Kevin Ollie has forgiven UConn, focused on coaching at Overtime Elite: 'I'm doing great over here' (Borges)

[pepband99]

I guess he improved from "hit the gym?"

 

[UCSouth]

Not sure why we need to post general Instagram posts from Ollie. I mean do we post everything every former player or coach posts to social media that has nothing to do with UConn?

It probably had more to do with the word "grind" than anything else. I could almost feel @Chief00 and his over inflated ego getting bigger every time Ollie said the word.

 

[Northbound]

The 2014 defensive game plans in March belong in the hall of fame. Wish he didn’t turn out to be such an a hole…thanks for the championship but I don’t think he’ll be welcomed back anytime soon lol

Didn't Miller author those defensive game plans? That's not meant to be shot at KO, I genuinely recall it being well known that Miller created those plans - specifically against Kentucky. The head coach gets the credit and blame for all his staff does so he deserves the credit, but seriously want to know if I've lost my mind when recalling that.

 

[Chief00]

I think KO is more in his element now. I agree with what was said about the case prior in this thread - it’s a ridiculous case for the reasons cited and because the NCAA banned him from college coaching for 3 years anyways. So how has UConn damaged him financially unless you have the expection that they should pay him for 3 years in a job the regulating authority says he can’t perform.
Realistically the case now is about his attorney recuperating some of his outsized ego and the costs - with some nuisance go away settlement.
Having said this, I think there is consensus between Kevin and Jim that it’s time to move on and heal the wounds. Chief agrees with that to give Coach some peace of mind and contentment with his former squads of players. He is at the stage of life where he deserves that. This case put everyone in a difficult position. That unity is more important than harboring ill will about this ridiculous case.

 

[Waquoit]

Kevin Ollie won us a National Championship in 2014. NOOOO. Shabazz Napier did NOT coach that team - Waquoit

Then how the hell did we win? And where did KO's coaching acumen end up after Bazz graduated? It's hasn't been seen since.

 

[Psolo12]

Like KO or not, OTE and KO are part of the college basketball landscape. We better understand how he tries to motivate - I found it very interesting. Using the pace they would play at vs. how much they invested in their conditioning but KO wants to run. Makes Chief think of discussions a few months ago about UConn’s pace. Kids want to run. Does UConn do that? KO is selling that.
I recognize the part about academics is BS but having probably 10-15 potential first round picks in one gym - has its appeal from a scouting efficiency standpoint.

You're right, lets bring him back to coach so we can run in transition. Our pace of play was fantastic the last two years he coached.

 

[UCDaveD]

“I forgive you…but I’m still (frivolously) suing you.”

View attachment 69960
When I was working in harwich port this summer we got $1 oysters (from Chatham) at least 4 days a week. Most we put down between the 2 of us was 80 was told the most they saw 2 people put down was 200

All jokes aside, $1 oysters are freaking awesome.

 

[FlippinCrazy!]

Respectfully I disagree. When you do something your bosses told you specifically not to do, get caught and lie about it, and then double down on those lies to a regulating authority causing the place that hired you to be punished, you get fired. There is no one’s fault but your own.

What are you referring to that he was told specifically not to do (besides losing lol)? I’m guessing the minor recruiting violations, but the NCAA is so poorly regulated that that’s a pretty gray line, especially in those years. When you see HOF coaches like coach K, calipari, bill self, and a bunch of others like Will Wade having success but pretty blatantly committing worse violations and not getting penalized, a couple phone calls or extra practices seems super extreme to get fired for. Of course, that wasn’t the reason he got fired (the losing was), it was just a loophole to get out of paying him his contract.

Think of it this way, if he kept winning after 2014, would we have fired him for cause over that? Most likely, we wouldn’t have even self reported the violations.

 

[Waquoit]

Of course, that wasn’t the reason he got fired (the losing was),

People say that but it seems it was the gross dereliction of duty more than the losing.

 

[Chief00]

You're right, lets bring him back to coach so we can run in transition. Our pace of play was fantastic the last two years he coached.

That’s not what Chief is saying but OTE is part of the competitive landscape. You have to understand the difference between marketing and substance. OTE is basically a marketing effort to get guys to sign with them and produce a future stream of revenue.

 

[FlippinCrazy!]

People say that but it seems it was the gross dereliction of duty more than the losing.

Sure I agree but it was moreso not commiting enough time / apparently having some personal issues happening than anything else. It’s not like he was running the team like the Wild West or anything

 

[CL82]

What are you referring to that he was told specifically not to do (besides losing lol)? I’m guessing the minor recruiting violations

Minor recruiting violations don't get you a three year show cause violation. Are you even vaguely familiar with this matter?

When you see HOF coaches like coach K, calipari, bill self, and a bunch of others like Will Wade having success but pretty blatantly committing worse violations

Ah, the "well everybody was doing it" defense. That didn't work in third grade, and it still doesn't for work for adults.

Think of it this way, if he kept winning after 2014, would we have fired him for cause over that?

Uh, lying to your boss, lying to the NCAA, causing players to have suspensions, causing the team to be put on probation and losing scholarships and getting a three year show cause penalty? Yeah I am 100% sure he still gets fired. If you can't do your job for three years, due to your own dishonesty, you get fired.

 

[Psolo12]

Sure I agree but it was moreso not commiting enough time / apparently having some personal issues happening than anything else. It’s not like he was running the team like the Wild West or anything

He was recruiting kids based off YouTube videos. That's Wild West-esque.

 

[Bobol]

I know I'm more than likely in the minority here, but I wish Kevin well & am happy to hear that both sides have found success post-firing. It may have been Calhoun's recruits that brought us that 2014 title, but he was a heck of a motivator during that run & instilled a lot of confidence in the kids.

Like many of us, I believe that he had personal issues that weighed him down & he shifted his priorities to things outside of the team in order to cope. Not saying that was a wise decision & not saying his on-court/recruiting performance was acceptable in the least, but he is human & he is a Husky. I hope this lawsuit nonsense gets situated so that all parties can reconcile & move forward.

Thank you MOMO74 for taking an adult view of the situation.

there are always 2 sides to every dispute and never forget that KO coached his UConn team to a National Championship.

 

[raf46]

-> Overtime Elite (OTE) is based in Atlanta, at a temporary site for the next month until its state-of-the-art facility in the trendy Atlantic Station area of the city is ready. The league hasn’t released a schedule yet, but plans to start playing games in late-October. It will feature interleague games, with three teams of eight players each playing each other, as well as games against prep schools from around the country.

How will that work? Overtime Elite will bring its three teams to different schools to play games against the two teams that most prep schools feature, in a jamboree-style event. The league is also planning overseas trips for next year, once COVID-19 travel restrictions loosen. <-

-> There’s also an academic program that includes courses in math, science, humanities, social studies and other subjects. Three days a week, the athletes tend to academics in the morning, then begin practice around 1 p.m. Twice a week, they’ll practice early, then move on to their academics. And three times a week, at night, the players will return to the gym for skills development. <-

->Ollie has tried to remain positive throughout his now 31/2-year battle with UConn. A new arbitrator is on the case. Win or lose, Ollie hopes that one day, he will again be embraced by UConn Nation.

“I’ve forgiven, hopefully they’ve forgiven,” he said. “I’m going on with my life, I’m doing great over here with OTE. I wish Dan Hurley, all those guys, as much success as possible. Hopefully, one day we could possibly (reconcile). But I’m gonna take care of today.” And today, for Kevin Ollie, means Overtime Elite. Level 120.

“I’ll let my lawyers take care of the arbitration,” he added. “Hopefully, that’s over soon, that’s all behind us, and we can move forward.” <-

BS from OLLIE. drop the law suit then we can talk. You trashed us all!

 

[Pudge]

I feel like a college hoop historian around this place

There is no story like Kevin Ollie's. He might be kinda like Steve Fisher with the Fab 5; but Michigan didn't win. WINNING. Do not discount the ability to coach your way to the Final game ... and hear that CBS song and see confetti coming down. It is absolutely outrageous to think Ollie was lucky or didn't coach the Team (ie. YOUR Shabazz theory); it was a brilliant job for an entire month. He knew how to Play 8 guys; role play and coach/motivate. Make the right moves in clutch time.

Having said that. The subsequent years and even the PR from the go ... tells the story of a guy who did not have all the components to lead a top (shall we say Blue Blood) Program. Just no. He did not have any notion of the things Calhoun obsessed about; even in this IE program, he can identify and recruit talent ... but there's simply a screw loose; his pronouncements + connectivity with a Campus stakeholders (and State fan ticket base) was poor. And, in the end, he is a kid who scrambled + worked hard to get all this together; but, he is a buyer of poor advice. I think. And of course, I hate that he divorced during all this.

If you thumb through every NC since Wooden (my lifetime of fanboy), nothing is comparable to Ollie. It wasn't luck. Larry Brown winning wasn't luck. Norm Sloan winning wasn't luck. Richardson-Tarkanian-TubbySmith. He simply should not have been expected to be a CEO of a BigTime Program. He wasn't groomed for all the things involved.

 

[CL82]

Thank you MOMO74 for taking an adult view of the situation.

there are always 2 sides to every dispute and never forget that KO coached his UConn team to a National Championship.

… and then he ran it into the ground, cheated, lied to DB, lied to the NCAA, got kids suspended, lost scholarships, got the program put on probation, and got a three year show cause penalty. The existence of one doesn’t nullify the existence of the other.

 

[Waquoit]

He simply should not have been expected to be a CEO of a BigTime Program. He wasn't groomed for all the things involved.

But he refused assistance. Doesn't that mitigate your point? And even if you sell my take, he was lucky to inherit a team with CBB's best player.

 

[FlippinCrazy!]

Minor recruiting violations don't get you a three year show cause violation. Are you even vaguely familiar with this matter?

Ah, the "well everybody was doing it" defense. That didn't work in third grade, and it still doesn't for work for adults.

Uh, lying to your boss, lying to the NCAA, causing players to have suspensions, causing the team to be put on probation and losing scholarships and getting a three year show cause penalty? Yeah I am 100% sure he still gets fired. If you can't do your job for three years, due to your own dishonesty, you get fired.

Yes I am familiar, and yes they were minor violations. Don’t get confused because the NCAA is wildly off base with their punishments. UConn/Ollie got handed the show cause penalty cause they self reported (again, a reasonable assumption would be for UConn to get out Ollie’s remaining contract). Same thing happened with Notre Dame, they got hit hard cause they self reported while a school like UNC trying to cover up similar/worse allegations gets nothing.

The whole everyone was doing thing you said, the difference is 3rd graders aren’t competing in a billion dollar industry, and are all doing the same thing wrong. Ollie’s violations are nothing compared to other major successful head coaches (and those coaches would’ve gotten slaps on the wrist for the same violations). Yea he’s in the wrong technically, but it’s not that bad especially considering the NCAAs extremely outdated/greedy bylaws.

And as for all the lying or whatever, reasonable to say most of that likely played out after UConn decided they were going to get out of his contract. And I wouldn’t definitively say lying, could be moreso defending himself. Just a bunch of finger pointing in the end with little evidence (and a historically bad judge in the NCAA). Again I’m just trying to say both parties could’ve handled it better overall and not made it such a public thing.

 

[Skiblets]

View attachment 69960
When I was working in harwich port this summer we got $1 oysters (from Chatham) at least 4 days a week. Most we put down between the 2 of us was 80 was told the most they saw 2 people put down was 200

Looks like the Port?

 

[Pudge]

… and then he ran it into the ground, cheated, lied to DB, lied to the NCAA, got kids suspended, lost scholarships, got tie program put on probation, and got a three year show cause penalty. The existence of one doesn’t nulify the existence of the other

Hypocritical damning. We were willing to have a HOF coach who - let's be frank - took kids that were risky (Caron Butler, Doug Wrenn, Toraino Walker, laptops). Understand the platform you are on. I have resolved this in my mind: Kevin Ollie is in a crap position because he took bad advice and didn't accept the University's outreach on his exit. But stop pissing on him. To win, UCONN would take risk.

He lacked the institutional makeup to run our program. It is not like we weren't often in the scope of the NCAA sheriff. I can't remember the guy's name ... but HE was always out to get UCONN and JC.

 

[FlippinCrazy!]

He was recruiting kids based off YouTube videos. That's Wild West-esque.

Lol yup it’s a shame, he obviously knows basketball and could coach l, just didn’t put in the effort in the end for whatever reason. At least makes us feel fortunate to have a coach in Hurley that goes all out over everything

 

[Psolo12]

We were willing to have a HOF coach who - let's be frank - took kids that were risky (Caron Butler, Doug Wrenn, Toraino Walker, laptops).

Taking kids that were risky is not the same as breaking the NCAA rules to acquire kids who were for the most part extremely subpar.

 

[8893]

I think KO is more in his element now.

 

[Huskybass]

People say that but it seems it was the gross dereliction of duty more than the losing.

Agreed 100%. He allowed the program to fall into complete disarray the last couple of years. Mass transfers before they became prevelant, recruiting guys like Kwintin Williams who had no discernable skillet, getting blown out regularly (8 losses by 20 or more points in his final season alone) losing to or having to go to overtime against the likes of Northeastern or Columbia...EVERYTHING was a mess.

People forget what a strong staff of assistant coaches he had his first couple of years. He had decades of head coaching experience alongside him in Blaney, Hobbs and Miller. Those guys were very important in terms of the success those first two years. Once they were all gone, the program headed into a downward spiral culminating in an absolutely abysmal final season for Ollie.