So how many more wins like this will convince Manuel to extend KO's Contract?

[upstater]

After the Paradise Jam.

 

[ctchamps]

Not sure why this is so hard to grasp - you don't simply hand over a program like UConn's to a guy with no experience. That applies even if your hall of fame coach tries to tie your hands by retiring in September to force your hand.

It's not good for Ollie either - if he's forced onto the AD, it's just not going to work long-term. That's taking the escalator, not the stairs. If he earns the gig, better for everyone.

Jeff Hathaway isn't here anymore - the days of staring down the athletic director are over.

Jeff never got stared down. You always questioned the ineptness with UConn's handling of controversies regarding the press and how horrible PR was surrounding the program. JH may have appeared to be a nice guy but he had several glaring flaws in his character. His handling of the PR was not an accident.

I question his need to handle everything and not delegate. Either he didn't trust others to do things well or he had things to hide. The whole apr fiasco makes me question his responsibility in the oversight of academics. I'm not one who believes he was bullied into accepting academically poor students or bullied into accepting their grades.

More likely he was not willing to do the same fudging that other AD's allowed at their universities regarding how they handled athletes and their academics. I have mixed feelings about this. I think academic standards should be at some level close to the general student body allowing for the rigors spent in the sport. But the other part of me is realistic and knows that the landscape throughout college has changed. In order to compete at the level many alumni and fans insist upon, the standards have to be lowered if even a few of the universities are lowering standards. And my gut tells me that it isn't just a few universities but is epidemic at all levels of colleges.

But more relevant to your contention that he was stared down, is that he knew exactly how to put down people in power who annoyed him. He may have been a coward in how he did things but he was no patsy. He knew exactly what to do to make things more difficult for RE and JC. He knew what to put in the report regarding Nate Miles that would put JC in a bad light. He hired the guy whom the biggest athletic donor for UConn would be most insulted. Jeff is a vindictive person without question in my mind.

 

[arnie3]

As Jay Bilas noted, the price for Ollie will just go up. He's going to be a good coach because he knows that what matters is the front of the jersey, not the back.