Calhoun will return to coaching and father in KO. Ray Ray will join in a few years and we will move on from there. Done.
No thanks on Grant. His team has flamed out this year in Alabama. He has yet to make a tourney at Alabama. Miller would be a good choice because he is a beast of a recruiter, but his in-game coaching decisions leave a lot to be desired, IMO.
If JC wants him to be his successor, how can anyone argue against that? JC built uconn, and he should be able to choose who succeeds him. The future is unknown for everyone, which means there is no guarantee that any coach will do well. I think it's best to defer to the man who has the most knowledge and experience in these matters. Besides, young coaches need to start somewhere. Maybe Ollie has what it takes. Only one way to find out.
Grant has also had to deal with suspending his 3 best players this year and kicking one of them off the team and he will still make the tournament this year. Last year he took Bama to the NIT finals with a very very young squad and won 25 games. He won the CAA regular season every year at VCU and beat Duke in the NCAA tournament. Guy can flat out coach and is considered a rising star in CBB.
It's fun to speculate on all this stuff, but you never know what candidates will actually emerge, and what our AD will do. I mean look at the football team - no one here could have guessed that Pasqualoni would eventually end up getting the job.
Um I actually have, my wife is from Alabama and I use to live in TN so I have a lot of friends who are big bama fans and I have not heard one negative comment about him other than he is extremely strict disciplinarian. How many have you talked too? I am guessing none
Calhoun came from OUTSIDE the family. That was a good hire. His influence will be felt at UConn for a long time no matter who sits in his spot on the bench.
Given discussions on this board, would I be going out on a limb to guess that there are probably some 'Bama fans who disagree with others on absolutely everything?
If a lot of UConn supporters didn't hate the guy, he would have been but he is not leaving UK for UConn anyway. Really, what other job? I can't think of a better job than UConn that will be opening up soon unless UCLA gets rid of Howland? It won't be UNC, Cuse, Kansas, Indiana or UK, they seem set for 10 years or so. Duke won't open up for a few more years and imagine will have someone with closer Duke ties. Bobby Hurley could end up there if he gets his own ship first and proves himself.
True, but the general consensus remains that he was a good hire. That could change quickly, of course.
I really don't think anyone else is in the mix. Ollie was brought in at a salary much less than he is used to. He is sitting on the bench surrounded by tons of college coaching experience. Public comments about him being the heir apparent have not been disputed, corrected or denied, by Calhoun or UConn for that matter. Why did he accept the coaching position if he is not promotable? Meaning he could have easily been named a head coach at a lesser Div 1 team and certainly a Div 2 team if it just about coaching college ball. He is loyal to UConn, but I don't think enough just to have a better view of the games. Its his to lose or reject, is how I see it. For those that want him to coach right away could be detrimental to his standing, particularly if he loses. He's still in school and his teacher(s) are some good ones.
Half of my family is from Mobile. My Aunt is on the board at Alabama. So yes, I have talked to many Alabama fans. They like him enough, but a lot compare him to Mark Richt in football. He's a solid coach who runs a good program, but he just lacks the necessary X's and O's to win big.
