There once was a time when we lost 7 out of 11 and then...

[David 76]

There is a difference between constructive criticism and bratty entitlement. Having no patience with a young team, attacking Boat, discrediting KO's sucess last year to Calhoun, all these are the latter.
If you don't see the difference, you probably are in the latter group.

 

[maineuconnfan]

I completely agree...it is tougher this season, because if we do not win the conference tournament, we cannot be having too many more loses like that if any, but sometimes under the pressure cooker is when teams start to really elevate...it really happened last season too in some ways, better record going into conference tournament, but we had some pretty pathetic loses last year. I never go into panic mode during a season, I enjoy it, even through the ups and downs. Then at the end of the season is when I do most of my reflection. kids are kids, and these players are still kids

 

[The Funster]

Most may not agree with me but when it comes to my Huskies the journey is every bit as important as the destination. And, how many fans can say they root for a team that has won 4 NCAA titles in 15 years? Me, I'll take the bad with that good. When the negativity gets too thick here, I have a choice: I don't have to stay here and dwell in it.

 

[BUConn10]

There is a difference between constructive criticism and bratty entitlement. Having no patience with a young team, attacking Boat, discrediting KO's sucess last year to Calhoun, all these are the latter.
If you don't see the difference, you probably are in the latter group.

At no point did I make any of those inferences whatsoever, where are people getting this from?

 

[maineuconnfan]

http://the-boneyard.com/threads/because-of-2011-i-have-hope.53488/#post-858727

 

[maineuconnfan]

agree...shabazz, lamb, drummond, oriakhi, roscoe, boatright, giffey, daniels,

2011-2012 was a rough year. I'd say it was rougher than this one - just because expectations were higher. Yep, those were rough times.

 

[storrsroars]

Sure, they lost 7 of 10 back in 2010-11. Four of those losses were to ranked teams (Ville 2x, 'Scuse and ND). Two of the other three losses were on the road (SJU, WVU).

This year's team is losing to is not that level of competition.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Yeah, people are trying to compare a team that was running a gauntlet of high level competition to a team that's lost at home to Yale, got drilled on the road by Tulsa, and has struggled to get separation from some pretty bad teams.

 

[BoatShow]

We've lost 2 of our last 7 I don't see the connection

 

[OkaForPrez]

http://the-boneyard.com/threads/because-of-2011-i-have-hope.53488/#post-858727

Nailed it.

 

[AfgHusky15]

We won a title in 2010-11.
At the end of that year before the tournament we had won 1 out of our last 6. Yes we went 1-5 and won only 4 of the last 11 games to close the season.

History can repeat itself. Who knows during those 11 games what the team was thinking or where their minds were at, but things changed obviously and we took the whole damn thing.

So before chalking this up as a bad season, lets wait and see if we get into the dance. If we do, I wouldnt be surprised by a final 4.

But that year we played in the 2nd best conference in the nation:

1. Western Conference
2. Big East
3. Eastern Conference
4. Rest of college bball

 

[UC990411]

We reside in the same place we did the day before we lost to Tulsa, except we had won three in a row then so the boo birds didn't have as much to squawk about. And the same place we resided last season when we won the National Championship. I see that you are one of those who believe Ollie that lucked into it because he inherited Calhoun's players, and you don't have faith in him as a coach or a recruiter. That's fine. Ridiculous, but fine if you want to believe it. I know lots of people who believe that--but most of them are at least honest enough to not even pretend that they are UConn fans.

The fact that you think this board is the home of UConn's most loyal fanbase tells me everything I need to know. Once upon a time that may have been true, but that hasn't been the case for years. The vast (or least vocal) majority here now are spoiled, fair weather bandwagoners who act as though the team owes them something. This is now--by far--the most fickle, candy ass population of UConn fans there is.

Oh, but watch how you'll cheer and puff up your chests the moment we start winning again. Then you can proudly pretend that you were with us all along.

This fanbase doesn't deserve this team. I'm actually starting to root for a total crash and burn of the program so we can get all the rats off the ship. It was much more fun without them.

You need to take a break

 

[James]

When they aren't laying an egg, the huskies can still provide elite level defense. Like the physical talent is there. Still, right now, the offense is in the gutter. so when you take a night off on d, they looked crazy exposed (tulsa).

Improvement needs to be seen, as soon as saturday @stanford. Winning @stanford and @fl is still mighty impressive IMO. Sure i would like to have texas and yale back ( and temple actually), but this team is still running with a high upside. need to get better pace on offense.

guys like purv and hamilton have been so enigmatic its hard to put a clean stamp on this team. And then you throw in AB needing to be on the floor as much as possible. '14 supporting cast is definitely comparable

 

[BoatShow]

I actually feel good about Saturday for some reason. Barring a disaster we should pick up a couple wins with the two directional Floridas coming up back to back at home then another showdown with Cincy. Should be 4-2 in the league heading into that game. If we aren't...then we are toast.

 

[8893]

You need to take a break

Good call. Maybe I can come back with enough energy to on these kids, our staff and the future of our program like the big boys do.

Maybe I'll go study KO's divorce papers so we can have some more conjecture about how it's ruining our season.

 

[Scoe]

To the OP I like your optimism I really do, but SLOWWWW DOWWWWWN, your going 95 in a 30 slow down. Im not telling you to give up on the season, lets get to the tournament first. Pulling a Kemba/Shabazz isn't that easy.

 

[mauconnfan]

That's not the issue. It's the other guys around the star.

Agreed and to top it off the "star" isn't quite Bazz or Kemba. But he's doing a fantastic job of trying to be the best he can without the support that's for sure!

 

[Bonehead]

Still drinking the kool aid. I think the guys around boatright can play much much better , they've shown little consistency to date and we are still in the hunt for a tourney bid. Hamilton for one I know who will play better , still so inexperienced

Vodka has been added to the Kool Aid - much of it.

 

[NorwalkHusky]

Boatright will not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

 

[August_West]

Without question, it was an amazing run but each year longer in the American, those type runs are less likely.

Listen, I hate the AAC as much as anyone it is a damn purgatory of conference for us, but you can't know that. If our house is in order we can make a run from any conference. You want to say 5-10 years down the road the AAC will effect our ability to compete because of revenue drying up, Ill buy it, but not today. Not this season. This is about us as a team, not a conference. Its about the players playing up to their potential.

To reference other thread comments:
I think Boat has every bit the potential of Kemba or Bazz. Especially Bazz. Last year at this time we were saying "Bazz is no Kemba". Its the pieces around him that are failing miserably. Purvis was supposed to be his "Robin" hes not, obviously. Cassel was supposed to be a steady reliable veteran contributor, maybe in the way Kromah was. Hes not either. Hamilton could and should be Lamb, actually better. In fact Hamilton started the season and showed WAY more than Lamb did in his first semester of college. The thing is that Lamb had a switch flip in him halfway through the year and just kept getting better and better. Hamilton seems to have gotten a little shakier as the season has progressed (16-12 notwithstanding). There is time to work this out, but it has to be by the players doing what they are supposed to do.
I think actually lately Ollie has been over coaching trying to find the right mix. His substitution patterns have been puzzling to me and it is affecting floor cohesiveness (just my opinion, Im no Div 1 coach)

 

[8893]

Agreed and to top it off the "star" isn't quite Bazz or Kemba. But he's doing a fantastic job of trying to be the best he can without the support that's for sure!

I think reasonable minds can disagree about whether Boat is or is not "quite Bazz or Kemba." I'm still agnostic on that, and I don't think I'm the only one who didn't think Bazz was quite Kemba until last year's amazing run; or that Kemba could strap that team to his back for 11 in a row (I still have a hard time believing that really happened). The bottom line imo is that the stories are always written in March, and I think what most people really mean when they compare Boat to Bazz and Kemba is whether he can lead us to another ridiculously unlikely title by sheer force of will and a supporting cast that comes together at the right time.

What bums me out for Boat's sake is that he'll never have the chance to have a fair comparison. He has a natural disadvantage in terms of perception because of his height and that will undoubtedly affect his NBA stock tremendously; but in terms of his ability to have the same effect on his college team's ability to win a National Championship, I believe that a lot of what made Kemba and Bazz able to do it was that each had another guard of almost equal potential and ability alongside to complement and spell him, and there is just no question that Boat does not have that luxury.

 

[August_West]

I think reasonable minds can disagree about whether Boat is or is not "quite Bazz or Kemba." I'm still agnostic on that, and I don't think I'm the only one who didn't think Bazz was quite Kemba until last year's amazing run; or that Kemba could strap that team to his back for 11 in a row (I still have a hard time believing that really happened). The bottom line imo is that the stories are always written in March, and I think what most people really mean when they compare Boat to Bazz and Kemba is whether he can lead us to another ridiculously unlikely title by sheer force of will and a supporting cast that comes together at the right time. What bums me out for Boat's sake is that he'll never have the chance to have a fair comparison. He has a natural disadvantage in terms of perception because of his height and that will undoubtedly affect his NBA stock tremendously; but in terms of his ability to have the same effect on his college team's ability to win a National Championship, I believe that a lot of what made Kemba and Bazz able to do it was that each had another guard of almost equal potential and ability alongside to complement and spell him, and there is just no question that Boat does not have that luxury.

I've recently watched a bunch of 2011 games. I tend to think we overestimate freshman Bazz's contributions, He was decent and allowed Kemba to play off ball at times , but he was more known for the reach around bandit strengths back then, rather than any real steady high level point guard skills. Samuel or purvis or cassel or a combination should have been able and should be able to give us what Bazz did as a frosh.

 

[champs99and04]

I've recently watched a bunch of 2011 games. I tend to think we overestimate freshman Bazz's contributions, He was decent and allowed Kemba to play off ball at times , but he was more known for the reach around bandit strengths back then, rather than any real steady high level point guard skills. Samuel or purvis or cassel or a combination should have been able and should be able to give us what Bazz did as a frosh.

I would agree with the notion that Bazz wasn't necessarily a great player as a freshman, but I don't think we overestimate his contributions. That was a completely different team with Bazz in the game versus Bazz on the bench. "Decent" is probably selling him a bit short, IMO. His impact was transformative. This team would be way better with a freshman Bazz.

 

[Palatine]

But in none of those seasons did we lose at home to Yale.

 

[David 76]

At no point did I make any of those inferences whatsoever, where are people getting this from?

Not you BU but other posters have been really obnoxious

This bothered me:
Please stop with those comparisons. First, most of the key guys from last year's championship team started with a different coach in a different league.

What does that mean? That Calhoun is responsible for a championship two years after he left? Half the 2012 team (not too successful) left before Calhoun retired.