We can not close the deal with recruits

[superjohn]

A decent reserve shooting guard? This is insane to me. He was a freshman last season who shot over 40% from three in conference play, played with a poise and intelligence that we haven't seen from a UConn off guard in forever, and completely balled out when we needed him the most in the conference tournament.

He's a top 150 player who we beat out Louisville for (not an insignificant tidbit considering his physical profile and playing style), so it isn't as if he arrived with a hard ceiling. The dude isn't a slouch athletically - he's a bit undersized to play the two in the NBA, but he's a perfect college player.

I love the kid. I'd take him over MAL seven days a week. He's a bad ass.

"Played with a poise and intelligence we haven't seen from a UConn off guard in forever." The hyperbole used for Christian Vital is hilarious.

I like the kid a lot, he's a solid third guard on your team but wow @ some of the stuff that's said here.

 

[Stainmaster]

there is a ton of room between the "good old days" and our current trajectory.

That's funny, I don't see people pining for a middle ground between the two here. I see them pining for Final 4s and championships and NBA lottery picks. People are complaining about how few to none of the players on the upcoming roster would've made the cut when Calhoun was coaching. The whole place was in a state of shock when a 5 star recruit picked Kentucky over us last year. Nah, I feel pretty confident in saying it's "good old days" or bust for at least 50% of the site.

 

[JMick]

That's funny, I don't see people pining for a middle ground between the two here. I see them pining for Final 4s and championships and NBA lottery picks. People are complaining about how few to none of the players on the upcoming roster would've made the cut when Calhoun was coaching. The whole place was in a state of shock when a 5 star recruit picked Kentucky over us last year. Nah, I feel pretty confident in saying it's "good old days" or bust for at least 50% of the site.

but you act like everyone who is tired of the KO era is your self-described worst case scenario poster. most are not.

 

[champs99and04]

"Played with a poise and intelligence we haven't seen from a UConn off guard in forever." The hyperbole used for Christian Vital is hilarious.

I like the kid a lot, he's a solid third guard on your team but wow @ some of the stuff that's said here.

Feel free to list names. Purvis? Omar? Dyson? Seriously, it's been a while if we're only considering traditional two guards.

 

[superjohn]

Please explain to me why you don't think things "stink" right now.

They do and the longer we hold off fixing the main problem the more damage is done. My car analogy, I've been consistently hammering this home for a while now. I'm kind of annoying myself with how many times I've repeated it.

 

[superjohn]

Feel free to list names. Purvis? Omar? Dyson? Seriously, it's been a while if we're only considering traditional two guards.

Umm, Ryan Boatright for one.

 

[Mr. French]

Umm, Ryan Boatright for one.

Lamb.

Not that I necessarily agree or disagree that strongly with the overall points, but Lamb is the main one that comes to mind.

 

[superjohn]

That's funny, I don't see people pining for a middle ground between the two here. I see them pining for Final 4s and championships and NBA lottery picks. People are complaining about how few to none of the players on the upcoming roster would've made the cut when Calhoun was coaching. The whole place was in a state of shock when a 5 star recruit picked Kentucky over us last year. Nah, I feel pretty confident in saying it's "good old days" or bust for at least 50% of the site.

You're being disengenuous here. No sense in discusiing things when you go this route.

 

[superjohn]

Lamb.

Not that I necessarily agree or disagree that strongly with the overall points, but Lamb is the main one that comes to mind.

Of course Lamb but I was going with the most recent. Watch he'll tell us Ryan Boatright wasn't really a 2 guard.

 

[Stainmaster]

They do and the longer we hold off fixing the main problem the more damage is done. My car analogy, I've been consistently hammering this home for a while now. I'm kind of annoying myself with how many times I've repeated it.

Your analogy is flawed. You're trying to divorce (pun intended) the coach's problems from the program as a whole. Excising him alone isn't going to make everything okay again. For better or worse, KO has been inextricably tied to the program. UConn went 16-17 last year, not just KO -- 3 guys and one recruit didn't transfer/ask out of their LOIs from Kevin Ollie, they transferred from/asked out of UConn. It's not only KO that has only one 1 tourney game in the past 3 years; it's UConn basketball for whom that's true as well.

Separating KO's performance from the program as a whole may make you feel better because it perpetuates the "we're still a blue blood, bring on Duke/UK" ethos. But what you and others fail to realize is that a coach's influence on the status of the program is far less temporary than you think it is. You can't just can someone and expect it to be a reset. If KO does poorly enough this year to lose his job, the mess his replacement will have to clean up may be insurmountable.

 

[champs99and04]

Umm, Ryan Boatright for one.

Ryan Boatright was a traditional two guard?

 

[superjohn]

Your analogy is flawed. You're trying to divorce (pun intended) the coach's problems from the program as a whole. Excising him alone isn't going to make everything okay again. For better or worse, KO has been inextricably tied to the program. UConn went 16-17 last year, not just KO -- 3 guys and one recruit didn't transfer/ask out of their LOIs from Kevin Ollie, they transferred from/asked out of UConn. It's not only KO that has only one 1 tourney game in the past 3 years; it's UConn basketball for whom that's true as well.

Separating KO's performance from the program as a whole may make you feel better because it perpetuates the "we're still a blue blood, bring on Duke/UK" ethos. But what you and others fail to realize is that a coach's influence on the status of the program is far less temporary than you think it is. You can't just can someone and expect it to be a reset. If KO does poorly enough this year to lose his job, the mess his replacement will have to clean up may be insurmountable.

This is pure nonsense. You think Enoch, Durham, Vance and MAL left because they had a problem with UConn basketball? You're doing all sorts of logical gymnastics again.

 

[superjohn]

Ryan Boatright was a traditional two guard?

Of course Lamb but I was going with the most recent. Watch he'll tell us Ryan Boatright wasn't really a 2 guard.

I sure called that one.

 

[champs99and04]

Lamb.

Not that I necessarily agree or disagree that strongly with the overall points, but Lamb is the main one that comes to mind.

Lamb was the one that came to mind with me, too. But I think that kind of makes my point. He never played a game for Ollie.

 

[Stainmaster]

This is pure nonsense. You think Enoch, Durham, Vance and MAL left because they had a problem with UConn basketball? You're doing all sorts of logical gymnastics again.

That's what the outside world perceives it as, which counts for a lot more than you'd like.

 

[superjohn]

Lamb was the one that came to mind with me, too. But I think that kind of makes my point. He never played a game for Ollie.

This is hilarious. Now you are pretending Ryan Boatright didn't play off guard for Kevin Ollie. This board has gotten so strange.

 

[Stainmaster]

This is hilarious. Now you are pretending Ryan Boatright didn't play off guard for Kevin Ollie. This board has gotten so strange.

There's a difference between "playing off guard" and "being a traditional two guard."

I find the fact that you're so frustrated you're resorting to twisting others' words to be far stranger.

 

[AntG168]

That's what the outside world perceives it as, which counts for a lot more than you'd like.

Nah I think its deeper than that, because everyone loves UConn basketball and its tradition until its time to commit. UConn basketball as a brand isnt the problem, KO is. They dont trust HIM anymore

 

[Stainmaster]

Nah I think its deeper than that, because everyone loves UConn basketball and its tradition until its time to commit. UConn basketball as a brand isnt the problem, KO is. They dont trust HIM anymore

And that lack of trust reflects on UConn basketball as a whole.

 

[champs99and04]

This is hilarious. Now you are pretending Ryan Boatright didn't play off guard for Kevin Ollie. This board has gotten so strange.

It's more you pretending not to have read what I wrote and/or gotten the point, but continue being miserable if you'd like.

 

[uconnphil2016]

I can't even understand what you guys are arguing about. Aren't you both saying that our program sucks right now?

 

[superjohn]

It's more you pretending not to have read what I wrote and/or gotten the point, but continue being miserable if you'd like.

How did I not read what you wrote? You wrote Vital "played with a poise and intelligence we haven't seen from a UConn off guard in forever." You then asked me to name some and I said Ryan Boatright is one who comes to mind.

You and Stain sound like liars or just crazy people. This is a huge waste of time and I'm tired. Peace out.

 

[champs99and04]

Nobody is changing the goalposts. I used the term "off guard" in my original post and clarified after you responded. I'm honestly not sure there needs to be an argument on this one, but if you want to go after somebody for hyperbole, go see the dude who called Vital the best freshman in UConn history earlier in this thread. My whole point basically boiled down to the fact that Vital looked like he knew how to play, which we haven't been able to say about everybody.

 

[champs99and04]

Feel free to list names. Purvis? Omar? Dyson? Seriously, it's been a while if we're only considering traditional two guards.

Umm, Ryan Boatright for one.

 

[Chief00]

yes, but at least he acknowledges Ollie is in over his head. It was hilarious to see the pollyanna's get on him yesterday. turning on their own one by one.

Yeah, he finally took one foot out of the puddle, this is somehow all Jim Calhoun's fault. What logic took him to that place is beyond me, but seems to be rooted in some perceived slight from Jim. I wonder if Jim could even pick him out of a police lineup of BY posters - LOL.