{"id":90921,"date":"2014-03-28T09:51:26","date_gmt":"2014-03-28T13:51:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=90921"},"modified":"2014-04-02T12:14:24","modified_gmt":"2014-04-02T16:14:24","slug":"straight-talk-from-kevin-ollie-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2014\/03\/straight-talk-from-kevin-ollie-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Straight Talk from Kevin Ollie"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the Men’s Basketball team takes on Iowa State at Madison Square Garden in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen this evening, UConn Today takes a look back at Head Coach Kevin Ollie’s words as he prepared for the 2013-14 season. This article was first published on Oct. 31, 2013.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The men\u2019s basketball team surrounds head coach Kevin Ollie as he speaks with Andy Katz of ESPN after the Huskies\u2019 66-58 upset win over No. 6 Syracuse at the XL Center in Hartford on Feb. 13, 2013. The win was one of the major highlights of Ollie\u2019s successful first season leading the squad. (Steven Slade \u201989 (SFA) for UConn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kevin Ollie \u201995 (CLAS) was named the Huskies 18th men\u2019s basketball head <\/i>coach on Sept. 13, 2012 and led the team to a 20-10 record in the 2012-13 season. He spent the previous two years as an assistant to Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun, following a 13-year career in professional basketball. He received the 2013 Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year Award at the Final Four in Atlanta, which is presented to the top minority coach in Division I basketball who has produced the best results from his team under adverse or otherwise difficult conditions. <\/i><\/p>\n

As he prepared for the 2013-14 season, he spoke with UConn Today. <\/i><\/p>\n

\"Head<\/a>
Head coach Kevin Ollie explains a play to his team during the exhibition game against Southern Connecticut State University on Oct. 30. (Stephen Slade ’89 (SFA) for UConn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When did you decide that you wanted to be a coach?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I always wanted to be a coach, even when I got here as a student. I just didn\u2019t know all the detail and hard work it took. [As players] we came in here and did two or three hours a day of practice and it was done. Going on the other side, seeing the preparation, time, travel, recruiting; then you bring in your family and have to have balance with them. It gave me a deeper appreciation of all of my coaches, not just Coach Calhoun.<\/p>\n

Being a point guard, I was providing instructions from my coach to the players. I not only had to know my position, I had to know everybody else\u2019s position on the court. So I always found myself in that role as a point guard. I didn\u2019t have all the talent in the world. I had to study, look at the game tapes. It wasn\u2019t like I was Allen Iverson. I had to really break down my opponent. It allowed me to be a better student of the game and understand offensive sets, the defensive and offensive tendencies of my opponents and the teams, and what coaches are trying to do in certain situations.<\/p>\n

In the NBA, there are way more situations than college. You really sit down and see how the coaches execute in those different game situations. It really allowed me to have a wealth of knowledge. Then with getting cut, traded, and having 10-day contracts, I\u2019ve been around some of the greatest coaches to ever grace the sidelines. That\u2019s a blessing, also.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s often mentioned that you had to work hard to stay in the game as a professional. It seems that served you very well during your first year, because there was a lot of uncertainty and you had a limited contract. Does it make sense that is how it worked out?<\/b><\/p>\n

You can\u2019t control events, but you can control the meaning of events. That\u2019s how I look at life. Yeah, we weren\u2019t going to the NCAA Tournament, but that doesn\u2019t tell us we can\u2019t play hard for the University of Connecticut. No one can take away from what our team had to endure. Nobody\u2019s ever going to forget about the legacy they left, the heart they played with. Everybody will identify with that team. That\u2019s something nobody can take away from us. Every time I got cut, I saw it as another opportunity for me to come back and keep building on what I\u2019m trying to leave, which is a positive legacy for my family to be proud of everybody I touched throughout this journey.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve often talked about life being a journey. You became a head coach sooner than expected. What made it happen so soon?<\/b><\/p>\n

I know God had a big part in it. Coach Calhoun falling off of a bike and breaking his hip gave him an opportunity to reflect and step away. I think he came to the resolution that this was the best time for him to step down and that I could be the person, with the collective staff, to be a replacement going forward and we could keep this program to the level where he would be satisfied. God already had it orchestrated.<\/p>\n

What did you learn from this experience last year?<\/b><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve got only 24 hours in a day and the way you are successful is how you use those 24 hours. Everybody\u2019s pulling at you; you have to know time management. You can\u2019t take days off. You can\u2019t make excuses. You\u2019ve got to get the job done. That\u2019s what I try to teach our guys. When we got hurt at the end of the season and we had our last game against Providence, I said: This is the team we\u2019ve got. We\u2019re not making any excuses. We\u2019re going out there and playing the UConn way. We\u2019ll figure out a way to play together as one unit. You can rest your mind, but you can\u2019t sleep. I told them that last year, and I think it really resonated in their hearts. If you want it, you really have to prioritize what\u2019s important and what\u2019s giving you opportunities to make your dream a reality. You\u2019ve got to identify those things.<\/p>\n

What surprised you about last season?<\/b><\/p>\n

That first game in Germany; just how the guys came together. It was a tough trip, but that first practice they just locked in. It was just great to see the bonding. What a great trip. We were able to see soldiers and Air Force men who are the same age as our kids, and they were able to see what I\u2019ve been talking about in a lot of team building workshops we did before practice, when we talked about sacrifice. I didn\u2019t have to talk about it anymore. I said: Look at these guys, understand their stories and live through them vicariously for a couple of days. They\u2019re giving their life so you can walk around and dribble the basketball and go to class. These guys are giving you the freedom to do those things. We came out and played like gangbusters and won against Michigan State, a ranked team. It was the only trophy we got last year.<\/p>\n

\"Kevin<\/a>
Kevin Ollie says he just wants to be himself. (Stephen Slade ’89 (SFA) for UConn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Did you feel any pressure last year?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I just wanted to be myself. People were saying, how are you going to replace Jim Calhoun? I\u2019d say: I\u2019m sorry to say I can\u2019t replace him. I don\u2019t care what I do, even if I win four national championships, I still can\u2019t replace him. He came here when there was nothing, and he built [this program]. I can\u2019t replace him, but I can be the best Kevin Ollie. That\u2019s what I\u2019m going to try and give this University. I love this University. It\u2019s the only brotherhood I know. Those pressures were from the outside, but it never got to me. A lot of people don\u2019t say, I don\u2019t know. They think it\u2019s a weakness. I think if everybody said it sometimes, this world would be a better place. I told Coach Calhoun, I\u2019m going to need your help. I told my coaching staff, I\u2019m going to need your help. Certain areas I\u2019m weak in and you\u2019re going to make me strong. I identified those, just like with my team. We believed in each other; it was a unity of purpose.<\/p>\n

The team was competitive last year, with just a couple of losses with wide margins, and you were able to win several overtime games. Was it the faith the kids had in themselves or you that you had in them?<\/b><\/p>\n

It was blind trust that they had in one another. When they were in the situation and it was crucial that they needed to play, they had blind trust in Shabazz [Napier \u201914 (CLAS)] that he could make [the shot]. Shabazz had blind trust that Philip [Nolan \u201916 (CLAS)] or De\u2019Andre [Daniels \u201915 (CLAS)] could get the rebound and give him the outlet pass. It was a collective, group effort. We were playing for pure love of the game. I think that\u2019s what allowed us in crucial situations when most teams separate, our team came together. It was quite a thing to see. There were some games when I was in the press room looking at the stat sheet and I wanted to tell you guys, but I couldn\u2019t: I don\u2019t know how we won that game. You get outrebounded by 31, we win in overtime. It was a remarkable time.<\/p>\n

Did you learn something about yourself this past year that surprised you?<\/b><\/p>\n

I\u2019m learning every day. I think when you stop learning, you die. I think when you stop contributing, you get eliminated. Every day I\u2019m learning just little things. I\u2019m an empty cup. I think that\u2019s what will allow me to, hopefully, become a great coach and an even better leader. I don\u2019t know it all. I\u2019m not afraid to tell anybody that. I collect information and a make a decision. I don\u2019t live life with regrets. People understand that, too.<\/p>\n

Like most coaches, you are becoming a bit of a philosopher.<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the question I always ask myself each morning: What do I need to know that I don\u2019t know right now? Because I better find out. I want to figure it out. There\u2019s a lot of stuff I don\u2019t know, but I better ask somebody. A lot of people in L.A. [where I grew up] didn\u2019t know what I knew, because I got out of there. There are a lot of people on the same corner doing the same thing because they didn\u2019t have the information I had. They didn\u2019t have the opportunity I had because I went around successful people and I clung to those successful people. I didn\u2019t want to do those other things. They had the same opportunities I had, but they didn\u2019t get the right information, or if they did get it, they didn\u2019t implement it in their lives. It\u2019s twofold: if you get the information, you have to put into action. Thank God I did, and I\u2019m still trying to do that to this day.<\/p>\n

What are your thoughts about this year’s team?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Kevin<\/a>
Kevin Ollie says he expects his team to play as hard this year as they did last year. (Stephen Slade ’89 (SFA) for UConn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They\u2019re going to be great. I really believe that. I don\u2019t know about a national championship and all of that stuff, because I\u2019d tell you that championships will chase us if we have the right attitude. Winning chases us. We don\u2019t chase winning. If we have the right attitude and play together unselfishly, those things will automatically happen. What I want our team to have is to be kind of like a tribe \u2013 everybody together understanding. It\u2019s one heartbeat. It\u2019s one mind. I want these guys to have a habit of winning and making winning plays at the right time, and that\u2019s not just on the basketball court, it\u2019s out in the real world and academically. You want to make winning plays and show yourself well and be ambassadors for UConn basketball. My expectation of those guys is to go out and play hard like we did last year.<\/p>\n

What is the question no one asks you?<\/b><\/p>\n

Just, what gets me up in the morning and gives me the strength to go through what I go through. The answer is my spirituality. I don\u2019t go around with my Bible all the time, but that\u2019s what gets me going and my family. I just don\u2019t ever want to go back to where I was in that South Central part of Los Angeles, living the way I lived in my childhood. Nothing against my mother; she did her best and gave us everything she had, and sacrificed her own well-being for us. But I don\u2019t ever want my family to go back to that again. That\u2019s why I work so hard. I don\u2019t want my family to live the way I lived and the different things I had to come through. I want them to understand that\u2019s more reality than living in Glastonbury. I have to make sure I take them back to Bridgeport, where my wife is from, and say to them that this is reality, and if you don\u2019t work hard and focus in on the things you have to, there\u2019s a lot of pitfalls. I told my son, you can go up the ladder, but it takes more than one step. To fall off the ladder, just takes one step. We were watching SportsCenter and I was telling him about [former Patriot] Aaron Hernandez and I gave him that analogy. That\u2019s so real to me. You have to make choices. I\u2019m not saying he has to be perfect, but I told him to make sure there\u2019s consequences for every action. I want people to see I\u2019m a family man. I love my family. I love the Lord. I don\u2019t want to be interesting. I want to be interested in my kids. Hopefully people will see that about me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the Huskies move on to the Elite Eight, a look back at Head Coach Kevin Ollie’s words at the start of the season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":85510,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[55],"class_list":["post-90921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-18 13:58:37","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90921"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90921\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":90990,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90921\/revisions\/90990"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/85510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90921"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=90921"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=90921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}