This has become just plain sad

[RJScootin]

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.

KO is not going to voluntary walk away from $10M buyout. He will stay here until he is fired. He has no options that will be paying him over $3M a year.

 

[BPT2Storrs]

Ollie is an NBA coach, period. A player's coach. Sit on the bench and let the best player run the team, like Tyron Lue in Cleveland. Everything runs through LeBron.

When you don't have NBA talent on your team you can't do that. You need to coach. You need to motivate your players, teach them a work ethic, teach fundamentals, etc. You need someone who get's on their players for bad plays and mistakes. Turn those mistakes into teaching lessons. KO just does not do that. When they get down, he crawls into a hole and can't dig himself out. That's bad motivation for the team and I see it getting worse as the season goes on.

He needs to go. I don't see any coaching from him. I could tolerate the bad X's and O's coaching, I can't tolerate someone who doesn't prepare his team, motivate them and scream for their best effort.

 

[mauconnfan]

I am now embarrassed to watch the team I have loved for so long. The fact they have reached such low depths in 2 games this year puts me on the "I give" bench, this is insulting to us to have announcers find excuses for us while the broadcast games. I can't even watch other college games, which I like to do so much, due to the fact I know my Huskies have no chance of seeing any other or competing with any of them down the road during this season.

I really can't and don't even want to talk about college basketball but especially my Huskies, at all I'm at a loss for words.

 

[bpear1600]

I am now embarrassed to watch the team I have loved for so long. The fact they have reached such low depths in 2 games this year puts me on the "I give" bench, this is insulting to us to have announcers find excuses for us while the broadcast games. I can't even watch other college games, which I like to do so much, due to the fact I know my Huskies have no chance of seeing any other or competing with any of them down the road during this season.

I really can't and don't even want to talk about college basketball but especially my Huskies, at all I'm at a loss for words.

I know the feeling and I've been a fan since radio days.

 

[mauconnfan]

I know the feeling and I've been a fan since radio days.

I think you know then. From George Erlich through them all to JC, the expectations rose and I though unfairly for KO. But he's not even coming close to keeping us in the light or even competitive with just bubble like teams never mind the elite players. Wanted to give him rope but that rope is now firmly around his neck and it seems he'd done it to himself.

Although it may be the right thing I hope all these guys who are jacking off to being right are ready for a football like rebuilding because JC ain't coming though that door.

 

[Paesano]

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.

Forgive me if I am reading this wrong but are you saying that everyone is wrong because Bruce Pearl said Ollie is doing a good job? If so, let me propose that what he says is not necessarily what he thinks and really believes.

 

[Stinger92860]

Doing nothing for the next 2-3 years will deliver the same or worse results. I hoping AD Dave can work some magic here also. Buy out Ollie and get JC back on a contract so that the total does not exceed what Ollie is making. Sign him for 2-3 and hire a coach in waiting. I don't see other options. Can you buyout Ollie and get a guy like Hurley? I don't think so.

 

[auror]

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.

This is somewhat misleading because of the 2 overtime games we've played. He's 169th in % of teams' available minutes played, but of course absolute minutes played probably has an effect too.

I agree with all your sentiments, though.

 

[60'sfan]

I am now embarrassed to watch the team I have loved for so long. The fact they have reached such low depths in 2 games this year puts me on the "I give" bench, this is insulting to us to have announcers find excuses for us while the broadcast games. I can't even watch other college games, which I like to do so much, due to the fact I know my Huskies have no chance of seeing any other or competing with any of them down the road during this season.

I really can't and don't even want to talk about college basketball but especially my Huskies, at all I'm at a loss for words.

I feel the same as you. When people notice the "Husky" sweatshirt I still wear, I feel like I must tell them that I'm a big fan of the Uconn women. (which I am!) If they mention the men, I change the subject.

 

[UConnJim]

This season has been very frustrating, but somewhat expected. We lost 4 top 100 recruits late in the season and replaced them with grad transfers and jucos. The transfers and jucos were brought in to fill out the roster, not because they were top basketball players. We have 2 players that played together coming into this season and it was for one season. And, our point guard is injured.

In my opinion, the poor play has more to do with the players on the roster, not the coaching. If you want to blame Ollie for anything, I would blame him for the roster blowing up at the end of the season. If no players had transferred or didn't back out of their commitment, we would have had 7 top 100 players on the roster. Instead, with Gilbert out, we have 2.

End of the day, we need to see if Ollie can coach this roster up to be respectable by mid season. Anyone who was expecting an NCAA berth with this roster and with Gilbert injured was delusional.

 

[Hugo]

I feel the same as you. When people notice the "Husky" sweatshirt I still wear, I feel like I must tell them that I'm a big fan of the Uconn women. (which I am!) If they mention the men, I change the subject.

I haven't reached that point yet, but yesterday for the first time ever I turned off the game mid way through the 2nd half and never went back to it. I watched the complete game beat downs from Louisville in 2010/2011, our clobbering at the hands of Michigan State about 10 years ago and the complete clock-cleaning from Arkansas this year, but couldn't watch it all yesterday. We've fallen so far so fast and there is nothing I see in terms of improvement going forward. Not this year and not next year as long as KO is head coach.

 

[mauconnfan]

I feel the same as you. When people notice the "Husky" sweatshirt I still wear, I feel like I must tell them that I'm a big fan of the Uconn women. (which I am!) If they mention the men, I change the subject.

LOL I always tell them I am a Huskies MENS fan when they see me to be sure, but also let them know I do root for the women. That may change...oh please don't start anything. Actually I do have tons of other schools NCAA apparel so I may just don more Ducks colors or Wash ST Cougar, or the west coast Huskies or....well you get it.

 

[TRest]

This season has been very frustrating, but somewhat expected. We lost 4 top 100 recruits late in the season and replaced them with grad transfers and jucos. The transfers and jucos were brought in to fill out the roster, not because they were top basketball players. We have 2 players that played together coming into this season and it was for one season. And, our point guard is injured.

In my opinion, the poor play has more to do with the players on the roster, not the coaching. If you want to blame Ollie for anything, I would blame him for the roster blowing up at the end of the season. If no players had transferred or didn't back out of their commitment, we would have had 7 top 100 players on the roster. Instead, with Gilbert out, we have 2.

End of the day, we need to see if Ollie can coach this roster up to be respectable by mid season. Anyone who was expecting an NCAA berth with this roster and with Gilbert injured was delusional.

Has anyone ever heard KO explain in an interview what his offensive and defensive philosophies are? What he's trying to do? Other than play hard and stay in front of your man? I can't recall an inbounds play in the last couple of years, we play zone at random times.

 

[Sphinx]

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.

On the other hand, we don't root for our favorite team in order to suffer. It's supposed to be a diverting pleasure. There are times when you just have to invoke the "life is too short" rule. Besides which, to support a failed paradigm is to sustain it. It's not loyalty to support it. It's loyalty to boycott it until you force remedial action.. The best way to support this program right now is with an empty seat.

 

[UCweCONN]

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.

Translation: "One less school I have to compete with for recruits. Keep it up!"

 

[Ts5034]

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?

This is the most frustrating part. It seemed like things were going so well the first two years with KO, and winning the National Championship should have set things up for even more success, especially on the recruiting trail...but things just became worse. I mean, when it comes to championship rings, KO has the same amount as Tom Izzo, Bill Self, Jim Boeheim, even John Calipari. I understand they have been around longer and have multiple Final Fours, but when KO has an in home visit with a recruit, he has the luxury of wearing a National Championship ring which proves he can coach, but kids have chosen places like NC State, Tennessee, Texas, and VCU to coaches who have accomplished less.

Clearly something is going on behind the scenes that we dont know about. I think the de-commits and kids backing out of their commitments is what has proved that. Yes, players transferred under JC, but they were players who were on the end of the bench (Darius Smith, Ben Eaves, Jamal Trice, etc). Why did Enoch, Durham, and Vance leave knowing they would get a lot of minutes this season? It just does not make any sense.

 

[mauconnfan]

On the other hand, we don't root for our favorite team in order to suffer. It's supposed to be a diverting pleasure. There are times when you just have to invoke the "life is too short" rule. Besides which, to support a failed paradigm is to sustain it. It's not loyalty to support it. It's loyalty to boycott it until you force remedial action.. The best way to support this program right now is with an empty seat.

Well that's not the answer for people who have been fans well beyond the glory days of JC. But this reply tells us why they are empty these days so thank you. We don't have enough of the fans of the program like we used to, just frontrunners. Win or I'm not going to support the kids in the uni - actually very pitiful when you think of it!

 

[Huskybass]

I still wear UConn gear all the time and will continue to do so. I have been a fan since the early 80's and nothing will change that.

Better days are ahead. It may take awhile, but better days are ahead.

 

[Kitaman]

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.

You know we forget who he was surrounded by; Hobbs and Miller specifically. Those two probably had as much input in winning it all as Ollie. They may not have been great head coaches but their resumes will say they are great assistants. Oh and early on during our runs did 'he' really 'outcoach' Izzo, Huggy, Cal and the other great coaches, or did 'they' (he with Hobbs and Miller)? Also add 'Coach' Bazz and they had a winning formula.

Those 3 are long gone and it appears Ollie is struggling on his own, and he is still a 'new' or fresh Coach surrounded by who?

Just saying Ollie is in over his head, with the level of competition and certainly the level of opponent coaches he is up against. Ricky, Kevin and crew are out of their league and Chillious and Killings are first year assistants here, ponder that.

Even Calhoun owes a lot of his success to Blaney and his crew. We may only see JC and his HOF title but he could not have done it on his own. He had excellent assistants many who went on to venture into HC positions themselves (credit JC). I see no one on the bench capable of being a HC, or HC in training. There is nothing to learn on that bench from a first time Coach. Anyway before we can recruit we need wins and success. Success breeds attraction. We need to get that one recruit like a Chris Smith who can turn us around, but even Smitty came in as the missing or needed piece. Unfortunately right now we need so many 'pieces' and sadly no one here can tell what the completed picture is supposed to look like under Ollie.

 

[RSTuthill]

I would like to respectfully ask a question here. I am a hockey guy first and foremost, and after that football. Not a basketball guy although I do enjoy watching. So my naive question is this: I have noticed that success on the court seems to be inversely correlated with the academic metrics for the team. The more successful academics, the less success on the court. Is that what is at work here or is it simply that Ollie can't recruit? I mean, that first year the team was handed to him. In addition, the Final Four was in Dallas where the team could use SMU's facilities and the brain trust of Calhoun and Brown were available to provide support for an infant AAC league victory. So, subtracting that first year from the body of work, and I am wondering what exactly is gonna change, because to an outsider it is obvious that something has to change quickly. Think I know the answer, but I would be interested in other views.

 

[TRest]

You know we forget who he was surrounded by; Hobbs and Miller specifically. Those two probably had as much input in winning it all as Ollie. They may not have been great head coaches but their resumes will say they are great assistants. Oh and early on during our runs did 'he' really 'outcoach' Izzo, Huggy, Cal and the other great coaches, or did 'they' (he with Hobbs and Miller)? Also add 'Coach' Bazz and they had a winning formula.

Those 3 are long gone and it appears Ollie is struggling on his own, and he is still a 'new' or fresh Coach surrounded by who?

Just saying Ollie is in over his head, with the level of competition and certainly the level of opponent coaches he is up against. Ricky, Kevin and crew are out of their league and Chillious and Killings are first year assistants here, ponder that.

Even Calhoun owes a lot of his success to Blaney and his crew. We may only see JC and his HOF title but he could not have done it on his own. He had excellent assistants many who went on to venture into HC positions themselves (credit JC). I see no one on the bench capable of being a HC, or HC in training. There is nothing to learn on that bench from a first time Coach. Anyway before we can recruit we need wins and success. Success breeds attraction. We need to get that one recruit like a Chris Smith who can turn us around, but even Smitty came in as the missing or needed piece. Right now we need so many 'pieces' and sadly no one here can tell what the completed picture is supposed to look like under Ollie.

I agree pretty much with all of this, I think the championship went right to Ollie's head. Even without Chris Smith, the early JC teams competed their asses off, something that's missing now.

 

[Sphinx]

Well that's not the answer for people who have been fans well beyond the glory days of JC. But this reply tells us why they are empty these days so thank you. We don't have enough of the fans of the program like we used to, just frontrunners. Win or I'm not going to support the kids in the uni - actually very pitiful when you think of it!

Well, actually, I have been a fan since the glory days of 1953-54. I have been through the Carlson era and the Perno era, and I supported the team in those days the way I'm supporting this team -- by leaving my seat empty as a demonstration of my loyalty to the tradition of UConn basketball. I like to think that I was a small part of the protest that got Carlson replaced by Dee Rowe and Perno replaced by JC. In any case, it sure didn't hurt.

 

[upstater]

I'll keep watching. I must be a masochist. Growing up a UConn, Patriots and Red Sox fan has gotten me used to a lot of suffering (70s, 80s, 90s). I well remember those days. I kept watching then, I'll keep watching now. The announcers were not wrong to mention 4 championships in 20 years over and over again. It was breathtaking. And when Ollie goes, I will never think it was a mistake to have hired him. 2014 can't be a mistake. Hell, Syracuse has one and it's illegitimate.

Would I have done it all over again? Of course. But when changes are made, I'll still go on being a fan and watching even if they are mediocre.

 

[DAC17]

I don't like piling on, but... I am very concerned about the status of UConn athletics. The football program has been in the tank for 7 years, attendance is at an all-time low, and very few people care anymore (except for the tailgates!), the basketball program is following close behind; few fans in the seats and less caring about the team. It will be very interesting to see what the attendance is at games beyond Wichita State. And, although I haven't seen the TV ratings, I can't imagine that they aren't in the toilet.

This comes from a 50+ year fan who has had UConn basketball to help me get through CT winters for many years. But the combination of crappy conference opponents (who really cares about SMU, Houston, Tulsa, Tulane, ECU...?), lack of offense (no fun to watch with a shooting percentage in the mid-30's), no apparent pride or toughness, and the constant refrain of "we've got to come out stronger", make it increasingly difficult to care about games. I completely forgot yesterday's game was on until I got the halftime report on ESPN.

And once people stop caring, it's hard to get them back. Oh, and do you really think that the XL will still be open in a couple of years? Very low attendance at events and huge infrastructure needs in a state with no money to spend on it.

How depressing. Never mind; Merry Christmas to all on the Yard!

 

[mauconnfan]

Well, actually, I have been a fan since the glory days of 1953-54. I have been through the Carlson era and the Perno era, and I supported the team in those days the way I'm supporting this team -- by leaving my seat empty as a demonstration of my loyalty to the tradition of UConn basketball. I like to think that I was a small part of the protest that got Carlson replaced by Dee Rowe and Perno replaced by JC. In any case, it sure didn't hurt.

I can't believe you wouldn't go see the kids play. Well you know what I take that back, the kids who lead the team don;t compete hard enough for me I agree there. But the new kids who want to earn time are still fun to watch but I can see what this team could do to your decision making overall on whether to go or not. I take that back!

 

[upstater]

I would like to respectfully ask a question here. I am a hockey guy first and foremost, and after that football. Not a basketball guy although I do enjoy watching. So my naive question is this: I have noticed that success on the court seems to be inversely correlated with the academic metrics for the team. The more successful academics, the less success on the court. Is that what is at work here or is it simply that Ollie can't recruit? I mean, that first year the team was handed to him. In addition, the Final Four was in Dallas where the team could use SMU's facilities and the brain trust of Calhoun and Brown were available to provide support for an infant AAC league victory. So, subtracting that first year from the body of work, and I am wondering what exactly is gonna change, because to an outsider it is obvious that something has to change quickly. Think I know the answer, but I would be interested in other views.

The academic metrics are phony stats meant to comply with even phonier NCAA metrics that were adopted about the time UConn got banned. The reason UConn didn't massage the stats prior to that is because there was no penalty for poor (if bogus) metrics. I would say this is a non-issue.

 

[mauconnfan]

I'll keep watching. I must be a masochist. Growing up a UConn, Patriots and Red Sox fan has gotten me used to a lot of suffering (70s, 80s, 90s). I well remember those days. I kept watching then, I'll keep watching now. The announcers were not wrong to mention 4 championships in 20 years over and over again. It was breathtaking. And when Ollie goes, I will never think it was a mistake to have hired hime. 2014 can't be a mistake. Hell, Syracuse has one and it's illegitimate.

Would I have done it all over again? Of course. But when changes are made, I'll still go on being a fan and watching even if they are mediocre.

Same here it's just my way after all I still watch the Giants LOL

You're a Pats fan, never knew that.

 

[Huskybass]

This is the most frustrating part. It seemed like things were going so well the first two years with KO, and winning the National Championship should have set things up for even more success, especially on the recruiting trail...but things just became worse. I mean, when it comes to championship rings, KO has the same amount as Tom Izzo, Bill Self, Jim Boeheim, even John Calipari. I understand they have been around longer and have multiple Final Fours, but when KO has an in home visit with a recruit, he has the luxury of wearing a National Championship ring which proves he can coach, but kids have chosen places like NC State, Tennessee, Texas, and VCU to coaches who have accomplished less.

Clearly something is going on behind the scenes that we dont know about. I think the de-commits and kids backing out of their commitments is what has proved that. Yes, players transferred under JC, but they were players who were on the end of the bench (Darius Smith, Ben Eaves, Jamal Trice, etc). Why did Enoch, Durham, and Vance leave knowing they would get a lot of minutes this season? It just does not make any sense.

The first one or two years we had guys like Hobbs, Blaney and Miller on the bench with KO. Those guys had tons of head coaching experience and helped immensely with game prep and x's and o's. KO had fire and an intense will to win then. That coaching staff complimented each other as a hole. I think that's a big part of the explanation. Plus, JC was more of a resource then as well and that had to help.

 

[upstater]

Same here it's just my way after all I still watch the Giants LOL

You're a Pats fan, never knew that.

What do you want to know about Ron Erhardt's 1982 team? That was the best 2-14 team in NFL history!

I like to think my recent enjoyment of 5 Super Bowl wins, 4 national basketball championships, and 3 World Series victories were not so much deserved by the program/franchises and the fans as much as they were a wild success beyond wildest dreams. I'd never trade the 2014 NC especially for any of that. But had those things never come, I probably would still be watching. I know I went to games in the early to mid 1980s all the time. And there was a lot of fan enthusiasm in the HCC during those games. It wasn't all just horrible.

 

[UConnDan97]

The first one or two years we had guys like Hobbs, Blaney and Miller on the bench with KO. Those guys had tons of head coaching experience and helped immensely with game prep and x's and o's. KO had fire and an intense will to win then. That coaching staff complimented each other as a hole. I think that's a big part of the explanation. Plus, JC was more of a resource then as well and that had to help.

Honest questions for the folks saying that Ollie was better off with Hobbs, Blaney, and Miller; if they get credit for help on x's and o's, do they get some blame for our many roster issues over the past couple of years? Wasn't Miller the recruiting coordinator? And isn't part of the reason for bringing in "Kill and Chill" to fix the roster?

Serious questions, I'm not looking to start a fight...