We need a new coach

[Mr. French]

The first half was UConn hitting shots UConn usually doesn’t hit - 40 points in a half is something of an outlier for us in conference play.

We were 8-19 on threes in the first half with Polley going three for three.

You knew that would not continue and it didn’t - UConn shot 3-12 in the second half.

Plus Tulsa did what teams have done against us this year - they just strafed us in the second half.

You just will not win very often allowing 70% shooting in the second half.

19 3s in the first half indicates an overall issue, regardless of how many went in. That’s this particular team’s issue.

 

[UCDaveD]

I actually saw that too during the timeout. Ollie choose to use his ineffective fiery eyes. Ollie obviously is a Coach with job security. If his job was in jeopardy he would have lit a torch on Vital face (not his arse), because Vital's antics and other players could cost him millions of dollars. They can make all the errors they want because Ollie is protected (even if fired).

I say this because teenagers on all D1 teams, aggravate a coach to no-end especially when they fail to execute a Coaches instructions (i.e. listen). The Coach will not allow a teenager to take food off of his family's table, unless of course his food source is guaranteed for a couple of years.

The remarkable HOF coaches even with job security won't tolerate such play. I don't have to name names because its obvious who's a great coach vs who is just a coach (or simply just a good coach) by demanding and accepting nothing less than following their directions. However in defense of our players, we do appear directionless.

We were spoiled at UConn.

 

[freescooter]

Because with 8 seconds left, he missed his box out on a foul shot and subsequently fouled the other player ... for two

Yes. Impressive as heck to do both by the way.

 

[freescooter]

Isn’t the buyout still 9mil after the season?

Other than Goodman and his sources (Miller and Vance Sr) claiming Ollie would possibly workout something with the school, why would he accept less than that?

He should go, but can we afford that?

Who knows but if there is a potential NCAA violation or some other ethical or moral violation of norms he could get zero. So it might be in his interest to work a deal. It has happened in other places.

 

[nadav]

Who knows but if there is a potential NCAA violation or some other ethical or moral violation of norms he could get zero. So it might be in his interest to work a deal. It has happened in other places.

That’s true. It’s a strange thing, but as bad as it is, violations might be worse.

 

[superjohn]

Who knows but if there is a potential NCAA violation or some other ethical or moral violation of norms he could get zero. So it might be in his interest to work a deal. It has happened in other places.

People somehow keep forgetting this.

 

[jibsey]

There’s no longer any argument against firing Kevin Ollie - at least not one that makes any sense.

We’re legitimately a bottom-third team in the American. There’s no excuse for that. People want to go to the Big East? As presently constituted, there isn’t a team in that conference we’d be favored to beat. If we were lucky, we’d steal wins at home against DePaul and maybe St. John’s.

The program is a farrago of misery and it’s all a direct result of the head coach’s incompetence or neglect or a combination of the two...

Recruiting - bad.
Player development - bad.
On court success - bad.
Off court avoidance of the NCAA - bad.
Public perception - bad.

A Tulsa writer punked the program today and people got their undies in a knot over it - if anything, the guy pulled his punches. Tulsa is something like 5-2 against us. Frank Haith is not a good head coach, but he’ll beat Kevin Ollie with Tulsa’s players and if you switched teams, he’ll beat Kevin Ollie again with UConn’s players.

He’s just a bad head coach and he’s a bad program manager - if it weren’t for the poison pill of a contract we have with him, there’d be no question Ollie would be fired at the end of the season. None.

Even so, he’s gotta go.

St. John’s just beat Duke, Nova and Marquette. We saw what Nova did to us so I don’t have hope we could beat the others, but there’s nothing else to argue about the rest.

 

[QDOG5]

Stopped wasting my time. Check the box score the next day and then the BY for the details. I refuse to subject myself to that anymore. How could Larrier who is 6-8 get ONE rebound in 28 mins.?

One, but it was spectacular.

 

[Chief00]

Maybe it’s just me but I prefer this to a furrow of a brow. When you have something to say - quite frankly say it!

 

[BlueDogs]

I wouldn't rush into any new coach. I would move with haste to grab the right guy and we know who that is and need to seize the opportunity. If we can't get exactly what we need, then we may well suffer with the clown until the next excellent target appears. Frankly, he can't be replaced soon enough to stem the carnage, but don't need to double down with the wrong guy.

 

[Pudge]

You didn’t have to watch the entire 40 minutes of last night; just the last 2.

I’m a glutton ... I want to re-watch the 6 games in 2014 & the Conference Tournament & maybe the last few regular season games.

I hate that many throw Kevin Ollie in with Diaco because I just see BD as a fool. Impossible hubris. Both proved, quite frankly, that they couldn’t manage the Full Bigtime Program - not the way we need. But Ollie did coach a group of kids to something special ... and he’s not got that kind of capability today. It’s not Hobbs & Miller leaving. Ollie is getting out-coached by guys that couldn’t win a first round game. If he looks in that mirror, he’s got to say “I’m all f——- up”. Sure there is $. But, he is as emotional about this school as I am; and therefore, he’s got to find a way forward with dignity. This March.

This BS that his value in NBA is diminished doesn’t fly. He needs the right situation; but he’s got great guys who will lift him to a solid spot. Maybe HC again. Today I have no confidence in his ability to win in CBB.

 

[nadav]

People somehow keep forgetting this.

Luckily you are here, sunshine

 

[jibsey]

I still can't understand how Ollie can "out-coach" Izzo, Wright and Donovan et. al. then lose to Frank Haith like that. The only answer I can come up with is that Ollie didn't out-coach crap. They won for other reasons and Ollie just didn't mess it up.

We had better players in 14. And It’s more apparent every day that Bazz coached that team on the floor with Boat who played incredible defense. We all don’t credit Boat enough and having 2 guards like that goes a long way. Supposedly Miller game planned everything, And we had talent to work with.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

One, but it was spectacular.

Half as many as Teri Hatcher...

 

[PAHusky]

We had better players in 14. And It’s more apparent every day that Bazz coached that team on the floor with Boat who played incredible defense. We all don’t credit Boat enough and having 2 guards like that goes a long way. Supposedly Miller game planned everything, And we had talent to work with.

Crazy to think about, but Adams is the only kid from this year's team who would even sniff the court on the 14 team.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

I had one a few weeks ago.

It was real good.

Quite frankly, I'm afraid to go to Arby's, but I don't know if it's because it might make me sick or because I might like it.

 

[Sky ball]

Quite frankly, I'm afraid to go to Arby's, but I don't know if it's because it might make me sick or because I might like it.

Arby's is by far worst food you can buy. Maybe a former crackhead may like it due to ruined taste bud issues but the rest of us should stay clear.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

You asked who still supports Ollie being our coach in the future. Gtcam, javjudah, topdog, cap'n, Pudge, and Jerry just off the top of my head but there are still a bunch.

Thanks for a reasonable and accurate enough response. I'm seeing some equivocation even within these names, but my greater sense is that your list has shrunk in size even more than in magnitude of support. To my mind, it's a poor use of resources to aim arrows in that direction.

The product on the court has increasingly been your best ally in swaying the "undecideds." I'll admit that upon closer reading today, I still see some support that surprises me but I also think it's easy to gloss over what now seems like a decidedly minority opinion.

If a coaching change isn't made in the off-season, it'll be because of money, and we aren't in a position to change that. Just as Conference Realignment turned on football, I'll have to accept a certain powerlessness. If that's the case, I'd certainly like it to be on the company of as few jerks as possible.

We can all close the present season strong in that regard even if hopes are dwindling that the team will do the same.

 

[UConnNick]

Ollie keeps blaming players. Never himself.

He's the antithesis of Texans coach Bill O'Brien. After every loss he blames himself and the coaching staff 100 percent...never the players. Strangely, it gets just as old hearing that as it does when any coach blames losing all on the players.

 

[UCweCONN]

If Ollie coaches at Gampel and no one's there to see it, does he make a sound?

 

[Horatio]

You need some of this. It's motivational
linquistics. It says " I'm the coach and I'm watching everything , every detail and I'm not gonna wait til after we lose to confront you about it. I'll confront you with profanity , in front of thousands and your family, on ESPN in HD, against Stonybrook, you MF....."

 

[CL82]

Wow, I felt just a bit of Diaco anger when I looked at this picture. Not good.

 

[TRest]

Half as many as Teri Hatcher...

Strangely enough, they weren’t that spectacular.

 

[Paesano]

TALENT - lack thereof
He is not being outcoached he is being out talented and facing bigger and stronger teams on the court - that is a recruitment deficiency not a game coaching issue
You can't bring boys to face men - like the bully ads on the back pages of the 1960s comic books

Nope. No matter how many times you say it, it will never be true. He was not out talented last year and got his arse handed to him. Let me repeat, he was NOT out talented last year. And don't even try the injury excuse. Even after the injuries, he STILL was NOT out talented. Period. End of story. And he sure as hell was NOT out talented against Wagner and Northeastern. He had so much more talent in those games, they should have been a minimum of 20 point blowouts.

 

[Pudge]

Sheesh

I don’t care how often you say it: Shabazz Napier did not coach 2014. Just frigging didn’t happen. Great leadership on a TEAM is meaningful. And that’s your point. Credit Napier’s assorted companions Giffey, Kromah, Boatright. But Ollie showed talent and raising your voice loudly denying that doesn’t make you right.

Ollie is diminished today. Lack of talent. Lack of coaching experience. He found one team and gave them roles where they succeeded. In March 2014.