We look clueless. Is it coaching?

[aceboon]

Age has nothing to do with it, have you ever played a sport in your life? The guards are playing damn near the entire game, after playing a double OT game the night before and picking up defense full court, of course they're gonna be tired. Too many pencil pushers on this board who have never played a sport in their life commenting on things they know nothing about.

They didn't run much offense last night. They passed the ball around the perimeter looking for the opportunity at dribble penetration.

Calhoun's team pounded the ball on the outside. Ollie's team does seem to pass it more, to move the ball from side to side. But it rarely seems to serve any purpose except looking for the dribble drive. In fact, the offense looks a little worse every game.

Perhaps the team is tired. But they are 20-years old, they shouldn't be. It will be interesting to see how KO handles a little adversity.

 

[Hoophound]

I agree with Nomar on calling more to timeouts to regain focus. However, I like that KO is letting these guys play a little street ball at times. He is an NBA guy and I want him to play a style that the most talented recruits will like. Hopefully, he believes he will soon have better horses to work with. Shabazz and Boat can both play an open style with quick shots if the team can just get in rhythm. We saw JC teams go from awful to outrageously good in the span of week many times over the years. One they learned where to find good shots they tended to stick with it and play great basketball.

 

[Waquoit]

Wow, do people realize/remember that this is Ollie's first coaching experience? With experience comes better decision making, understanding and other things that make a good coach better. I would bet to say that the 'mistakes' he's made have been made by Bob Knight, Coach K, and even guys like Crean and Huggins. This in not the Ollie in five years.

With that said please keep things in perspective with our coach, its his first year of coaching.
Is he qualified? yes. Is he ready? yes. Is he respected? yes Is he experienced? no

I pray that he is not being compared to our last coach, or having the same expectations. The truth is that Ollie is not as good as Calhoun (and many others), the sooner fans accept that the more enjoyable this season will be. What we have is a Coach that has the makings of an great coach. He's on that journey, are we ten toes in with him?

I think you get to the rub of the matter. Why should people have to "realize/remember that this is Ollie's first coaching experience"? This is UConn, an elite program. The "mistakes" you talk about with Knight, K and the other's were made before they got to the jobs that made them famous. UConn's previous coach had 248 D-1 wins before he got the job. The head coach of UConn should be expected to perform at a high level from the get-go.

 

[upstater]

I think you get to the rub of the matter. Why should people have to "realize/remember that this is Ollie's first coaching experience"? This is UConn, an elite program. The "mistakes" you talk about with Knight, K and the other's were made before they got to the jobs that made them famous. UConn's previous coach had 248 D-1 wins before he got the job. The head coach of UConn should be expected to perform at a high level from the get-go.

You're saying Shaka Smart would have these players at 5-0?

 

[Waquoit]

You're saying Shaka Smart would have these players at 5-0?

I'm not saying anything about Ollie there, dope. I'm just saying Ollie fluffers shouldn't get to use the inexperience card. And being critical about Ollie doesn't make one a hater. Ollie was clearly outcoached by Tom Moore. Does saying so out loud make one a hater?

 

[8893]

You're saying Shaka Smart would have these players at 5-0?

At least. Probably even better than that. He's that good.

 

[8893]

Ollie was clearly outcoached by Tom Moore. Does saying so out loud make one a hater?

If being "clearly outcoached" means that we end up with the W, I'll take it. But that's just me.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

I'm not saying anything about Ollie there, dope. I'm just saying Ollie fluffers shouldn't get to use the inexperience card. And being critical about Ollie doesn't make one a hater. Ollie was clearly outcoached by Tom Moore. Does saying so out loud make one a hater?

Tom Moore has better post players on his team than Kevin Ollie does. I wish I were joking.

 

[PomonaHusky]

Tom Moore has better post players on his team than Kevin Ollie does. I wish I were joking.

Very true. Unfortunately, the recruiting restrictions (scholarship reductions...) over the past couple years is showing now. Plus, a fair amount of bad press over the same time period (Nate Miles, APR, retirement questions,...) hasn't help recruiting either.

 

[selles]

I think you get to the rub of the matter. Why should people have to "realize/remember that this is Ollie's first coaching experience"? This is UConn, an elite program. The "mistakes" you talk about with Knight, K and the other's were made before they got to the jobs that made them famous. UConn's previous coach had 248 D-1 wins before he got the job. The head coach of UConn should be expected to perform at a high level from the get-go.

People should have to realize/remember that this is Ollie's first coaching experience because this is, in fact, Ollie's first coaching experience. So it would be foolish to expect him to be K or Knight or Jim Calhoun right off the bat, and the wise approach would be to pipe down and watch to see if and how he and his team grow and develop over the course of the season.

Speaking of K, is it your contention that his 38-47 record over his first 3 years at Duke was compiled despite pristine, mistake-free coaching?

 

[upstater]

I'm not saying anything about Ollie there, dope. I'm just saying Ollie fluffers shouldn't get to use the inexperience card. And being critical about Ollie doesn't make one a hater. Ollie was clearly outcoached by Tom Moore. Does saying so out loud make one a hater?

"The head coach at UConn should be expected to perform highly from the get-go."

You wrote that.

and no, Moore didn't outcoach Ollie. In fact, it was the opposite.

And lastly, take a deep breath. May help your posting style move from insults to substance.

 

[aceboon]

I'm not saying anything about Ollie there, dope. I'm just saying Ollie fluffers shouldn't get to use the inexperience card. And being critical about Ollie doesn't make one a hater. Ollie was clearly outcoached by Tom Moore. Does saying so out loud make one a hater?

If missing shots and having better bigs than the opposition so that it was easier to convert their own misses qualifies as being outcoached, then I guess Moore cooked up a brilliant strategy.

 

[Greathusky]

One freaking loss and this board goes into meltdown mode! We are not going to pick up where we left off. This a new journey like it or not. Between JC leaving, sanctions and transfers, I expected to take a step back. Enjoy the ride!

 

[Waquoit]

"The head coach at UConn should be expected to perform highly from the get-go."

You wrote that.

and no, Moore didn't outcoach Ollie. In fact, it was the opposite.

And lastly, take a deep breath. May help your posting style move from insults to substance.

I don't know what is wrong with the statement in quotes. And stop it with your decrying a lack of "substance". You've already forgotten the reply to your assertion that JC's first team had more talent than this one? That wasn't enough substance for you?

And just to go on the record (for myself more than anyone else), I'm rooting for Ollie. His being successful would be the best thing that could happen for the program. My beef is with Fawn Hall's on this board, the folks that are "All for Ollie". I'm already sick of you guys pouncing on any little thing that doesn't fit your preconceived narrative. The unrelenting namecalling of the AD is embarassing. Fair criticism should be allowed. But you have Up labelling anyone with any criticism a "hater". It's going to be a long season unless you guys chill out.

 

[Waquoit]

If missing shots and having better bigs than the opposition so that it was easier to convert their own misses qualifies as being outcoached, then I guess Moore cooked up a brilliant strategy.

You make it sound like missing shots was just an accident. Q looked to be well prepared for UConn's offense and they didn't give up many easy looks on D. UConn won because they had the best player on the court.

 

[Huskymaniac]

Very true. Unfortunately, the recruiting restrictions (scholarship reductions...) over the past couple years is showing now. Plus, a fair amount of bad press over the same time period (Nate Miles, APR, retirement questions,...) hasn't help recruiting either.

No, no, no! Didn't you get the memo? Any and all lack of talent is due to Warde Manuel and it will set us back a decade!

Seriously, though, the board has gotten a little more entertaining. I still agree with the contract Ollie got and I still agree that it isn't time yet to give him an extension. I would say we are about 1/3 of the way to that. I also believe Ollie has done a very good job so far. Some inexperience is showing but the results have been pretty good. Now we get to see another critical test to justify the extension. We get to see how the team bounces back from a frustrating loss. I will actually be in the house for the game (about 300 miles from home). If they come back and look focused, energized and confident in the next game, that's another big checkmark. Then I just want to see progress over the next month or so. The team is still pretty young and should improve.

About the subject in general, people are falling into the same stupid trap we get into with politics. People are picking a side (when they don't need to) and becoming more and more irrational about supporting/defending that side. For the love of god people, accept that you could be wrong, relax and come back to rational. In the end, being "right" about your opinions on "the contract" or "the coach" or "the AD" isn't what matters. What matters is that we do what we can, moving forward, to have the best team possible. I think the contract situation is rational and I also realize it could have been the only choice Manuel was given by both Calhoun and the Board of Directors. However, just because people have been asses when arguing with me on this specific subject, I am not going to become "anti-Ollie". I am watching him with an un-biased eye and, if he is the best guy for the job, I will push for him to get it. Since he is in the coach's chair already, it would be great if he is the right guy and gets the extension as soon as it is reasonable to do so and I will be pulling for him. Better to already have "the guy" than to have to look for "the guy".

 

[Dove]

I agree, but at some point, the frontcourt has to contribute something

We're 5 games in and only one game at home. Our posts have each shown signs of goodness. Hopefully during back to back games soon.

 

[aceboon]

You make it sound like missing shots was just an accident. Q looked to be well prepared for UConn's offense and they didn't give up many easy looks on D. UConn won because they had the best player on the court.

I was referring to Quin missing shots. Please point out what Moore did in terms of strategy that showed he outcoached KO. Something definitive and not speaking in generalities, please.

 

[upstater]

I don't know what is wrong with the statement in quotes. And stop it with your decrying a lack of "substance". You've already forgotten the reply to your assertion that JC's first team had more talent than this one? That wasn't enough substance for you?

And just to go on the record (for myself more than anyone else), I'm rooting for Ollie. His being successful would be the best thing that could happen for the program. My beef is with Fawn Hall's on this board, the folks that are "All for Ollie". I'm already sick of you guys pouncing on any little thing that doesn't fit your preconceived narrative. The unrelenting namecalling of the AD is embarassing. Fair criticism should be allowed. But you have Up labelling anyone with any criticism a "hater". It's going to be a long season unless you guys chill out.

And the things you claim about me calling you a hater aren't true. Your posts about Ollie being outcoached have been countered. In fact, the general consensus in the threads the previous night were that Moore's guys played well enough to win but that he was outcoached by Ollie. Maybe you know more about coaching than everyone else, and we're all wrong. Or maybe you're biased against Ollie.

 

[Waquoit]

Your posts about Ollie being outcoached have been countered.

How? All I've seen is variations of "no he wasn't".

 

[HuskyHawk]

I'm not saying anything about Ollie there, dope. I'm just saying Ollie fluffers shouldn't get to use the inexperience card. And being critical about Ollie doesn't make one a hater. Ollie was clearly outcoached by Tom Moore. Does saying so out loud make one a hater?

Yes. You don't get to proclaim him a genius for the Michigan State game and them use excuses for New Mexico (or frankly Q, which was more troubling in some ways). I like him alot, but please put down the Kool Aid, take off the rose colored glasses and just let this play out. I expect that he will encounter lots of bumps on this road, and seeing how he handles them, and how the team responds, is exactly what this exercise is all about.

 

[aceboon]

How? All I've seen is variations of "no he wasn't".

And we're waiting on you to show how he was. No generalities, what strategies did Moore employ? We're waiting...

 

[Waquoit]

And we're waiting on you to show how he was. No generalities, what strategies did Moore employ? We're waiting...

I answered that question in a reply to you at about 12:45. What have you provided, besides nothing?

 

[Waquoit]

And the things you claim about me calling you a hater aren't true.

I said "But you have Up labelling anyone with any criticism a "hater" in response to your post: "Notice the haters kept their mouths shut for 2 straight weeks until last night."

What's untrue?

 

[aceboon]

I answered that question in a reply to you at about 12:45. What have you provided, besides nothing?

LMFAO, this is your generic, vanilla response:

"Q looked to be well prepared for UConn's offense and they didn't give up many easy looks on D"

When you typed this were you also wearing a bright colored tie and holding a matching highligher, ala Digger? That constitutes "outcoaching"?? So for 38 minutes they were well prepared, but for the rest of regulation and OT they became unprepared? Like I said, if you don't have anything beyond generalities, and can't go beyond canned, Hubert Davis level analysis, then you have nothing and can't back up your claims. In the words of Willy Wonka, good day sir.

 

[Waquoit]

you have nothing and can't back up your claims.

And yet it's more than you provided. UConn won because they had Bazz and Q didn't.

 

[upstater]

How? All I've seen is variations of "no he wasn't".

Game Thread. Highly critical of Tom Moore. In particular his substitutions and his constant carping to the refs.

 

[upstater]

I said "But you have Up labelling anyone with any criticism a "hater" in response to your post: "Notice the haters kept their mouths shut for 2 straight weeks until last night."

What's untrue?

Wasn't referring to you. I was talking about the people who haven't been heard from in over 2 weeks.

If you can't understand the difference, I can't help you.

It's not a good showing to take off and not give credit where credit is due (where so many have in the last couple weeks, given credit to Ollie that is) and then show up on the very night and morning after the first loss.

Can't believe you don't see that.

 

[caw]

The main problem, and I hate laying this on his feet, is that Olander just isn't hitting any open shots. That is allowing the defense to help a lot more on cuts, rebounds and double the ball. He has a good looking shot, but without actually making a shot, defenses don't need to worry about it. He's 9/27 this year and I know at least 3-4 of those have been dunks or post up shots. If he can start hitting that will open things up a lot more. If he is missing it means he's also out of position to fight for o-boards, leaving only Daniels against two guys.

The secondary problem is the guards usually only drive to score (which they are very, very good at). There has been some good ball movement on drives, but not enough.

 

[aceboon]

And yet it's more than you provided. UConn won because they had Bazz and Q didn't.

I made no claim that either side outcoached the other, so where is the need for me to provide anything? You're the one that stuck your chest out there with claims of Moore outcoaching Ollie. Burden is on you to back that up and you got nothing. When you actually have something in terms of game strategy, share it with the rest of the board, if its more of the same of Shaq-like quips during NBA on TNT, you can hold that.