25 worst coaching hires in the history of college basketball

15. Kevin Ollie – Connecticut (2012-2018)

• 127-79 record (6 seasons)

It’s hard to properly describe just how important Jim Calhoun was to Connecticut. The Hall of Fame head coach spent 26 years building the Huskies program, not only back into national prominence, but to their first three national titles. Calhoun retired in 2012, just a year removed from that third national title, leaving behind a program that had accomplished more than any other Big East school since the turn of the century. His successor was inheriting a program in fantastic shape, but also the pressure to continue that success.

That successor turned out to be Kevin Ollie, who had starred for the Huskies back in the ’90s and spent fifteen years playing in the NBA. His only coaching experience had been spending the last two seasons on Calhoun’s bench, though he was part of that championship team in 2011. The fortunate part of this hiring was this was someone who knew Calhoun and his system and could continue to build on that. In fact, with Shabazz Napier still around the program, the Huskies were still in fantastic shape, winning another championship in 2014.

Yes, despite winning a championship as head coach, Ollie’s promotion was still a dreadful hire. His coaching tenure ended unceremoniously in 2018 after a series of NCAA violations, including ineligible players, improper coaches and other benefits that put the program on probation. Those last few seasons were pretty miserable regardless, as Connecticut made just one NCAA Tournament appearance after that title win, and were under .500 in his last two seasons. All in all, it was a fall from grace for UConn and a program that Ollie could not control.