Just read his name in the mix of contenders per 24/7 Sports. Virtually no college coaching experience (save a National Championship in 2014) with a stacked UConn Team that he inherited from Calhoun, and assisting Calhoun on the 2011 MNC team. He's a Dallas native and pretty good recruiter. I think the jury's out on him though.
Dallas, TX native, 12 years of pro-playing experience, recruiting and mentoring ability, basketball IQ, poise, professionalism, good character, charisma. Ollie had a reputation in the NBA for being a "players-player". A guy that management looked to to positively influence and guide new/younger players on his teams. And Veteran players held him in high regard. Two years as an assistant with one of the best NCAA coaches of all times. Two years of deep tournament experience beating really good teams, the end result being national championships. He has tremendous upside and he's affordable.
UConn returned 1 of their top 5 scorers from the previous years team. The Texas win at Gampel was huge, and seemingly momentum building for our then promising season. But it WAS a buzzer beater. So. It's not like we manhandled UConn or Barnes "out-coached" Ollie. I'm pretty sure Texas and UConn finished with the exact same record this season.
Don't know that he leaves Uconn for Texas. While UT is widely considered a top 10 job, Uconn isn't out of the top 15. Plus its his alma mater, which he's already coached to a national championship with players that he recruited.
NCAA tournament wins in the Rick Barnes Era (1999-2015) (going into this final four) 1. Michigan State 44 (currently in the final four) 2. Duke 43 (currently in the final four) Kansas 40 Kentucky 39 (currently in the final four) 5. Connecticut 38 6. North Carolina 36 7. Florida 35 8. Wisconsin 28 (currently in the final four) 9. Arizona 28 10. Louisville 27 11. UCLA 25 12. Syracuse 24 Ohio State 24 14 Gonzaga 22 15. Maryland 20 16. Texas 19 17. Butler 18 18. Illinois 17 Oklahoma 17 Xavier 17 21. Memphis 16 Pitt 16 Uconn has won 4 national titles since 1999 and is in a great recruiting area. They are a top 10 job. We are not a top 15 job, maybe top 20... maybe.
We haven't been top 10 in terms of post season success, but we're definitely top 10 in terms of recruiting area and resources. So any coach that believes in himself will look at this place as a top tier job
This has to be an April Fool's joke. I'd take someone off Barry Switzer or Jackie Sherrill's staff before anyone htat ever worked in any capacity at that ******** called UConn.