Wow. Kevin Ollie.

[InKembaITrust]

Elmore said he is super positive, seemingly congratulating them for mistakes.

This team needs a kick in the arse, if there ever was one but Ollie has on slippers. Hell play the walkons but send a fuking message!

I could not agree more with this.

I am so sick and tired of Ollie's buddy buddy player's coach softness. Wake up and find your inner Calhoun! Sub out players who make terrible mistakes to send a message! Show some constructive criticism with passion and emotion! My least favorite things while watching the games is when one of our players makes a bonehead mistake and the camera pans to a sitting Ollie with his disgruntled and confused sad face...and he does NOTHING ABOUT IT!

Sooner or later he needs to wake up and realize that his current strategy with how he's reacting to in game situations is NOT WORKINGGGGG

 

[Hankster]

I'm not sure I've ever seen a guy coach a worse game while getting a paycheck from UConn and I've seen Paul Pasqualoni in action. The final ten minutes of this game were pure malpractice - and the first thirty minutes were no prize either.

He's making $3,000,000 a year and he's not doing the work.

Someone will try to put to the upside or pitch a you're-all-bad-fans tantrum, but the team is on the wrong track these days - Ollie's team doesn't play hard and they don't play smart. That's become the hallmark over the past two years.

I would vote for "not playing smart" category. It's stunning actually.

 

[Dooley]

These last few years are not UConn basketball. No energy, no pushing the pace, no driving to the rim whatsoever, no low post defender, and worst of all, no star player that can put the team on his back in the 2nd half and close out games. Jalen Adams shows flashes of this but this won't be his team for another year or two. We are asking our 3 to put the ball on the court and drive and he often looks out of control doing it.

I think we're NIT bound again this year and that's a tough pill to swallow considering how juiced I was in the early going of the season.

 

[SouthBayHusky]

I think it's time for Ollie to have a series of long sitdown discussions with Calhoun about in game coaching, player motivation strategies, etc. this is becoming depressing and it makes diehard fans like myself not even want to watch has it's painful to watch such failure against inferior teams. I just don't understand it at all. It also doesn't help when you're sitting The entire game with dooming gloom all over your face. Players need to see you up on the sidelines with Energy and enthusiasm.

 

[Mr. Hand]

Ollie has to figure out how to get Hamilton and Purvis buckets in the paint.

They're not Napier and Boatright. They're not going to consistently break teams down purely on sick ballhandling ability like those guys. And neither is a good enough outside shooter to carry us that way either.

Our offense is so damn easy to defend it sickens me.

Time to make changes KO. This team is too talented to be held to 51 points on 30% shooting by Tulsa.

 

[willie99]

Lets not take a timeout, we can just let them make a run until the COMMERCIAL BREAK!

Jack up 3, one has to go in

Bigs foul at will

Dham is out of control on drives, why all the 3s, can't jump off of one foot.

This all day every day. He just sits there on his almost as if he's disinterested.

Seriously, do we have an offensive set? Does he call one time out and get us an easy hoop? Ever?

Never ever never, I don't even know what I'm watching. I just know I hate it to the core, it's ugly

 

[tykurez]

These last few years are not UConn basketball.

Confused

 

[UCweCONN]

I bet KO wishes he took an NBA job when he was a hot commodity after the national championship. He would not get a job now....well, there's always the Nets.

 

[imno1]

Whatever I just saw, it looked nothing like UConn basketball.

Unfortunately it's looking a lot like UConn basketball of the last year and 1/2

 

[Danzz]

We just don't have any inside game and that makes us easy to defend. Disagree with those who say this team doesn't play hard. They play plenty hard enough but too often they get stuck on the perimeter and launching 3's. We win this game if Hamilton drives more and puts up his floaters in the lane instead of launching outside shots. Also Rodney is still inconsistent and Adams is playing tentative.
We may look terrible but we are early in the conference schedule and there is still plenty of time. One more thing: Ollie has to get off his rear and coach like he did in the championship season. Remember when he would actually get in a defensive stance and run up and down the sideline? Sitting on the bench with the whining look doesn't look encouraging.

 

[Mr. Hand]

I can't agree that the players lack passion and that they're not putting in the effort.

Ollie's offense is leaving everyone confused.

It's just too easy to defend. He needs to innovate. We get zero good looks in the paint two years running now.

 

[lange10]

Simple, really: Can recruit. Can't coach.

 

[bluestreak]

KO's facial expressions and posture just don't look like the same coach as 2 years ago. When he sits on the sidelines through terrible possessions, the players are looking to him for inspiration and guidance.
Last years team with mostly different players couldn't seem to run a good offensive set either. It's worrisome for sure.

 

[Hoophound]

KO could coach in his first two seasons. He was masterful with substitutions and game managment. He certainly didn't sit on his butt like this either.

Hate to say it, but I think he's feeling the effects of divorce. It isn't the basketball that makes me say it, it's his demeanor. He's just not the same.

 

[geordi]

I hate being negative about KO. I love the guy. But this has got to stop. Brimah not being available is no excuse. There is no excuse. No focus. Bad shot selection. Can't capitalize on a lead and extend it. No leadership - either on the court or on the bench. And for god sake, stop the whining and the whining looks. ATTACK someone...preferably the other team. I've been on the Ollie bandwagon for a couple of years, but a 2 point loss to a bad Temple team at home, a 3 point win to a worse Tulane team on the road, then this fiasco...I'm through. Calhoun would have been 15-1 right now. We're talking Dom Perno numbers. UConn is not a .500 program. It's time to begin thinking about the future, and I don't think it's with Kevin.

 

[James]

This one of those "bumpable" threads. I hate how the team played vs Tulsa but calling for kos head ? Yeah sure fishy. This is a process, do people not realize our defensive anchor is injured ? Yeah let's fire Ollie lmao

 

[MexicoHusky]

I dont get it. Gibbs can shoot. Purvis can shoot. Adams can drive. Dham has handle and probably low post game. We have a handful of bigs with at least a move. Yet, We cant effectively drive. We cant get the ball down low. Very frustrating.

 

[Jluc]

I also can't believe how little Ollie uses Dham in the middle of the zone. I feel like he can at least get something going offensviley there...anything. Oh and how little our players throw it there when its available-they'd rather whip it around the perimeter until there are three seconds on the shot clock. Mind boggling, honestly.

 

[BUConn10]

KO's facial expressions and posture just don't look like the same coach as 2 years ago. When he sits on the sidelines through terrible possessions, the players are looking to him for inspiration and guidance.
Last years team with mostly different players couldn't seem to run a good offensive set either. It's worrisome for sure.

I have heard some things from players deep on the bench over the last two years that were surprising to me but could play a role in what you mention. I won't air it out in a public forum but if you want to know send me PM.

 

[Danzz]

KO could coach in his first two seasons. He was masterful with substitutions and game managment. He certainly didn't sit on his butt like this either.

Hate to say it, but I think he's feeling the effects of divorce. It isn't the basketball that makes me say it, it's his demeanor. He's just not the same.

The divorce may have a lot to do with it.

 

[uconnphil2016]

A while ago I wouldn't have entertained this idea, but Ollie's continued lethargy makes me wonder if something to do with his divorce has him bummed out/disinterested in basketball. Not trying to comment on his personal life really or make any judgments about the guy, but you just have to wonder if his mind is on other things than basketball.

 

[UConn990411]

The divorce may have a lot to do with it.

I keep seeing this, and it's a really poor excuse.

 

[uconn13]

I dont get it. Gibbs can shoot. Purvis can shoot. Adams can drive. Dham has handle and probably low post game. We have a handful of bigs with at least a move. Yet, We cant effectively drive. We cant get the ball down low. Very frustrating.

Anybody with 2 arms can shoot a basketball

 

[uconnphil2016]

The divorce may have a lot to do with it.

Whoops. I literally posted the same thing right after you guys....didn't have a chance to see new posts while I was writing mine. My bad!

 

[Kitaman]

I dont get it. Gibbs can shoot. Purvis can shoot. Adams can drive. Dham has handle and probably low post game. We have a handful of bigs with at least a move. Yet, We cant effectively drive. We cant get the ball down low. Very frustrating.

I'm no coach but when I played it was easy to take outside shots (even contested). To consistently get the ball down low took skill and some design plays. Defenses seem to be defending the post and baiting our guards to shoot jumpers. History is proving that we can't make them all game and with patience we will become ineffective/impotent offensively. I will say Brimah did help in this area, even if only alley oops.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Ollie's team doesn't play hard and they don't play smart. That's become the hallmark over the past two years.

Sometimes they play hard, but certainly not consistently. Definitely don't play smart. Hard to enjoy watching.

 

[3rdbass]

I'm not sure I've ever seen a guy coach a worse game while getting a paycheck from UConn and I've seen Paul Pasqualoni in action. The final ten minutes of this game were pure malpractice - and the first thirty minutes were no prize either.

He's making $3,000,000 a year and he's not doing the work.

Someone will try to put to the upside or pitch a you're-all-bad-fans tantrum, but the team is on the wrong track these days - Ollie's team doesn't play hard and they don't play smart. That's become the hallmark over the past two years.

Funny thing he was a lot more exuberant coach his first two years even getting a technical in the Louisville game. Something has changed in his demeanor were he just stays silent and mutters to himself in frustration all the time. He even calls timeouts at the worst times. I mean what is the point of the late TO's today or the game against Memphis. Even doesn't know to use his extra fouls like the Temple game. Just awful coaching from Ollie this year. I thought it couldn't get worst from last year. LOL!

 

[Ts5034]

Elmore said he is super positive, seemingly congratulating them for mistakes.

This team needs a kick in the arse, if there ever was one but Ollie has on slippers. Hell play the walkons but send a fuking message!

One thing about Ollie is that hes big into the positive reinforcement. We dont really get to see what happens behind closed doors in practice, but Calhoun was a lot more tough on his players during games compared to Ollie. Sometimes I thought he may have gone slightly overboard, but at the same time, sometimes you need to do that. With Calhoun, he was never scared to take a player out of a game for making a mistake, or getting in somebodys face to make a point.

Did we go undefeated every year under JC? No, obviously not. Every leadership style is unique and theres not just one way to run a team. Im not ready to give up on Ollie by any means, but back to back NIT appearances coming off a National Championship is unacceptable.

 

[mauconnfan]

No one calling for KO's head. I am one of his biggest supporters on the BY or anywhere love the guy. But if he doesn't check out a mirror soon I'm not sure we will turn this thing this year. Actually pretty sure we have no shot to do so.

 

[cohenzone]

I can't read this whole thread, so sorry if it's repetitive. I'm trying not to use hindsight, but Manuel was put in the practical position of having to hire KO when the program needed the benefit of a national search and we were still in the BE at the time. We all love KO. But two things came together that gave him a pass against what has been a constant lack of consistency on both sides of the court. The first pass was we weren't tourney eligible and we were not horrible. The second was winning the NC despite a very inconsistent year, masked by Brimah's heroics in game one or else there were no achievements in his favor. Granted, the team played well the rest of the tournament, especially on D and Napier was heroic. But the inconsistency has been the overall feature.

I can't understand how a team with almost every bench coach having been a guard and a head coach can be so awful on O and no clue how to attack a zone. Pointing out his lack of activity on the bench misses the main point. Jim Calhoun lived off of his strong personality and his team rarely played beautiful basketball. Having one of his people come in to a system that no longer had his intensity and then didn't have smart execution is showing up. Obviously I want KO to succeed, but UConn's success comes first. Now we are a mediocre team in a mediocre league. If KO can't at least keep us near the top of the league, and he isn't retained after the next year or so, a national search probably won't get the ready quality possible after JC left and the bloom will be off our attractiveness as a program. I hope the ship gets righted so we don't get into that situation.