Words About KO From Ray

[Javjudah]

While I appreciate a good joke, KO didn't exactly Peter-Principle his way into anything. He didn't fail his way to the top. Succeeded beyond expectations for years. Unfortunately, he was allowed to jump several rungs on the ladder (taking the escalator) without paying the price and putting in the time. Still managed the highest level of success, but was unable to sustain it.

Perhaps KO could have been more permanently successful if he had started on the bottom rung of the HC ladder, as Hurley has done.

KO didn't start from a good situation. He was coaching a team that was banned from the tournament. Coach Calhoun won 19 games his final season. Oriaki, Roscoe Smith, Bradley transferred... Lamb and Drummond turned pro... Napier was not good his sophomore season, Boatright was ok, Daniels and Giffey was in Coach Calhoun pig pen... Olander, Wolfe... who are we kidding. There was not ONE player that Coach Calhoun left that was on any draft board or any scouts radar. A former coach of Napier said that Napier was a knuckle head/hot head and Wouldn't listen to anyone. Ollie was able to guide him and Napier has stated his success is because of Ollie.

 

[superjohn]

The other possibility, which I think is probably a good part of it, is that: with the success of the 2014 NC, KO thought he knew it all and this coaching thing was easy. No longer looked to JC for counsel. His amazing bench of former HCs was eventually gutted, and he went on his own. Probably felt the recruiting floodgates would open up as well. Didn't look to grow or seek out new strategies. Coached with blinders on...etc etc

It's the single thing that angered me the most. Not even taking into account the knowledge and help he was missing out on, the entire reason he got the job was because of Calhoun and he made him no longer feel wanted or welcome around the thing he built.

I said let's not rehash it but this is the truth and too many people claim it isn't.

 

[intlzncster]

A former coach of Napier said that Napier was a knuckle head/hot head and Wouldn't listen to anyone. Ollie was able to guide him and Napier has stated his success is because of Ollie.

Unfortunately, he couldn't sustain that. If he had more experience, perhaps he could have.

NBA assistant is a perfect role for him. Hopefully he gets the opportunity.

 

[KemBaller]

I think he really tried this season. Too little too late though

Doesn't the effort prove that he was really just in over his head though?

 

[The Funster]

Doesn't the effort prove that he was really just in over his head though?

This was his 6th season. He dug a hole too deep to get of out is a better metaphor, IMO.

Look at the great coaches. They win their first championship and they burn to win their 2nd. If they are lucky enough to do that they want the 3rd and so on. It looked like Ollie won and that was enough.

 

[Javjudah]

Unfortunately, he couldn't sustain that. If he had more experience, perhaps he could have.

NBA assistant is a perfect role for him. Hopefully he gets the opportunity.

Rhode Island is like a mid major. Look at Uconn non schedule compare to Rhode Island. We played the likes of Michigan State, Oregon, Syracuse, Arkansas, Arizona, Auburn, Villanova... Who did Rhode Island played? overrated, I hope Hurley is successful but he's not GOLD nor is he Houdini. He better have UCONN in a superior position after his second season or else things can spiral out of control real quick.

 

[Travelman6]

There is working hard, (and maybe Ollie worked hard, not here to discuss that), and there is working smart.

Many successful people will tell you working smart is more important and it was not evident that Ollie did a good job directing his energy towards things that required energy. You can work very hard but it means little if that hard work is not used efficiently. Combine the hard work with working smart.

 

[jibsey]

What Ray Allen said in defending KO's work effort is from what he knew of KO back in their playing days at UConn and in the NBA.

Ray Allen wasn't at every practice for the past 6 years. Wasn't at every game. Wasn't around the program day in and day out.

His opinion is simply that of a good friend. The OP was absolutely wrong to give credence to Ray's uninformed opinion as supporting argument that KO worked hard. Honestly, your average UConn season ticket holder is much more knowledgable about KO's work ethic than Ray is.

No. How do the fans know what is going on 24/7 in that environment? As a close friend who is in at least phone contact with KO, Ray could easily have an insight into all the tasks KO had to do from recruiting to practices that we could never have. As I said, we will need to hear from his assistant coaches which is not likely to happen.

 

[champs99and04]

You're also someone who would still give a lifetime contract to KO, that's insane to most of us.

When I said that I misspoke and that is because I'd have preferred giving him three lifetime contracts. We can leave that seat empty when he dies for all I care.

I liked Kevin Ollie. I thought it was really cool when he won the championship in 2014. I thought the malpractice he committed on the program after that was less cool, but he was still Kevin Ollie and as a consumer that was enough for me. There's really no counter-argument to satisfaction.

Dan Hurley is just a guy. A random guy. I have no connection to him and his success means nothing to me. I'm sure that as time goes on I'll grow progressively fond of him, but that's only because I tend to feel a deeper connection with people who have been in my life for more than two weeks.

But that's just the thing. I'm probably going to like him no matter what. It's kind of like how some of the most passionate fans root for downtrodden franchises. By your own admission, you take the opposite approach. You like him now and if he doesn't win you'll dislike him or at least want him gone. That's fine. I don't think either method is better than the other. My opinion is only insane, though, to those who don't step back and think about it.

And look, I'm not trying to bombard you with parallels to real life relationships. This is entertainment and when your team sucks it tends to be less entertaining. That's reason enough for wanting a new coach and it's the reason I, myself, am hardly devastated by the change in coaches. I was kind of ready for it to be over, too, if not this off-season than the one after. I just never understood how that feeling could boil into the resentment expressed by this board. It seemed to belie the purpose of rooting for somebody in the first place.

 

[KemBaller]

This was his 6th season. He dug a hole too deep to get of out is a better metaphor, IMO.

Look at the great coaches. They win their first championship and they burn to win their 2nd. If they are lucky enough to do that they want the 3rd and so on. It looked like Ollie won and that was enough.

Problem with that analogy was that the team was still digging that hole this season, not trying to climb out.

 

[tentoes4rings]

The other possibility, which I think is probably a good part of it, is that: with the success of the 2014 NC, KO thought he knew it all and this coaching thing was easy. No longer looked to JC for counsel. His amazing bench of former HCs was eventually gutted, and he went on his own. Probably felt the recruiting floodgates would open up as well. Didn't look to grow or seek out new strategies. Coached with blinders on...etc etc

I think this is right on the money. In some ways, I think winning a national championship in his second year was the worst thing that could have happened to KO. He got his first long term contract of his life, probably started living it up a bit too much and seems to have thought he was now at the level of K, Calipari, Izzo etc and recruits would be easy to get without realizing all the years they spent grinding to get to where they were, building relationships with AAU programs etc. I think he took the escalator when he should have taken the stairs.

 

[HooperScooper]

He got his first long term contract of his life, probably started living it up a bit too much and seems to have thought he was now at the level of K, Calipari, Izzo etc and recruits would be easy to get without realizing all the years they spent grinding to get to where they were, building relationships with AAU programs etc. I think he took the escalator when he should have taken the stairs.

Not really. He was making as much in the NBA as he did coaching back as far as 2003. Of course he had a young family at that time so maybe he wasn't living as large back then.

On July 17, 2003, Ollie signed a five-year, $15 million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers. After playing his first six years in the league without a guaranteed contract and playing for nine different teams over that span, Ollie finally had some security. But he wasn't about to rest on his laurels.

UCONN MEN'S BASKETBALL: Kevin Ollie as head coach no surprise to former Cavs GM Jim Paxson

 

[tentoes4rings]

Not really. He was making as much in the NBA as he did coaching back as far as 2003. Of course he had a young family at that time so maybe he wasn't living as large back then.

On July 17, 2003, Ollie signed a five-year, $15 million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers. After playing his first six years in the league without a guaranteed contract and playing for nine different teams over that span, Ollie finally had some security. But he wasn't about to rest on his laurels.

UCONN MEN'S BASKETBALL: Kevin Ollie as head coach no surprise to former Cavs GM Jim Paxson

Thanks for the clarification, I thought the Cleveland deal was only for 3 years. Anyway, whatever went wrong saddens me, as KO was my favorite UConn point guard. It’s time to move on to Danny Hurley and wish KO the absolute best in his future.