When and why did Husky basketball change?

[hoopsknowitall]

I'm guessing that if this team stuck together for one more year all the "they don't care", "they aren't true uconn players", "they are heartless", and all the other garbage being said about them would be replaced with the sound of people kissing some serious ass and telling us how great they are.

They just dont have one guy that can calm the ship on their roster. It's really as simple as that.

 

[Inyatkin]

To call me a spoiled fan because I feel that one season (6 years ago mind you) was more disappointing than another is pretty outrageous. It wasn't about the number of wins, but rather more about the expectations and how surprised I was at the poor outcome of each season. That 2006 team could've competed with some NBA teams with the number of NBA players they ultimately had and it just never felt like they completely clicked the way they should have. While I was optimistic about the 2010 season, hoping they'd be successful.... Dyson and Robinson just hadn't showed any of the leadership abilities needed in the seasons prior. Not knocking either one of them by any means... I just didn't expect as much out of that group as I did out of the 2006 group which never felt like it really "clicked".

Just my opinion... if you feel that makes me a spoiled fan then good for you and your "holier than thou" attitude. I've stuck with this team through thick and thin since I was literally able to spell the word UConn as a little kid and have never jumped ship or said the words "we suck" (or "see you in April" like a lot of people on this board like to say) once in my life... so don't call me spoiled if ya don't even know me. Thanks.

You can be disappointed all you like. You think anyone was happy with the way 06 turned out? But it does say something about our fan base that a 30-win team is looked back on like a bunch of scrubs, and it's not just you.
One thing, though -- to say that team could have competed with some NBA teams: No, they couldn't.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

This thread hurts my brain. So much stupid.

 

[Tenspro2002]

2005: 2 seed
2006: 1 seed (Elite 8)
2007: No NCAA
2008: 4 Seed
2009: 1 seed (Final Four)
2010: NIT
2011: 3 seed (Title)

That's not a bad trajectory.

But if you were to tack on

2012: 11 seed (1st round) or NIT
2013: No NCAA
2014: NIT (Because we can't get any recruits and our current starters transfer or go pro)

things wouldn't look so hot. Granted, the 2013 and 2014 lines are mostly speculation, but it's not hard to see a program in decline after having secured 2-seeds or better for 9 of the 13 years between 1994 and 2006.

 

[Ts5034]

Yeah. I look back to 2004 as the year that I saw teams playing un-Calhoun like. Seemed to be a bit lax at times. Seemed to have extended down spurts. We won, of course, so all was forgiven.

Since then, I don't feel that we've ever gotten back the moxy that previous Calhoun teams had. The never-say-die attitude that made his teams so great with marginal talent at times.

2006 was tough.
07 and 08 were difficult.
09 we go FF, so there is some redemption.
10 is god awful, brutal, worst ever.
11 we pull a miracle, thanks to Kemba.
12 is god awful, brutal, second worst ever.

Point is, things haven't been the same, in my mind, for at least 6 or so seasons. Too many guys taking plays off and not fully committed.

If I had to attempt to put my finger on it, I'd say that we're drawing more blue chips who aren't as amenable to the Old Coach's in-your-face style. That simple. Can't get everybody to bang on all cylinders anymore, and put the team first at all times.

I completely agree with this. This is how ive felt for a while. Starting with the 04-05 season, we started to see things that didnt happen before. If you think about it, Uconn never had bad losses in the NCAA tournament. They always beat the teams they were supposed to. All our heartbreaking losses came to teams with higher or equal seeds. Thats why i think the losses to NC State and George Mason really came as a shock at the time.

The Big East went through a dramatic shift starting with 2005-2006 with the expansion and adding of top teams like Cincy, Louisville, and Marquette. The more good teams there are the harder it will be to be a constant top 4 team.

I also think the talent in college basketball has evened out over the last 6 or 7 years. Just look at all the upsets in the tournament. Who would have ever thought we would see George Mason in the FF and Butler in the championship game 2 yrs in a row. Keep in mind before Duke won in 2010 they went through somewhat of a down period compared to what they have been too so its not just Uconn thats affected.

 

[businesslawyer]

But if you were to tack on

2012: 11 seed (1st round) or NIT
2013: No NCAA
2014: NIT (Because we can't get any recruits and our current starters transfer or go pro)

things wouldn't look so hot. Granted, the 2013 and 2014 lines are mostly speculation, but it's not hard to see a program in decline after having secured 2-seeds or better for 9 of the 13 years between 1994 and 2006.

That's beyond funny. You just proved that if we suck for the next few years, we will suck for the next few years. Do you think that needed proof?

This season isn't over yet. NCAA tourney ban or not, we have the potential to win a lot of basketball games next year. And '14 is a long way off.

 

[Tenspro2002]

The difference is that when Duke loses in the tournament, it's as a high seed. It's not as if they have down years like we've been having every other or every third year. They are a #1 or #2 seed almost every year. That is the definition of a blue blood. It is a shock when they lose.

We haven't been a #1 or #2 seed routinely since the mid-2000's. Last year's championship, as absolutely special as it was, was a fluke. Nobody was expecting it, and we can't count on that happening ever again.

 

[Tenspro2002]

That's beyond funny. You just proved that if we suck for the next few years, we will suck for the next few years. Do you think that needed proof?

This season isn't over yet. NCAA tourney ban or not, we have the potential to win a lot of basketball games next year. And '14 is a long way off.

Do you think what I posted is less likely than:

2012: 7 seed, Sweet 16
2013: 2 seed, Final Four
2014: 2 seed, Elite 8

Because that would be more in line with the expectations of UConn basketball historically. I think it's unlikely we'll be able to meet those traditional expectations going forward, and that's my point. From where we stand now, for this season and beyond, the future doesn't look as bright as the past. And the decline into that future already began, realistically, around the 2010 season, or maybe earlier.

 

[UCweCONN]

I completely agree with this. This is how ive felt for a while. Starting with the 04-05 season, we started to see things that didnt happen before. If you think about it, Uconn never had bad losses in the NCAA tournament. They always beat the teams they were supposed to. All our heartbreaking losses came to teams with higher or equal seeds. Thats why i think the losses to NC State and George Mason really came as a shock at the time.

The Big East went through a dramatic shift starting with 2005-2006 with the expansion and adding of top teams like Cincy, Louisville, and Marquette. The more good teams there are the harder it will be to be a constant top 4 team.

I also think the talent in college basketball has evened out over the last 6 or 7 years. Just look at all the upsets in the tournament. Who would have ever thought we would see George Mason in the FF and Butler in the championship game 2 yrs in a row. Keep in mind before Duke won in 2010 they went through somewhat of a down period compared to what they have been too so its not just Uconn thats affected.

A down year for Duke is a 2 seed......that's a great year for us.

 

[Ts5034]

Yes thats true, but i was talking about the 06-07 and 07-08 seasons when Duke lost in the first and then second round. That was a nightmare for Duke because that was the first time they missed the sweet 16 since the mid 90's.

 

[businesslawyer]

Do you think what I posted is less likely than:

2012: 7 seed, Sweet 16
2013: 2 seed, Final Four
2014: 2 seed, Elite 8

Because that would be more in line with the expectations of UConn basketball historically. I think it's unlikely we'll be able to meet those traditional expectations going forward, and that's my point. From where we stand now, for this season and beyond, the future doesn't look as bright as the past. And the decline into that future already began, realistically, around the 2010 season, or maybe earlier.

If people stay, we will have a team that can and should win a boatload of games. If the NCAA chooses to punish us post season, that won't change how good the team is.

 

[Ts5034]

If people stay, we will have a team that can and should win a boatload of games. If the NCAA chooses to punish us post season, that won't change how good the team is.

Ya well that would be typical Uconn bad luck. We would finish first in the Big East and have a stacked team, but never know how it would turn out because of the post season ban.

 

[HuskyFan32]

I'm sorry... but I definitely think 06 was 110% the worst season ever. All that talent (STACKED roster) getting beaten by George Mason was a swift kick in the balls, much worse than 2010. I think 2010 was almost certainly probably the 2nd worst ever but for some reason it was not as shocking to me as the 06 season. I wasn't as shocked by it because I had seen Dyson and Robinson (the two that were supposed to lead that year) fade in and out consistently in the 09 season... AJ was just able to will us to the F4 fortunately that year.

AJ, the most underrated Husky ever. He was great

 

[Adios]

We went from warriors to primadonnas? Is that reasonable?

 

[mauconnfan]

Wow this thread WREAKS bandwagon.....it's fn laughable!!! Look in the mirror before posting some of you idiots...........

3 National Titles, a really bad year in 2011-12 I hate it too, but think before you type please!

 

[Prezidint]

AJ, the most underrated Husky ever. He was great

I'm not sure I agree. I think most fans think AJ was awesome and was largely responsible for the deep run his last year.
But it's a good question. Who is the most underrated of all time?

 

[Prezidint]

Wow this thread WREAKS bandwagon....

Nah. Most of the people posting in this thread have been dedicated fans for more than a decade.

Come on Mau. You've been watching long enough to know better.

Here are the facts:

1. Returning a bunch of players from a NC team.
2. Top 2 big man joins team.
3. Top 6 overall swingman joins team.
4. Preseason top 5.

We've gone what? 3 and 9 in our last 12? And we lost a 14 point lead to a cellar-dwelling Prov. team? And gave up over 30 points in about 12 minutes?

If you don't think the title question is legitimate, I'm not sure we've been watching the same team the last 20 years.

 

[Adios]

Wow this thread WREAKS bandwagon.....it's fn laughable!!! Look in the mirror before posting some of you idiots...........

3 National Titles, a really bad year in 2011-12 I hate it too, but think before you type please!

Uh, perhaps some of us graduated from the school before we won a title?

 

[tzznandrew]

Uh, perhaps some of us graduated from the school before we won a title?

So you want to go back to the halcyon days of losing in the Elite 8?

 

[The Funster]

Gimmicky trap defenses led to fast break O > wing U with tenacious man to man D These were the "donut" teams because we never really had a center. Instead we rotated big men for 15 fouls.

Jake Voskuhl was the transition guy. Calhoun called him the "goalie". He wasn't an offensive force but he was our first real, prototypical center.

From there UConn went more inside out than outside in. We're not Wing U any more. We became more of a low post team offensively that led the nation in shot blocking for how many years?

I think the thing UConn misses the most is Clyde Vaughan. We never really replaced him and our big guys flounder a lot because of it.

 

[Adios]

So you want to go back to the halcyon days of losing in the Elite 8?

I didn't say that. But I sure am not depressed over this season.

 

[BlueMAB]

I'm not sure I agree. I think most fans think AJ was awesome and was largely responsible for the deep run his last year.
But it's a good question. Who is the most underrated of all time?

I'm not sure, but it definitely isn't AJ Price.

 

[Adios]

Wow this thread WREAKS bandwagon.....it's fn laughable!!! Look in the mirror before posting some of you idiots...........

3 National Titles, a really bad year in 2011-12 I hate it too, but think before you type please!

Forgot to correct you. It's "reeks", not "wreaks". "Wreaks" means to cause heavy duty damage.

 

[Prezidint]

Forgot to correct you. It's "reeks", not "wreaks". "Wreaks" means to cause heavy duty damage.

Wreak means to "carry out" or to "execute," and it's usually associated with something negative (havoc, vengeance, anger and so on). It's got nothing to do with damage, per se.

 

[businesslawyer]

I'm not sure I agree. I think most fans think AJ was awesome and was largely responsible for the deep run his last year.
But it's a good question. Who is the most underrated of all time?

That is a good question. My first reaction is that, at UConn, to qualify you should have to have a ring, and been given little to no credit for your role in it. Off the top of my head, the first two guys I'd name would be Ricky Moore and Taliek Brown. Because nothing causes fans to dislike very important players than inability to hit jump shots. And, the single most underrated facet of winning basketball is point guard defense.