Just two seasons ago, Kevin Ollie began his coaching career with the Connecticut Huskies with only a seven-month contract in hand. It was an odd period of transition for a proud program that had found stability for nearly three decades in the toughest conference in the country, the Big East, led by legendary coach Jim Calhoun.
UConn basketball preview: Kevin Ollie looks to keep the defending champs rolling
The defending national champs are the No. 14 team in our college hoops countdown.
Jamie Squire
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
When Ollie showed up, things were changing: the Huskies were serving a one-year postseason ban for a non-qualifying APR score and the Big East was disintegrating, giving way for UConn’s eventual move to the American. Those unsure days could have been enough to collapse a program led by a lesser man, but Ollie wasn’t about to let it happen. Just 24 months later, the Huskies are the kings of college basketball for the second time in four years and Ollie is the hottest coach in the country.
Last season wasn’t always magical for UConn. The Huskies lost three times to Louisville and twice to SMU to only finish in third place in their debut season in the American. They headed into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 7 seed and needed overtime to win their first game against St. Joseph’s. After that, UConn went on a tear so impressive it left little doubt they actually were the best team in America.
It started with a round-of-32 win over a second-seeded Villanova team that spent much of the season in the top five of the polls. Next were victories over loaded Iowa State and Michigan State squads, the latter at that time a trendy pick to win the whole tournament. Florida was the best team in college basketball throughout last season, but UConn made short work of them in the Final Four. In the title game, John Calipari’s team of young giants finally met its match.
It was an incredible run for UConn, but keeping the momentum going will be Ollie’s toughest task yet. Take a spin through the roster to see what the Huskies lost, and it’s obvious this will not be an easy challenge.
Gone is Shabazz Napier, the fabled guard who led his team in points, rebounds and assists last year. He's the most notable departure for a UConn team that has lost four of its five leading scorers from last season. With UConn losing 65 percent of its scoring, 56 percent of their rebounding and 61 percent of their assists, it sure seems like another year of transition for Ollie.
You don't lose a player like Napier without feeling his exit, but even if these Huskies look different than last year, there's still plenty of talent in Storrs. It starts with Ryan Boatright, the diminutive senior guard from the suburbs of Chicago who is poised to take over Napier's role as the dynamic team leader. Think of Boatright as college basketball's newest Allen Iverson, a relentless attacker capable of getting off his own look in any situation, size be damned. He'll be flanked in the backcourt by an explosive and potentially volatile transfer guard from N.C. State, Rodney Purvis.
Ollie referred to Purvis as the “Ferrari in the garage that (he) couldn’t drive” last season. As the No. 20 recruit in the nation in 2012, it’s easy to see why. Purvis struggled to find a role on the Wolfpack as a freshman, but still averaged more than eight points per game on a extremely talented, veteran-laden team. If Boatright and Purvis can make it work this year, the Huskies might again have one of the best backcourts in the country.
Ollie’s challenge is getting Boatright and Purvis to co-exist while maintaining the country’s No. 10 defense, per KenPom, from a year ago. With three new starters, it’s something that cannot be taken for granted. There’s no denying that Ollie seems to have a Midas touch at this point, though, and several Huskies could take a big leap forward this season.
Even with a new contract in hand, Ollie is always going to be the focus of NBA rumors. For now, UConn knows how lucky they are to have him.
Projected started lineup
PG Ryan Boatright, senior
SG Rodney Purvis, junior
SF Daniel Hamilton, freshman
PF Phillip Nolan, junior
C Amida Brimah, sophomore
Key reserves: G Sam Cassell Jr. (RS sophomore), SF Omar Calhoun (junior), F Kentan Facey (sophomore), F Rakim Lubin (freshman), G Terrence Samuel (sophomore)
SB Nation community: The UConn Blog
How the Huskies can go far this season: Develop cohesion within a talented lineup
The relationship between Boatright and Purvis will be fascinating to watch partly because there’s the slight possibility it could sabotage UConn’s season. Both guards like the ball in their hands and like to shoot it. Boatright and Napier used that to their advantage a year ago, in part because Napier was such a respected leader. Now, there’s a potential alpha dog war in the backcourt Ollie will have to help mediate.
If things don’t blow up, though? UConn should have two terrific shot creators and pressure defenders who will make life miserable for opponents. Throw in JUCO transfer Sam Cassell Jr., likely to be the team’s sixth man, and Ollie has the gift of three guards capable of getting their own. That’s an immense luxury in college basketball, and you can bet Ollie will know how to leverage it.
Freshman Daniel Hamilton is another huge addition. The No. 30 prospect in the class of 2014 according to ESPN has been drawing rave reviews this offseason and could be a day one starter. Hamilton is a natural scorer, comfortable with attacking the rim or pulling up. He should be UConn’s next star a year from now. In the here and now, he’ll be a valuable supplemental scorer next to the trio of guards.
Perhaps the biggest swing factor in UConn’s season will be sophomore center Amida Brimah. The 7-footer came out of nowhere to give the Huskies some solid minutes last season, and is being counted on to take a big leap this year. He’s a big-time athlete and a natural shot blocker who could develop into an NBA first-round pick if he’s able to harness his gifts.
The rest of the team has a solid foundation of potential contributors. Phillip Nolan was a starter last season, and has added more strength for his role at power forward this year. Omar Calhoun had a sophomore slump after a promising freshman campaign and could bounce back as a junior. Terrence Samuel earned valuable minutes off the bench during last season’s run and gives Ollie a versatile perimeter option.
There’s talent here, to be sure. It just has to come together like it did a year ago for UConn to be a title threat once again.
Why UConn might get sent home early: Lack of front court depth
Brimah has to stay out of foul trouble early, or else UConn will be robbed of a key rim protector with no other player on the roster truly able to fill that role. His ceiling is unlimited, but he’s still a raw talent from Ghana who has only been playing the game for four years. Nolan will likely slide over to the five in those situations behind the three-guard attacks UConn will use often this season.
SMU and Memphis will be UConn's main challengers in the American this year, and both are led by strong front-court scorers. When UConn has to match up with Markus Kennedy and Shaq Goodwin, will Brimah and company be up to the task?
There’s so much to replace with the graduation of Napier that even a roster this talented brings obvious question marks. Can Kevin Ollie do it again? At this point, it would be foolish to bet against him.
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