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Politi NAILS IT on Pikiell’s Postgame Comments

Pike’s biggest mistake is the rotations he puts out. He lets struggling players continue to get way too many minutes. He did that with Mulcahy when he self-destructed two years ago. He’s doing that with JWill and Martini. Especially JWill to be honest. I can’t stand watching JWill. I watched the first half of yesterday’s game again. His three fouls in the first half were all weak And 1’s to Michigan State. (The third one should have been, but the guy missed a bunny.) He is the ultimate momentum killer. I’m not a sports better, but he must know the spread for every game. If I bet against Rutgers in games this year, I’d be making some good money. The only good games he played were in Vegas. 🤔

Just play Acuff and Dercack as much as possible instead of JWill. Even PJ gave us some hustle and was in the game when we clawed back at the end of the first half. Dercack’s defense has improved. As long as he stops making his dumb, fancy passes, he deserves to get more minutes than JWill.
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FB Recruiting 2026 Four-Star South Carolina RB Jaylen McGill commits to Rutgers Football

You mean the National Semifinalist PSU. That one?

Has RU EVER outrecruited PSU? Year to year they're OSU, Michigan level. It's called winning big games, like it or not.

It wasn't that long ago RU was finishing 15th or 16th out of 16 in B1G recruiting. Now it's up to 8th or 9th out of 18 in '25. ON3 has RU 7th nationally and 2nd in the B1G in transfer portal roster improvement.

Win and young men will show up.

No, because Penn State fans have always cared about winning football games while our fans have always paid lip service but nothing more.

If the value propositions were equivalent, Rutgers would win most battles hands down because our location is so much more appealing.

We are gradually improving the talent base, but a Fieldhouse would accelerate our efforts.

This team stinks

I have been reading a lot of excuses here. Time to stop.
It is time to wave the white flag. It is late January and we are now pinning our hopes on making the BTT and going on a historic run to make this season palatable…making the BTT , let that sink in.
Time to face reality. The Harper/Bailey led team is a bust of epic proportions. Jordan Dercack , of Merrmimack and Colonia lore, was Rutgers best player on the court at MSG in a marquee game.
This team stinks!
Time to wave the white flag? What does that even mean?
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Pikell Just Sucks

The Pike fan club can’t be reasoned with, we can miss the big ten tourney and they’ll talk about attendance numbers, expectations and the team GPA.

The one tourney bid, one play-in game resume gives Pike a lifetime contract and the right to never be questioned about his teams or their performance.
You are the one that cannot be reasoned with. Maybe you do not comprehend the impact of Dylan’s absences due to illness and now injury.
Pike has failed the transfer portal for sure this year and never getting more than 1 impactful player a year , Jacob Young , Cam Spencer , but not getting 2-4 basketball all around players that can dribble , shoot , rebound and play a little defense. Bad luck with Acuff’s foot injury as well but Acuff, Martini , PJ and Jordan are not good around basketball players and all have serious defensive flaws and have limited offensive ability. Pike ‘s failure is his returnees , Jeremiah , JMike and Manny , really didn’t get better and actually got worse , definitely worse defensively , coupled with the failed transfer portal guys and we have lost games. Other coaches Mark Byington at Vandy and last year at Janes Madison brought in 7-8 transfers that were basketball players that could do a little bit of everything . They are all under the radar kids that did not cost a lot of NIL. Pike chose wrong and didn’t develop his returnees .,That has to change. But he will have Lathan , Dylan Grant, Dortch and Jordan , Manny , and has to win in the portal with 5-6 guys along with the 4 new freshman. He has to get not 1 but hopefully at least 3 impact transfers.
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Is this team uncoachable?

You say "this team" in your subject, but I think you get at more of the root of the problem in your post. It's not about "this team" but "this environment".

The rules have changed such that it's very easy for any player to hit the ejector seat as soon as things get a little uncomfortable or as soon as they see a shiny thing somewhere else. No lost time for a transfer, no restrictions on transfer destinations, no release needed, unlimited transfers.... coupled with a massively inflated and almost entirely unregulated NIL market that's completely out of alignment with player value, driven entirely by boosters rather than any ROI from paying for a player's NIL rights.

It's very hard to build a consistent culture with upperclassmen when the environment actively encourages player movement between teams, unless you have tons of NIL cash to throw around to retain developing players which allows you to then bring in "project" players that aren't ready-made out-of-the-box.

It's hitting teams at all levels. Even mid/low-majors that might be a threat in the tournament.... you think Merrimack wouldn't have wanted to keep Derkack, or Eastern Michigan wouldn't have wanted Acuff back? These lower level programs are getting strip mined by the major conferences in exchange for castoffs. The Ivy League has been mostly unaffected... but even Wolf left for a Michigan payday while still having Ivy eligibility, which was precedent setting.

It's churn, churn, churn... unless you are able to retain your guys, which takes some combination of NIL $$$, legitimate expectation of postseason contention, and coaching cachet. Until there's some regulation (e.g., contractual obligations tied to NIL that require reimbursement if players leave before the end of the contract period), this new era is a massive shift to what it takes to be a successful coach at the collegiate level.

Is this team uncoachable?

Interesting points.

Can’t be that enjoyable to have coached in a prior era and then this era would be thrust upon you. With regard to the points made ace seems like a tremendously nice kid.

But his shot selection is the worst I have ever seen on the college level. One has to believe that the coaching staff gives him some freedom to shoot but coaches him on using that freedom with selection. While he leads an amazing plays, he also leads in the amount of side backboard Shots that has ever been seen in college. I think Pike may have taken a little bit too seriously Calhoun’s off the cuff comments and if you have two horses, you should ride them. He was in a very difficult situation and gave them a whole bunch of freedom. It appears that at the end of the year in the beginning of the new year there was a renewed focus on defense that he likely wishes he had done earlier. The guy didn’t forget how to coach he’s in a situation that he has never been in before and frankly not too many have and the injuries and sickness have made that situation more difficult and yes, the person choices have only made it more difficult.

If someone says will give you two of the top five players and they’re there for one year you’ve gotta take that chance in retrospect, we may look back and say that not only was having these players not great for the one year they were here, but it set back the program because you didn’t develop skills in the players that are still here and you missed out other players who may have been here a few years and developing. That being said it was an opportunity that you had to take. It just sucks that it’s turned out the way it has.
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