This has become just plain sad

[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...

 

[Matrim55]

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.

Great post.

I still watch all the games and will get to one (I live in California so it's not more than that), but I have to admit I'm much more invested in how our guys are doing in the NBA rather than how our team is doing in the AAC. The season's over, and the KO era is soon coming to a close.

 

[Matrim55]

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?

Yes and yes. But it's noteworthy that the guys brought in to fix the roster have actually made it worse. That suggests there's a systemic issue - i.e., the common variable is proving to be definitive.

 

[whaler11]

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...

Everyone who has collected a penny owns some level of blame.

The only question is how to dole it out.

 

[upstater]

Yes and yes. But it's noteworthy that the guys brought in to fix the roster have actually made it worse. That suggests there's a systemic issue - i.e., the common variable is proving to be definitive.

Chillious has been here less than a year. Killings never recruited anyone higher than our current recruits. So... Im not sure you'd see any difference recruiting-wise, and even after grabbing the nation's top recruits for Washington, they had a pretty horrible season.

So... I'm not sure I see a correlation here.

 

[UConnDan97]

Yes and yes. But it's noteworthy that the guys brought in to fix the roster have actually made it worse. That suggests there's a systemic issue - i.e., the common variable is proving to be definitive.

They've made it worse?? Killings had been on board for a year and Chillious joined up this March. So any freshman that Killings was involved with is just that; a freshman. And Chillious's effect won't be felt until Akinjo, Matthews, and Kisunas are on campus...

 

[Hamms30]

If they let Ollie go mid season, who takes over? I don't see how anything positive comes out of letting go of KO at this point. Wichita St. is going to be a gut check for this team. Either compete and keep it close and maybe pull one out or if they get completely lambasted I think that's the end of the season for this team as I think that would really take the mickey out of them. What was that crap about Larrier saying him and JA were going to combine for 50 a game? What are the odds AD David Benedict has a chat with Geno at the end of the season? Would love to see Calhoun's reaction to that

 

[Huskybass]

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...

I welcome the opportunity to have a rational discussion about basketball. In my opinion guys like Blaney Hobbs and Miller were very important in terms of game preparation, X's and O's and in-game coaching. That said I am not certain that their strength was in recruiting. They did however bring to the table a great amount of collective head coaching experience and I'm sure some of the in-game coaching suggestions that they made were beneficial.

I have no doubt that Chillious a better recruiter than any of them. I guess I look at it like I look at an actual team on the floor. You're going to have your stars; you're going to have your role players, and if everybody does their job well you've got a chance to be very successful.

 

[AreBee1969]

As a freshman in 1988 I was smack in the middle of the rise of this program. I scraped together $18 for the bus trip and ticket to MSG. I was devastated when they lost to Alan Ogg and UAB in ‘89. I was there when Gample opened. Four championships. Fast forward 30 years, and I forget when they are playing as well. I was disappointed yesterday when I realized that I had agreed to finish off the Christmas shopping with my wife. That disappointment was gone after about 5 minutes of streaming on my phone. It was replaced with a different kind of disappointment. I recalled how even after graduation in ‘91, every game used to be an event. The phone calls would fly. “Where are we watching the game?” Now, no one in our group watch games together anymore. I realized yesterday that no matter what we had going on, we got together for games. They were something that really kept us in touch with each other, and now they don’t. We tried to revive it a few times but the interest just wasn’t there.

 

[Danzz]

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.

I see potential in some of our young guys but they need to develop if we are going to compete. There is still time to salvage this season; at least from being a total disaster. We showed promise in the first half against MSU and against Arizona.
We showed nothing against Auburn. Forget the X's and O's. There isn't a Div. 1 coach who doesn't get X's and O's including KO. The question is "what should we do different?" I guess go to the hole more and don't settle for outside shots. Then you look at this team and realize we are very young in the front court and our back court players don't have the ability to penetrate with the exception of Jalen. Larrier has an awful handle.
Our deficiencies are obvious but the lack of intensity is what concerns me most. We gave up against Auburn and that is unforgivable.

 

[UConnDan97]

I welcome the opportunity to have a rational discussion about basketball. In my opinion guys like Blaney Hobbs and Miller were very important in terms of game preparation, X's and O's and in-game coaching. That said I am not certain that their strength was in recruiting. They did however bring to the table a great amount of collective head coaching experience and I'm sure some of the in-game coaching suggestions that they made were beneficial.

I have no doubt that Chillious a better recruiter than any of them. I guess I look at it like I look at an actual team on the floor. You're going to have your stars; you're going to have your role players, and if everybody does their job well you got a chance to be very successful.

I always had respect for Hobbs, even during his days at GW where he was in a no-win situation. But I look at the issues of this team and I see severe roster problems. I think the coach that could take this roster on a deep tourney run would deserve the Nobel Prize for basketball. That's not to say that there is nothing to be done to improve us; I think there are definitely things to be done. But our current roster make-up in my opinion makes it extremely difficult. Over the last couple of days, I've actually been wishing that Enoch didn't take off. I Think he would have at least solved the center position issue that has us fielding players like DO right now...

 

[shizzle787]

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.

What coaching? My 8th grade team ran a more complex offense than Ollie. Passing the ball around the perimeter for 25 seconds and then letting Adams or Larrier play hero ball isn't an offense.

 

[Kitaman]

But when until changes are made, I'll still go on being a fan and watching even if they are mediocre.

FIFY since we don't know when, but we know now. At least it my sentiment.

 

[whaler11]

This rando on Twitter nailed it

 

[Kitaman]

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...

They were good and experienced resources for game management. I was not referring to recruiting or even player development. We look 'uncoached' during games creating bad losses. And during games, he has practically no one to turn to when compared to Miller and Hobbs.

 

[Blaneylover]

I agree. This just isn't working. I have been a huge defender of HCKO for the last year or so. No more. You cannot blame injuries, the conference, or transfers on what we've seen this year.

It doesn't take talent to give effort. It doesn't take talent to play with intensity. It doesn't take talent to play smart. When teams don't play with effort, intensity, or smarts, it is a direct reflection of the head coach. I know that there is a significant buy out here. I also know that we can no longer afford to wait.

A change needs to be made right now. A change needs to be made despite the fact that it is during the season. Make coach Chillious the interim coach and we see where it goes.