I'm with you matt. i want Calhoun doing the following: talking to donors. talking to alumni. being interviewed on CBS At the half. playing lots of golf, ideally in South Carolina or Florida between November and April. watching UConn play but only on tv. If I were Ollie, I'd have changed th elock to the basketball suite in Gampel last night even if I had to do it myself. And I'd be talking with ATT today about getting new cell phones with secret numbers for the entire staff. I am in the minority, and I hope I'm wrong, but I don't see any way this ends well for either UConn or Kevin Ollie.
I'm probably repeating myself, but the issue is not KO getting a good or raw deal. He is very excited about the opportunity he's been given and getting nicely rewarded for it, though I'm sure he doesn't really need the money due to the millions he made in the NBA. Not saying he doesn't have the right to get paid whatever the market offers. With that said, it's his first head coaching opportunity, but I doubt you'd find any first time head coach offered a one year contract. I realize the circumstances are unique, but come on, Herbst and Manual, put the big picture and what's best for UConn over your egos. I can't think of any reason other than some hard feelings they weren't the ones to choose JC's successor that motivated them to give KO a 7 month deal. Now if we find out that they just didn't have enough time to put together a multi-year deal and do so soon, I'll take a different position. It just seems petty to me and not the best business model due to the impact this might have on recruiting, which is the life blood of successful programs. The day I see a program that doesn't have some elite talent win an NC, I might change my mind on this.
Excellent points here. The fact is there are only a handful of available perceived superstar coaches out there. There has been many so called up-and-coming mid-major head coaches that flopped at the higher level. Some have succeeded. There have been some assistants who were promoted to the top spot and have succeeded. Painter is one that comes to mind that has done a nice job and I'm sure someone can rattle off a list of others.
That's a great question that we'll never know the answer to. As I've been saying over and over again, what does it matter. JC stepped down and Herbst and Manuel had a decision to make and many of us don't see the one they did was in the best interest of UConn by not offering KO a multi-year contract. They could still choose their man at the end of this season via buy-out, if they wanted to go in a different direction. The choice they made will likely impact 2012 and 14 recruit confidence in UConn since the fact is that UConn does not have a head coach under contract for 2013/14 season.
What I highlighted in red above seem completely rediculous. The majority of the 2013 class will have made up their mind before KO coaches a single game. Many of the 2014 recruits will be deciding what programs they like and don't like and forming their lists likely well before this adminstration decides who's under contract for 2013/14 and beyond. Regardless to how well Ollie does, which by the way he doesn't exactly have a full plate to deal with this upcoming season (though they might surprise a lot of folks and compete well), most of the recruits will have already decided where they are going. You obviously just don't get it.
No, I do get that. I'm talking about 2014 and beyond. But it doesn't matter. if Ollie isn't getting it done, th eteam is a mess, he is clearly getting schoolled by more experienced coaches, or maybe even worse, he is just deferring to Blaney or Hobbs or Miller or someone on the bench and Calhoun in the practice gym, it isn't going to matter anyway. We'll bring in a new guy for 2014 and see recruiting pick up again in 2015...maybe even steal a few late deciders with the right guy. For all the talk about recruits loving Ollie, he hasn't landed anything special with Calhoun, unless you consider top 100 type players special. What will he do without him anyway? I mean now that he'll be the head coach and someone else will do the lead recruiting?
What do you think the chances that Smart or Stevens would even take the job if offered. many think Stevens is a midwest guy who won't come east and leave that region. As for Shaka, some wonder if his style of play (similar to JC's pressure you full court for 40 minutes we saw back in the early 90s) won't work well in a major conference. I happen to like both coaches, but you don't know how well they'll recruit at the high major level and how well they do coaching up a roster of higher ranked recruits.
Who's saying a 5 year deal? I've been saying at least a 3 year one with a reasonable buy-out. Granted that type of contract has some window dressing to it, but perception wise with recruits, IMO, would go a long way. Compare that to being a recruit looking at a program that doesn't have a head coach under contract for the year that you'll be arriving. hum...if that doesn't give every recruit pause, I don't know what would. If KO lands some very good recruits between now and the spring signing period, it will be because he has won them over due to who he is. Granted the Husky brand has been strong for over a decade, but a lot of it is tied to JC. Add that to the devaluation of the Big East brand that has been taking a hit the past few years. There is that dynamic when some recruits fell in love in a program that had success when they were young teens. Let's hope there are a lot out there who witness KO keeping the level of success strong and keeping our bandwagon full. We keep on hearing nice things that recruits are saying about KO. I certainly don't know many better men. Let's hope that goes a long way.
Manuel could still have accomplished pretty much the same thing, plus improved our recruiting position, if he put his ego aside and gave KO a 3 year deal w/ a reasonable buy-out. Like many men, he let his alpha male thing get in the way of doing what is best for UConn. Taking this position has nothing to do with how well or how bad KO will do. In fact, he might end up having a tough season due to things that he can't control, end up not being extended and turning out to be an excellent head coach that will never return here as long as Herbst and Manuel are at the helm. Oh, and end up with a worse coach than KO as his successor. Now would that be a good thing?
Manuel could still have accomplished pretty much the same thing, plus improved our recruiting position, if he put his ego aside and gave KO a 3 year deal w/ a reasonable buy-out. Like many men, he let his alpha male thing get in the way of doing what is best for UConn. Taking this position has nothing to do with how well or how bad KO will do. In fact, he might end up having a tough season due to things that he can't control, end up not being extended and turning out to be an excellent head coach that will never return here as long as Herbst and Manuel are at the helm. Oh, and end up with a worse coach than KO as his successor. Now would that be a good thing?
