"UConn Trying to Snatch $10 Million for a Phone Call with Ray Allen"

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

KO's professional reputation was shot before this process started. He knows he is not getting full-time employment anywhere in the basketball world, and his prospects are not good in general long-term. This is his absolute last chance to acquire significant money, hence the "scorched earth" strategy.

Well, that's one opinion. College hoops perhaps not, but entirely ruling out an assistant opportunity at some level in the States or world may be a stretch. As much as the departed coach apparently cluster things post-2014 on and off the court, he may still have some contacts in the basketball world and know enough about hoops to be hired by some team. Multi million dollar contracts any time soon, perhaps not so much ...

 

[Hogoff]

Can’t “for cause” just mean they fired Ollie, because he failed at his job. I’ve fired people “for cause”, because they were bad at their job.

 

[CL82]

Well, that's one opinion. College hoops perhaps not, but entirely ruling out an assistant opportunity at some level in the States or world may be a stretch. As much as the departed coach apparently cluster things post-2014 on and off the court, he may still have some contacts in the basketball world and know enough about hoops to be hired by some team. Multi million dollar contracts any time soon, perhaps not so much ...

The problem is that doing your best to crap all over your former employer usually isn't the strategy to get a job. A whole lot of life happens in the margins.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

The problem is that doing your best to crap all over your former employer usually isn't the strategy to get a job. A whole lot of life happens in the margins.

Sure, yet it's a big world in which "A whole lot of life happens in the margins."

 

[nelsonmuntz]

KO's professional reputation was shot before this process started. He knows he is not getting full-time employment anywhere in the basketball world, and his prospects are not good in general long-term. This is his absolute last chance to acquire significant money, hence the "scorched earth" strategy.

We better hope so. If he is successful somewhere else, it will be quite a bit of egg on UConn's face.

 

[ASweet3781]

Well now that Deadspin has weighed in I'm moved.

 

[Huskybass]

The question is,
Does the $10 million that you may still have to pay Ollie worth the stain and possible downward spiral of the program?

Drama Queen much?

 

[Stainmaster]

Well, that's one opinion. College hoops perhaps not, but entirely ruling out an assistant opportunity at some level in the States or world may be a stretch. As much as the departed coach apparently cluster things post-2014 on and off the court, he may still have some contacts in the basketball world and know enough about hoops to be hired by some team. Multi million dollar contracts any time soon, perhaps not so much ...

Whichever contacts he still has want to hire people who can execute the day-to-day duties of being a basketball coach. It's an open secret in the basketball world that KO was doing other things instead of gameplanning and recruiting the way he should've been, and showed an inability to change his behavior.

 

[Huskybass]

We better hope so. If he is successful somewhere else, it will be quite a bit of egg on UConn's face.

You do realize the odds of him being a successful head coach somewhere else are pretty much slim to none, dont you?

 

[Pudge]

I think Kevin Ollie has talent in coaching. I do not accept the notion that he lucked into a National Championship. It was NOT Shabazz coaching; Ollie did mold 8 guys into a great rotation.

However, he showed he lacked fundamental core skills to run a college Program ... and Calhoun should have known. Program means, with 30 years of prep (like a Jay Wright) means you see all the pieces. You go to HS games and even AAU of 13 year olds. You are a lifer ... and have that passion. When you are coaching day to day, you push every damn day. You understand how to develop a kid over 4/5 years; as well as evaluating talent at that early age. JC was great at identifying his kind of player; there's little evidence that Ollie had that. The scheduling and interacting with the Admin. and doing the PR work to sell the Program ... and build the fanbase. Work the Media.

I have opined before ... the divorce. I leave that alone.

He did not follow up the NC with good decisions and solid recruiting. His last two years on-court performance was woeful. His offense? Yuck. And now that we have Danny Hurley with the same kids: WE CAN SEE. The individual attention score is in.

BTW ... he can get a Assistant job in the NBA when he wants. That isn't $1m though.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Whichever contacts he still has want to hire people who can execute the day-to-day duties of being a basketball coach. It's an open secret in the basketball world that KO was doing other things instead of gameplanning and recruiting the way he should've been, and showed an inability to change his behavior.

Well, there you go ... grasshopper's looped in to all secrets of the basketball world. Not for big dinero perhaps any time soon, but I'll be more surprised if the departed coach does not end up coaching somewhere than if he pops up somewhere in the big world. Now, if he continues dragging things out versus settling and moving on with his life ...

 

[Stainmaster]

Well, there you go ... grasshopper's looped in to all secrets of the basketball world. Not for big dinero perhaps any time soon, but I'll be more surprised if the departed coach does not end up coaching somewhere than if he pops up somewhere in the big world. Now, if he continues dragging things out versus settling and moving on with his life ...

He will need to make a lot of lifestyle changes and tough choices before that happens. I do not think that will be a quick process.

 

[Stainmaster]

I think Kevin Ollie has talent in coaching. I do not accept the notion that he lucked into a National Championship. It was NOT Shabazz coaching; Ollie did mold 8 guys into a great rotation.

However, he showed he lacked fundamental core skills to run a college Program ... and Calhoun should have known. Program means, with 30 years of prep (like a Jay Wright) means you see all the pieces. You go to HS games and even AAU of 13 year olds. You are a lifer ... and have that passion. When you are coaching day to day, you push every damn day. You understand how to develop a kid over 4/5 years; as well as evaluating talent at that early age. JC was great at identifying his kind of player; there's little evidence that Ollie had that. The scheduling and interacting with the Admin. and doing the PR work to sell the Program ... and build the fanbase. Work the Media.

I have opined before ... the divorce. I leave that alone.

He did not follow up the NC with good decisions and solid recruiting. His last two years on-court performance was woeful. His offense? Yuck. And now that we have Danny Hurley with the same kids: WE CAN SEE. The individual attention score is in.

BTW ... he can get a Assistant job in the NBA when he wants. That isn't $1m though.

His inability to get a job has much less to do with coaching acumen and knowledge of the game than it does work ethic and ability to handle responsibility.

 

[Fishy]

Let’s write a check for $10,000,000 because Twitter and Deadspin are saying mean things.

Some of you were born without even the hint of a spine.

 

[QDOG5]

There is plenty of blame to go around. I blame myself for trying to defeat tequila last weekend. Remember people tequila ALWAYS wins. I digress, all parties involved deserve a share of the blame. The administration should have been able to negotiate a settlement (half what KO was owed is fair) and KO the self-described Blue Bleeder should have taken it. Miller looks the worst of everyone and should have stayed out of process. Reading his testimony gave me the same feeling I got every time I saw him on the bench. Like, wtf is this guy here for? Also, what does he need immunity from anyway? Coaching ability? If this drags on it will be slow torture for us but this is not a program killer. I can see coach Hurley through the haze of despair. So, sit back, SIP your tequila and wait this out. Lastly, I will bet that KO is coaching basketball at the D1 level or above in 2019-20. He's natch for some ESPN analysis this year, too.

 

[The Viking]

You’ve said this a half dozen times. What evidence do you have a settlement was offered?

You’ve peddled your conspiracy theory around here as fact for the last 24 hours - what’s the difference? Where’s your evidence?

 

[amory]

Let’s write a check for $10,000,000 because Twitter and Deadspin are saying mean things.

Some of you were born without even the hint of a spine.

It'd probably bounce anyway

 

[whaler11]

You’ve peddled your conspiracy theory around here as fact for the last 24 hours - what’s the difference? Where’s your evidence?

Sure I can’t prove it...

But do you believe for one second that Glen Miller would rat out UConn without Jim Calhoun’s blessing?

He’d mosey into the St Joe’s offices today like nothing happened?

Calhoun who still pockets hundreds of thousands of dollars from UConn annually would employ as second in command at his full time job someone who ratted out the program without his blessing?

What do you think the chances are that Glen Miller did this without Calhoun’s blessing? His comments are so obviously fabricated it’s comical.

Feel free to put your name on Glen Miller acted alone... you should probably stay off the internet though because you’ll likely end up wiring your bank account to a Nigerian prince if this is your level of critical thinking.

 

[The Viking]

Your leaving out your claim that UConn enlisted Calhoun and Miller to take down Ollie. You believe that’s how it went down, adamant that’s how it went down but it’s just a guess on your part.
Your change of heart in regards to the amount of damage 10 million was to this AD a few months ago compared to now where it’s just “a few” dollars is also head-scratching to say the least. How do you explain that?

 

[Padutch5]

He didn't win enough games means he quit on UConn? That just means he didn't win enough games. The main purpose of the head coach's contract is to determine what he is owed if he is fired for not winning enough games.

Yes he quit on UCONN. Did you go to games last year? Lifeless and unergetic became Kevin’s trademark. It permeated the whole team.
By the way, when a contract is signed, it is in return for a level of performance which UCONN didn’t receive.

 

[CL82]

Feel free to put your name on Glen Miller acted alone...

... but I believe that there were others on the grassy knoll.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

... but I believe that there were others on the grassy knoll.

Horsebarn Hill, get it right!

 

[UConn990411]

Oh goody we now have a “ fake news “

Nope. I used to love Deadspin, but they’ve become a train wreck over the years.

(And I’m not a conservative, so...)

 

[August_West]

I see it just the opposite. The longer this drags on the more Kevin will be a pariah in the coaching industry and the UConn family.

This is first 1/2 a bizarre notion and second 1/2 is dumb.

1) Kevin won’t be a pariah in the coaching industry. The industry is littered with far less successful coaches who have far more dirt on them that get jobs. Come off that point. Who knows what the future holds or where he lands, but to think that he will be blackballed from basketball for what is going on is eminently laughable, Fishy said that the rest of the country outside this board doesn’t care about this story. Surely that will apply to Ollie’s future elsewhere? Or is it that they only don’t care about UConn playing hardball to save a few bucks, but totally care about Ollie fighting for his money?

2) UConn “family” . The “ UConn family went scorched earth to get rid of him after bleeding blue for 25 years. There is no upside to Kevin Ollie for doing ANYTHING to appease the UConn family . Your analogy here is like those few conservatives who say that rape victims “ should sit back and enjoy it” if it is inevitable. Kevin doesn’t give a whit about whatever your definition of “UConn family” is at this particular moment in time. Nor should he. He will again I’m sure someday. But not during this process.

Kevin's attempt to leverage air them out again will give any potential employers pause

I’m sure he can go work for Jim Calhoun. Jim has no problem harboring rats. Kevin’s transgressions are mild in comparison.

Kevin would be wise to approach with hat and hand and ask how they can resolve this. It won't undue the damage he has done to his professional reputation, but it will be a start.

lol
Just lol

I’ve got nothing else.

 

[Fishy]

Kevin Ollie will have trouble getting a decent college coaching gig.

The work ethic thing is a killer...ask Al Skinner.

His best bet is hooking on with some California or west coast school that’s just looking for a name. And they’ll regret it.

 

[August_West]

Kevin Ollie will have trouble getting a decent college coaching gig.

The work ethic thing is a killer...ask Al Skinner.

His best bet is hooking on with some California or west coast school that’s just looking for a name. And they’ll regret it.

That all may be true.

But he absolutely will land somewhere when all is said and done.

cLOL82 has him blackballed from basketball for life. For fighting for the same money you or I would fight for if put in the same circumstances.

All the things you said above are true in my opinion in you evaluating his performance. But what does that have to do with fighting for a buyout?

I’ll answer it.


Absolutely nothing.

 

[JMick]

Kevin Ollie will have trouble getting a decent college coaching gig.

The work ethic thing is a killer...ask Al Skinner.

His best bet is hooking on with some California or west coast school that’s just looking for a name. And they’ll regret it.

he has plenty of time to get it together but I don't see him getting anything any time soon. and that's before you factor in the fact that he cheated, got caught, lied to his employer about it, got fired, and then sued them.

 

[Yorkeez4]

I’m having a tough time understanding much of what I have been readjbg on the Boneyard sbout thus.

I think it is very obvious something happened after winning the championship. Whether it was KO deciding to coast after getting the extension or the fallout from his divorce, or something else - something happened.

I do not have any evidence that UConn offered a buyout but I find it hard to believe they didn’t - I think it is more likely KO thought he could hold out for a better deal.

I believe generally speaking that the NCAA encourages self-reporting and UConn has self-reported in the past.

KO’s letter today was typical of someone leaving an organization and would not have been appropriate until the Herbst ruling.

Anyone who thinks this will hurt UConn more then KO is delusional. If KO had just left, someone would have offered him a job - now not likely.

Those that think the AD made a huge mistake giving KO an extension should look at the way the college coaching market works. He won a championship which means more $$$$. And extensions are a norm because it looks to recruits that the coach will be there for the duration.

 

[Javjudah]

I see it just the opposite. The longer this drags on the more Kevin will be a pariah in the coaching industry and the UConn family. Any violations that they had are long a part of the public record. Kevin's attempt to leverage air them out again will give any potential employers pause in deciding whether they want that kind of scorched earth mentality a part of their organizations. I don't blame Ollie, I think he's been given bad advice. Kevin would be wise to approach with hat and hand and ask how they can resolve this. It won't undue the damage he has done to his professional reputation, but it will be a start.

I guess we can agree to disagree.

 

[Danzz]

This is ridiculous. If Ollie really “bleeds blue” like he (his PR firm) claims then we wouldn’t be seeing any of these headlines.

Ollie was offered a settlement, declined, and is now making this as ugly as possible for UConn. I hope he doesn’t see a penny of the buyout.

Ollie is entitled to try to get as much as he can and reject any offer he deems unfair. UConn is entitled to pay as little as they can. Neither side is making it ugly and it is all perception depending upon which side you support. They will end up meeting somewhere in the middle because a trial puts too much money at risk for both sides. It will be over soon.