This has become just plain sad

[UConnDan97]

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.

I understand that. But as they sing in The Facts Of Life; "you take the good, you take the bad..."

If they were good xo guys but bad recruiters, then we have to be honest about both sides of the coin. And now that we're in the AAC and not the old Big East, we need the very best of recruiters (sans the hookers and coke like Pitino)...

 

[UConnDan97]

This rando on Twitter nailed it

I don't believe that for a second. Not one second. And neither should you.

There are constant reports of Ollie himself being on recruiting trips and bball tournaments. There is no doubt at all that he works hard on the trail, and most recruits reinforce that statement.

DO and Anderson are on the roster because MAL and Enoch and others were not. It was not out of laziness. It was out of necessity...

 

[Deadrody]

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!

As I've said a few times before, There was nothing wrong with Calhoun picking Ollie - to be the interim head coach until they could do a proper search for a replacement.

 

[upstater]

This rando on Twitter nailed it

Whaley doesn't deserve to be in that group.

 

[noeynox]

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

You've been a vocal supporter of NO. I've been quiet supporter of him. It is clear he screwed this up. His roster has been decimated by transfers and left him scrambling to put together a Frankenstein of a roster and no one looks like they know their roles. Auburn had us doubled up on the scoreboard.

 

[Deadrody]

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.

Same thing here. I was a freshman, albeit, not at UConn, in 1988 as well. I managed to get back to CT for the spring of 1990, one of only two years I managed to live IN Connecticut since I left for college in 1987-88. It will be a damn shame if the University ends up squandering everything Calhoun built.

 

[NEforceUConn]

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....

I liked your post up to where I cut it off. UConn sports have been such a passion in my life I just don't know where to turn and god knows I need something healthy to replace the void

 

[noeynox]

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

Exactly. Like what you're doing up there, keep sending CT's best down here so we could whip your ass.

 

[CL82]

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.

Yeah, I'm sorry I'm not going to cannonize you for your righteous boycott of the games. The identical pattern of behavior showing up to games when we are winning and staying away when we are losing is adopted by every band wagon fan in America. We get it. It is hard to root for a team that is so clearly dysfunctional and you've decided that it isn't worth the time or money spent to go see the games. That's your choice but your attempt to justify it portraying yourself as some kind of principled superfan is delusional.

 

[White Dwarf]

 

[Deadrody]

Yeah, I'm sorry I'm not going to cannonize you for your righteous boycott of the games. The identical pattern of behavior showing up to games when we are winning and staying away when we are losing is adopted by every band wagon fan in America. We get it. It is hard to root for a team that is so clearly dysfunctional and you've decided that it isn't worth the time or money spent to go see the games. That's your choice but your attempt to justify it portraying yourself as some kind of principled superfan is delusional.

You know, at some point I take solace in the fact that this team will continue to slink to lower and lower levels to the point that the "I'm a better fan than you" pissing contests become completely unnecessary.

Clearly, we haven't sunk to that level just yet.

 

[whaler11]

I don't believe that for a second. Not one second. And neither should you.

There are constant reports of Ollie himself being on recruiting trips and bball tournaments. There is no doubt at all that he works hard on the trail, and most recruits reinforce that statement.

DO and Anderson are on the roster because MAL and Enoch and others were not. It was not out of laziness. It was out of necessity...

Hey tell it to Fishy!

 

[60'sfan]

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.

I think you are correct. Kevin Ollie was able to win a National Championship with a good roster and able to out-coach teams with better players (Florida, Kentucky, Michigan State). Where he has fallen short is in recruiting. We can speculate whether the recruiting is because of the AAC or the way the team was turned over to him or even his assistants. But I don't think even Jim Calhoun could win with this group of players. They are young, inexperienced and in some cases just not good enough.

 

[tentoes4rings]

Yeah, I'm sorry I'm not going to cannonize you for your righteous boycott of the games. The identical pattern of behavior showing up to games when we are winning and staying away when we are losing is adopted by every band wagon fan in America. We get it. It is hard to root for a team that is so clearly dysfunctional and you've decided that it isn't worth the time or money spent to go see the games. That's your choice but your attempt to justify it portraying yourself as some kind of principled superfan is delusional.

Here's where I sit on this. It's easy to judge fans who don't attend games as bandwagon fans but to me it's not about whether they're losing but HOW they're losing. I've had season tickets while at UConn and several years as an alum. While I lived in Florida, I badly missed attending games and the religion of UConn basketball that used to get so many of us through the CT winters. UConn basketball is one of the reasons I moved back to this otherwise unappealing state.

The games I attended since I came back in 2015 have NOT been the UConn basketball I can identify with. Whether it was a meltdown loss to Houston at Gampel two years ago, the blowout to Cincinnati at Gampel on Senior Day last year or the numerous other bad losses. I can accept losing if a team plays hard and represents the school well but I for one and am sitting on the sidelines this year instead of paying a lot of $ to watch this poorly coached, poorly constructed team. We are routinely outcoached, manhandled and flat out embarrassed these days. Until the nature of the games changes, I don't think it's fair to judge any of us real fans if we choose to spend our time more productively.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

I have to to admit, I also have found myself watching less and recently not watching at all. It's not even that I am busy, I'm just too embarrassed to watch. Call me a bad fan, whatever, don't care, it's terrible basketball. It's sad when you think where we were to the reality of today.

 

[Paesano]

Yeah, I'm sorry I'm not going to cannonize you for your righteous boycott of the games. The identical pattern of behavior showing up to games when we are winning and staying away when we are losing is adopted by every band wagon fan in America. We get it. It is hard to root for a team that is so clearly dysfunctional and you've decided that it isn't worth the time or money spent to go see the games. That's your choice but your attempt to justify it portraying yourself as some kind of principled superfan is delusional.

Oh please. I doubt he gives a damn what you think of him. And he is clearly choosing to boycot because he believes it is sending a message that he, and those like him, want change. He doesn't think it makes him a better fan. He thinks it will make a difference. And I'm sure he is aware that he, alone, doesn't speak loudly. But, in numbers, the group who think similarly speak loudly.

The only group that thinks they are super fans are the ones who refuse to speak up, in any way, at this point.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Everything about Ollie these days says "half assed". He is mailing it in, and UConn can't afford to fire him.

I do think the athletic program is irrevocably damaged by the conference situation, and there will never be a return to the glory days. UConn may get lucky, but I think we have appeared in our last Final Four.

 

[AdamaNation]

I don't believe that for a second. Not one second. And neither should you.

There are constant reports of Ollie himself being on recruiting trips and bball tournaments. There is no doubt at all that he works hard on the trail, and most recruits reinforce that statement.

DO and Anderson are on the roster because MAL and Enoch and others were not. It was not out of laziness. It was out of necessity...

Yes. And rather successfully when all is considered given no time to get others in.

 

[UConnDan97]

Yes. And rather successfully when all is considered given no time to get others in.

True. Anderson was picked up in mid-April as an emergency signing when MAL announced he was decomitting in late March. Since then, Anderson has averaged 32 minutes per game. 32 minutes per game! Only Larrier and Adams have more minutes...

 

[ucp990411]

I honestly have never thought that watching the team I have loved since Toby Kimball was a waste of time. That is until yesterday. It is truly heartbreaking and I am pissed.

 

[CTBasketball]

LOL don’t blame Enoch or Jackson. They saw this dumpster fire coming and bailed to save themselves and their careers. Hamilton too by going pro a year earlier than he should.

The dude simply has lost control of the program. He’s been struggling to find the reigns for over 2 years and it’s clear he’s in over his head.

Bottom line is it’s not working. We’re hammering a square peg into a circular hole, it’s time for the athletic department to readjust and go with a new plan going forward.

 

[UChusky916]

All of these conversations about canning KO are moot until we have a legitimately viable head coaching candidate replacement for him. It's easy to see the team perform as it has and say 'fire the coach'. Simply put, there is no better option for coaching this program right now than KO. Calhoun is not walking through that door.

Losing your starting PG back to back years in an offense predicated on having 2 PG on the floor is a huge blow. I don't think it's fair to evaluate KO as a result.

The PG is supposed to be an extension of the coach on the floor. UConn legitimately has had no consistency at PG post-Shabazz. Boat and Gibbs were not true PG, and neither is Adams. All are better 2G. Gilbert was supposed to be that true PG. Is not having a true PG an indictment on poor recruiting? Yes. But Gilbert's injury is also bad luck for two years running.

As I said earlier, I don't think you can fairly evaluate KO given the circumstances. This is his first year with a new coaching staff. Recruiting and chemistry are going to take time.

Am I disappointed in the state of the team? Absolutely. Does KO have flaws that seemingly and frustratingly are not being corrected? Yes. I find myself not enjoying UConn basketball nearly as much as I used to. It's easier on my sanity to DVR the game and turn it off when they start to get blown out and finish watching later after I've cooled off.

The stats Fishy mentioned on his original post are alarming. However, I am keeping the faith that with a real PG on the floor, some improvement in recruiting, and some time with his staff that KO can turn things around. I'm less confident than I have been, but I'm keeping the faith that Calhoun picked KO for a reason and that he's the right guy for this program.

 

[QDOG5]

I know that many are calling for Ollie to be let go now, but outside of a scandal, can anyone recall examples a college b-ball coach being let go for poor performance during the season?

There have been some. UNC Charlotte just let Mark Price go and ECarolina let Jeff Lebo go. I think both were due to lousy records. This is a delicate time for AD David Benedict. Letting a coach go mid season can be problematic. Also problematic is letting him stay and the team claws its way back to some respectability by the end of the season. I would say that the majority of the Yard has seen enough of KO(although I don't know how much pull we have) but AD David Benedict has to make the call. IMO bringing JC back is not the direction to go and I doubt he would accept if asked.

 

[CardiffGiant]

All of these conversations about canning KO are moot until we have a legitimately viable head coaching candidate replacement for him. It's easy to see the team perform as it has and say 'fire the coach'. Simply put, there is no better option for coaching this program right now than KO. Calhoun is not walking through that door.

Losing your starting PG back to back years in an offense predicated on having 2 PG on the floor is a huge blow. I don't think it's fair to evaluate KO as a result.

The PG is supposed to be an extension of the coach on the floor. UConn legitimately has had no consistency at PG post-Shabazz. Boat and Gibbs were not true PG, and neither is Adams. All are better 2G. Gilbert was supposed to be that true PG. Is not having a true PG an indictment on poor recruiting? Yes. But Gilbert's injury is also bad luck for two years running.

As I said earlier, I don't think you can fairly evaluate KO given the circumstances. This is his first year with a new coaching staff. Recruiting and chemistry are going to take time.

Am I disappointed in the state of the team? Absolutely. Does KO have flaws that seemingly and frustratingly are not being corrected? Yes. I find myself not enjoying UConn basketball nearly as much as I used to. It's easier on my sanity to DVR the game and turn it off when they start to get blown out and finish watching later after I've cooled off.

The stats Fishy mentioned on his original post are alarming. I am keeping the faith that with a real PG on the floor, some improvement in recruiting, and some time with his staff that KO can turn things around. I'm less confident than I have been, but I'm keeping the faith that Calhoun picked KO for a reason and that he's the right guy for this program.

What does the eyeball test tell you from watching the games? Do they play with energy and effort despite the score? Do they play hard on defense and pay attention to where the perimeter shooters are? Do they take care of the basketball? ARE THEY GETTING BETTER?

I began the year in much the same place as where you are now but now I do think that he has to go. A reasonable response to these questions leads to one conclusion.

 

[JMick]

All of these conversations about canning KO are moot until we have a legitimately viable head coaching candidate replacement for him. It's easy to see the team perform as it has and say 'fire the coach'. Simply put, there is no better option for coaching this program right now than KO. Calhoun is not walking through that door.

Losing your starting PG back to back years in an offense predicated on having 2 PG on the floor is a huge blow. I don't think it's fair to evaluate KO as a result.

The PG is supposed to be an extension of the coach on the floor. UConn legitimately has had no consistency at PG post-Shabazz. Boat and Gibbs were not true PG, and neither is Adams. All are better 2G. Gilbert was supposed to be that true PG. Is not having a true PG an indictment on poor recruiting? Yes. But Gilbert's injury is also bad luck for two years running.

As I said earlier, I don't think you can fairly evaluate KO given the circumstances. This is his first year with a new coaching staff. Recruiting and chemistry are going to take time.

Am I disappointed in the state of the team? Absolutely. Does KO have flaws that seemingly and frustratingly are not being corrected? Yes. I find myself not enjoying UConn basketball nearly as much as I used to. It's easier on my sanity to DVR the game and turn it off when they start to get blown out and finish watching later after I've cooled off.

The stats Fishy mentioned on his original post are alarming. However, I am keeping the faith that with a real PG on the floor, some improvement in recruiting, and some time with his staff that KO can turn things around. I'm less confident than I have been, but I'm keeping the faith that Calhoun picked KO for a reason and that he's the right guy for this program.

you are delusional