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Kevin Jermaine Ollie (born December 27, 1972) is an American
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
coach and former player. Kevin is the head coach for Overtime Elite, a professional basketball league co-founded by Dan Porter and Zack Weiner for top players between 16 and 20 years old, founded in 2021. 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. Ollie graduated from Connecticut in 1995 with a degree in Communications. He played for twelve
National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...
franchises, most prominently in three stints with the
Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...
, 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 James A. Calhoun (born May 10, 1942) is a longtime college basketball coach. He is best known for his tenure as head coach of the University of Connecticut (UConn) men's basketball team. His teams won three NCAA national championships (1999, 20 ...
(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 The 2014 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 2014, and concluded with the ...
.


Early life

Ollie was born in
Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
to parents Fletcher and Dorothy Ollie and grew up in the rough neighborhood of
South Central Los Angeles South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of downtown. It is "defined on Los Angeles city maps as a ...
. 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. His mother, a school teacher and ordained minister, raised him and his older sisters, Vita and Rhonda, by herself.


Playing career

Ollie attended and played basketball at
Crenshaw High School Crenshaw High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located on 11th Avenue in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The school first opened in 1968 and currently enrolls aro ...
in
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
. He then starred for four seasons (1991–95) at the
University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...
. After his college graduation, he joined the
Connecticut Pride The Connecticut Pride (From 1993-94 the Hartford Hellcats) were an American professional basketball team based in Hartford, Connecticut that was a member of the Continental Basketball Association. They played in Hartford from 1993 to 2000, primar ...
of the
Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball mi ...
, playing with them from 1995 to 1997. After that, he began playing in the NBA. The
Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...
made Ollie their captain during the 2008–09 season. He was then signed by the
Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...
on August 1, 2009 for the veteran's minimum. After the season Ollie retired to join the
Connecticut Huskies The UConn Huskies (or Connecticut Huskies) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Connecticut, located in Storrs. The school is a member of the NCAA's Division I and the Big East Conference. The university's fo ...
as an assistant coach. NBA player
Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant ( ; born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball f ...
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 Russell Westbrook III (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, he is a nine-time NBA All-Star an ...
, myself, Jeff Green,
James Harden James Edward Harden Jr. (born August 26, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Harden is regarded as one of the greatest scorers and shooting guards in N ...
. 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 LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest p ...
." Paxson cited Ollie's "professionalism and approach to the game" as qualities the team valued.


Coaching career

In 2012, Ollie was named the head basketball coach at
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...
, replacing longtime hall of fame coach
Jim Calhoun James A. Calhoun (born May 10, 1942) is a longtime college basketball coach. He is best known for his tenure as head coach of the University of Connecticut (UConn) men's basketball team. His teams won three NCAA national championships (1999, 20 ...
. During his college career, Ollie had played under Calhoun. He also served as an assistant coach for Calhoun's final two seasons at UConn. 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. On December 2, 2013 the Huskies defeated Florida, after which they were ranked #9. 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. Should a school have sought to hire Ollie before the NCAA his show-cause order expired on July 2, 2022, it would have had to meet before the NCAA committee on infractions to justify the move. Ollie filed a claim under the University's grievance process, alleging disparate treatment due as his predecessor was retained despite committing NCAA violations. 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. On January 20, 2022, an arbitrator ruled that UConn improperly fired Ollie and ordered the university to pay him back pay. On April 12, 2021, Overtime Elite announced Ollie's hiring as head of coaching and basketball development.


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.


Personal life

Ollie is a
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...
. During his NBA career, Ollie was actively involved with the
Fellowship of Christian Athletes The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is an international non-profit Christian sports ministry founded in 1954 and based in Kansas City, Missouri. It has staff offices located throughout the United States and abroad. History FCA was foun ...
. Ollie's FCA chaplain stated, "There are very few guys in the NBA who are really sold out to the Lord like Kevin." Ollie and his ex-wife, Stephanie, have two children: son Jalen and daughter Cheyenne. Stephanie Ollie filed for divorce in January 2015.


NBA career statistics


Regular season

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New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
, 19 , , 0 , , 8.5 , , .185 , , .000 , , .632 , , 1.2 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .0 , , 1.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,
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Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
, 52 , , 17 , , 22.0 , , .383 , , .500 , , .838 , , 2.5 , , 3.7 , , .7 , , .0 , , 5.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...
, 29 , , 0 , , 19.9 , , .400 , , .000 , , .804 , , 1.9 , , 3.4 , , .9 , , .0 , , 5.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,
Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...
, 53 , , 4 , , 21.3 , , .459 , , .200 , , .747 , , 1.9 , , 3.4 , , .7 , , .1 , , 5.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...
, 29 , , 1 , , 26.6 , , .441 , , 1.000 , , .759 , , 2.9 , , 3.8 , , 1.1 , , .0 , , 8.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,
Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...
, 82 , , 7 , , 17.1 , , .370 , , .444 , , .835 , , 2.1 , , 2.9 , , .6 , , .1 , , 4.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
, 26 , , 0 , , 6.1 , , .355 , , .000 , , .667 , , .7 , , .7 , , .2 , , .0 , , 1.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
, 70 , , 23 , , 15.3 , , .431 , , .333 , , .837 , , 1.4 , , 1.4 , , .5 , , .0 , , 2.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
, 53 , , 23 , , 17.3 , , .433 , , .100 , , .822 , , 1.4 , , 2.5 , , .4 , , .0 , , 3.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
, 40 , , 0 , , 7.5 , , .420 , , .000 , , .800 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .0 , , 1.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...
, 50 , , 21 , , 17.0 , , .407 , , .000 , , .833 , , 1.5 , , 2.3 , , .4 , , .1 , , 4.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,
Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...
, 25 , , 0 , , 10.5 , , .400 , , .000 , , 1.000, , 1.0 , , 0.8 , , .4 , , .0 , , 1.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 662 , , 100 , , 15.6 , , .410 , , .310 , , .792 , , 1.5 , , 2.3 , , .5 , , .0 , , 3.8


Playoffs

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, 23 , , 0 , , 5.3 , , .370 , , .000 , , .929 , , .4 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.4 , - , align="left" ,
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, 5 , , 0 , , 23.6 , , .423 , , .500 , , 1.000 , , 2.4 , , 4.6 , , .6 , , .0 , , 5.8 , - , align="left" ,
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Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
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Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...
, 1 , , 0 , , 5.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .000 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", 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.


See also

*
List of NCAA Division I Men's Final Four appearances by coach This is a list of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament regional championships by coach. The current names of the NCAA tournament regions are the East, Midwest, South, and West. The winners of the four regions are awarded an NCAA Regiona ...


References


External links


Connecticut profile

NBA profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ollie, Kevin 1972 births Living people African-American basketball coaches African-American basketball players African-American Christians American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from California Basketball players from Los Angeles Chicago Bulls players Cleveland Cavaliers players College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Connecticut Pride players Crenshaw High School alumni Dallas Mavericks players Indiana Pacers players Milwaukee Bucks players Minnesota Timberwolves players New Jersey Nets players Oklahoma City Thunder players Orlando Magic players Philadelphia 76ers players Point guards Sacramento Kings players Seattle SuperSonics players UConn Huskies men's basketball coaches UConn Huskies men's basketball players Undrafted National Basketball Association players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople