KeaneyBlue - The URI Basketball Forum

So a quick story..

Yesterday I went to Stop&Shop in Narragansett for the final time with my roommates and accidentally parked next to what ended up being the car of Jim Calhoun. Had no idea at first, but while walking in we walked by an older man in a Uconn zip up and a golf hat pulled down low. After saying to my roommate, "wow that guy looks just like Jim Calhoun" we turned and saw he had a Connecticut license plate on his $85,000 Lexus. Immediately I ran over and just blurted out "Jim!?" Sure enough the great Jim Calhoun turned around.

It turns out he has a place around here. I mentioned that my roommates and I were all huge URI fans to which he reponded "yes you guys had a good year, Dan's doing a great job."

Respect from a hall of fame coach, I'm liking it!

You should have run over him............

He has a house in Green Hill next to friends of mine.

I would rant on JC, but I won't.

Should have asked him about Ryan Gomes.

Don't get me started on Calhoun. Letting his assistants get fired multiple times based on violations he was committing. Would never play us either. I'm not a fan at all.

I'll take his 3 national titles though.

Now fess up, you all would too.

This isn't a beauty contest, you know.

When Calhoun was at Northeastern, he was one of the coaches
whose names would come up regarding the URI job.
Not sure it ever got beyond the rumor stage.
Three NCAA titles and a load of NBA players.
Who honestly wouldn't take that?

Another coach who easily could have got by on his great coaching. But chose to skirt the rules any chance he could.

woodennickel1 wrote:Another coach who easily could have got by on his great coaching. But chose to skirt the rules any chance he could.

Somebody's bitter.

I don't like the fact that he told you how much his car costs.

The way I read it, I don't think Calhoun said anything about how much the car costs

rodfromcranston wrote:When Calhoun was at Northeastern, he was one of the coaches
whose names would come up regarding the URI job.
Not sure it ever got beyond the rumor stage.
Three NCAA titles and a load of NBA players.
Who honestly wouldn't take that?

That's an interesting alternate reality, what if he comes here to replace Jack Kraft or Claude English?

What's his ceiling in the A10 at URI with the facilities we had at the time? Does he stay to build things up and become coach for life here? Does he bolt for a bigger job? Does the Penders/Skinner era ever happen? What does UConn look like without him?

I ran into him after golf once...had a great convo that he went out of his way to keep on going....he's a cool dude in my book.

Nice story running into a hall of famer

RR02, yes it's interesting to imagine what would have
happened to the program, if Calhoun had come aboard
at either time.
Same with Bobby Knight, who interviewed to replace
Ernie Calverly in 1969.
Zarchen and Co. felt he was too much of an defensive coach
at Army, and hired Duke assistant, Tom Carmody, instead.
Next to Jerry D, the worst coach I saw at URI.
Even if they didn't become coaches for life, they most likely
would have left the program in better shape than they found it.
Like Penders, Skinner and Harrick, you can't leave
until you win.

My bad...I thought you accidentally parked too close to his car and he came out and yelled at you and said it was an $85,000 car.....

HASwatTeam....you should have asked him why they won't play us....actually I think it's Calhoun himself that doesn't want to......

Would have been interesting to get his reaction to that one.

There goes the neighborhood.

you ask him why he killed a 80+ year, 150+ game rivalry because he was too much of a chicken sh*t coward to go on the road?

I'm sure he'd tell you that UConn had nothing to gain by playing us......but things have changed now.

I've heard that Ollie wants to play us....but won't because 'ol Haystack will have none of it....they still pay him 250K a year to be an "advisor" to the program.....in other words forget playing them until after he croaks.

Rhody vs. UCONN. Mohegan Sun.

Need it.

Rhody15 wrote:Rhody vs. UCONN. Mohegan Sun.

Need it.

Damn straight - I'll take that, fair for both sides and a step to rebuilding the rivalry. UConn needs a more natural rival now that they are out of the old BE. I also think we should be playing BC most years. There is no reason the 5 top New England teams should not be playing each other every year, or most years. Would be great for NE basketball.

UConn now considers the University of Central Florida as its rival. They even gave it a name (Civil Conflicy) and trophy. The Orlando, FL and Storrs, CT schools have a long history (less than 10 years), both have east coast locations (only about 1000 miles apart), and share academic missions.

In fairness, the Civil Conflict was only for football, it was roundly mocked, and the UConn football coach who came up with it is fired.

I thought this was going to be one of those Pat Riley stories.

......heard he will be teeing it up at PJCC.....I will be looking....

RhowdyRam02 wrote:In fairness, the Civil Conflict was only for football, it was roundly mocked, and the UConn football coach who came up with it is fired.

My post was sarcastic and meant to illustrate the absurdity of the series with UCF being considered a rival. UCF scoffed at the notion and would not even accept the trophy after their win at UConn this past year.




Even with few games in the last three decades, URI is still far and away the most played team for UConn hoops (as well as for most all other sports). The Huskies have played URI some 40 more games than the #2 most played team (UNH).

rambone 78 wrote:HASwatTeam....you should have asked him why they won't play us....actually I think it's Calhoun himself that doesn't want to......

Would have been interesting to get his reaction to that one.

Thought about that immediately after walking away. Wanted to tell him to have Kevin Ollie call Dan and schedule an OOC and get the rivalry going again.

Love seeing UConn men's hoops struggle

rambone 78 wrote:I'm sure he'd tell you that UConn had nothing to gain by playing us......but things have changed now.

I've heard that Ollie wants to play us....but won't because 'ol Haystack will have none of it....they still pay him 250K a year to be an "advisor" to the program.....in other words forget playing them until after he croaks.

There's no way on Earth Ollie would consent to play URI. Ed Cooley offered to play a single game in Hartford a few years ago, with no return game, and he refused. Ollie realizes that UConn's grip on NE hoops is tenuous at best. Providence is probably ahead of them at this current moment, and URI could also pass them shortly assuming Hurley stays (which I think he will). He will continue to get national games for as long as their reputation holds up, and eventually fade into AAC mediocrity.

The irony today is that UConn has no rivals. The Huskies crapped on longtime rivals like URI and to a lesser extent UMass when they went to the Big East refusing to play them. They have done the same to some perceived lower level programs from the old Big East such as Providence. Some of their old Big East partners that went on to better conferences (such as Syracuse and BC) have been reluctant to schedule them. Their membership in a far flung new conference (AAC) does not lend itself to new rivals. They are all alone with no real rivals.

RF1, that is by their choice.......if they think they are above us and others....then fuck them....the reality for them is, is that they are in a meh conference for BB and football......and TV money is poor with very high travel costs.......the longer they stay there, the worse it will get for them....adding Wichita St. for BB will help, but it's still in a no man's land between the P5 conferences and the A10.....and it's no BE that's for sure either.

Bigsnoop wrote:Ollie realizes that UConn's grip on NE hoops is tenuous at best. Providence is probably ahead of them at this current moment

UConn won a National Championship 3 years ago. Providence has won 1 tourney game in the last 20 years. Yeah, Providence definitely gets the edge!

adam914 wrote:

Bigsnoop wrote:Ollie realizes that UConn's grip on NE hoops is tenuous at best. Providence is probably ahead of them at this current moment

UConn won a National Championship 3 years ago. Providence has won 1 tourney game in the last 20 years. Yeah, Providence definitely gets the edge!

As I said, at this current moment. Over the past 20 years, they are as strong as any school in the country. Currently, however, they have one NCAA appearance in the past three years, and that required a 70 foot shot to secure that bid. They are in a significantly weaker conference than Providence, and they have no local or conference rivals.

As of May, 2017, no Providence fan would trade their present and future for UConn, and I suspect the same is true of URI. I am also positive that not one Providence fan would trade Ed Cooley for Kevin Ollie, and no URI fans would trade Dan Hurry for him.

Coach Cooley and Hurley have shown how to build a program from rock bottom, while Ollie took over a perennial national contender, and five years later they are losing to Wagner in front of friends and family.

I would think the seat would start to get warm for Ollie if they don't dance again this year

Bigsnoop wrote:

adam914 wrote:

Bigsnoop wrote:Ollie realizes that UConn's grip on NE hoops is tenuous at best. Providence is probably ahead of them at this current moment

UConn won a National Championship 3 years ago. Providence has won 1 tourney game in the last 20 years. Yeah, Providence definitely gets the edge!

As I said, at this current moment. Over the past 20 years, they are as strong as any school in the country. Currently, however, they have one NCAA appearance in the past three years, and that required a 70 foot shot to secure that bid. They are in a significantly weaker conference than Providence, and they have no local or conference rivals.

As of May, 2017, no Providence fan would trade their present and future for UConn, and I suspect the same is true of URI. I am also positive that not one Providence fan would trade Ed Cooley for Kevin Ollie, and no URI fans would trade Dan Hurry for him.

Coach Cooley and Hurley have shown how to build a program from rock bottom, while Ollie took over a perennial national contender, and five years later they are losing to Wagner in front of friends and family.

Eh they may only have 1 appearance since their national championship 3 years ago, but they also have 1 win, the same number as PC in the last 20 years. Also they were in that tournament even without beating Cincinnati, as Tulsa also got in.

reef wrote:I would think the seat would start to get warm for Ollie if they don't dance again this year

I hope Ollie remains the coach for many years. Better not to have any open positions in the northeast.

Kevin Ollie seems like a nice guy, but I would rather have Dan Hurley as a coach than Ollie, despite his national championship. From an outsider's view, Hurley has really matured and improved as a coach during his URI tenure.

FWIW, I've been told that he really likes his position here, and his wife and family love RI. There are only a few schools that he would even consider leaving for.

RF1 wrote:

reef wrote:I would think the seat would start to get warm for Ollie if they don't dance again this year

I hope Ollie remains the coach for many years. Better not to have any open positions in the northeast.

UConn would be a very, very intriguing job opportunity.

In that case I have to root for UConn to win I don't want DH to leave for Storrs

Yeah, but who wants to live there?

Connecticut is a living tax nightmare....I know, I live there.

Of course, for the rich, they could care less.....it's everybody else that's getting screwed.

RI isn't a whole lot better, but it's good enough that I expect to move back after I retire.

Until they land in a better conference situation UConn is not a great destination for a coach in my opinion