Warde Manuel

[upstater]

The thing that gets me is that, we're announcing to the world that we're not sure if Ollie is good enough to coach at this level. That's crazy.

WTF????

Nothing could be worse from an AD than this.

The guy looks jolly every time I see him. I don't find any of this funny. What's he laughing about?

 

[Danzz]

The media is making Manuel look incompetent. Katz, Vitale and just about every talking head is taking mild shots at Manuel and supporting Ollie along with the coaching community.He either has to get a contract worked out NOW with Ollie or hire somebody else but doing nothing is making him look stupid.

 

[Danzz]

You need to lay off the pipe at this point. Manuel is retaining PP. To say he has nothing to do with it is insane.

I'll cut Manuel a little slack on PP. The football season is over and he may be searching for a new football HC. What the football team really needs are athletes who can get open and actually catch the ball.

 

[upstater]

I'll cut Manuel a little slack on PP. The football season is over and he may be searching for a new football HC. What the football team really needs are athletes who can get open and actually catch the ball.

The athletes are there. The offensive system and playcalling isn't. I see WRs open all the time, some coaches would drool to have a kid like Griffin out there, the OL too gives Whitmer a pocket to throw to those kids, but our coaches have Whitmer dropping back like a punter or else rolling out into pressure. Running on every first down doesn't help either. This is why I'm hard on the coaches, that and the complete befuddlement with time management.

 

[Matt (Chicago)]

They hear it from you guys and the members of the media that are picking up on your dissention. It would fade away for a couple of months if you guys would shut up.

so what you're saying is that Bilas, Katz, etc all read the Boneyard, pick up on our dissention and then talk about it on national TV?

well in that case... Hey Jay, Andy.... I'm a huge fan of your work, let me know if you guys ever want to meet up for a beer or some wings, just shoot me a note on here since you're definitely reading this.

 

[freescooter]

Give Ollie a real ducking contract this week, we have what could be a great team next year but we need a couple more recruits, need a big or 2 deaperately. He's made it clear that our 2 joke football coaches will return but he won't give Ollie a goshdarn contract. Warde, you haven't been here very long but from what I can tell you are ducking up big time. We didn't lose for a lack of effort, we lost because NC State has more talent and we simply couldn't compete with them down low. Too much time has been wasted already, give him a contract now.

But what if Calhoun decides he wants to coach again? Would you want to be tied to Kevin Ollie for 5 years if Jim Calhoun called and said he'd like to return? I mean he didn't decide he didn't want to come back until just before the start of the season. What if by the end of it he decides he wants to come back and we're stuck with Kevin Ollie? How would you guys feel watching Calhoun prowl the sidelines at, say Tulane?

 

[freescooter]

That said, I sure do like what I've seen from KO so far.

Someone please tell me what Kevin Ollie has shown so far. An opening win over an overrated Michigan State, then struggles against the likes of Quinnipiac, Stony Brook, New Hampshire, teams that probably don't have players among them who could warm the bench at UConn even in our current sub-par state. They play hard? Great, so do pretty much every D-1, 2 & 3 team. Recruiting? No so much. Offense? Not really. So I keep reading all these complaints about how we play, about line ups and everything else, then they end with "But I sure like what I'm seeing from Ollie." Doesn't add up. I see a guy who can't get his team up to play teams they should blow out of the building. Who has zero offense. And who can't get his mentor to stop undercutting him in public, on top of that.

 

[upstater]

Someone please tell me what Kevin Ollie has shown so far. An opening win over an overrated Michigan State, then struggles against the likes of Quinnipiac, Stony Brook, New Hampshire, teams that probably don't have players among them who could warm the bench at UConn even in our current sub-par state. They play hard? Great, so do pretty much every D-1, 2 & 3 team. Recruiting? No so much. Offense? Not really. So I keep reading all these complaints about how we play, about line ups and everything else, then they end with "But I sure like what I'm seeing from Ollie." Doesn't add up. I see a guy who can't get his team up to play teams they should blow out of the building. Who has zero offense. And who can't get his mentor to stop undercutting him in public, on top of that.

It's unbelievable that you have the gumption to even post. After the wins, you clammed up and said nothing. here you are a day after the loss, knocking Ollie.

It's un-freaking-believable. Credibility ZERO.

 

[Huskymaniac]

You need to lay off the pipe at this point. Manuel is retaining PP. To say he has nothing to do with it is insane.

And you need to get a clue how the real world works. You can be a and call me insane all you want but you are clueless. Manuel is not responsible for hiring PP. And you have NO CLUE WHAT HERBST OR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS IS TELLING HIM HE CAN OR CAN'T DO REGARDING A BUY OUT!!! What is so goshdarn hard to understand about that?!?!?! EVERYONE IS UNDER TIGHT FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS!!! (individuals, universities, states, the federal government) The bottom line is that MANY of you are ASSuming you know what is being said behind closed doors and what Manuel himself is thinking or wants to do. You make these assumptions to fit the convenient little world you have created in your heads where ONE MAN is at fault for EVERYTHING. Look, I wanted Hathaway fired in the worst way. But that was after we KNEW about the issues between him and Calhoun and we KNEW what he had done and what he had said to the press and the NCAA about various issues and it was after I personally spoke with the liason to the board of directors about him.

If Manuel is or becomes deserving of REAL ire, I will have no problem screaming for his removal. But you guys are like a bunch of wild dogs in heat. Totally irrational. You could very well be right about some or all of your claims about him being able to offer a contract with buyouts or flexing his muscle due to a huge ego or wanting to get back at Calhoun or wanting to hire his own guy to put his own stamp on the program. But other than some weaka$$ reaches based on what little real information we have, none of you have any idea if any of that is actually true. But you still attack the guy on a daily basis.

And, yes Matt, what is said here is read by members of the media AND RECRUITS. Bilas probably doesn't read this board but he talks to beat writers that do. He probably also reads what those writers are writing. These things take on a life of their own. And for what? There is almost zero chance of an extension happening now. It makes little sense to do it now. If Ollie is so beloved by recruits, like you all believe, and they are only writing us off because of a lack of a long term contract then all he needs is a contract extension at a point in time that gives him a chance to meet with them live before they announce their decisions (verbal or written). Look at what the squid manages to do in the last couple of weeks before kids announce their decisions! How many of the kids left in the 2013 or 2013 classes are going to verbal tomorrow? Be real. They probably won't be verballing until the spring or, at least, late winter.

 

[caw]

But what if Calhoun decides he wants to coach again? Would you want to be tied to Kevin Ollie for 5 years if Jim Calhoun called and said he'd like to return? I mean he didn't decide he didn't want to come back until just before the start of the season. What if by the end of it he decides he wants to come back and we're stuck with Kevin Ollie? How would you guys feel watching Calhoun prowl the sidelines at, say Tulane?

First, the chance of Calhoun coming back are maybe 1/1,000,000.

Second, the chance of him coaching elsewhere (D1) are probably lower.

Third, the beauty of having Ollie is that he loves Calhoun, so if that 1/1,000,000 happens, they could work something out (assuming Manuel agrees).

Someone please tell me what Kevin Ollie has shown so far. An opening win over an overrated Michigan State, then struggles against the likes of Quinnipiac, Stony Brook, New Hampshire, teams that probably don't have players among them who could warm the bench at UConn even in our current sub-par state. They play hard? Great, so do pretty much every D-1, 2 & 3 team. Recruiting? No so much. Offense? Not really. So I keep reading all these complaints about how we play, about line ups and everything else, then they end with "But I sure like what I'm seeing from Ollie." Doesn't add up. I see a guy who can't get his team up to play teams they should blow out of the building. Who has zero offense. And who can't get his mentor to stop undercutting him in public, on top of that.

MSU may be slightly overrated, but if you don't think they are a top 20 team, you haven't watched enough ball this year.

New Mexico is a solid top 20 team and likely ends the season in the top 15-20. UConn lost by 6.

NCST, like the other two is likely a top 15-25 team. I mean seriously, watch more than UConn games and you will see the gap.

Recruiting? You are holding that against Ollie? How is he supposed to recruit when recruits don't know if he will be here next year. The contract and recruiting are tied together at least partially. I find this the absolute weakest of your arguments.

You skip defense, where UConn is playing quite well. You gloss over the effort put forth on defense.

What exactly would you like to see them do on offense that they aren't doing? The off the ball movement is quite good and quite intricate. Spacing is fine, mostly. Ollie has obviously put in quite a few more plays/wrinkles than previous teams have run. The ball movement is quite good, for most of the game. The shots aren't falling, or maybe the team doesn't have guys who can make shots, can't blame that on the offense that is being implemented. I will say the movement does bog down at the end of the game, and honestly, it's because Napier and Boatright are the only guys who have shown they can actually put the ball in the hoop. Ollie has the team run a pretty solid offense for most of the game, it fails because guys don't/can't hit shots, then he has Napier/Boat try and take over and win at the end. It's really quite simple as to why this is happening.

 

[Huskymaniac]

Someone please tell me what Kevin Ollie has shown so far. An opening win over an overrated Michigan State, then struggles against the likes of Quinnipiac, Stony Brook, New Hampshire, teams that probably don't have players among them who could warm the bench at UConn even in our current sub-par state. They play hard? Great, so do pretty much every D-1, 2 & 3 team. Recruiting? No so much. Offense? Not really. So I keep reading all these complaints about how we play, about line ups and everything else, then they end with "But I sure like what I'm seeing from Ollie." Doesn't add up. I see a guy who can't get his team up to play teams they should blow out of the building. Who has zero offense. And who can't get his mentor to stop undercutting him in public, on top of that.

The games against Stony and NH were not good. Can't deny that. But NC State, Mich. State and NM are all good to very good teams. Wins and losses are only part of the picture. How does the team play relative to their talent level, how do they respond to adversity and how well do they progress throughout the season? Those are what Ollie should be judged on. So far, I think the team has played quite well relative to expectations based on what people believed their talent level to be. At this point, they aren't playing much worse than last year's team which had much more talent. The numbers don't lie and especially unbiased ones:

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/bkt1213.htm

I think we finished last year rated at #39. That was with Lamb, Drummond, Oriakhi and Roscoe but minus Omar.

The games against Stony and NH were bad because they followed a loss. I wanted to see more from the team and especially in the first half against Stony. But they woke up yesterday and played well. That's a good sign. Now let's see if they go up or down from here. It really is the last test. We have a good picture of what they are now. Let's see where they are at mid-season. Then, I think, a decision should be made. Either you extend Ollie or announce he won't be extended and you immediately start talking with other coaches.

 

[freescooter]

It's unbelievable that you have the gumption to even post. After the wins, you clammed up and said nothing. here you are a day after the loss, knocking Ollie.

It's un-freaking-believable. Credibility ZERO.

Try answering the question instead of attacking me. You keep saying you see all these positives, then can't answer a simple question like what are they.

 

[upstater]

And you need to get a clue how the real world works. You can be a and call me insane all you want but you are clueless. Manuel is not responsible for hiring PP. And you have NO CLUE WHAT HERBST OR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS IS TELLING HIM HE CAN OR CAN'T DO REGARDING A BUY OUT!!! What is so goshdarn hard to understand about that?!?!?! EVERYONE IS UNDER TIGHT FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS!!! (individuals, universities, states, the federal government) The bottom line is that MANY of you are ASSuming you know what is being said behind closed doors and what Manuel himself is thinking or wants to do. You make these assumptions to fit the convenient little world you have created in your heads where ONE MAN is at fault for EVERYTHING. Look, I wanted Hathaway fired in the worst way. But that was after we KNEW about the issues between him and Calhoun and we KNEW what he had done and what he had said to the press and the NCAA about various issues and it was after I personally spoke with the liason to the board of directors about him.

If Manuel is or becomes deserving of REAL ire, I will have no problem screaming for his removal. But you guys are like a bunch of wild dogs in heat. Totally irrational. You could very well be right about some or all of your claims about him being able to offer a contract with buyouts or flexing his muscle due to a huge ego or wanting to get back at Calhoun or wanting to hire his own guy to put his own stamp on the program. But other than some weaka$$ reaches based on what little real information we have, none of you have any idea if any of that is actually true. But you still attack the guy on a daily basis.

And, yes Matt, what is said here is read by members of the media AND RECRUITS. Bilas probably doesn't read this board but he talks to beat writers that do. He probably also reads what those writers are writing. These things take on a life of their own. And for what? There is almost zero chance of an extension happening now. It makes little sense to do it now. If Ollie is so beloved by recruits, like you all believe, and they are only writing us off because of a lack of a long term contract then all he needs is a contract extension at a point in time that gives him a chance to meet with them live before they announce their decisions (verbal or written). Look at what the squid manages to do in the last couple of weeks before kids announce their decisions! How many of the kids left in the 2013 or 2013 classes are going to verbal tomorrow? Be real. They probably won't be verballing until the spring or, at least, late winter.

If I adopt the logic of your post, I'd advise UConn to drop football.

Because if you adopt your approach (which I call, pennywise and pound foolish) the program is going to bleed a lot more in the coming years. Save $1m on PP's contract, lose $5m at the gate. Makes no sense.

And what is this stuff? Have you read your own posts lately?

 

[caw]

Try answering the question instead of attacking me. You keep saying you see all these positives, then can't answer a simple question like what are they.

I have to ask you to answer a question then. Theoretically, if Calhoun/Izzo/Boeheim/K/etc. were coaching this team, but only with a 7 month contract (with kids knowing they would retire at the end of the year, just to take recruiting out of the equation), what would you expect to be different right now?

Would you expect UConn to be better than 6-2? Would you expect better effort? Would you expect better defense? Would you expect better offense? Would you expect better substitutions? Would you expect better TO's? From your previous post, what exactly do you think a HOF coach could do to make this team's offense run better?

I'll await your response, and I am really curious what you come up with, because I'm not sure what Ollie could implement with the team he has.

 

[upstater]

Try answering the question instead of attacking me. You keep saying you see all these positives, then can't answer a simple question like what are they.

It's on you to tell us what was wrong with Ollie after the wins. You call it an attack, but I have a really hard time taking you seriously after all you wrote about Ollie prior to the season. Then the team wins some games, shows better than anyone expected, and you disappear. And you actually want me to prove something to you??????? Really?

 

[junglehusky]

Not to interrupt the pi$$ing match in this thread but...

@KevinRDuffy
For those hoping Ollie gets extended tomorrow, I hear administration wants to wait until first semester grades are released.

@KevinRDuffy
So that would mean late December at earliest if Manuel does decide to extend Ollie's contract

 

[Husky25]

Not to interrupt the pi$$ing match in this thread but...

Which is earlier than the expected time frame of mid January-mid February, speculated earlier by Amore, Katz, Billas, et. al..

 

[upstater]

Not to interrupt the pi$$ing match in this thread but...

Is Ollie tutoring them or something?

 

[freescooter]

It's on you to tell us what was wrong with Ollie after the wins. You call it an attack, but I have a really hard time taking you seriously after all you wrote about Ollie prior to the season. Then the team wins some games, shows better than anyone expected, and you disappear. And you actually want me to prove something to you??????? Really?

Again with the personal attacks...but read my post. Here's a short summary: They are rarely ready to play. Sure they get up for "big games" but that's all. They were taken to OT but a team from the worstD1 league in the country. Offense is not good. Recruiting is at best over-rated, and spare me the no contract nonsense. Every coach in the country effectively has a 1 year deal. Every coach of a losing team absolutely does. Good recruiters close deals, bad ones offer excuses.

 

[upstater]

Again with the personal attacks...but read my post. Here's a short summary: They are rarely ready to play. Sure they get up for "big games" but that's all. They were taken to OT but a team from the worstD1 league in the country. Offense is not good. Recruiting is at best over-rated, and spare me the no contract nonsense. Every coach in the country effectively has a 1 year deal. Every coach of a losing team absolutely does. Good recruiters close deals, bad ones offer excuses.

I don't know you from Adam. I read your posts. is it personal if I noted you were the one negatively attacking Ollie for weeks, and as soon as he had some success, you said nothing? Many people on here who were negative about Ollie came on here and posted about what they saw in the games. But you didn't. Is that a personal attack that you only come out after a loss? Or is it factual?

 

[Pudge]

I will attack you freescooter. You are in need of some humility. Kevin Ollie, universally, is being praised ... as a COACH. His offense, frankly, is more interesting than Calhoun's half court offense. His kids are playing hard. And, we are developing the kids that need developing. I think I know what I am talking about ... and my Dad was a college coach. I get your position; just go sit in the corner for awhile. It's obvious where this is going. You'll get to make another comment about Ollie in about 15 months.

 

[Pudge]

And on Warde Manual? OP topic: I am now from Missouri. Show me Warde. You were introduced as a "Rock Star". Well ... we just saw the culmination of a star in College Athletics performance: Tom Jurich of Louisville. Everything about that Football program; that Basketball program; and his Olympic sports ... are at a high-quality level. I would like Warde to be one of the best. Show me ...

 

[Gurleyman]

What has Ollie shown me? His teams have played good defense every night - our game plan defensively has usually been pretty solid. Last night, the worst defensive possession we had was with a minute to go, when Giffey was a step late with the help after the dump-down pass and it became an and one. Even that one showed our guys knew what to do - we just didn't do it quickly enough.

When we've had a challenge and time to prepare (Mich St, NC St, Wake), we've looked ready to play - no qualms with any of those games. When we started to feel the game slip against NM or NC State, we kept battling. We could have let Michigan State get away, but we battled there too.

Last night, we got pretty good looks all night offensively - made them early to build a lead, but missed a ton of makeable shots. NC State with better athletes made the shots five feet and in that we didn't. We needed someone from the Omar/DD/Giffey group to make some shots to support our two guards, but Omar/DD were turnover machines (other than those two, we took care of the ball very well), and Giffey was invisible. Evans tried to do it, but just doesn't have the skillset. That's more a lack of personnel than a coaching issue.

Another example - at one point early in the second half, Howell beat TO for a couple layups on offense (he hooked on one, but got away with it), but TO was able to respond by leaking out and getting behind him in transition. Napier found him with a hit-ahead and TO caught the ball in great position, but said "nah" and pulled it back out. It wasn't necessarily a bad decision - Howell was going to be able to contest it. But every other big man we've had would have gone for the transition dunk there. You can coach them how to run a good fast break, but you need the guys who can finish it.

Now, the cupcake games haven't been a thing of beauty, yes, and if the team plays up to the level of the good teams and down to the level of bad teams, then KO can certainly improve in motivational techniques for the less-interesting games. No crime in that - he's not alone. Even veteran coaches sometimes struggle with those things (Jay Wright losing by 17 to Columbia springs to mind). I'd be more concerned if we got our doors blown off by good teams and blew out the cupcakes - that would indicate to me that he couldn't hack it when the challenges came. And even the cupcakes know we have weaknesses to exploit - attack the glass, force OC and DD to put the ball on the floor, and can have the personnel to do it. Quinny probably has a better frontcourt than we do - that's just the hand he's been dealt.

I expected KO to have some ups and downs - especially with the personnel he has. I think he's entitled to that. And a win over Tom Izzo trumps not beating cupcakes by enough.


Sent from my BlackBerry 9930 using Tapatalk

 

[Huskymaniac]

If I adopt the logic of your post, I'd advise UConn to drop football.

Because if you adopt your approach (which I call, pennywise and pound foolish) the program is going to bleed a lot more in the coming years. Save $1m on PP's contract, lose $5m at the gate. Makes no sense.

Again, don't put words into my mouth. It isn't MY logic. I am just telling you what might be the logic of the university and board of directors and why it is possible. If it were up to me, I would never have hired PP in the first place. Hathaway was an idiot, no doubt. And if it were up to me, I would fire him as soon as it looks like we have a replacement lined up.

And what is this stuff? Have you read your own posts lately?

Fair enough. I will try not to let my frustration get the better of me. But, seriously, it is tiring and frustrating to see the continuous attacks on a guy we don't even know if we should be attacking.

 

[freescooter]

upstater,
basically you have no answer. if Jim Calhoun wanted seat #103 in sec 313 to be the next head coach, you'd be for that too. the only thing better in your view would be if Calhoun had picked a guy from Penn State!