Today we’re talking about America. And UConn. We discuss the US Olympic basketball teams and possible coaching candidates now that Kevin Ollie is totally gonna leave, you guys.*
* no he won’t
Remember: If your question wasn’t answered or you’ve been living under a rock and are just hearing about this, you can submit your questions here or on Twitter (@ADimeBack).
Lucy (via email) asks: Candace Parker was left off the USA women’s basketball team. Some are blaming”UConn favoritism.” Is there “UConn favoritism” and would the team be as good if the UConn players (Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Sue Bird, Tina Charles, Breanna Stewart) were cut?
I don’t have strong feelings about the Candace Parker thing. She’s an outstanding player who could easily have made the roster. But with any team sport, it isn’t necessarily completely about putting the best players on the court. You want the best team on the court, and with Geno, you know he isn’t looking at talent alone. Sue and DT have been playing together forever. I wouldn’t want to break that up going into the Olympics, either. I don’t think it’s favoritism so much as Parker didn’t come to Storrs for the training camp, and Geno and the committee went with what they know they can count on right now. And it’s not like having her off the team means they might not win, or that there’s an obvious person to dump for her. All the UConn players deserve their spot. And bringing new, young players to the Olympics is valid. Stewie is going to be the face of women’s basketball for a long time. Parker’s already got two medals, and she missed half of last season to rest. Stewie (probably) got her spot, and I can’t really argue with that. It’s not UConn favoritism when you’re talking about UConn players who are also some of the best women’s players to ever play the game. They are just that good.
Kerith asks: which male and female former Huskies would be your write-in candidate for Olympics hoops team? Can be for silly or serious reason
Our reasons are always serious. Let’s get the men’s national team out of the way quickly. The answer is Kemba Walker. Kemba’s face should be carved into Mount Rushmore, and he needs to represent America at every possible opportunity.
The women’s national team announced this week that their roster heading into the Olympics will feature five UConn alums. That is nowhere near enough. Here are my suggested replacements:
Replace Seimone Augustus with Morgan Tuck
Replace Tamika Catchings with Caroline Doty
Replace Elena Delle Donne with Briana Pulido (spirit)
Replace Sylvia Fowles with Stef Dolson
Replace Brittney Griner with someone for Stef Dolson to dance with (Russ)
Replace Angel McCoughtry with Perfect Human Rebecca Lobo
Replace Lindsay Whalen with Moriah Jefferson
Storrs South asks: If KO left, who would be potential HC candidates?
In a scenario where Ollie leaves at the start of the offseason, UConn could try chasing down one of the big targets: Archie Miller, Gregg Marshall, the usual. If he were to leave right now, your most likely scenario, other than a rushed hiring of someone totally uninspiring (cough Pitt cough Georgia Tech), would be for Jim Calhoun to come back on an interim basis for a year while UConn does a thorough search. Calhoun has already hinted he’d be open to coaching again, so I’d say this is a possibility.
If Ollie leaves s a few years down the road, UConn can probably take Steve Pikiell from Rutgers, provided he has some success. Tom Moore is also a possibility, though he may not be the most inspiring name out there. Other names to watch: Dan Hurley, Dave Leitao, Tommy Amaker, Tim Cluess, Ben Jacobson, Donyell Marshall (shout, Central fans), Scott Burrell, (eventually) Ricky Moore.
