top. Ijs

 

[HuskyHawk]

Id bet a million dollars that you didn't have this thought. The whole board thought he was going to be a superstar.

BS. I thought he was a crappy hire and said so at the time. I was pissed at Calhoun for foisting him on us with his late retirement. We could have hired a very strong experienced head coach at that point in time. He then lead us to the least expected NC in the modern era, and I thought maybe I was wrong. I wasn’t.

If there’s a turning point, for me it starts when we won in 2014 and Ollie decided he was the Spartacus and didn’t need help or advice. Thats when his personal life, professional life and our program all headed down the drain. KO’s ego was the problem.

 

[Lefty2one]

UConn 44, Yale 45

Yale 45-44 UConn (Dec 5, 2014) Final Score - ESPN

Game summary of the Yale Bulldogs vs. UConn Huskies NCAAM game, final score 45-44, from December 5, 2014 on ESPN.

www.espn.com

Terrance Samuel starting at SG and Sam Cassell Jr getting 26 minutes off the pine. Good grief.

 

[HooperScooper]

People talk in hs basketball around this stae. Seemed like Tremont and Mustapha Heron's need$ were the worst kept secrets around

And Heron ended up at Auburn. This ain't rocket science, people.

 

[mussels]

There was no turning point. Loved them when I attended and we were in the Yankee conference, loved them through the Calhoun years, love them now.

 

[KingAG]

Down in New Haven, those of us in the AAU scene ALL know why Tremont went to LSU. It’s not a secret

 

[80shusky]

While most continue to grumble about the Ollie players were stuck with (including Hurley), it got me thinking about the real turning point of the program. How could a championship in 2014 turn into the last three year's records of 16-17, 14-18, 16-17?

While it's easy to point fingers at merely existing in the sewer that is the AAC conference, paired with Ollie's ineptitude to adjust and run a program, I think the real turning point is the absolute implosion of the 2016 "Top 5" recruiting class, ranked 8th nationally.

I think we can all admit our excitement over the promising future of this class, and the praise of Ollie's recruiting abilities. The subsequent demise of this class is mind-boggling, which falls smack-dab in the middle of our most recent championship and where we are now. I don't have to remind you, but this is how it played out:

Durham: Transfer
Diarra: Injuries
Jackson: Transfer
Vital: Overrated role player
Gilbert: Injuries

I can't think of another recruiting class with so much promise that ended the way this one did, be that at UConn or anywhere else. The way this class unexpectedly transpired leaves us where we are today, slowly climbing out of a hole. Say what you want about Ollie forcing Durham and Jackson out of the program, and being naive enough to recruit players with known health issues, but like I said before, you can't deny you were excited about this class in 2016 and predicted an upward trajectory.

Such a crazy single-season shift in expectations, team morale, talent, bright future, and overall UConn culture we were so accustomed to.

View attachment 48109

That class did end up being a huge loss. Imagine how different things might have been if all stayed or weren't injured. I disagree with Vital as an "overrated role player".
Vital as a 3 star recruit and at the time considered an inconsequential add on to the class ended up being a solid D1 basketball player. He isn't perfect, and ideally you wouldn't have him be your starting 2 on a great team, but he is always around the ball, scores, rebounds, gets steals and gives effort.
You can tell he wants to win. He makes mistakes, questionable decisions and lets his attitude get ahead of his talent sometimes but at least he tries hard every game. I don't understand why people hate on him. I don't think he deserves it. I just think he tries too hard because he doesn't think he has a choice.

 

[husky429]

Down in New Haven, those of us in the AAU scene ALL know why Tremont went to LSU. It’s not a secret

Wasn't he a NH Heat kid before eybl with expressions?

 

[KingAG]

Wasn't he a NH Heat kid before eybl with expressions?

Correct. He was always a phenom, his father made sure of it

 

[InKembaITrust]

That class did end up being a huge loss. Imagine how different things might have been if all stayed or weren't injured. I disagree with Vital as an "overrated role player".
Vital as a 3 star recruit and at the time considered an inconsequential add on to the class ended up being a solid D1 basketball player. He isn't perfect, and ideally you wouldn't have him be your starting 2 on a great team, but he is always around the ball, scores, rebounds, gets steals and gives effort.
You can tell he wants to win. He makes mistakes, questionable decisions and lets his attitude get ahead of his talent sometimes but at least he tries hard every game. I don't understand why people hate on him. I don't think he deserves it. I just think he tries too hard because he doesn't think he has a choice.

Kid works hard, no knock on his effort, but he can't be your first or second best player if you want to be a top 25 team.

He's simply not a pure basketball player and plays at one speed. This is what I mean by overrated.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Terrance Samuel starting at SG and Sam Cassell Jr getting 26 minutes off the pine. Good grief.

"Terrence is a difference-maker."

 

[uconngb]

2014.

Two players decommit because they couldn’t get Kevin Ollie on the phone.

Please tell me that’s an exaggeration

 

[TheChamps990411]

Grad transfers that were absolutely horrible.

Grad transfers that were absolutely horrible.
And Grad transfers that were horrible.

This actually gave me a pretty good laugh.

 

[intlzncster]

And Heron ended up at Auburn. This ain't rocket science, people.

Obligatory I can't stand when people blame cheating when recruits don't choose UConn post.

 

[intlzncster]

Please tell me that’s an exaggeration

No. Ollie did not like to recruit. Fact.

 

[HooperScooper]

Obligatory I can't stand when people blame cheating when recruits don't choose UConn post.

While I somewhat agree with that, facts are facts based on the Chuck Person trial. Is it reasonable to assume Auburn paid recruits? Are you disputing that? You have to be naive to think they weren't.

Parents of Auburn basketball players Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy allegedly accepted money in this case, and both players were ineligible last season as a result.

Former Auburn assistant Chuck Person pleads guilty on bribery charges

Person was arrested in Sept. 2017.

www.al.com

 

[intlzncster]

While I somewhat agree with that, facts are facts based on the Chuck Person trial. Is it reasonable to assume Auburn paid recruits? Are you disputing that? You have to be naive to think they weren't.

Parents of Auburn basketball players Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy allegedly accepted money in this case, and both players were ineligible last season as a result.

Former Auburn assistant Chuck Person pleads guilty on bribery charges

Person was arrested in Sept. 2017.

www.al.com

Hoop you missed my sarcasm. I'm agreeing with your OP. People always come in with that quote and I think it's incredibly naive. They think we are being bitter.

Yet I can fire off at least 5 really good guys without thinking that we lost directly to money in the last few years.

In today's day and age, money is a very important factor in the recruiting game (to pretend otherwise is to have your head buried 10 feet under). Which is why developing players you do get is doubly important.

 

[SubInATub]

Get these Ollie boys outta here. Hate to see some go, love to see others leave.