Ollie Remains Dedicated To Access For All
Former Coach Opens Another Court For Adaptive Athletes
COVENTRY — There came a moment last spring when Kevin Ollie walked into a room, broke the tension with a smile and a quip or two, and urged his team to stay focused.
He was no longer the UConn men's basketball coach, but the work of building fully accessible basketball courts was going to continue for Ollie and those who support the projects.
“This is not changing,” Ollie said, after dedicated his fifth Kevin's Kourt, at the Channel 3 Kids Camp off Route 6. “My biggest thing is stay focused, and I've got to stay focused no matter what's going on in life, no matter what changes are going on in my career, this is what is most important for me. This is what I've always believed in.”
Ollie told the crowd, “Being the coach of the University of Connecticut was a great thing, but that's not who I am. That's what I do, or what I did. Who I am is this. Giving back to the community, being true to Connecticut.”
With the legal process still ongoing, Ollie declined to discuss his dispute with UConn over the more than $10 million owed under the terms of his contract. After last season, UConn initiated disciplinary proceedings to terminate Ollie's employment for “just cause” and avoid paying the contract. Unless a settlement is reached, sides appear headed to arbitration.
Ollie, 45, has remained in Connecticut, and worked with The Tolland Fund, sponsors and volunteers to stage his charity golf tournament and continue working on courts for athletes with disabilities, or as he calls them,
“adaptive” athletes. The courts have 11 stations, with angled backboards to create different challenges. There is one at the Boys and Girls Clubs in Hartford, and others in South Windsor, West Hartford, Waterbury, and now at this summer camp, which is situated alongside a conventional court.
“This is great, because it’s so close to the regular basketball court and they can all play together,” Ollie said. “It’s going to be fun to see everybody play, especially when the kids camp is going on.
Next month, a sixth Kevin’s Kourt will be dedicated in East Lyme.
In mid-August, at the time of his golf tournament, Ollie spoke publicly for the first time since his departure from UConn, where he was a player in the mid-1990s, an assistant on the 2011 national champions, and head coach of the 2014 national champs. He appears more relaxed now, and still determined to spent time with his son, Jalen, who is playing football at Fordham, and his daughter, Cheyenne, who is looking at colleges. He didn’t offer a hint as to what his next basketball job will be.
“My plans are to just spend time with”the kids and the legal process, let that pan out the way it’s going to pan out, “Ollie said. “If I did have to stop coaching, this is the perfect time for me.”
Meanwhile, as he gets out and about in the state he calls his “second home,” Ollie hears positive things from those who recognize him, as the angst of back-toback losing seasons subsides.
“It’s been great,” he said, “you want to make sure you stay level headed, stay positive, especially when you hear encouraging words, they believe in you, they miss you, all those things. That means a lot.”