Connecticut Huskies Coach Kevin Ollie Setting the Stage for Bright Future

Unfortunately for the Connecticut Huskies (19-8, 9-6 Big East) the 2012-13 college basketball season is a wash. No matter how great they play, no matter how much they exceed expectations, everything they do, they are essentially doing for not, as the Huskies are ineligible to participate in the NCAA Tournament.

However, that doesn’t mean this season is a complete bust. Many thought when UConn legend Jim Calhoun stepped down that the program was being left to die a slow and painful death. That isn’t even close to the truth as Kevin Ollie has stepped in and the program hasn’t missed a beat.

Ollie, a former NBA journeymen, has done a terrific job of taking a team with low-expectations and making them one of the hardest outs in the entire Big East Conference. Ollie, who does have some great players at his disposal, has been straddled with a roster that lacks much depth. But despite how deep the roster is, it hasn’t stopped the Huskies from running teams to the ground while using Ollie’s up-tempo style of offense.

We haven’t learned everything we could about Ollie in less than a season. We don’t know how great a recruiter he is(I bet you three fictional dollars he is great), whether or not he will be able to adjust the program to whatever new conference UConn eventually joins, or if his mustache is a long-term facial hair look that will be sported forever. But we have learned that he is as good an on the floor coach as any program in the country could hope for.

UConn’s future is still in much question. They will eventually move to a new conference and will have to overcome the sanctions that are holding them back from making this year’s version of the NCAA Tournament. However, I think there is one thing we all know for sure now, that we didn’t just a few short months ago, Kevin Ollie is the right man to lead them going forward.

Ollie’s future is so bright he has to wear shades(Oh the 80s, how my father and 13 other people miss you).

Joe is a Senior Writer for Rant Sports. Follow Joe on Twitter @JosephNardone