Who do you blame?

[Husky Dad]

Lifetime UConn fan here... Looking at this disaster of a season its difficult to say where the blame is properly directed.

NCAA and UConn relationship is not good. No Postseason next year for seemingly unjust reasons, the Boatright issue suspension or issues.

Calhoun- If he is really running this as an organization the heir apparent should be sitting where Blaney is sitting and he isnt an older man who is best suited to support Calhoun not be a day to day coach. He doesn't need to step down but the reality is this will not last past 5 years and he built something great and it should be handed off not played into the ground.

Current Team- Most evident is its lack of synergy/teamwork, leadership and who plays what role. We lost Kemba Walker and Okwando. Okwando is replaceable by Wolf or someone else. There is no replacing Kemba's intangibles and tangibles. So we add Drummond and Deandre. I think so far Drummond has had a negative effect on Oriaki. He is great but he is a Giant freshman who also has a lot to learn. His emergence stunted for a moment and changed the growth pattern of Alex. Shabazz and Bright play similar styles of poor decision making. Lamb can't bring the leadership at this time. If both Drummond and Lamb are just taking up roster space on their eventual draft to the NBA this year and we are not making the post season next year because of NCAA ruling then where can these guys really draw their energy. I think even if Calhoun was 100% healthy he would have a hard time navigating and leading this group with so many post title confusing messages running thru their collective heads.

The Boneyard- I still cant figure out why we are on this boneyard. The users are putting up good content here and the conversation is lively.

Sorry for the long winded statement. My point is gathered from watching the Depaul game at Gampel last Wed. It just was all hitting me at once. It felt more listless and disconnected then a Dyson and Sticks game. We out talented Depaul so badly that they had to roll over. Maybe this season is the after party from last years team and it would have been better to have the NCAA tell us we couldnt go this year, not take Drummond even if he wanted to come and tell Jeremy he had to go pro. Then the kids who need the program, who are here for this team, can grow and learn together.

 

[uconngb]

a lot there...and all of it accurate. JC's stubbornness and dogged determination brought us 3 NCs and put a truly minor league program on the map in a way that most unbiased observers would say is nothing short of miraculous. That being said, I think we are paying for a lot of that stubbornness this year. I have no idea when the right time is for him to pass the baton, and HE should be the one that makes that decision. I just hope it doesn't set us back for a few years, which is unfortunately what it seems like right now.

 

[Henry]

I'm not confident he will make the right decision. I think he sees himself as a fighter and is intent on fighting the NCAA until he damages what he has built up. The UConn President and new AD need to sit down with him and hopefully between the three of them they can come up with a plan whatever it will be.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

The Boneyard- I still cant figure out why we are on this boneyard. The users are putting up good content here and the conversation is lively.

Huh?

 

[Husky Dad]

Just was saying that I had been used to Scout for years and when the change happened I didnt know why we did it. It was sort of a things that happened this year type of comment/addendum.

 

[zls44]

I'm not confident he will make the right decision.

Me neither.

No man, not even Jim Calhoun, should be bigger than the program. Ever.

 

[Scoe]

I blame myself for having such high expectations this year

 

[djct1999]

This Calhoun debate has gone on now for 3+ years now. Most feel, me included, that he deserves to go out on his own accord. That being said, his health is a major concern. When was the last time he has coached an entire season. Not only is his absence disruptive and unfair, I really feel its become a bigger issue on the recruiting trail. Name one other top program that a coach misses 5+ games each season.

 

[Scoe]

people are always prisoners of the moment with calhoun, whenever we are having a good season such as last year its "Calhoun can stay as long as he wants" whenever to have a bad year like 06-07, 09-10, this year, its JC needs to go he has lost it, if we were ranked in the top 10 no one would be complaining about JC missing games this year, or fighting the NCAA. At this point JC might as well fight the NCAA, justice needs to be served not just for our sake but for other collegiate athletes.

 

[UC990411]

people are always prisoners of the moment with calhoun, whenever we are having a good season such as last year its "Calhoun can stay as long as he wants" whenever to have a bad year like 06-07, 09-10, this year, its JC needs to go he has lost it, if we were ranked in the top 10 no one would be complaining about JC missing games this year, or fighting the NCAA. At this point JC might as well fight the NCAA, justice needs to be served not just for our sake but for other collegiate athletes.

I've been saying Calhoun needs to go for about a week now. A week ago I was blasted for it, my main concern is if he sticks around too long he puts us in a hole we can't dig out of easily. I don't want to dig out of a hole too deep, its getting deeper every day.

 

[Uconn77Duke74]

We are the defending and 3 time National Champs because of Calhoun. IMO Calhoun can stay until Calhoun says it is time, we can just wheel him out for tourney games and let him sleep the rest of the year. I do agree that Blaney, who has made it clear that he has no interest in being a head coach, should step down a notch and simply switch roles with someone. If Ollie is not ready then we need to hire someone who is. This team has not progressed anywhere near what i see other teams looking like at this time of the season, you have to blame the coaching for a large part of that.

 

[dpross]

Obviously Dyson is to blame.

 

[Scoe]

I've been saying Calhoun needs to go for about a week now. A week ago I was blasted for it, my main concern is if he sticks around too long he puts us in a hole we can't dig out of easily. I don't want to dig out of a hole too deep, its getting deeper every day.

it is what it is there is nothing we can do about it, we do need to clean out this NCAA and APR mess

 

[mets1090]

So...Husky Dad blames the Coach and the current players. Who else can you actually blame for the failure of a team?

 

[dpross]

So...Husky Dad blames the Coach and the current players. Who else can you actually blame for the failure of a team?

Dyson. Didn't I make that clear? We could really derail this thread by blaming the government or global warming.

 

[Husky Dad]

The basic premise is the listless feeling of this year and is there anyone specific to blame. Its all speculative. I love Calhoun. Its up to him and the University when he goes. The Paterno and Bowden exits were terrible. I think a good AD works with a coach to do this. Maybe the new guy will be able to help this out by being positive and not create an antagonistic relationship, Hathaway. I hung on every single announcement from Drummond in the off season last year. When he decided to come I was convinced it was what we needed. So yeah I think Roscoe, Alex and Olander might have played with better chemistry without him but I would have hated him going to the Squid or elsewhere.

I felt so unsure of our future because of the one and done nature of Drummond, and Lamb for sure leaving, because of our APR issue next year and because of another season of a Calhoun absence. I dont think there was ever a better time for Calhoun to say he is done. Its a great time for a new coach to start with no pressure to learn his team and begin to put a new brand on the program. I hope I eat my words and watch Rooster Cogburn show up on the sidelines of the next couple of years. "Did you bring silver?, Did you bring gold?" Calhoun, "No, Just lead."

 

[rw005]

I blame myself because I didn't cheer loud enough for Bazz to hear my "PASS THE BALL AND DONT TAKE A 3"

 

[cohenzone]

I blame Kemba for leaving a year early and Drummond for coming too soon and ruining the chemistry. And Boatright, geez, if he had stayed committed to WV, we wouldn't have had to piss and moan about him sitting out those games. At least this year's team wouldn't be to blame.

If one wants to talk about organizational issues, like APR failures and the Miles thing, well the buck does have to stop with the top. Even if the APR system is flawed , and even if the NCAA is as arbitrary and capricious as we would like to see them, there are a lot of programs, like almost all of them, that haven't had our kind of issues. JC is the only one I know of who runs that show. And do not mistake me for someone who fails to appreciate what JC has done at UConn, I think the Rent should have been named Calhoun. But the fact is that UConn has had the appearance if not the reality of seeming at least unfocussed on the compliance issues.

As far as the presumed successor goes, it would piss me off no end as a fan if we do not do a comprehensive search to find a successor to JC. If, after all is said and done it winds up being one of the guys on the bench now, fine. I just want the best possible successor and most programs do not automatically have a line of succession to the throne. The out-going coach, be he an institution or not should have nothing more than an advisory role, if any.

 

[Scoe]

I blame myself, im an idiot for having high expectations for this team

 

[Brochacho]

Obviously Dyson is to blame.

Was coming in to say Obama but Dyson is just as responsible.

 

[prankster]

Tossup -

Between George W. Bush and Johnnie Selvie.