Kevin Ollie

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kevin Ollie
Kevin Ollie 140507-D-HU462-369 (cropped).jpg
Ollie in May 2014
Overtime Elite
Personal information
Born (1972-12-27) December 27, 1972 (age 48)
Dallas, Texas
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolCrenshaw (Los Angeles, California)
CollegeUConn (1991–1995)
NBA draft1995 / Undrafted
Playing career1995–2010
PositionPoint guard
Number3, 15, 5, 2, 12, 8, 7
Coaching career2012–present
Career history
As player:
1995–1997Connecticut Pride
1997Dallas Mavericks
1998Orlando Magic
1999Sacramento Kings
1999Orlando Magic
1999–2000Philadelphia 76ers
2000New Jersey Nets
2000–2001Philadelphia 76ers
2001–2002Chicago Bulls
2002Indiana Pacers
2002–2003Milwaukee Bucks
2003Seattle SuperSonics
2003–2004Cleveland Cavaliers
2004–2008Philadelphia 76ers
2008–2009Minnesota Timberwolves
2009–2010Oklahoma City Thunder
As coach:
2010–2012UConn (assistant)
2012–2018UConn
2021–presentOvertime Elite
Career highlights and awards
As coach:
Career NBA statistics
Points2,496 (3.8 ppg)
Rebounds1,018 (1.5 rpg)
Assists1,501 (2.3 apg)
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Kevin Jermaine Ollie (born December 27, 1972)[1] is an American basketball coach and former player. Kevin is the Head Coach and Director of Player Development for Overtime Elite, a new professional basketball league for top prospects between 16 and 18 years old.[2]

He is the former head coach of the University of Connecticut men's basketball team and only one of four African American coaches to ever win an NCAA Men's Basketball Championship.[3] Ollie graduated from Connecticut in 1995 with a degree in Communications.[4] He played for twelve National Basketball Association franchises, most prominently in three stints with the Philadelphia 76ers, in thirteen seasons from 1997 to 2010 after beginning his career with the CBA in 1995.

After retiring from professional basketball in 2010, Ollie joined UConn as an assistant coach; in 2012 he was promoted to head coach following the retirement of Jim Calhoun (who coached Ollie when he was a player). In his second year as Huskies head coach, they won the 2014 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.

Early life[]

Ollie was born in Dallas, Texas to parents Fletcher and Dorothy Ollie and grew up in the rough neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles. When Ollie was 7, his parents divorced and his father moved to Dallas. He spent summers there, cutting lawns and doing other odd jobs so he could be with him for some length of time.[5] His mother, a school teacher and ordained minister, raised him and his older sisters, Vita and Rhonda, by herself.[6]

Playing career[]

Ollie attended and played basketball at Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles, California.[7] He then starred for four seasons (1991–95) at the University of Connecticut. After his college graduation, he joined the Connecticut Pride of the Continental Basketball Association, playing with them from 1995 to 1997. After that, he began playing in the NBA.

The Minnesota Timberwolves made Ollie their captain during the 2008–09 season. He was then signed by the Oklahoma City Thunder on August 1, 2009 for the veteran's minimum. After the season Ollie retired to join the Connecticut Huskies as an assistant coach.[8]

NBA player Kevin Durant in an interview with Grantland said that Kevin Ollie (who played for Oklahoma City Thunder in 2009-2010) "taught him the ropes", and "changed the culture of Oklahoma City". He also said, “Kevin Ollie, he was a game changer for us. I think he changed the whole culture in Oklahoma City. Just his mind set, professionalism, every single day. And we all watched that, and we all wanted to be like that. It rubbed off on Russell Westbrook, myself, Jeff Green, James Harden. And then everybody who comes through now, it’s the standard that you’ve got to live up to as a Thunder player. And it all started with Kevin Ollie.”

Ollie had previously played a similar role with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Jim Paxson, Cavaliers GM at the time, recalled his motivation for signing Ollie: "We thought he could come in and be a bridge for us at the point guard position," Paxson recalled, "and also be a good influence on our younger players, the primary one being LeBron James." Paxson cited Ollie's "professionalism and approach to the game" as qualities the team valued.[9]

Coaching career[]

In 2012, Ollie was named the head basketball coach at Connecticut, replacing longtime hall of fame coach Jim Calhoun. During his college career, Ollie had played under Calhoun. He also served as an assistant coach for Calhoun's final two seasons at UConn.[10] As an assistant coach in 2011, Ollie helped guide the Huskies to a record 11 straight postseason wins which included winning 5 games in 5 nights to win the Big East Tournament Championship and winning the 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. On December 29, 2012, UConn and Ollie agreed to a five-year deal.

The Huskies ended their first season under Ollie 20-10 overall and 8th in Big East play (10-8). The team was ineligible for postseason play because of an NCAA ban resulting from a low APR score several seasons prior.[11]

On December 2, 2013 the Huskies defeated Florida, after which they were ranked #9.[citation needed] The Huskies finished 3rd in the AAC, and defeated Memphis and Cincinnati until losing to Louisville in the AAC Championship game. Connecticut earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament with a #7 seed, and defeated #10-seeded Saint Joseph's, #2-seeded Villanova, #3-seeded Iowa State, and #4-seeded Michigan State to become the first #7 seed to reach the Final Four since the tournament expanded in 1985.

On April 5, 2014, the Huskies defeated top-ranked Florida in the First Final Four national semifinal of the NCAA Tournament 63–53. The Huskies then defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 60–54 in the championship game on April 7 for Connecticut's fourth NCAA men's championship in fifteen years.

On May 22, 2014, Ollie signed a new five-year contract with UConn, worth $2.8 million per year. He was fired with just cause on March 10, 2018 due to an investigation by the NCAA which lead to a three-year show cause order from the NCAA for violations that took place over a four-year period ending in 2017. Ollie was charged with “failure to monitor” his program and not promoting an atmosphere of compliance. Connecticut also lost one scholarship for the 2019-2020 class, was put on two years’ probation, was fined $5,000 and will receive various minor recruiting restrictions. The team will also have to vacate victories in which an ineligible player participated during the 2016-17 and 2017–18 season. Ollie was charged with three Level I violations stemming from the following: summer pick-up games that should have counted toward allowable team activities, a video coordinator engaging in impermissible coaching instruction and a booster providing extra benefits to student-athletes. The extra benefits were provided by a private trainer and included training, lodging, meals and local transportation. Ollie, 46, filed a grievance following his firing, seeking to get $10 million in back pay. The dispute has since gone to arbitration.

Ollie has not worked in basketball since his firing at Connecticut. Should a school seek to hire him before his show-cause order expires on July 2, 2022, it would have to meet before the NCAA committee on infractions to justify the move. [12][13] Ollie filed a claim under the University's grievance process, alleging disparate treatment due as his predecessor was retained despite committing NCAA violations.[14][15] UConn then refused to continue with the contractual grievance process when Ollie filed a separate claim through the courts. As of February 2019, Ollie and UConn administration are in arbitration related to his filing of the original grievance.[16]

Awards and honors[]

In 2014 ESPN did a series on the Top 50 college hoops coaches—the best NCAA men's basketball coaches right now. Ollie was tenth best on the list. Although he was only in his second year of coaching, he started with a team subject to sanctions, unable to compete in the NCAA tournament, and still managed to complete the season with a 20–10 record, and followed that with a National Championship.[17]

Personal life[]

Ollie is a Christian. During his NBA career, Ollie was actively involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Ollie's FCA chaplain stated, "There are very few guys in the NBA who are really sold out to the Lord like Kevin."[18]

Ollie and his wife, Stephanie, have two children: son Jalen and daughter Cheyenne.[4] Stephanie Ollie filed for divorce in January 2015.[19]

NBA career statistics[]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season[]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1997–98 Orlando 19 0 11.4 .411 .000 .689 .9 1.7 .4 .0 4.1
1998–99 Sacramento 7 0 9.7 .308 .000 .800 .9 .4 .4 .1 1.7
1998–99 Orlando 1 0 4.0 .000 .000 .500 1.0 .0 .0 .0 1.0
1999–00 Philadelphia 40 0 7.3 .449 .000 .757 .8 1.2 .3 .0 1.8
2000–01 New Jersey 19 0 8.5 .185 .000 .632 1.2 1.3 .3 .0 1.2
2000–01 Philadelphia 51 4 15.0 .430 .333 .729 1.4 2.4 .5 .0 3.8
2001–02 Chicago 52 17 22.0 .383 .500 .838 2.5 3.7 .7 .0 5.8
2001–02 Indiana 29 0 19.9 .400 .000 .804 1.9 3.4 .9 .0 5.4
2002–03 Milwaukee 53 4 21.3 .459 .200 .747 1.9 3.4 .7 .1 5.7
2002–03 Seattle 29 1 26.6 .441 1.000 .759 2.9 3.8 1.1 .0 8.0
2003–04 Cleveland 82 7 17.1 .370 .444 .835 2.1 2.9 .6 .1 4.2
2004–05 Philadelphia 26 0 6.1 .355 .000 .667 .7 .7 .2 .0 1.1
2005–06 Philadelphia 70 23 15.3 .431 .333 .837 1.4 1.4 .5 .0 2.7
2006–07 Philadelphia 53 23 17.3 .433 .100 .822 1.4 2.5 .4 .0 3.8
2007–08 Philadelphia 40 0 7.5 .420 .000 .800 .5 1.0 .3 .0 1.8
2008–09 Minnesota 50 21 17.0 .407 .000 .833 1.5 2.3 .4 .1 4.0
2009–10 Oklahoma City 25 0 10.5 .400 .000 1.000 1.0 0.8 .4 .0 1.8
Career 662 100 15.6 .410 .310 .792 1.5 2.3 .5 .0 3.8

Playoffs[]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2000 Philadelphia 10 0 6.5 .500 .000 .889 .5 1.2 .2 .0 2.0
2001 Philadelphia 23 0 5.3 .370 .000 .929 .4 1.0 .0 .0 1.4
2002 Indiana 5 0 23.6 .423 .500 1.000 2.4 4.6 .6 .0 5.8
2008 Philadelphia 3 0 6.3 .250 .000 1.000 .3 1.0 .7 .0 1.3
2010 Oklahoma City 1 0 5.0 .000 .000 .000 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
Career 42 0 7.9 .406 .500 .935 .7 1.5 .2 .0 2.1

Head coaching record[]

Ollie's victories from the 2016–17 and 2017–18 seasons have been vacated.[20]

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Connecticut Huskies (Big East Conference) (2012–2013)
2012–13 Connecticut 20–10 10–8 T–7th Ineligible
Connecticut Huskies (American Athletic Conference) (2013–2018)
2013–14 Connecticut 32–8 12–6 T–3rd NCAA Champion
2014–15 Connecticut 20–15 10–8 T–5th NIT First Round
2015–16 Connecticut 25–11 11–7 6th NCAA Second Round
2016–17 Connecticut 0–17 0–9 Vacated
2017–18 Connecticut 0–18 0–11 Vacated
Connecticut: 97��79 (.551) 43–49 (.467)
Total: 97–79 (.551)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Kevin Ollie at basketball-reference.com. Accessed 2012-02-02.
  2. ^ "Ollie to coach new venture for top teen prospects". ESPN.com. 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  3. ^ "Ollie to coach new venture for top teen prospects". ESPN.com. 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Kevin Ollie Bio". uconnhuskies.com. Archived from the original on September 10, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  5. ^ UConn Men's Basketball Coach Kevin Ollie: The Overachiever Archived 2014-08-20 at archive.today
  6. ^ "Kevin Ollie won't be intimidated by the challenge of following Jim Calhoun".
  7. ^ "Kevin Ollie #12 Guard Archived 2008-12-23 at the Wayback Machine." National Basketball Association. Accessed October 11, 2008.
  8. ^ "UConn product Ollie hired onto Calhoun's staff". 2 July 2010.
  9. ^ Borges, David. "UCONN MEN'S BASKETBALL: Kevin Ollie as head coach no surprise to former Cavs GM Jim Paxson". New Haven Register. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  10. ^ "Calhoun to announce retirement". ESPN. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  11. ^ "NCAA defends Connecticut ban", ESPN, April 20, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  12. ^ https://www.al.com/sports/2019/07/former-connecticut-basketball-coach-kevin-ollie-gets-3-year-show-cause.html
  13. ^ "UConn parts ways with Kevin Ollie citing just cause".
  14. ^ http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/25567958/former-coach-kevin-ollie-files-suit-uconn-huskies
  15. ^ https://theundefeated.com/features/uconn-kevin-ollie-and-the-difference-between-winning-and-losing-in-college-hoops/
  16. ^ http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/25930994/judge-dismisses-ex-uconn-coach-kevin-ollie-request-amid-arbitration
  17. ^ "Top 50 coaches: No. 10 Kevin Ollie". ESPN. June 23, 2014. Retrieved 24 Jun 2014.
  18. ^ "Triple Threat". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03.
  19. ^ Fillo, MaryEllen. "Kevin Ollie's Wife Files For Divorce".
  20. ^ NCAA hits Kevin Ollie hard in findings, puts UConn men’s basketball program on probation for two years, accessed July 15, 2019

External links[]

Retrieved from ""