3 Thoughts (maybe more) From Last Night

[AreYouNUTS]

1) HCA - We have completely lost our home court advantage. It's gone. This team, from the middle of last year until now, is SO damn uninspiring to watch and so incapable of knowing when to take advantage of a packed RAC, ready to explode, it's head-spinning. We are now 2-6 in our last 8 B1G games at THE RAC. with most of those 6 losses being BAD ones What a damn shame!!!

2) OFFENSIVE COACHING - Brett MacConnell. I said it last year, and I'm saying it again now: HIRE HIM. Period. He's got a better offensive mind that ANYONE on our current staff, than many in the nation, and would come cheaply, work tirelessly, and be a HUGE plus to having some semblance of an offense by next October. Pikes (like a bunch of other HC's at Rutgers) needs to suck it up, admit to himself a change needs to be made (we don't have to lose any current coaches), and hire Brett - OR ANYONE - who can come in and make a difference. The $$$ is there and this, plain and simply, IS NOT WORKING!!!

3) CHEMISTRY - Something wasn't right last night and....maybe...for a couple a few games now? Sitting in the front row you sometimes see things that not everyone does whether they're in the building or watching on TV. From the opening tip - EVEN WHEN WE WERE LEADING, EARLY ON - nobody out there looked happy. NOBODY. Next, I'm standing at the bottom of the staircase, as the team came out for the 2nd half....and again....I didn't see a single face that led to believe this team was happy with one another and/or ready to make a strong comeback and take this game. It was really, really weird. Finally....Simpson goes down....Hyatt and Mag, 2 "elders" on the team, go nowhere near him to pick him up off the floor (IIRC). Something ain't right out there!!! EDIT: Noah looked like he was stoned the entire game (NOT literally) and Wolf looked at more balls fall into PSU hands, on the floor or out-of-bounds, in a single game, than I've ever seen in my life of watching high school, college and NBA hoops.

4) DESTINATION DOGS - finally got there and WOW, WOW, WOWOWOWOWOWOW!!! Had The Cyclone (a Coney Dog/Texas Weiner All beef hot dog, chili, raw onions, spicy brown mustard, scallions) and the Bun Mi (Cantonese sausage, pickled carrots & daikon, cucumber, fresh jalapenos, mayo, cilantro. Both were UNREAL!!! Great mix of tastes, flavors, textures, etc, that just sat in my mouth for a good half hour!!! I'm going back there EVERY time I'm in town until I get through the entire menu of "dogs" (or at least the ones I'd like)!!!!

That's all. Thanks. Enjoy.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

1. Can't argue
2. He is the head coach of Princeton, right?
3. Yes
4. Hot dogs will decrease your life expectancy

#makethelayup

 

[AreYouNUTS]

1. Can't argue
2. He is the head coach of Princeton, right?
3. Yes
4. Hot dogs will decrease your life expectancy

#makethelayup

2) Associate HC
4) I've survived worse

 

[BigEastPhil]

1. Can't argue
2. He is the head coach of Princeton, right?
3. Yes
4. Hot dogs will decrease your life expectancy

#makethelayup

Mitch Henderson is HC of Princeton.
You should know that. 😂

 

[RUJMM78]

Spot on comments regarding need for a assistant coach who can teach the fundamentals of a half court offense that actually attacks an opponents defense.Harper and Bailey can excel in playground basketball but most other Rutgers players can't create and make shots off the dribble.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

Spot on comments regarding need for a assistant coach who can teach the fundamentals of a half court offense that actually attacks an opponents defense.Harper and Bailey can excel in playground basketball but most other Rutgers players can't create and make shots off the dribble.

Not-for-nothin' BUT these guys are going to need it next year. I don't care HOW GOOD they are!

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Mitch Henderson is HC of Princeton.
You should know that. 😂

My attempt at humor is so bad. I think i forgot what was funny and what was the punch line.

All i know everyone who knows basketball knows macconnell and he was supposed to get a job

Forgot the rest

 

[ScarletNut]

1,2,and 3 are so obvious to everyone except this coaching staff. The players this year rarely smile, definitely not having fun. I have yet to see Fernandes smile. There is no chemistry at all. I can see settling for smaller guards as long as they are leaders and get the ball to others in the right position. That is not happening. An offensive mind needs to be added to this staff and Pike needs to pass on a little defense for better shooters/offensive minded players. Scoring droughts are just too common and so depressing to watch.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

1,2,and 3 are so obvious to everyone except this coaching staff. The players this year rarely smile, definitely not having fun. I have yet to see Fernandes smile. There is no chemistry at all. I can see settling for smaller guards as long as they are leaders and get the ball to others in the right position. That is not happening. An offensive mind needs to be added to this staff and Pike needs to pass on a little defense for better shooters/offensive minded players. Scoring droughts are just too common and so depressing to watch.

lol I swear I didn’t mean to be captain obvious just needed 18 or so hours to be somewhat “adult” about what I wanted to say lol!

 

[essexknight]

A better offensive scheme would probably help. But, I still don't see how you can scheme your way out of poor shooting. One of the best shooters in the country in Cam Spencer left the program at the 11th hour. He is now one of the leading scorers on a top ranked team. There is no replacing that. The most highly regarded portal transfer for this year in Fernandes has not shot well. He shot well at UMass but not here. A key young player in Simpson who played major minutes last year and has played a lot this year has not shot the ball well, either. I don't like to bring up Griffiths because he is still a freshman, but he is probably scoring and shooting less than expected heading into this season. I just don't see the path to 70-80 ppg against tough competition even with a great scheme.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

. “The most highly regarded portal transfer for this year in Fernandes has not shot well. He shot well at UMass but not here.”

As someone who liked him when he transferred here, and thought he was going to do better for us, I don’t understand this comment at all. The “most highly regarded portal transfer?” Most highly regarded where and by whom? Also he was a kate addition, right?

And if he could shoot at UMass why not here? You're contradicting your own comment re: not being being able to scheme yourself out of poor shooting, lol!

Sorry, but I’m not agreeing with you on the “a better x and o guy” can’t help stuff, either, not at all. I think a lot of this is a confidence/mental thing, at this point, and feeling more confident in what you’re doing and what your staff has you trying to do, when you have the ball, makes a huge difference IMHO.

 

[ScarletNut]

This is gonna sound naive but is elite defense worth it? Personally, I don't think our defense is elite anyway. My point is so many of the top teams in the country play and win 85-80, 89-82, 90-86, etc. I think Pike (who I like) is a defensive coach precisely because he lacks the knowhow to be an elite offensive coach. Would you all rather see us win 88-85 or 58-56?.......I know, I know, just win baby. Seriously, it'd be nice to have 3 or 4 players with the ability to hit a 3 at any given moment. It always seems our opposing teams have that, even the sisters of the poor that we play in OOC games.

 

[kupuna133]

Agree on team chemistry. Noticed some weird body language starting around Christmas. Mostly from the names you mention. Although I have noticed Griffith moping about being missed while being wide open.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

Agree on team chemistry. Noticed some weird body language starting around Christmas. Mostly from the names you mention. Although I have noticed Griffith moping about being missed while being wide open.

Well.....when you feed someone inside from your favorite spot on the right wing, who then gets doubled-down on by the guy who left you, and the guy in the paint fumbles the ball out of bounds because his hands suck - instead of giving it back to you - you SHOULD be mopey, lol!

(Also I think GG just has that "Eli" look to begin with...)

 

[kupuna133]

Well.....when you feed someone inside from your favorite spot on the right wing, who then gets doubled-down on by the guy who left you, and the guy in the paint fumbles the ball out of bounds because his hands suck - instead of giving it back to you - you SHOULD be mopey, lol!

(Also I think GG just has that "Eli" look to begin with...)

You saw that too. Hahahaahah

 

[bac2therac]

per #3...thats a whole season thing and not recent

per #1...its sad, we no longer have an even average home court advantage

 

[RUChoppin]

Destination Dogs is great.

 

[e5fdny]

Sitting directly behind the bench I mentioned the body language thing too.

And I said the same thing to my Son, @AreYouNUTS @kupuna133 about the Eli comparison.

 

[RedChucken123]

The one thing I noticed was that during the warmups all they did was dunks. I’m not sure that’s the best way to approach a warmup, if you don’t even get dunks that often or need the help.

Maybe they are trying to get their mind off something else? I noticed it too that they don’t smile that much for whatever reason lately.

 

[robjknight]

Related to smiling, teamwork and enjoying the game, can anyone tell me who the leader of this team is?? No one is the cheerleader on the floor or bench. No one has earned the respect from the others to be called a team leader. Geo was a leader who the team respected and who could pump up the team. We have no one today that can do that.

 

[essexknight]

As someone who liked him when he transferred here, and thought he was going to do better for us, I don’t understand this comment at all. The “most highly regarded portal transfer?” Most highly regarded where and by whom? Also he was a kate addition, right?

And if he could shoot at UMass why not here? You're contradicting your own comment re: not being being able to scheme yourself out of poor shooting, lol!

Sorry, but I’m not agreeing with you on the “a better x and o guy” can’t help stuff, either, not at all. I think a lot of this is a confidence/mental thing, at this point, and feeling more confident in what you’re doing and what your staff has you trying to do, when you have the ball, makes a huge difference IMHO.

He was the most highly rated portal addition to the team for this season. He was believed to be a starter who could shoot and bring leadership. I’m not sure why he is struggling. It surprised me especially some of the zero or one point games. It might be that he is small and had difficulty adjusting to better competition.

Regarding coaching, I think better coaching can certainly help. But, you have to account for the deficiencies of the team and coaching can reach a certain limit. For example, Simpson is struggling in the mid range, near the rim, and from 3. What kind of scheme is going to improve that? He needs to improve as a shooter. This is just one example.

 

[Knight Shift]

Sitting directly behind the bench I mentioned the body language thing too.

And I said the same thing to my Son, @AreYouNUTS @kupuna133 about the Eli comparison.

I don't see it with Eli resemblance, but I see I'm outnumbered.
His facial expression barely changed the entire game last night. With the goggles, looks like a Minion

But here's Eli

In this recruiting pic, he and his brother look related to Lou Reed. 🤷‍♂️

 

[e5fdny]

I don't see it with Eli resemblance, but I see I'm outnumbered.
His facial expression barely changed the entire game last night. With the goggles, looks like a Minion

That’s the Eli “resemblance” I think most of us are talking about.

Not a physical similarity, just the action….or no action, as it were.🙂

 

[FIJI'83]

No. 1 is the saddest fvck’n truth. I miss the positive energy and lunacy of what used to be known as The Trapezoid of Terror.

 

[e5fdny]

No. 1 is the saddest fvck’n truth. I miss the positive energy and lunacy of what used to be known as The Trapezoid of Terror.

💰💰💰😎

 

[fluoxetine]

This is gonna sound naive but is elite defense worth it? Personally, I don't think our defense is elite anyway.

Herp derp. Oh, you don't "think" it's elite? Well let's just ignore what the stats say and go by how you feel about it, makes sense!

Rest of the post is not worth reading if you lead with this.

 

[BillyC80]

Herp derp. Oh, you don't "think" it's elite? Well let's just ignore what the stats say and go by how you feel about it, makes sense!

Rest of the post is not worth reading if you lead with this.

I’m pretty sure our defense is excellent, in part because last night we turned the ball over 21 times and our opponent still only scored 61 points.

 

[Sweet Peas Corner]

NIL

 

[Roy_Faulker]

Offensive sets don’t matter when Aundre Hyatt is your go to scorer (which in an indictment on recruiting in and of itself) and he can’t make a layup.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

This is gonna sound naive but is elite defense worth it? Personally, I don't think our defense is elite anyway. My point is so many of the top teams in the country play and win 85-80, 89-82, 90-86, etc. I think Pike (who I like) is a defensive coach precisely because he lacks the knowhow to be an elite offensive coach. Would you all rather see us win 88-85 or 58-56?.......I know, I know, just win baby. Seriously, it'd be nice to have 3 or 4 players with the ability to hit a 3 at any given moment. It always seems our opposing teams have that, even the sisters of the poor that we play in OOC games.

It’s not a trade off of one or the other. And less coaches than you think are actually “good” at developing either offense or defensive skills (i.e. making plus offensive or defensive BIG players out of 2-3 star kids consistently). Pike is a master of teaching defense.

He makes servicable defenders of guys with the lowest of starting points by their upper class seasons. This is a good thing. He doesn’t have the same ability at coaching up offense, but it’s also not why our offense is historically bad this year. Simpson isn’t missing more shots than any starting player since 2008 because he’s focusing too much on D. That would be a ridiculous suggestion.

 

[RUSCFORMERLYRULOU]

I am not enamored with any of the assistants right now, including Knight. I don’t care what recruiting connections the other two have - we can find folks who are better in all areas.

 

[MGSA99]

The Trapezoid Of Terror has become the Parallelogram of Pathos.

 

[BillyC80]

The Trapezoid Of Terror has become the Parallelogram of Pathos.

Time to install the isosceles triangle offense.

 

[coldsprings]

A better offensive scheme would probably help. But, I still don't see how you can scheme your way out of poor shooting. One of the best shooters in the country in Cam Spencer left the program at the 11th hour. He is now one of the leading scorers on a top ranked team. There is no replacing that. The most highly regarded portal transfer for this year in Fernandes has not shot well. He shot well at UMass but not here. A key young player in Simpson who played major minutes last year and has played a lot this year has not shot the ball well, either. I don't like to bring up Griffiths because he is still a freshman, but he is probably scoring and shooting less than expected heading into this season. I just don't see the path to 70-80 ppg against tough competition even with a great scheme.

Basketball is a team sport. Some teams play over the sum of the parts, but this team is playing well under the sum of the parts for the reasons AreYouNUTS gave. The sad part of this year is that Pike has not done anything apparent to address points 2 and 3 that AreYouNUTS raised.

As a young boy, watching the 1962 Mets at an empty Polo Grounds was more fun than watching this team.

​

 

[Erial_Lion]

Some comments on a few of the items from an opposing fan's point of view (and I watch most other Rutgers games as a neutral observer)...

• I thought the RAC was very loud and into it the handful of times that Rutgers made a run, and at the start of the game. But they just didn't do enough at the offensive end to keep everyone into it, and it would get quiet again quickly.
• I thought that Pike mostly put the offense into a position to succeed, but guys just couldn't execute. Of those 15 3's that were missed, only a few of them were late in the clock or bad looks. Guys just couldn't make uncontested shots. And way too many missed layups.
• Due to the inability to make shots, we were able to double Cliff very aggressively, without too much concern around leaving someone wide open from deep. I think he started to get frustrated by it a bit and it led to some turnovers (really think about those two late travels where he needed to get rid of the ball rather than try to take on the double).
• I thought that Rutgers did a decent job of handling the pressure in the backcourt (that's where a lot of our turnovers are forced with the press), but way too sloppy with the ball within the flow of the offense.
• Rutgers generally did a good job at the defensive end. I personally would have pressured Ace 94' for all 40 minutes since he's the only guy on the team that can play PG without Clary and figured he'd try to go the distance, but can't be unhappy with .90 points/possession. Our 3 point shooting is also brutal, but we made just enough of them to create some separation.
• I thought Simpson would be better than he is right now...I've followed him for a while since he's a South Jersey guy. He was really coming on at the end of last season, but didn't make that jump. Think that the mechanics of his shot looked a little off (his lower body is all over the place when he's shooting).
• Glad I scooped up cheap tix this season, as I'm sure they'll be at a premium next year.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

Sitting directly behind the bench I mentioned the body language thing too.

And I said the same thing to my Son, @AreYouNUTS @kupuna133 about the Eli comparison.

Were you behind the recruit with his family?

 

[AreYouNUTS]

I don't see it with Eli resemblance, but I see I'm outnumbered.
His facial expression barely changed the entire game last night. With the goggles, looks like a Minion

But here's Eli

In this recruiting pic, he and his brother look related to Lou Reed. 🤷‍♂️

Nobody is saying that they look alike. Lot of us just see that they had that natural mopey look about them most of the time. Not a big deal just kind of a funny comparison.

 

[Nycrusupporter]

He was the most highly rated portal addition to the team for this season. He was believed to be a starter who could shoot and bring leadership. I’m not sure why he is struggling. It surprised me especially some of the zero or one point games. It might be that he is small and had difficulty adjusting to better competition.

Regarding coaching, I think better coaching can certainly help. But, you have to account for the deficiencies of the team and coaching can reach a certain limit. For example, Simpson is struggling in the mid range, near the rim, and from 3. What kind of scheme is going to improve that? He needs to improve as a shooter. This is just one example.

I think the answer on Fernandes is pretty simple, he was seriously injured last year and is still far off where he was. This is not the same player who torched us and UNC. Pike made a bunch of bets on players coming off of serious injuries and it has not worked out.

 

[Degaz-RU]

Re: #3 chemistry -- the heart and soul of this team was GUTTED by the departures of Paul, Cam, and Caleb, all of whom were leaders on and off the court.

They were replaced by a hodgepodge of guys from different teams and backgrounds and not part of our culture from the past 4-5 years. Fernandes, Austin Williams, Jeremiah Williams who hasn't played yet, Ogbole who hasn't played yet, and the two freshmen. All of these players are currently just "role players" and not stars or leaders. And so we're asking MORE role players -- Hyatt, Mag, Simpson, Cliff -- to be the Alpha players on this team when they really should be role players.

In retrospect, it was folly for anyone to think that this ragtag group would (1) be talented enough to score 70+ ppg, or (2) mesh together and develop immediate chemistry, or that any real "leaders" would emerge who are also high scoring stars.

This is a poorly constructed team overall (though I give Pike somewhat of a pass since Paul and Cam pulled the rug out from under our roster in May/June).

 

[RUSCFORMERLYRULOU]

Re: #3 chemistry -- the heart and soul of this team was GUTTED by the departures of Paul, Cam, and Caleb, all of whom were leaders on and off the court.

They were replaced by a hodgepodge of guys from different teams and backgrounds and not part of our culture from the past 4-5 years. Fernandes, Austin Williams, Jeremiah Williams who hasn't played yet, Ogbole who hasn't played yet, and the two freshmen. All of these players are currently just "role players" and not stars or leaders. And so we're asking MORE role players -- Hyatt, Mag, Simpson, Cliff -- to be the Alpha players on this team when they really should be role players.

In retrospect, it was folly for anyone to think that this ragtag group would (1) be talented enough to score 70+ ppg, or (2) mesh together and develop immediate chemistry, or that any real "leaders" would emerge who are also high scoring stars.

This is a poorly constructed team overall (though I give Pike somewhat of a pass since Paul and Cam pulled the rug out from under our roster in May/June).

We’d be on the bubble with those guys, but in my mind they are not welcome back at jersey mikes ever.