Huskies Reorg and Next Year

[nyhuskies13]

The majority of Husky Nation asked for changes and they're coming. The gripes about our lack of frontcourt skills, poor strength and conditioning development, and recruiting misses were noticed by a bunch of bloggers. And surely the athletic department detected a rumbling of problems.

What is shocking to everyone is the magnitude of moves in such a short period of time. This will turn into an even bigger overhaul than the Calhoun to Ollie transition - which went about smoothly based on when that took place.

The hope is this will be positive in the long run. We all pray for a return to a glimmer of tough, fear inducing, Husky hoops. But I'll lose my mind if it means another wasted year of 18-14 basketball and the NIT. The pessimist in me is mentally preparing for:

- we lost 2-3 potential starters to transfers and 3 senior starters overall
- larrier and gilbert haven't played in forver and it took time for them to get comfortable
- new coaching staff is just getting integrated with the team
- players are buying into the long term strength and conditioning
- the team has 8 freshman/sophomore level players

If this overhaul means they'll use that to buy the program another mediocre year, its just not going to cut it. Missing next year would mean 1 tournament appearance in 4 years. That's just not good enough.

 

[hardcorehusky]

While this is a scary time, it is tantamount to judging a house while it is under construction. Let's see what the roster looks like the first day of practice, what the coaching staff plans to do and see what the players are capable of before stressing out. Right now looks ugly, but no uglier than the last few regular seasons and especially the last season. But the kicker wasn't just wins and losses - it was the lack of attendance that hurt the bottom line of the athletic department much more.

 

[UC313]

In terms of attendance I think we can equate it to the number of big red U-C-O-N-N chants heard. There were far too few chants this year for my liking. The one exception was the double dip during the semi final game. I cant recall hearing big red go back to back during the same time out ever before.

 

[HuskyHawk]

What I'd like to hear from the people who follow this stuff more closely than I do, is whether these changes give us a better shot with anyone we've been recruiting who hasn't committed. Zach Brown, Mo Bamba, McCoy, Jordan Tucker?

 

[Stainmaster]

What I'd like to hear from the people who follow this stuff more closely than I do, is whether these changes give us a better shot with anyone we've been recruiting who hasn't committed. Zach Brown, Mo Bamba, McCoy, Jordan Tucker?

Zach Brown won't be playing organized basketball anytime soon.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Zach Brown won't be playing organized basketball anytime soon.

Ahh yes. Just went through the list somewhat blindly. Forgot about his troubles. Others then?

 

[chevtheman]

What I'd like to hear from the people who follow this stuff more closely than I do, is whether these changes give us a better shot with anyone we've been recruiting who hasn't committed. Zach Brown, Mo Bamba, McCoy, Jordan Tucker?

Zach Brown??? Cmon man..

 

[businesslawyer]

The majority of Husky Nation asked for changes and they're coming. The gripes about our lack of frontcourt skills, poor strength and conditioning development, and recruiting misses were noticed by a bunch of bloggers. And surely the athletic department detected a rumbling of problems.

What is shocking to everyone is the magnitude of moves in such a short period of time. This will turn into an even bigger overhaul than the Calhoun to Ollie transition - which went about smoothly based on when that took place.

The hope is this will be positive in the long run. We all pray for a return to a glimmer of tough, fear inducing, Husky hoops. But I'll lose my mind if it means another wasted year of 18-14 basketball and the NIT. The pessimist in me is mentally preparing for:

- we lost 2-3 potential starters to transfers and 3 senior starters overall
- larrier and gilbert haven't played in forver and it took time for them to get comfortable
- new coaching staff is just getting integrated with the team
- players are buying into the long term strength and conditioning
- the team has 8 freshman/sophomore level players

If this overhaul means they'll use that to buy the program another mediocre year, its just not going to cut it. Missing next year would mean 1 tournament appearance in 4 years. That's just not good enough.

I'm not sure what your point is? There is no reason to think we will struggle worse next year because of the staff changes. And the roster is what it is. Is your point that you don't want people to tell you not to be angry when we're not good enough next year because it's a transition year? O.K., feel free to be angry next year if we're not good enough. There, that will make us better.

 

[Stinger92860]

Zach Brown won't be playing organized basketball anytime soon.

Well not on the outside.

 

[ctchamps]

It's hard to know the future but I think the probability is that the team will struggle next season. You have only two returning players who've played meaningful minutes at the Division 1 college level last season. You have three and a half players with injuries and there has to be uncertainty about how effective and how quickly they will recover. You lost one of the best recruits in next years class because the kid self destructed.

You lost three seniors, who in spite of not producing at a level which many of us struggle to appreciate, took the lion share of minutes played this season with their graduation.

You have a new coach coming in who will be KO's right hand man and a new S&C conditioning regimen.

So how in heck can anyone look at this list and consider a bad season next year is unlikely. I get that bad things are cumulative and we lose patience with each year that goes by with bad results. But the majority of debates in this forum have been about coaching vs. players being the problem. So we hire a killer recruiter, KO is considered one of the best recruiters in his own right, we've had two good seasons of recruiting which unfortunately because of injuries and a kid losing it set us back. That shouldn't diminish recruiting has significantly improved. And if you factor in the restraints of APR it stands to reason that KO probably would have had better classes quicker if not for the mess he inherited from JC.

So we have two ways of looking at next season if its bad. It's the final straw because of whatever our reasons might be. Or we should look at the recent developments and know we should continue to buy UConn because the long term outlook has gotten significantly better. I'm a long term player when it came to my business, my investments and how I handle my personal life. So I'll ride out next season and see what happens in two and three years from now. And if next year proves better than I expect I'll celebrate.

But I know there are people far less patient than I am. Some are reasonable and handle their valid concerns with a staid approach. I can accept their viewpoints. But there are a lot of people who really don't understand how they let their emotions dictate their approach to life and those people, whether they agree with me or not, can do what they propose for KO and the players. That is figure out a way to fix themselves.

 

[nyhuskies13]

I'm not sure what your point is? There is no reason to think we will struggle worse next year because of the staff changes. And the roster is what it is. Is your point that you don't want people to tell you not to be angry when we're not good enough next year because it's a transition year? O.K., feel free to be angry next year if we're not good enough. There, that will make us better.

The point is we keep giving this team a pass for their short-comings. Its getting old...

14/15: No tournament because national title hang over
15/16: 70 foot shot gets us in, out in the 2nd round
16/17: No tournament because of injuries
17/18: No tournament because its a transition year?????

The point is accountability. Not allowing KO, the media, the administration, the players, or anyone to use excuses and keep kicking the can down the road.

We're at a precarious time for this program. But I guess you can feel free to be content with next year's effort if we improved by a few wins because of all the changes this offseason. I know, I know... we'll be awesome in 18/19

 

[polycom]

Excuses or results. You can't have both.

 

[pepband99]

Zach Brown won't be playing organized basketball anytime soon.

maybe he's eligible for our women's team, right, @Deepster ?

 

[businesslawyer]

The point is we keep giving this team a pass for their short-comings. Its getting old...

14/15: No tournament because national title hang over
15/16: 70 foot shot gets us in, out in the 2nd round
16/17: No tournament because of injuries
17/18: No tournament because its a transition year?????

The point is accountability. Not allowing KO, the media, the administration, the players, or anyone to use excuses and keep kicking the can down the road.

We're at a precarious time for this program. But I guess you can feel free to be content with next year's effort if we improved by a few wins because of all the changes this offseason. I know, I know... we'll be awesome in 18/19

So I was right. Damn, I'm smart sometimes.

You can be mad at whatever you want to be mad at. Hopefully you will excuse the rest of us for not being angry about failing to perform in a season that is 8 months from starting. But if you expect me, or most anyone else, to defend KO for next year's team's failure ahead of the season, LMAO.

 

[HuskyHawk]

So I was right. Damn, I'm smart sometimes.

You can be mad at whatever you want to be mad at. Hopefully you will excuse the rest of us for not being angry about failing to perform in a season that is 8 months from starting. But if you expect me, or most anyone else, to defend KO for next year's team's failure ahead of the season, LMAO.

I thought everyone had a DeLorean powered by banana peels.

 

[nyhuskies13]

So I was right. Damn, I'm smart sometimes.

You can be mad at whatever you want to be mad at. Hopefully you will excuse the rest of us for not being angry about failing to perform in a season that is 8 months from starting. But if you expect me, or most anyone else, to defend KO for next year's team's failure ahead of the season, LMAO.

It's not unreasonable to be upset with a program that's underperformed in recent years. It is unreasonable to be upset with the 17/18 squad before they lace 'em up.

I clearly used the word "IF" to emphasize a conditional response. IF they have a mediocre season next year, the program should understand chalking it up to a transition period will receive a strong backlash from the fan base. Its an observation on the current disconnect between the program's expectations vs the fans. And predicting the program's response to a potentially average season is just that - a prediction.

You're a 'smart' business lawyer. You should be able to follow simple logic.

 

[businesslawyer]

It's not unreasonable to be upset with a program that's underperformed in recent years. It is unreasonable to be upset with the 17/18 squad before they lace 'em up.

I clearly used the word "IF" to emphasize a conditional response. IF they have a mediocre season next year, the program should understand chalking it up to a transition period will receive a strong backlash from the fan base. Its an observation on the current disconnect between the program's expectations vs the fans. And predicting the program's response to a potentially average season is just that - a prediction.

You're a 'smart' business lawyer. You should be able to follow simple logic.

It is not illogical to think we are not doing well enough. Many -- probably most -- agree with you. It is illogical to be against staff changes not because you think they are a step backwards (that would be fine if you do), but because you are worried that someone may disagree with you and use them for an excuse if we aren't successful next year.

 

[huskyinfl]

I would like to think that KO - a guy who grinded through a career of 16 stops in about 16 years and impressed those teams (players & coaches) still has the hunger to get this coaching thing right.

I just don't see a guy who put in the work rejection after rejection for all those seasons to reach his dream coaching gig to just destroy his alma mater.

 

[nyhuskies13]

@businesslawyer this entire post started under the premise of hoping these changes are positive and the program returns back to the top where we belong.

my point was that if they think this is going to buy them time, with an impatient and frustrated fan base, they're mistaken. we're already suffering from an apathetic periphery. If it takes 2-3 years to rebuild from here, we're in trouble

@huskyinfl no one has ever questioned KOs character, drive, and passion. His love for this state and program is also the stuff of legend. his integrity and dedication to his kids is clear. but sometimes those qualities are not enough. the jury is still out, and I really really really want him to turn the ship and stay with the program for the next 30yrs. But he has some work to do to win back the support he had just 3 years ago

 

[donyell34]

It's hard to know the future but I think the probability is that the team will struggle next season. You have only two returning players who've played meaningful minutes at the Division 1 college level last season. You have three and a half players with injuries and there has to be uncertainty about how effective and how quickly they will recover. You lost one of the best recruits in next years class because the kid self destructed.

You lost three seniors, who in spite of not producing at a level which many of us struggle to appreciate, took the lion share of minutes played this season with their graduation.

You have a new coach coming in who will be KO's right hand man and a new S&C conditioning regimen.

So how in heck can anyone look at this list and consider a bad season next year is unlikely. I get that bad things are cumulative and we lose patience with each year that goes by with bad results. But the majority of debates in this forum have been about coaching vs. players being the problem. So we hire a killer recruiter, KO is considered one of the best recruiters in his own right, we've had two good seasons of recruiting which unfortunately because of injuries and a kid losing it set us back. That shouldn't diminish recruiting has significantly improved. And if you factor in the restraints of APR it stands to reason that KO probably would have had better classes quicker if not for the mess he inherited from JC.

So we have two ways of looking at next season if its bad. It's the final straw because of whatever our reasons might be. Or we should look at the recent developments and know we should continue to buy UConn because the long term outlook has gotten significantly better. I'm a long term player when it came to my business, my investments and how I handle my personal life. So I'll ride out next season and see what happens in two and three years from now. And if next year proves better than I expect I'll celebrate.

But I know there are people far less patient than I am. Some are reasonable and handle their valid concerns with a staid approach. I can accept their viewpoints. But there are a lot of people who really don't understand how they let their emotions dictate their approach to life and those people, whether they agree with me or not, can do what they propose for KO and the players. That is figure out a way to fix themselves.

How much time we got fleud? Some of us are aging in dog years.

 

[rip7774]

I would like to think that KO - a guy who grinded through a career of 16 stops in about 16 years and impressed those teams (players & coaches) still has the hunger to get this coaching thing right.

I just don't see a guy who put in the work rejection after rejection for all those seasons to reach his dream coaching gig to just destroy his alma mater.

Great points. I think it took courage to do what us outside the program have been clamoring for. Not easy to do on the inside. I believe in KO!

 

[chevtheman]

maybe he's eligible for our women's team, right, @Deepster ?

Lmao he's fruity as hell ..

 

[bazz&boujee]

15/16: 70 foot shot gets us in, out in the 2nd round

I am actually convinced Jalen making that shot was detrimental to us.
We would of made field regardless of loss as shown by Tulsa making it (in first four) with their best win being against THE University of Connecticut.
I can optimistically put us in as a 10 seed with a loss against cinci, and like our chances better against any 2 seed as opposed to playing Kansas. That second round upset would of then concluded with a plethora of momentum leading to the conundrum of us to have to think of a catchy war cry involving the number "6" to replace STRIVEFOR5.

JUST SAYING
DONT SAY MEAN THINGS TO ME

 

[PhanTom]

While this is a scary time, it is tantamount to judging a house while it is under construction. Let's see what the roster looks like the first day of practice, what the coaching staff plans to do and see what the players are capable of before stressing out. Right now looks ugly, but no uglier than the last few regular seasons and especially the last season. But the kicker wasn't just wins and losses - it was the lack of attendance that hurt the bottom line of the athletic department much more.

 

[PhanTom]

I disagree with the scary part, as what would have been scary was facing another year with Diaco, wondering when he would get fired! Edsall wasn't really on my radar, but I'm happy he was on someone's. He makes sense, he hit the ground running, and has made some good hires and recruiting successes. It's time for our football fans to get behind him, and knock off what happened when he left. I feel strongly there's a reason he did what he did, and we may never know, but it's done, he's here, and I for one can't wait for the Friday night Spring game. Sure would do wonders for the kids on the field, and those recruits coming in, if we had a nice crowd in the house.