This has become just plain sad

[Fishy]

This isn’t working. I haven’t been optimistic for a while, but I at least had a shred of hope that somehow, something would click. After today, nope. That’s gone. It’s not even Christmas and the NCAA tournament might as well be played on Mars for all of our chances of getting there.

Statistically, this program has become a horror.

We’re 274th in scoring offense, 321st in field goal percentage, 332nd in assists/turnover ratio, 291st in three-point field goal percentage and 349th in assists per game. 349th. There are only two teams worse than us.

We’re not in the top 130 in any offensive or defensive category, save free throw percentage where we rate 97th. Statistically, we’re not even remotely competitive with other American programs.

Subjectively, we might be worse than our numbers. We’re getting dragged by everyone with a halfway decent power 5 roster. We’ve played five games on national television and we’ve lost those games by over 100 points - there wasn’t a minute in any of those games where I thought we had a chance to win.

Recruiting has been talked to death, so I’m not going to go into it, but obviously it’s played a huge role in getting where we are. The roster has startlingly large holes amd deficiencies and of the 4,500-plus Division I basketball players in this country, only two of them play more minutes per game than poor Jalen Adams.

Long story made short, this is sad. I don’t see the road out of this anymore. Not really interested in assigning blame, but if this looks as bad on the inside as it does on the outside, I hope the powers that be will do what they gotta.

 

[Huskybass]

Nobody can really take issue with anything you stated, although a handful here might try.

You are absolutely correct in stating that any shred of hope vanished yesterday. I am hopeful that positive change is coming soon. Things simply can't go on like they have been. Somehow, some way a change will be made.

 

[Doggie Style]

Ollie should not last the Xmas break! Time to move on!!

 

[WallStreetHusky]

The only thing I disagree with in Fishy's post is the use of the word SAD, this isn't sad, it's pathetic.

 

[RJScootin]

I’ve been pessimistic watching this team over the last 3 years and I didn’t see it coming close to what’s it’s been over the last year plus. The program is in a death spiral right now with what seems like no solutions to pull out.

 

[RJScootin]

The only thing I disagree with in Fishy's post is the use of the word SAD, this isn't sad, it's pathetic.

UConn basketball has been part of the fabric of my life with friends and family. That is now fading with interest in the program and product on the court .... it’s sad for the fan.

 

[Ewekon]

We have joined Indiana in the land of "blue blood" irrelevance. Really sad.

 

[August_West]

I didn't see the game yesterday ( mercifully) and I'm a cockeyed optimist and have been waiting for the click.


It's not coming. It's sad to have no hope before Xmas. But I have nothing to hang it on. I of course want talent , who doesn't.

But I fear our problems are bigger than talent

 

[Sphinx]

What I fear is that the same relentless determination and belief in oneself that can get a mediocre player a 13-year NBA career can get a mediocre coach a 13-year D1 coaching career. KO will not quit and he will somehow convince others to keep giving him another chance. His post-game comments reflect an astounding blindness to his own inadequacies. Imagine saying that "We can't give up 16-0 runs" without acknowledging that he sat paralyzed watching it happen, never thinking to call a timeout. No matter what happens, it's never on him -- it's never a function of coaching -- it's all due to his players lacking the same blind faith in themselves that he has.

 

[CAHUSKY]

I was going to post something very similar during the game last night but decided to let the buzz wear off and give myself sometime to reflect on things. After sobering up, and reflecting, its time for a change. This season is over, the program is in a death spiral and it’s time to move on. There is something horribly wrong with the program and it’s on the coach at this point. If obsessed fans like us have lost faith and interest in the team you know things are desperate. I never thought I’d see a time when UConn basketball would be utterly irrelevant on the national scene and bordering on embarrassing.

 

[Chin Diesel]

We have joined Indiana in the land of "blue blood" irrelevance. Really sad.

The Davis/Ollie comparison of quick success following a legend is apt.

 

[huskeynut]

The program is in a fast downward spiral. KO has no idea what is going on and/ or he has no idea how to fix it. And on the surface, it dosen't seem that his staff has any idea either.

Many possible causes - being in the AAC has been mentioned as the primary cause. I will disagree because there are G5 programs, like Villanova and Cincinnati, and Gonzaga who are highly ranked. A large part of the blame for were we are is Jim Calhoun himself. He orchestrated his retirement so the only real choice was his hand picked one - KO.

Its time to end this. KO has to go. Attendance is down in large part because this team is terrible. Its not going to get any better with Ollie at the helm. The AD's job is to figure this out and he will. We all heard the cry he couldn't fire Diaco because of the bye out. Pure BS. Same thing here.

We have become an irrelevant program. The time for change is NOW!

 

[jibsey]

Fishy, seeing those numbers in black and white is staggering. Our eyeballs knew they were bad but sheesh.

 

[8893]

I was done defending Ollie after the Arkansas game but I still held out a strain of hope because that is my nature and because I didn’t believe there was anything that could or should be done in December.

Yesterday was worse than Arkansas and I have lost all hope that KO can turn it around here. He is a survivor and I do expect him to rise from the ashes somewhere else at some point, but it won’t be here. There is just too much stink on the program; some of his making and some not, but he’s not equipped to turn it around at this point.

The only question is what, realistically, can be done this season to prepare for the future? If you are Benedict and Herbst, what are your options on December 24, 2017? I really have no idea because I don’t think there’s an assistant on the bench who has any more of a clue what to do than Ollie does.

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

Are we the only team in history to actually recruit worse after winning a national championship? De-commits, transfers, the replacement of Coach Miller, record low attendance. This is all on Ollie. Do we have any quality wins in the last 1 1/2 seasons? is there anything at all to be excited about going forward with Ollie?

 

[Paesano]

KO needs to be an NBA assistant. That is the perfect job for him. Someone close to him needs to grow a pair and sit him down and explain that to him. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Recognize them and then pick the right job for you. I think he would be very happy and very successful in that job and that is what should be important to those that care about him.

 

[Sphinx]

KO needs to be an NBA assistant. That is the perfect job for him. Someone close to him needs to grow a pair and sit him down and explain that to him. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Recognize them and then pick the right job for you. I think he would be very happy and very successful in that job and that is what should be important to those that care about him.

Exactly so, and I can picture the conversation beginning with the words, "Quite frankly..."

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Did Bruce Pearl really say, "I like what you're doing up there. Enjoy your holiday" as they shook hands before the game?
I don't know where else to ask.
I don't know what else to say.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I'm anxiously awaiting someone to post Mike Kryzewski's 11-14 record during the 1975-1976 season at Army.

 

[TRest]

I'm convinced the early success cratered his growth as a coach. No one knows how much of that success was the result of anything KO was doing, but there hasn't been a whiff of it since then.

 

[djct1999]

What a mess. No, not KO or this program, but me. I constantly say how I don't care anymore yet I found myself watching that pathetic display yesterday and I still found myself compelled to write on the yard Christmas Eve morning. Yeah, so much for not caring. Truth is, KO has to go. I think he has to go now. Going on like this, in front of a national audience, can have irreparable harm. The team is a mess, one void of talent. I know people hate to speculate, but one has to imagine that there will be another mass exodus after this season. The cycle has to stop. It must stop now. The university can't afford to alienate the basketball fan base. Sadly, they are dangerously close to that.

 

[Storrsbred]

We have joined Indiana in the land of "blue blood" irrelevance. Really sad.

Happens to almost all great programs. Kentucky, UCLA, etc.. Some never recover their former dominance, some come close.

Have a UK booster friend who has has been ragging on me for over three years of how this would happen. Harping on how UConn should bite the bullet and dismiss KO sooner rather than later.Kept reminding me of how long it took them to regain their relevance. UConn might be two coaches away. Never easy replacing an icon legend.

 

[AdamaNation]

We have joined Indiana in the land of "blue blood" irrelevance. Really sad.

Yeah withiut the blue blood label

 

[HungryHuskies]

It's really hard because I've been on the Ollie train since day 1, but this season made me realize this job isn't for him. He simply gets out coached every game. It's time to move on.

The return of Edsall and Calhoun in the same year would be something else.

 

[Bryan Lord]

This has been very weird. I was born in 1988 so we've basically been a basketball power for as long as I was old enough to remember.

Now that we consistently suck for the first time in like 20 years I find myself forgetting to watch games and I don't even bother reminding my dad that "we are on tonight".

I guess I was always just a front running fan and just didn't realize it because we were always out front. Feeling ashamed.