Juwan Durham transferring
- Thread starter UConnFamily
- Start date
I don't ever remember 3 transfers in one year. There is no talent left at the 4 and 5 that we know of. Carlton and Cobb may be starters by default. Also based on Ozzie's "no one else" thread it sounds like Ollie didn't see this coming, or perhaps Enoch either. To have this happen is a very bad sign I think.
Do people seriously think we are not going to add another 1 or 2 bigs before the start of the season?
As long as we have our 3 all stars: 1) Jalen, 2) Alterique, & 3) Terry Larrier we should be fine.
We will pick up more players in a few months time.
As long as we have our 3 all stars: 1) Jalen, 2) Alterique, & 3) Terry Larrier we should be fine.
We will pick up more players in a few months time.
This has to mean that we have some guys lined up for next season to come in....it better or else we are in trouble
I thought about this possibility but it doesn't seem much is out there right now and why should Durham or Enoch be afraid of dog crap that hasn't even played in this system? My impression is like 12rTackermsn12 - who are we going to add at this point that will have any kind of meaningful impact? Even a defense first type player, like who is out there?
I have to think that after all of this KO has to be on a short leash. Because all these transfers says one of two things, you were wrong to recruit these guys into your system because they don't fit, or they didn't believe they would fit or benefit. Either way it's a failed recruit and shouldn't happen all at the same time.
We were still almost 500 record even losing 3 players for the year. Having freshman come in and play. Players come and go all the time look at the list of people transferring or asking out of NLI. A four star wants out of his NLI from VCU. I know Duke has talent to back up transfers but they have 3 kids transferring. Let's see what we get to replace what left and who knows what will happen.
I like your optimism but UConn isn't Duke which annually recruits (and usually manages to keep) a deep roster of talent. Duke recruits both one and dones, two and dones and 4 year guys who are very talented, Grayson Allen being an example of the latter. UConn doesn't have a roster that is deep in talent or in experience. They are top heavy and extremely light at the bottom in talent and experience. You cannot win championships with a revolving door and an all new team each year. It doesn't work.
I agree Duke is Duke but these are 18 year olds kids that have had to make some tough deceisions that they may not be ready to make. I mean as an example a kid chooses his school but then then an advisor gets in the ear even though others say stay at school or transfer or go pro again I say let's see who comes in and if coaches can get them to work and mesh. Never know
KO's back is clearly against the wall. I'm fine with him being bold and shaking things up, because he knows that he's done with another bad year, and if he gets fired there will be mass exodus anyway. But having this many scholarships empty is scary. We can all pray for Diarra, Harris and Johnson, but even then you'd expect more depth after the misery we endured injury wise last year. This team needs a lot of good news and soon.
He's not shaking things up, things are shaking him up.
He was blindsided by Steve, MAL & JD. He should have known about JD at least a damn week ago When Joe D knew & the cv rumor only turned out false because MAL gifted him pt.
Zero bigs returning if my math is correct.
I LOVE the narrative that KO wants to see more heart/effort so he decided on a complete rebuild so now he's going to take kids who are uncommitted to attend a school in 6 months. He maybe wanted/forced out V but every other loss wasn't by choice or design so let's not do this thing where he gets some credit for losing only 10-15 games next year despite a mythical rebuild
He was blindsided by Steve, MAL & JD. He should have known about JD at least a damn week ago When Joe D knew & the cv rumor only turned out false because MAL gifted him pt.
Zero bigs returning if my math is correct.
I LOVE the narrative that KO wants to see more heart/effort so he decided on a complete rebuild so now he's going to take kids who are uncommitted to attend a school in 6 months. He maybe wanted/forced out V but every other loss wasn't by choice or design so let's not do this thing where he gets some credit for losing only 10-15 games next year despite a mythical rebuild
Last edited:
There's is no way to spin this, during the season there were times the team looked like a rudderless ship and it looked like his players had no respect for him. Now in the off season he has proven he's a terrible communicator and obviously, with this many guys leaving, some who have a clear path to tons of PT, it's certain that very few have respect for him....SMH.......So much for his top ten recruiting class in 2016 ( he lost that fast enough) as he scrambles for a bunch of 2017 leftovers....good luck and have nice summer KO..
It's not just the local media it's the national media reporting on this:
Durham 3rd player to say he's leaving UConn via @ESPN App http://es.pn/2nBDjCN
Durham 3rd player to say he's leaving UConn via @ESPN App http://es.pn/2nBDjCN
But you know...uh.. uh...uh.... this is the way KO planned it all along....
...3 guys who are injury question marks and 2 guards.... in April no less...SMH !
On the bright side the two 3 star guys sound somewhat committed ( If not, I guess they figure why honor a NLI, if MAL didn't ).....and it puts KO's class in the middle of the AAC.......: AAC team rankings
...3 guys who are injury question marks and 2 guards.... in April no less...SMH !On the bright side the two 3 star guys sound somewhat committed ( If not, I guess they figure why honor a NLI, if MAL didn't ).....and it puts KO's class in the middle of the AAC
.......: AAC team rankings
Last edited:
You're a Saint for holding the faith this long
This is going to quickly become an issue of Benedict's competence.
This is going to quickly become an issue of Benedict's competence.
Benedict may have caused the exodus by forcing KO to make staffing changes. He tried that on diaco. Glen Miller leaving prob led to makai decomitting and Durham leaving, maybe with Enoch as well.
I still do not understand precisely why Miller was let go beyond the scapegoating explanation. The offense actually got better as the season went on, and although disappointing overall, the team had limited depth after the injuries.
I do want to come back to one thing on Ollie, since apart from Ozzie very few people here are defending him anymore. The 2013-14 team had no business winning the NC. They were the least talented of UConn's 4 national championship teams and although the team had 3 40% plus 3 point FG shooters in the starting lineup, they were not good inside and looked like they would be pounded inside by 3 tourney teams they ended up beating decisively. That team played some of the best defense over a 6 game stretch of any UConn team ever. Was it all a fortuitous coincidence, just a team that got red hot and 0% of it was coaching? I don't know. But Ollie had had 3 very disappointing seasons since then as compared to what it appeared the team could be. His record is very mixed up until now.
Im prepared to give Ollie credit for catching lightning in a bottle, but that shouldn't give him a pass here. The kindest thing that can be said is he forced to rebuild a team he built, its not as though he's dealing with players he wasn't responsible for, these were all his guys.
i compared uconn to the titanic a few weeks ago. now it's like the Titanic if it was hit by an alien submarine in shark infested waters after getting punched by Mike Tyson in the 80's.
Cobb is going to have to play so many minutes, he'll look like Brimah frosh year by the end of the season.
Cobb is going to have to play so many minutes, he'll look like Brimah frosh year by the end of the season.
Shortly after Diallo committed to UK; ollie, killings, and Miller were all watching a nepsac game. The strange thing was killings and Ollie were sitting together and Miller was alone.
Seems the writing might have been on the wall at that point
Seems the writing might have been on the wall at that point
I am wondering if any of the recruits at the 4 and 5 positions will contact Enoch and Durham to ask them why they transferred and what will their answer(s) will be?
The 2014 team did not win the championship by coincidence. Are you kidding me?
They earned that ship more than any other team. It was ranked as the toughest championship run since the field went to 64 teams. See below.
Also OZ is not alone, I have complete faith in KO.
You have to look at each season he's been a coach:
1) 2013: took a team that was depleted by transfers and guys going to the NBA and still won 20 games while not being eligible for postseason. Almost every analyst said that team would have been in the tournament had they been eligible.
2) 2014: won a national championship and had the hardest path to winning it all in past 30 plus years.
3) 2015: that was boatshow with no help. He was literally the only ball handler on the team. No coach could have done anything with that team, but KO nearly won the AAC tournament.
4) 2016: this was probably the most disappointing season under KOs tenure because of the talent on the team. The only problem was the lack of toughness on the team. The same problem that has plagued since boatshows departure (maybe even since 2014). Yet KO still won the AAC tournament and got to the round of 32 before running into a very good Kansas team.
5) 2017: simply injuries. Not just to anyone but Alterique and Larrier were arguably our two best players during the games they played. Yes we still lost to Wagner and northeastern but no the team ended up beating much better teams later on in the season with an even more depleted lineup. If Alterique and Terry stayed healthy we would have racked up many more wins.
Lastly everyone needs to calm down. The program is not dumpster fire. We still have our 3 best players and the focus is now on bringing in tough kids so we no longer field soft teams like we have had in past two years.
I'm ok with a few losses, but I'm not ok with being out-toughed on a consistent basis. KO has a plan to change that ASAP
It was a rhetorical question, not a statement. You did observe the question mark, correct? I suggest you read the rest of what I posted which is consistent with the above. The reason the 2014 team won it all was superlative team defense and 88% FTs for the tourney, which will never be duplicated by any team shooting more than 100 FTs in NCAA tournament game conditions.
The rest of your post is fair. Kevin Ollie has had mixed results, and mixed luck. He needs to turn things around pretty quickly and start having his teams overachieve and out-tough opponents. As long as Christian Vital is around there is a good start on these two things.
Last edited:
Umm... honest question do you know what a rhetorical question means?
A rhetorical question is a form of making a statement...
It was not a statement, ir was a question to be answered by anyone. A question invites answers. When I make a statement I do not put a question mark at the end. I DON"T KNOW THE ANSWER, WHICH IS WHY I ASKED THE QUESTION. You posted what you think is the answer. Others can do the same.
By the way, the question I was asking wasn't whether it was a coincidence that the 2014 team won the NC, but whether it was a coincidence that Kevin Ollie's coaching may have had something to do with it. The discussion I was starting was not on the merits of what the 2014 team achieved, but what Kevin Ollie's coaching contributed to that run - and whether it was a coincidental high water mark in his relatively short coaching career.
What I find interesting...is when UC won the NC in 2014, were they able to capitalize on it? Can't remember names but 2 commits reneged (turtle? Ali?) one went to ucla & one Georgia maybe? Point is, why? Don't like this...not sure I've ever seen this b4.
UConn should have been able to capitalize on the 2014 NC but they were hurt by the roaring rumors that KO was soon off to the NBA. I think that was used by opposing coaches. Truth is I doubt the NBA had or has much interest in KO. There will always be media hot coach darlings of the moment.
Ollie is the only constant here, players leave him and his team at an alarming rate if you include recruits that commit then back out.