UConn fires Kevin Ollie / hires Danny Hurley

[MSOrange]

So apparently Calhoun wants back in? Does anyone think that could happen?

I wonder about his health. There were several games he either missed or had to leave halfway through towards the end.

 

[dasher]

So apparently Calhoun wants back in? Does anyone think that could happen?

Yes. He comes back cheap. Just what UConn needs right now. He doesn't realize that it will look a lot like Joe Gibbs coming back at this stage.

 

[moqui]

when jb finally leaves, i'm not at all sure syracuse won't end up looking a lot like pitt & uconn do right now

 

[Sherman20]

Yes. He comes back cheap. Just what UConn needs right now. He doesn't realize that it will look a lot like Joe Gibbs coming back at this stage.

I kind of agree that this could happen. Why not? If they can get Pikiell from Rutgers, that might be a better play. But can UConn afford his buyout? Calhoun is a great coach, but how will he fair recruiting in a weaker AAC and at 75 years old getting back into the game after several years away? It’ll be interesting to see what happens.

 

[Sherman20]

when jb finally leaves, i'm not at all sure syracuse won't end up looking a lot like pitt & uconn do right now

Oh please don’t say that. Wildhack will make the right hire. If not Hop, then a great up-and-coming coach.

 

[dasher]

I kind of agree that this could happen. Why not? If they can get Pikiell from UConn, that might be a better play. But can UConn afford his buyout? Calhoun is a great coach, but how will he fair recruiting in a weaker AAC and at 75 years old getting back into the game after several years away? It’ll be interesting to see what happens.

Pikiell would have to be nuts to go to UConn right now. Leave a P-5 conference for a school that is currently under the scope? No thank you.

 

[hungrychuck]

when jb finally leaves, i'm not at all sure syracuse won't end up looking a lot like pitt & uconn do right now

There's plenty of time to make sure that's not even remotely true.

 

[IthacaMatt]

when jb finally leaves, i'm not at all sure syracuse won't end up looking a lot like pitt & uconn do right now

I would hope that Mr. ESPN is still our AD, and then I wouldn't worry too much about us hiring some terrible hire like Stallings or Kevin Ollie.

Worst thing to ever happen to Ollie was winning the title his first year. He didn't know what he didn't know yet. He thought it was going to be so easy, and it turned out to be much harder work than he wanted to put in. The last couple years, we saw what kind of coach Kevin Ollie turned out to be.

 

[moqui]

Oh please don’t say that. Wildhack will make the right hire. If not Hop, then a great up-and-coming coach.

There's plenty of time to make sure that's not even remotely true.

I would hope that Mr. ESPN is still our AD, and then I wouldn't worry too much about us hiring some terrible hire like Stallings or Kevin Ollie.

Worst thing to ever happen to Ollie was winning the title his first year. He didn't know what he didn't know yet. He thought it was going to be so easy, and it turned out to be much harder work than he wanted to put in. The last couple years, we saw what kind of coach Kevin Ollie turned out to be.

hciwgmac

 

[Waltdods]

when jb finally leaves, i'm not at all sure syracuse won't end up looking a lot like pitt & uconn do right now

Or like Georgetown with Craig escherick or the last two decades of St. John’s or even guthridge era unc.

Getting a good coach is hard, and theres a lot more misses than hits, no matter your resources or how smart your ad is. (Unless you’re Xavier).

 

[orangehomer]

hciwgmac

we will never win 10 effin games again without gmac on the staff

 

[syrBossHogg]

Pitt is still an attractive job for most rising coaches simply because they're in the ACC. UConn is becoming irrelevant because they are in the AAC. SU will be fine post JB

 

[Forza Azzurri]

UConn is biting their nose to spite their face.
If Ollie is fired for cause that means the NCAA has some thing real on them and sanctions are coming.

This will kill them in the market for coaches.
No real coach is taking a job with upcoming sanctions without a contract very favorable to their direction.

Meaning more money, years, lower buyout etc.

This is so dumb for them. They have to have like no money and that is why they are desperate to get out from Ollie and use the NCAA investigation for cause.

Interesting how, so far, no heat on the AD despite being the guy who extended Ollie just last year...

 

[IthacaMatt]

Pitt is still an attractive job for most rising coaches simply because they're in the ACC. UConn is becoming irrelevant because they are in the AAC. SU will be fine post JB

I read that Thad Matta is on Pitt's short list. He would be a tremendous hire, in my opinion.

A big part of the UConn board is delusional that Rick Pitino or Billy Donovan is going to parachute in and lead them to another championship ("Back to the Pinnacle!").

They don't realize that they are a mid-major now, and (a) can't afford somebody like that if they can't afford to pay Kevin Ollie's buy-out; and (b) no coach like that would be interested in a rebuild. Just look at how Larry Brown at SMU worked out. That would be best-case for Pitino or Donovan.

And then the rest of their fan base wants Calhoun to return, and set up some former player as the head coach in waiting. Didn't Calhoun already retire in August that particuular year, just to make sure Ollie got the job? He already played that card, and put them where they are. Just shows you what kind of mess they are in.

They need a young energetic coach, and their program has become a stepping-stone job, but they just don't want to accept that yet. After years of watching our football program, and watching the mess that HCIW can become with the Mike / JB saga, they need to accept that they need ANYBODY who can get them back to the tournament, even if they leave in 3-4 years, because that's who they are now on the job market.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I read that Thad Matta is on their short list. He would be a tremendous hire, in my opinion.

His recruiting fell on its face the last couple years at OSU.

 

[IthacaMatt]

His recruiting fell on its face the last couple years at OSU.

He just needs a fresh start and a couple new assistants. Pitt to Ohio State is practically moving next door. His relationships with high school and AAU coaches should be pretty much the same. Just get him some fresh blood on his staff. The man knows how to coach. Everybody knew Stallings would be a failure. That was like when UConn football hired Coach P.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I kind of agree that this could happen. Why not? If they can get Pikiell from Rutgers, that might be a better play. But can UConn afford his buyout? Calhoun is a great coach, but how will he fair recruiting in a weaker AAC and at 75 years old getting back into the game after several years away? It’ll be interesting to see what happens.

It turns out that Kevin Ollie is part of an employees' union, and the union is going to help him fight his termination. It's just for posturing purposes, but Ollie is claiming that he still wants to coach UConn. Yeah, that would go just great.

Ollie will contest UConn's firing for 'just cause'

 

[MaxwellCuse]

A big part of the UConn board is delusional that Rick Pitino or Billy Donovan is going to parachute in and lead them to another championship ("Back to the Pinnacle!").

They don't realize that they are a mid-major now, and (a) can't afford somebody like that if they can't afford to pay Kevin Ollie's buy-out; and (b) no coach like that would be interested in a rebuild...

This is precisely what makes that place such a delightful place to visit.

 

[Orangello]

And they waited until the season is over? LMAO. They want to have their cake and eat it too!

The frosting on that cake is doggie poop.

 

[pearl31]

just glanced over at DeludedDooshYard and they're sure they're getting hurley - apparently Goodman was on the radio somewhere saying it would happen

 

[Alsacs]

The best part is if they go to arbitration UConn would have to show the NCAA violations that were committed and basically do the NCAA’s job for them.
Admission by party opponent.
If I am Ollie I am not settling. UConn wants to tarnish me to the NCAA prove it and it will hurt them as well.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[Shark58]

thats actually good for them

bad for him, but good for them

 

[orange79]

Based on the season he had, I would have thought he could have parlayed it into a bigger job. Not that a move from the A10 to the ACK is not a move up, but it's not THAT big a move up. Maybe he just wanted out of RI.

 

[doc05]

Based on the season he had, I would have thought he could have parlayed it into a bigger job. Not that a move from the A10 to the ACK is not a move up, but it's not THAT big a move up. Maybe he just wanted out of RI.

Uconn is still a bit of a step up and more money. It's as good a hire as they could possibly have got for a young, up and coming coach. They will expect him to recruit the tri-state hard. He's had a decent career with ties to the tri-state. However, there is nothing suggesting he is the savior of that program. Time will tell.