UConn 2020 Discussion - The Thread By AAC Fan Sam Elliott...

[SamElliott]

UConn was just blown out by USF today, off the heels of getting blown out by Cincinnati.

That #9 finish in AAC play last year is in jeopardy.

https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status ... 5320572928

[scoscox]

the gun may have been jumped a little on dan hurley being a great coach

[SamElliott]

the gun may have been jumped a little on dan hurley being a great coach

[Bogg]

Too bad. You're stuck with us.

[handdownmandown]

That’s ok.

Gtmo has been saying for years we need a Bonaventure-esque doormat to sop up losses while propping up conference records of everyone else.

He will be thrilled to have you.

[SamElliott]

Success in College basketball is so coach driven.

UConn was extremely blessed to have a Legendary coach, up until about the time the OBE broke up. A lot of people here see UConn through the lens of Calhoun. Coaches like Calhoun and Thompson at Georgetown cast a big shadow.

Nevertheless, there is no reason for Dayton to be really good right now while UConn is really bad. Grant hasn’t been there long. Gregg Marshall at Wichita State completely revamped his roster in the exact same amount of time that Danny Hurley has been at UConn. Now Wichita State is looking like a smooth-running Swiss watch.

The AAC essentially replaced UConn during the Big 12 expansion fervor. What it requires of Wichita State (great basketball) is essentially what it needed from UConn. UConn football skated on the expectations/hopes of UConn MBB in that league. I don’t think the AAC thought the coaching position of that school would so profoundly alter UConns ability to compete in their league.

In essence, UConn served their purpose to the AAC on the tail end of Calhoun’s final roster (getting them a trophy) and once UConn deteriorated, they provided the AAC with an effective decoy to both land and then keep Wichita State. The AAC no longer has to allocate a full share for the return they were hoping UConn would provide. The exit fees were gravy. Val Ackerman went for the proverbial decoy to fill out a 20 game round robin schedule. Unfortunately great coaches don’t grow on trees, and UConn will be very fortunate to experience similar production to Georgetown under Ewing.

I’m not saying Danny can’t fix UConn, but only that he hasn’t. His hire hasn’t brought the same caliber recruits that Penny Hardaway’s hire has brought to Memphis. Early returns on UConn’s first and second classes are that they are pretty much equivalent (the first class looks just a smidge better).

All that said, Danny Hurley got a contract extension to 7 years after UConn got put on probation at the beginning of this year. And, since the Ollie situation still hasn’t concluded in the courts, I don’t see that 7 years getting shortened no matter what he does.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bj8QKtWyxY

[Django]

Why does this AAACK troll get to start threads here?

[GumbyDamnit!]

I think the funniest part of this whole thread is seeing a tweet where Tulane is actually trying to puff out its chest about its basketball success. It’s like the Cleveland Browns trolling the Patriots or 49ers by saying at least they were able to beat the Ravens.

Imagine your bar being: “we once beat a bubble team, but you didn’t.” Talk about a conference with high expectations.

[billyjack]

The AAC made the mistake of adding:
- Tulane,
- Tulsa,
- Tennessee Tech
- East Carolina...

... from Conference-USA, rather than a C-USA/ Ohio Valley raid for:
- Louisiana Tech,
- Marshall,
- Western Kentucky,
- Jacksonville State (not Jacksonville in Fla... Jax State in Alabama)

...plus the quad of:
- Arkansas State
- Murray State
- Belmont.
- Austin Peay

This would have solidified your ironclad grip on the lower Mississippi region, shoring things up til Memphis rides out their upcoming death penalty.

then the AAC could've raided the Sun Belt or Atlantic Sun or whatever worlds Florida Atlantic and Florida International inhabit.

I agree with Sam Elliott also where Wichita State will only be good as long as the second Koch brother remains active, or the Georgia Tech job opens up, whichever comes first... then Gregg Marshall is off to Atlanta.

[BFieldHusky]

Success in College basketball is so coach driven.

UConn was extremely blessed to have a Legendary coach, up until about the time the OBE broke up. A lot of people here see UConn through the lens of Calhoun. Coaches like Calhoun and Thompson at Georgetown cast a big shadow.

Nevertheless, there is no reason for Dayton to be really good right now while UConn is really bad. Grant hasn’t been there long. Gregg Marshall at Wichita State completely revamped his roster in the exact same amount of time that Danny Hurley has been at UConn. Now Wichita State is looking like a smooth-running Swiss watch.

The AAC essentially replaced UConn during the Big 12 expansion fervor. What it requires of Wichita State (great basketball) is essentially what it needed from UConn. UConn football skated on the expectations/hopes of UConn MBB in that league. I don’t think the AAC thought the coaching position of that school would so profoundly alter UConns ability to compete in their league.

In essence, UConn served their purpose to the AAC on the tail end of Calhoun’s final roster (getting them a trophy) and once UConn deteriorated, they provided the AAC with an effective decoy to both land and then keep Wichita State. The AAC no longer has to allocate a full share for the return they were hoping UConn would provide. The exit fees were gravy. Val Ackerman went for the proverbial decoy to fill out a 20 game round robin schedule. Unfortunately great coaches don’t grow on trees, and UConn will be very fortunate to experience similar production to Georgetown under Ewing.

I’m not saying Danny can’t fix UConn, but only that he hasn’t. His hire hasn’t brought the same caliber recruits that Penny Hardaway’s hire has brought to Memphis. Early returns on UConn’s first and second classes are that they are pretty much equivalent (the first class looks just a smidge better).

All that said, Danny Hurley got a contract extension to 7 years after UConn got put on probation at the beginning of this year. And, since the Ollie situation still hasn’t concluded in the courts, I don’t see that 7 years getting shortened no matter what he does.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bj8QKtWyxY

The jury is still out on Hurley's in game coaching. But he has done a great job recruiting. He brought in a top 20 class while still in the American, and signed 2 Top 100 recruits this year, with an anticipated scholarship or two open in the spring. He has a Top 150 recruit redshirting this year due to academics. He has a transfer sitting out this year in RJ Cole who averaged over 20 points a year at Howard and was the player of the year in that conference.

Uconn needs continued roster turnover. Some of that will happen in the spring.Their best players are freshman. Their older players are wildly inconsistent.

He is going to get all the time in the world to turn this around like you said.