What is Ollie's resistance to starting our best players?

[champs99and04]

This isn't our biggest issue right now by any stretch, but it's been annoying me for years. Earlier in the year Vital was coming off the bench, then Gilbert, now Larrier. Last year Purvis came off the bench, the years before that he would insist on starting Facey...I don't get it. Given that slow starts have been one of our biggest problems, this would seem to be a direct cause of that. Cobb and Diarra both on the floor to start the game is absurd.

 

[Stainmaster]

Larrier didn't start due to a "team matter" - do with that what you will.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

This isn't our biggest issue right now by any stretch, but it's been annoying me for years. Earlier in the year Vital was coming off the bench, then Gilbert, now Larrier. Last year Purvis came off the bench, the years before that he would insist on starting Facey...I don't get it. Given that slow starts have been one of our biggest problems, this would seem to be a direct cause of that. Cobb and Diarra both on the floor to start the game is absurd.

I disagree. It's not absurd to start both Cobb and Diarra when you have only 3 guards. Cobb has offensive skills and Diarra has toughness and rebounding. I would have thought the third guy up front would be Larrier, not Vital. But Larrier doesn't handle the ball that well. Last year there was a very short bench, so hard to compare. Purvis seemed to have some of his better performances coming off the bench. Facey needed to start at the 4, because who else? Jackson? No, he was the starting 3.

 

[gampelcrazies]

After the way Larrier played vs. Syracuse he didn't deserve to start.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

Larrier didn't start due to a "team matter" - do with that what you will.

He has some of those Robert Williams "issues" but the penalty was not a 3 gamer.

Did I do with that what I will ?

 

[Jaybo]

He doesn't give the team the best shot at winning. He rotates players in and out like he has no clue what he's doing.start the same five guys every game and give them time to gel. Adams Anderson larrier darria cobb would be my pick with vital Carlton polley first off and Whaley DO as needed and kwintin never.

 

[Jimdish255]

This isn't our biggest issue right now by any stretch, but it's been annoying me for years. Earlier in the year Vital was coming off the bench, then Gilbert, now Larrier. Last year Purvis came off the bench, the years before that he would insist on starting Facey...I don't get it. Given that slow starts have been one of our biggest problems, this would seem to be a direct cause of that. Cobb and Diarra both on the floor to start the game is absurd.

I disagree 100% Ollie seems to want 5 Kevin Ollies on the court and that's not the way it works. Adams, Vital and Polley had nice games and Polley and Carlton should both develop into nice players. But I have no idea what Ollie was trying to acomplish with Cobb today. IMO there was no one on Coppin that could have matched up with him inside, but instead of trying the exploit the obvious mismatch Ollie had him hanging around the top of the key like a darn pylon and made zero attempt to get him the ball down low. He is consistent in that he puts our bigs in a position to fail, and then loses confidence in them and they never develop. This isn't anything new and I feel bad for Cobb and the team. We barely beat Coppin today and it's obvious we're almost 10 games in and our Coach still doesn't have a plan he can stick with and still can't doesn't know how to use our bigs.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

I disagree. It's not absurd to start both Cobb and Diarra when you have only 3 guards. Cobb has offensive skills and Diarra has toughness and rebounding. I would have thought the third guy up front would be Larrier, not Vital. But Larrier doesn't handle the ball that well. Last year there was a very short bench, so hard to compare. Purvis seemed to have some of his better performances coming off the bench. Facey needed to start at the 4, because who else? Jackson? No, he was the starting 3.

Cobb has offensive skills??????????? He is a career 16 % FT shooter and turned the ball over today almost as many times as minutes played. So yes it is absurd.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

Cobb has offensive skills??????????? He is a career 16 % FT shooter and turned the ball over today almost as many times as minutes played. So yes it is absurd.

When he gets rebounds, he throws the best outlet passes of our bigs. He doesn't clank putbacks off offensive rebounds. And if he can keep himself from stumbling and fumbling as he goes into the lane, he does kick it out to open shooters better than the other bigs.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

When he gets rebounds, he throws the best outlet passes of our bigs. He doesn't clank putbacks off offensive rebounds. And if he can keep himself from stumbling and fumbling as he goes into the lane, he does kick it out to open shooters better than the other bigs.

I understand your points. Thanks.

Wes Unseld the 2nd?

 

[Doctor Hoop]

I understand your points. Thanks.

Wes Unseld the 2nd?

Not quite. Actually not by a long shot. But given the options not unreasonable to start him.

 

[pj]

I don't care about starting, I actually like the discipline of not starting the best players if they haven't practiced or played hard or are ignoring the coach. But minutes should go to the players who are making the most of them. KO's decisions do seem a little arbitrary at times, especially with big men.

 

[uconnphil2016]

Larrier didn't start due to a "team matter" - do with that what you will.

Probably a scooter infraction

 

[joober jones]

Why shouldn't have Facey been a starter last year? We didn't have any better options at the 4

 

[Coach J]

Think how much better this year's team would be with Facey

 

[Kenny11]

Probably a scooter infraction

Maybe a sled crash.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Think how much better this year's team would be with Facey

Should have redshirted in 2014.

 

[Kitaman]

Its almost Christmas and our coaching staff doesn't know what we have yet. I am flabbergasted!

Its time to commit and allow whoever you feel are the best to play through their issues. The 3 guard lineup is not working when we can't put away Columbia, Coppin St. and Monmouth.

Cobb and Diarria need to work it through. Same with Carlton. Ollie brought them in so go with it! David looks like he has no confidence at all, and Larrier has regressed.

When I say commit, I mean stop the experimentation and make a damn decision and ride it out. Our team looks like they don't even know each other out there with passes too high and too quick. Spacing and movement look horrific. There is no flow at all. Also how can they feel comfortable with defensive assignment when they aren't used to playing with one another. We look so damn disoriented at times on both ends.

The players are owed some consistency and some sense of security in respect to knowing where they belong/rank. Every game it seems a new lineup, mix and match team and a lack of cohesiveness (meaning teamwork). Hell we aren't even close to establishing an identity. I also feel this is adding to our lack of leadership.

Oh and Jalen will be burned out by the end of next month at this 40 minute game pace, and conference play is coming which will bring some damn good opponent guard play.

Just saying who here would have knew that we haven't got a rotation going into conference play? If the coaches have no confidence in a lineup then how can the players feel confident?

Not looking too bright this season with the glasses I'm wearing.

 

[champs99and04]

I disagree. It's not absurd to start both Cobb and Diarra when you have only 3 guards. Cobb has offensive skills and Diarra has toughness and rebounding. I would have thought the third guy up front would be Larrier, not Vital. But Larrier doesn't handle the ball that well. Last year there was a very short bench, so hard to compare. Purvis seemed to have some of his better performances coming off the bench. Facey needed to start at the 4, because who else? Jackson? No, he was the starting 3.

Our best lineup in 2015 was Boat, Purvis, Hamilton, Amida and somebody else. Our best lineup last season was Jalen, Vital, Purvis, Facey, and Brimah. He started Facey and even Nolan a number of times when it was clear they weren't part of our best five, he brought Jalen off the bench when there was an argument for him to start his frosh year, and last season he would bring Purvis off the bench. Now, on a team that is extremely thin, he's rotating Vital and Larrier through the dog house as if we have time to screw around.

I can't imagine how this board can complain about slow starts and then not make this connection. In 2013 and 2014 there was the same problem, but we (deservedly) gave him a pass because it was unrealistic to play Giff at the five for big minutes. Now I'm starting to think that was just him lucking his way into something.

I see no world in which it makes sense to ever play Diarra and Cobb together. The offense is handicapped as it is without 60% of the starting five (if we're including Anderson) not being able to shoot from three or really even put the ball on the floor.

 

[Palatine]

Starting Cobb and Diarra was a great idea except they should have started against the large bunch from Syracuse. They would have helped us match up better.

Starting the small line up against a small Coppin State would have made sense and it would have helped us guard the arc versus a team that jacks up lots of threes.