What the heck is going on with Uconn

[joober jones]

Better to have a God-loving member of the coaching staff than a kid-loving member of a coaching staff.

 

[TheChamps990411]

Better to have a God-loving member of the coaching staff than a kid-loving member of a coaching staff.

sad but true. im an athiest and i have ZERO problem with a coach being a man of faith as long as he`s there to coach not convert.

 

[Prezidint]

I want to be clear about this, because people are assuming too much.

I'd be happy with Ollie as the next head coach. He's not my first choice, but I think he'd be a committed coach, and I think he'd do a great job recruiting.

What I'm saying is that this is not Alabama. This is CT. Secular, areligious Connecticut. I can't imagine a guy getting hired who is going to represent a public university who is going to say things at interviews such as, "If God is willing, we will win." Or whatever.

This is CT.

If you've never been outside of CT, you might not understand the difference in religiosity between CT and elsewhere.

When it comes time to decide on the next coach, his vocal and obvious faith will work against him.

My question to you isn't whether you approve. My question is, do you really think that the next face of CT sports, and an international representative of the University of Connecticut, is going to be chosen without consideration of his relatively extreme profession of his faith?

When is the last time anybody in public office in CT was vocal about religion?

 

[zls44]

KO has a reference to God in every third tweet or so.
I have no issue with that, but I think there's no way he gets hired as head coach if he is viewed as a vocal proponent of his religion.

It took me only until this post to answer the question I had when I opened the thread, "How can this possibly have gone three pages?"

 

[Prezidint]

Well, it is what it is.
We're an anti-religious nation, for better of for worse.

 

[ctchamps]

It took me only until this post to answer the question I had when I opened the thread, "How can this possibly have gone three pages?"

Because the last game was a victory, and we had time to kill with one week between games.

 

[ctchamps]

I think there is a big difference between religion and faith. I personally know people who are religious but do not believe in a Divinity, and people who believe in a Divinity but rebel against religions.

Amongst those who believe a Divinity exists, there is a wide range of opinions what that means, even within particular religions.

There are certainly secularists and people who have intellectual discussion about a divinity but are not invested one way or the other.

It does seem that more people are becoming apologetic about expressing their faith or religion. Most likely this is the result of recent events where politics has been hijacked by a particular religious group and with various scandals with religious groups.

I would defend a person's right to express his position even as I would rally against that position if that position insisted on eliminating other positions. I can do this because I have a fragmented persona. I am three in one after all.

 

[Scot-e]

Well, it is what it is.
We're an anti-religious nation, for better of for worse.

This way OT but Dude- I live in GA. Jesus is everywhere. Bummer stickers, signs ect- we have a church every quarter mile (at the very least). Down here in the bible belt there is no absence of religion.

When I visit LA or NYC it is another world altogether. Again I do not see it as a problem at all- it's just interesting how Twitter and other SM has effected the information we are getting vs just a few years ago.

I'll say it again- I've met KO and he is one of the nicest most gracious humans you will ever meet.

 

[Prezidint]

This way OT but Dude- I live in GA. Jesus is everywhere.

I was actually referring to the United States.

 

[TheChamps990411]

Well, it is what it is.
We're an anti-religious nation, for better of for worse.

thats your opinion but i disagree with that. for instance if your a politicion and you admit to being an athiest its a death sentence to your political career especially if you wanna be a governor nevermind president. im an athiest and when people find that out about it they look at me like im from mars.

 

[Prezidint]

thats your opinion but i disagree with that. for instance if your a politicion and you admit to being an athiest its a death sentence to your political career especially if you wanna be a governor nevermind president. im an athiest and when people find that out about it they look at me like im from mars.

Well that's the extreme.
Most politicians on the left make an occasional reference to God to make sure nobody thinks they're an atheist, which goes to you point.
On the right, they sprinkle a few more references in to appeal to the extreme Christians. But not so much more.

Elections are always about two things:
1. Getting the vote out.
and
2. Swinging the middle to you.

For the most part, 40% of voters are going to vote one way no matter who is running, and 40% the other no matter who is running.

The goal is to get as many of your "base" out as possible without alienating the swing vote in the middle 20%.

Ergo, references to God on the right to energize the base, but not so many so as to scare off the middle 20%.

And the best way to bring out your base without having to worry about scaring off the 20% swing vote with "crazy" Pat Robertson type references?

Why, attack the other side of course!

 

[jleves]

I have one question: WTF are people discussing religion on a basketball board?

 

[DogMania]

He does tweet his faith every other time ish. I have no beef whatsoever with him being a devote man- many of the "good" kids that play in college have families where faith is very important to them (JL's dad has a sports ministry) so i am not sure it precludes him from being a head coach and might even appeal to the players.

That said- JC has a mean streak and is tough as nails and that is why many kids come to UCONN vs other schools. It would be a 180 degree turn going from a hard to a devote man who also happens to be a super nice human. Do nice coaches finish first? Not sure I can name too many.
So his tweets have given me a moments pause in that regard as well. Love KO as a person- don't get me wrong- but the coach- not the lord- is who the parents of kids trust to get their kids into the NBA.

I am not sure what any of this means - or if it has any correlation whatsoever to how he coaches and his interaction with the players- but it is interesting that his tweets raised the same question I asked myself after following him for several months.

I wish I chimed in on this a lot sooner. Just catching up on my BY reading. But wow! Faith always seems like a lightning rod here. It's interesting that when someone expresses their faith in the northeast, it gets a visceral response. If someone did that in the southeast or midwest, it gets a chorus of Amen's.

Anyhow, I respectfully and strongly disagree with you Scot-e on this one. There are and have been a lot of highly successful coaches that are men of faith. Just because a coach has a strong faith in God doesn't mean their soft. Also there are some very good coaches that couldn't give a rat's ass about God.

I don't have a problem with KO, though I haven't followed him on twitter and probably should check it out. The great thing about twitter and social networking in general, if you don't like what he's saying don't listen.

 

[DogMania]

IMO, it is ridiculous to think that Ollie being a strong faithed man is going to have any sort of effect on his coaching future. First of all, many of the kids who he'll be talking to are likely to be religious as well-it will probably help more than hurt. Also, I saw a clip of the Giants lockerrom after a win where Tom Coughlin led the team in prayers. He's one of the toughest coaches in the league, so I don't think there is any correlation between religion and toughness.

Amen to that! Oooops, sorry. I mean +1. I guess that's the politically correct way to respond in approval on this board according to some. Frankly, I don't think God has a problem with what KO is doing, so it's not a problem with me.

 

[DogMania]

I want to be clear about this, because people are assuming too much.

I'd be happy with Ollie as the next head coach. He's not my first choice, but I think he'd be a committed coach, and I think he'd do a great job recruiting.

What I'm saying is that this is not Alabama. This is CT. Secular, areligious Connecticut. I can't imagine a guy getting hired who is going to represent a public university who is going to say things at interviews such as, "If God is willing, we will win." Or whatever.

This is CT.

If you've never been outside of CT, you might not understand the difference in religiosity between CT and elsewhere.

When it comes time to decide on the next coach, his vocal and obvious faith will work against him.

My question to you isn't whether you approve. My question is, do you really think that the next face of CT sports, and an international representative of the University of Connecticut, is going to be chosen without consideration of his relatively extreme profession of his faith?

When is the last time anybody in public office in CT was vocal about religion?

Wow! Just because CT is areligous as you put it, that doesn't mean that those who happen to be people of faith have to be second class citizens which you seem to be suggesting. I happen to be a someone who loves God and I'm not afraid to admit it and express it from time to time. It's who I am. It's apparently who KO is. I don't shove it down people's throat, but on the other hand, I don't like people telling me and others who love God deeply and live by faith in God who should and shouldn't represent our public university or our region of the country.

I happen to find it refreshing when someone is thankful to God and for the effort of the players for their success compared to the far too common look-how-great-I-am and I'm-better-than-you attitudes we see with some prima donna athletes these days. Don't get me wrong. I sometimes get uncomfortable when religious athletes get preachy during an interview. I appreciate their passion for God, but would prefer they come across less pushy. But I'm fine if someone like KO simple tweets from his heart.

 

[DogMania]

Well, it is what it is.
We're an anti-religious nation, for better of for worse.

You have a narrowed view of our nation. Please do not speak for our nation, because you don't and you can't. There are millions of American's who make up a large portion of our nation who love God. There are many who are so passionate about their faith, there are many who don't believe in God or aren't sure if such exists. I've found only a minority, and sometimes a loud minority who are anti-religious. You seem to be pushing an agenda here. I'm sure there are others on this forum that feel as you do, but I doubt that such a strong position against those who are people of faith is in the minority.

Oh, and if our nation was anti-religious, I'd say it would be for worse. A huge amount of generosity and charity comes from the sector that is comprised of people of faith. With that said, our nation is becoming increasingly secular, and IMO, that's not a good thing. Though our nation is built on freedom to believe in whatever we wish, which I deeply respect. Faith is a choice that should always remain a choice. We all have faith. Some believe that God doesn't exist, or believe that if God does exist or not, there's no way of knowing and some believe God exists and that we relate to him in various ways. I'm proud to be part of a nation that let's us all freely examine what we believe in and chose for ourselves.

 

[DogMania]

I have one question: WTF are people discussing religion on a basketball board?

Easy answer to that one jleves. It's a topic that many are passionate about, including one of our coaches, KO. I don't see a problem with this. As long as people are respectful, what's the harm. For those not interested, just ignore the thread.

 

[TheChamps990411]

" With that said, our nation is becoming increasingly secular, and IMO, that's not a good thing"
Really? why`s that?

 

[DogMania]

" With that said, our nation is becoming increasingly secular, and IMO, that's not a good thing"
Really? why`s that?

The reason I believe that our country is not better off becoming more secular, is that more and more are missing out on an exciting, deeply meaningful and intended connection with God. I believe there is a loving God who is able and desires to intimately connect with each of us, and who is able to transform each individual from the inside out to be the best we can be. If that were to happen to all of us, we'd have a world where we'd be looking out for the best interest of others and not just ourselves. We'd all have a greater sense of security, because our hope would not be based on things that can't be counted on such as favorable circumstances, on how much cash and stuff we store away, even relationships or on anything that can this world can offer that can be taken away in an instant. I could go on and on, why. I'm not saying all these things don't have their value, but ones world can come crashing down if that's what we put our hope in.

Now I don't expect you or anyone to that matter to agree with my perspective. I'm sure there are some here that believe as I do. I hope that if there are some who feel there is something missing in their lives that they would explore if there is something to this concept of connecting with God. If you know someone who's living their life like KO, go ask them why the believe as they do. For those who are happy with their lives or not, and don't see any value or even prospects of connecting with God in a personal way, I'm fine with that. Faith is a personal choice that shouldn't be forced on anyone and I respect others' beliefs.

I grew up in a Jewish family and was an atheist throughout much of my early years. I thought those who believed in God were simply minded and just needed a crutch, or just blindly accepting what they grew up with. While in high school I happened to be around a bunch of friends who believed in this close relationship with Jesus and for years didn't want to hear anything about it. Being Jewish meant at a minimum not believing in Jesus, who was a wall that I was unwilling to climb and take a peek.

One particular summer there were a few of circumstances that opened the door for me to take the opportunity to find out what this was all about. I was always impressed with these friends who were among the nicest I had known and who accepted me as I was regardless if I believed and lived my life differently than they did. During that summer, we talked a lot about these things, I asked them questions and explored what the Bible had to say about God. I found out that I had so many misconceptions about what I thought these people believed and what the Bible said who Jesus was. I weighed this information in respect to my beliefs and experience, and decided to go all in with my faith in Jesus.

I've never regretted that since. Over the years I've found that many have similar misconceptions, as I did. Many think they understand what this is all about and are rejecting something they really don't understand. There are some who have a solid understanding of this, but either simply don't believe it to be true, or are afraid of the impact if they were to take that step of faith (i.e. aren't willing to pay the cost, sometimes a real and understood one, sometimes a misunderstood one). There is so much more to be gained than given up, but that's a whole other topic. I've found many who because of some negative representations (TV evangelists who turned out to be terrible people, pushy-shove-it-down-your-throat friends or acquaintances who's lives sometimes don't reflect the message they try to pedal, people who's lifestyle isn't attractive for whatever reason, etc.) and don't want to have anything to do with God or play the faith-is-a-personal-thing card that they claim to be dealing with on their own, but in many cases aren't really dealing with it at all.

There are some, but in the minority here in New England, that are pursuing various spiritual alternatives that are based on eastern religious ideas. They might think they are new cutting edge pursuits, but are simply repackaged ideas that have been around for a long time. My opinion is that they are trying to fill a spiritual or self-awareness void that is meant to be filled by the loving God that created them.

There are some, though seems to be in decreasing numbers, that are going back to their roots of faith that were carried down to them from their parents and those before them. Some do it out of obligation. Others simply feel it's the right thing to do for their children. Some, like the above, sense a similar void in their lives and going back to what they grew up with feels like the right thing to do or at least a good start. I respect those who are doing this (as well as those who pursue the spiritual ideas I mentioned above), but have always found it strange for those who are simply going through the motions, don't really believe much if any of what they're hearing on Sundays or Saturdays, but keep on going. I might not agree with beliefs of some, but I do respect the right for each of us to pursue or not pursue the spiritual in any manner desired.

The funny thing about faith is that by its nature it often takes an opposing position no matter what you might think. Even the person who's not sure if God exists, and if he does can be connected to, has an opposing thought to the one who believes God clearly exists and can be connected with. The idea that all spiritual concepts can be true, including the one where there is no spiritual, simply is illogical. For example the person who believes that there is no personal type God, but instead we're all part of some spiritual force conflicts with the Biblical paradigm (both old and new testaments) that there is a personal God who interacts with his creation.

I could go on, but I'm sure I've either lost or offended some of you, which was not my intention. I, and I assume KO, believe strongly in a personal God. We believe to understand in part the truth about our connection to the spiritual, but that doesn't mean we're right. That's the wonderful thing about faith, it is based on some body of information that we embrace to be true. The fact is, truth stands on its own and is not based on those who believe it to be true. Many who live on this spinning globe of ours will live and die believing things that are not true. Others, on what is true. I simply came to a point in my life where I decided it was important to explore what that truth might be and came to a conclusion that I found it, at least in part. I continue to seek to understand it in full and have a life time and eternity to do so. I see myself as a fellow seeker along with all who walk this planet. I'm not better than anyone and am always open to learning.

Please don't take all this that I, and others who believe strongly in our faith and aren't afraid to let others know about it, believe we are anything special or better than anyone else. It's never about us. It's never a belief that we are deserving more than anyone else or are even deserving period. We believe we've taken hold of the hand that God himself has extended to all of us even though we didn't deserve it, and simply do not want anyone to miss out on this exciting, intended and deeply meaningful connection with God.

 

[Prezidint]

I don't shove it down people's throat, but on the other hand, I don't like people telling me and others who love God deeply and live by faith in God who should and shouldn't represent our public university or our region of the country.

I feel the same way as you.

But it's guaranteed that in a state like CT and a position as high profile as head coach of one of the top programs in the country a coach's vocal references to God are going to be viewed as a negative by the people who do the hiring.

Note - not by ME.

Please stop conflating what I believe the folks running the University believe and what I believe.

 

[Prezidint]

" With that said, our nation is becoming increasingly secular, and IMO, that's not a good thing"
Really? why`s that?

Funny. I would have said our nation is becoming increasingly more religious.

 

[DogMania]

Funny. I would have said our nation is becoming increasingly more religious.

There might be a trend in that direction lately. I was referring more to a larger time span, say the past 20 to 30 years.

 

[Prezidint]

You have a narrowed view of our nation. Please do not speak for our nation . . . You seem to be pushing an agenda here. I'm sure there are others on this forum that feel as you do, but I doubt that such a strong position against those who are people of faith is in the minority.
.

Wow. I find it bizarre that you, and one or tow others, somehow have concluded that I'm not a religious man. Why did you do that?

Also, me saying that the U.S. is anti-religion is not me "speaking" for anybody but myself. It's an opinion.

I merely have given my opinion of how open religion affects your career.

I was at UConn for many years. Loved it. In the position I was in, openly and regularly expressing religion would have a career death sentence. That's the way it was. If you got tagged with the "Fundi" or "Born Again" tag you were done. It's simply the way it was in my department.

I find it very odd that several people in this thread have attacked me as being anti-religious because my opinion is that KO will be discriminated against because he's religious.

It's much like calling a guy a racist because he points out that black people are more likely to be pulled over and harassed by police.

Bizarre.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

You have a narrowed view of our nation. Please do not speak for our nation, because you don't and you can't. There are millions of American's who make up a large portion of our nation who love God. There are many who are so passionate about their faith, there are many who don't believe in God or aren't sure if such exists. I've found only a minority, and sometimes a loud minority who are anti-religious. You seem to be pushing an agenda here. I'm sure there are others on this forum that feel as you do, but I doubt that such a strong position against those who are people of faith is in the minority.

Oh, and if our nation was anti-religious, I'd say it would be for worse. A huge amount of generosity and charity comes from the sector that is comprised of people of faith. With that said, our nation is becoming increasingly secular, and IMO, that's not a good thing. Though our nation is built on freedom to believe in whatever we wish, which I deeply respect. Faith is a choice that should always remain a choice. We all have faith. Some believe that God doesn't exist, or believe that if God does exist or not, there's no way of knowing and some believe God exists and that we relate to him in various ways. I'm proud to be part of a nation that let's us all freely examine what we believe in and chose for ourselves.

Maybe we should creat a "God" forum within the context of the boneyard for posts like this. You have merely stated your opinion as it relates to religion (I personally could care less what it is). These topics can be debated ad nauseam. The over all intent of message boards like this should be to discuss basketball and enjoy an escape from religion and politics. You would think considering the fact UConn is a state institution this would be a reasonable request.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

The reason I believe that our country is not better off becoming more secular, is that more and more are missing out on an exciting, deeply meaningful and intended connection with God. I believe there is a loving God who is able and desires to intimately connect with each of us, and who is able to transform each individual from the inside out to be the best we can be. If that were to happen to all of us, we'd have a world where we'd be looking out for the best interest of others and not just ourselves. We'd all have a greater sense of security, because our hope would not be based on things that can't be counted on such as favorable circumstances, on how much cash and stuff we store away, even relationships or on anything that can this world can offer that can be taken away in an instant. I could go on and on, why. I'm not saying all these things don't have their value, but ones world can come crashing down if that's what we put our hope in.

Now I don't expect you or anyone to that matter to agree with my perspective. I'm sure there are some here that believe as I do. I hope that if there are some who feel there is something missing in their lives that they would explore if there is something to this concept of connecting with God. If you know someone who's living their life like KO, go ask them why the believe as they do. For those who are happy with their lives or not, and don't see any value or even prospects of connecting with God in a personal way, I'm fine with that. Faith is a personal choice that shouldn't be forced on anyone and I respect others' beliefs.

I grew up in a Jewish family and was an atheist throughout much of my early years. I thought those who believed in God were simply minded and just needed a crutch, or just blindly accepting what they grew up with. While in high school I happened to be around a bunch of friends who believed in this close relationship with Jesus and for years didn't want to hear anything about it. Being Jewish meant at a minimum not believing in Jesus, who was a wall that I was unwilling to climb and take a peek.

One particular summer there were a few of circumstances that opened the door for me to take the opportunity to find out what this was all about. I was always impressed with these friends who were among the nicest I had known and who accepted me as I was regardless if I believed and lived my life differently than they did. During that summer, we talked a lot about these things, I asked them questions and explored what the Bible had to say about God. I found out that I had so many misconceptions about what I thought these people believed and what the Bible said who Jesus was. I weighed this information in respect to my beliefs and experience, and decided to go all in with my faith in Jesus.

I've never regretted that since. Over the years I've found that many have similar misconceptions, as I did. Many think they understand what this is all about and are rejecting something they really don't understand. There are some who have a solid understanding of this, but either simply don't believe it to be true, or are afraid of the impact if they were to take that step of faith (i.e. aren't willing to pay the cost, sometimes a real and understood one, sometimes a misunderstood one). There is so much more to be gained than given up, but that's a whole other topic. I've found many who because of some negative representations (TV evangelists who turned out to be terrible people, pushy-shove-it-down-your-throat friends or acquaintances who's lives sometimes don't reflect the message they try to pedal, people who's lifestyle isn't attractive for whatever reason, etc.) and don't want to have anything to do with God or play the faith-is-a-personal-thing card that they claim to be dealing with on their own, but in many cases aren't really dealing with it at all.

There are some, but in the minority here in New England, that are pursuing various spiritual alternatives that are based on eastern religious ideas. They might think they are new cutting edge pursuits, but are simply repackaged ideas that have been around for a long time. My opinion is that they are trying to fill a spiritual or self-awareness void that is meant to be filled by the loving God that created them.

There are some, though seems to be in decreasing numbers, that are going back to their roots of faith that were carried down to them from their parents and those before them. Some do it out of obligation. Others simply feel it's the right thing to do for their children. Some, like the above, sense a similar void in their lives and going back to what they grew up with feels like the right thing to do or at least a good start. I respect those who are doing this (as well as those who pursue the spiritual ideas I mentioned above), but have always found it strange for those who are simply going through the motions, don't really believe much if any of what they're hearing on Sundays or Saturdays, but keep on going. I might not agree with beliefs of some, but I do respect the right for each of us to pursue or not pursue the spiritual in any manner desired.

The funny thing about faith is that by its nature it often takes an opposing position no matter what you might think. Even the person who's not sure if God exists, and if he does can be connected to, has an opposing thought to the one who believes God clearly exists and can be connected with. The idea that all spiritual concepts can be true, including the one where there is no spiritual, simply is illogical. For example the person who believes that there is no personal type God, but instead we're all part of some spiritual force conflicts with the Biblical paradigm (both old and new testaments) that there is a personal God who interacts with his creation.

I could go on, but I'm sure I've either lost or offended some of you, which was not my intention. I, and I assume KO, believe strongly in a personal God. We believe to understand in part the truth about our connection to the spiritual, but that doesn't mean we're right. That's the wonderful thing about faith, it is based on some body of information that we embrace to be true. The fact is, truth stands on its own and is not based on those who believe it to be true. Many who live on this spinning globe of ours will live and die believing things that are not true. Others, on what is true. I simply came to a point in my life where I decided it was important to explore what that truth might be and came to a conclusion that I found it, at least in part. I continue to seek to understand it in full and have a life time and eternity to do so. I see myself as a fellow seeker along with all who walk this planet. I'm not better than anyone and am always open to learning.

Please don't take all this that I, and others who believe strongly in our faith and aren't afraid to let others know about it, believe we are anything special or better than anyone else. It's never about us. It's never a belief that we are deserving more than anyone else or are even deserving period. We believe we've taken hold of the hand that God himself has extended to all of us even though we didn't deserve it, and simply do not want anyone to miss out on this exciting, intended and deeply meaningful connection with God.

I could take a counter position and literally slam everything you just wrote. Why don't you go on topic in another forum to preach? This really is ridiculous but expected in this case. This board is moderated? Feel free to ban me whenever you want.

Best of health to those who respect the separation of church and state.