98 Minutes of play since Kennesaw, 6 Rebounds

[NewJerseyHawk]

Here is the recap of the RU season....it doesn't mean that the 1st 4 games OR the St Johns exhibition didn't matter or count.

RU for the hoops perspective and football, has an enormous amount of coaching malpractice....but for the current topic....this is the current topic....I'll address the 2024 failures in football separately because it is the same PATTERN.

Here are 4 players that all have either position limitations or challenges on defense.....BUT the number 1 issue with RU hoops is REBOUNDING. These are stats of players starting with Kennesaw State.

PJ Hayes is a 6'5 Guard

83 Minutes
20 PTS
10 REBs

Ogbole
129 minutes....
42 points
34 rebounds,
2 assists,
7 Blocks

Sommerville
141 minutes.....
38 PTS,
25 rebounds
7 assists
7 turnovers.

Zach Martini
98 minutes
14 PTS (7 vs Princeton)
6 Rebounds
4 Steals (3 vs Notre Dame)
1 Assist (Kennesaw)
3 Turnovers

I am asking ANY fair and logical sports fan....if I gave you FOUR options of the choices above, which of the 4 players will do worse in 98 minutes in terms of rebounding.

I am focusing on REBOUNDING because a player HAS to be good as something in order to play. And of the 4 players above, 3 of them also struggle on defense. BUT all 4 have a higher chance of getting more than 6 rebounds.

This is WHY, Pike, the staff and fans that are enamored with 3 point shooting OR the game Martini had against RU and Cliff last year, can talk their way into believing something, when the eye test AND numbers DO NOT support playing someone who doesn't defend, doesn't rebound, doesn't generate any offense off the dribble with an assist. What does the player do well, against better competition??

I am 100% certain that RU could pull any player off of ANY of the past 5 rosters, who fans claim could not play, could not defend, could not shoot, pass or even make FTs and I can name EIGHT to TEN players who could get more than 6 rebounds in almost 100 minutes

Antonio Chol
Antione Woolfork
Dean Reiber
Candido Sa
Shaq Doorson
Issa Thiam
Oskar Palmquist
Daniel Lobach (Walk on)
Luke Nathan #55 (Walk-on, 6'10)

BUT, some will say "HAWK IS OVER THE TOP.......i think the reality is the level of play from an experiment gone bad is so alarmingly bad, that I don't want to hear anyone ever tell me, that if you have a DEFENSE and REBOUNDING problem, why on earth does a player earn 98 minutes of playing time.

IF Martini was scoring, or making plays, THEN, I "could" say that Pike and the staff are trading "offense for defense and rebounding ".

BUT he is scoring at a level LOWER than the 4 players and nowhere near the rebounding.

i watch basketball and I am 100% certain that Luke Nathan, who was on this roster and has skills and some "want to", can generate more than 14 PTS and 6 rebounds in 98 minutes....

So....I also have named NINE former players who played in the front court as bench players or Walk ons....and I believe ALL nine could get 14 and 6 and play better defense than Martini OR at worse still get 15 to 20 rebounds.

Princeton gets NINETEEN offensive rebounds.....Caden Pierce is a nice player. He gets a bunch on his own....and you ask Zach Martini in a bunch of critical spots to get on the glass?? And switch on defense and get stops??

All NINE of the players listed above are not better than Dylan Grant or Bryce Dortch with an ability to switch on defense and offer an option to rebound or alter a shot attempt.

I have been wrong PLENTY of times, but this one is beyond obvious that there is NO WAY, that an athletic 6'9, 195 to 200 lb wing/forward who is actually a little physically stronger size wise than even Ace Bailey, cannot find 6 rebounds......it is probably at WORSE 16 to 20 in 98 minutes of play.

We lost by 2 to Kennesaw
We lost by 1 to Princeton
We lost by 4 to Texas A&M
We won by 3 vs SHU, but realistically, that is a 10 to 11 point win, with normal FT shooting, so I am not counting that game as "close".

If you find an additional 10 to 15 rebounds by playing someone else other than Martini, that's not 19 offensive rebounds by Princeton, maybe it's 12 or 13. That is SIX more opportunities to score....that's not a defense problem as much as it's a glass problem.

I think we are bashing Pike and the staff for recruiting misses in 2021, 2022, 2023 BUT any Pike player mentioned above OR Grant and Dortch are at least 10 to 15 rebounds better than 6, in 98 minutes.

Don't blame Martini.....it is NOT his fault. He never had a pattern of rebounding at any point in time at Princeton, which I addressed 6 to 7 months ago. He is a situation specific player in the B1G, NOT a TWENTY minutes a game player, in crunch time, when you need defense and rebounding.

BURN the redshirt of Bryce Dortch, play Dylan Grant more OR let Sommerville play 26 minutes a game, or more minutes to Hayes or even Ogbole if the matchups are there.

But when you are playing a smaller Princeton, or Ohio State or others who go small-ball, Dortch, Grant are better options in EVERY category. Why the staff after 10 to 11 games, pulled this stunt, is beyond logical.

 

[Rutgers25]

Here is the recap of the RU season....it doesn't mean that the 1st 4 games OR the St Johns exhibition didn't matter or count.

RU for the hoops perspective and football, has an enormous amount of coaching malpractice....but for the current topic....this is the current topic....I'll address the 2024 failures in football separately because it is the same PATTERN.

Here are 4 players that all have either position limitations or challenges on defense.....BUT the number 1 issue with RU hoops is REBOUNDING. These are stats of players starting with Kennesaw State.

PJ Hayes is a 6'5 Guard

83 Minutes
20 PTS
10 REBs

Ogbole
129 minutes....
42 points
34 rebounds,
2 assists,
7 Blocks

Sommerville
141 minutes.....
38 PTS,
25 rebounds
7 assists
7 turnovers.

Zach Martini
98 minutes
14 PTS (7 vs Princeton)
6 Rebounds
4 Steals (3 vs Notre Dame)
1 Assist (Kennesaw)
3 Turnovers

I am asking ANY fair and logical sports fan....if I gave you FOUR options of the choices above, which of the 4 players will do worse in 98 minutes in terms of rebounding.

I am focusing on REBOUNDING because a player HAS to be good as something in order to play. And of the 4 players above, 3 of them also struggle on defense. BUT all 4 have a higher chance of getting more than 6 rebounds.

This is WHY, Pike, the staff and fans that are enamored with 3 point shooting OR the game Martini had against RU and Cliff last year, can talk their way into believing something, when the eye test AND numbers DO NOT support playing someone who doesn't defend, doesn't rebound, doesn't generate any offense off the dribble with an assist. What does the player do well, against better competition??

I am 100% certain that RU could pull any player off of ANY of the past 5 rosters, who fans claim could not play, could not defend, could not shoot, pass or even make FTs and I can name EIGHT to TEN players who could get more than 6 rebounds in almost 100 minutes

Antonio Chol
Antione Woolfork
Dean Reiber
Candido Sa
Shaq Doorson
Issa Thiam
Oskar Palmquist
Daniel Lobach (Walk on)
Luke Nathan #55 (Walk-on, 6'10)

BUT, some will say "HAWK IS OVER THE TOP.......i think the reality is the level of play from an experiment gone bad is so alarmingly bad, that I don't want to hear anyone ever tell me, that if you have a DEFENSE and REBOUNDING problem, why on earth does a player earn 98 minutes of playing time.

IF Martini was scoring, or making plays, THEN, I "could" say that Pike and the staff are trading "offense for defense and rebounding ".

BUT he is scoring at a level LOWER than the 4 players and nowhere near the rebounding.

i watch basketball and I am 100% certain that Luke Nathan, who was on this roster and has skills and some "want to", can generate more than 14 PTS and 6 rebounds in 98 minutes....

So....I also have named NINE former players who played in the front court as bench players or Walk ons....and I believe ALL nine could get 14 and 6 and play better defense than Martini OR at worse still get 15 to 20 rebounds.

Princeton gets NINETEEN offensive rebounds.....Caden Pierce is a nice player. He gets a bunch on his own....and you ask Zach Martini in a bunch of critical spots to get on the glass?? And switch on defense and get stops??

All NINE of the players listed above are not better than Dylan Grant or Bryce Dortch with an ability to switch on defense and offer an option to rebound or alter a shot attempt.

I have been wrong PLENTY of times, but this one is beyond obvious that there is NO WAY, that an athletic 6'9, 195 to 200 lb wing/forward who is actually a little physically stronger size wise than even Ace Bailey, cannot find 6 rebounds......it is probably at WORSE 16 to 20 in 98 minutes of play.

We lost by 2 to Kennesaw
We lost by 1 to Princeton
We lost by 4 to Texas A&M
We won by 3 vs SHU, but realistically, that is a 10 to 11 point win, with normal FT shooting, so I am not counting that game as "close".

If you find an additional 10 to 15 rebounds by playing someone else other than Martini, that's not 19 offensive rebounds by Princeton, maybe it's 12 or 13. That is SIX more opportunities to score....that's not a defense problem as much as it's a glass problem.

I think we are bashing Pike and the staff for recruiting misses in 2021, 2022, 2023 BUT any Pike player mentioned above OR Grant and Dortch are at least 10 to 15 rebounds better than 6, in 98 minutes.

Don't blame Martini.....it is NOT his fault. He never had a pattern of rebounding at any point in time at Princeton, which I addressed 6 to 7 months ago. He is a situation specific player in the B1G, NOT a TWENTY minutes a game player, in crunch time, when you need defense and rebounding.

BURN the redshirt of Bryce Dortch, play Dylan Grant more OR let Sommerville play 26 minutes a game, or more minutes to Hayes or even Ogbole if the matchups are there.

But when you are playing a smaller Princeton, or Ohio State or others who go small-ball, Dortch, Grant are better options in EVERY category. Why the staff after 10 to 11 games, pulled this stunt, is beyond logical.

You are spot on. Martini has been mind blowingly bad. Grant can’t do better? Hard to believe he can’t. Certainly Woolfolk would have done better.

 

[zappaa]

This post from Hawk is about a non contributor who continues to get the chance to contribute, ironically the game he didn’t get a chance, was our most impressive win.

So do you blame the player or the person or continues to put him out there.

 

[S_Janowski]

Did we really need 26 paragraphs telling us that Martini can’t rebound?

I think we all know this lol.

 

[zappaa]

Did we really need 26 paragraphs telling us that Martini can’t rebound?

I think we all know this lol.

That’s not the point of the OP Janowski, why is he out there is the question?

 

[mugrat86]

Here is the recap of the RU season....it doesn't mean that the 1st 4 games OR the St Johns exhibition didn't matter or count.

RU for the hoops perspective and football, has an enormous amount of coaching malpractice....but for the current topic....this is the current topic....I'll address the 2024 failures in football separately because it is the same PATTERN.

Here are 4 players that all have either position limitations or challenges on defense.....BUT the number 1 issue with RU hoops is REBOUNDING. These are stats of players starting with Kennesaw State.

PJ Hayes is a 6'5 Guard

83 Minutes
20 PTS
10 REBs

Ogbole
129 minutes....
42 points
34 rebounds,
2 assists,
7 Blocks

Sommerville
141 minutes.....
38 PTS,
25 rebounds
7 assists
7 turnovers.

Zach Martini
98 minutes
14 PTS (7 vs Princeton)
6 Rebounds
4 Steals (3 vs Notre Dame)
1 Assist (Kennesaw)
3 Turnovers

I am asking ANY fair and logical sports fan....if I gave you FOUR options of the choices above, which of the 4 players will do worse in 98 minutes in terms of rebounding.

I am focusing on REBOUNDING because a player HAS to be good as something in order to play. And of the 4 players above, 3 of them also struggle on defense. BUT all 4 have a higher chance of getting more than 6 rebounds.

This is WHY, Pike, the staff and fans that are enamored with 3 point shooting OR the game Martini had against RU and Cliff last year, can talk their way into believing something, when the eye test AND numbers DO NOT support playing someone who doesn't defend, doesn't rebound, doesn't generate any offense off the dribble with an assist. What does the player do well, against better competition??

I am 100% certain that RU could pull any player off of ANY of the past 5 rosters, who fans claim could not play, could not defend, could not shoot, pass or even make FTs and I can name EIGHT to TEN players who could get more than 6 rebounds in almost 100 minutes

Antonio Chol
Antione Woolfork
Dean Reiber
Candido Sa
Shaq Doorson
Issa Thiam
Oskar Palmquist
Daniel Lobach (Walk on)
Luke Nathan #55 (Walk-on, 6'10)

BUT, some will say "HAWK IS OVER THE TOP.......i think the reality is the level of play from an experiment gone bad is so alarmingly bad, that I don't want to hear anyone ever tell me, that if you have a DEFENSE and REBOUNDING problem, why on earth does a player earn 98 minutes of playing time.

IF Martini was scoring, or making plays, THEN, I "could" say that Pike and the staff are trading "offense for defense and rebounding ".

BUT he is scoring at a level LOWER than the 4 players and nowhere near the rebounding.

i watch basketball and I am 100% certain that Luke Nathan, who was on this roster and has skills and some "want to", can generate more than 14 PTS and 6 rebounds in 98 minutes....

So....I also have named NINE former players who played in the front court as bench players or Walk ons....and I believe ALL nine could get 14 and 6 and play better defense than Martini OR at worse still get 15 to 20 rebounds.

Princeton gets NINETEEN offensive rebounds.....Caden Pierce is a nice player. He gets a bunch on his own....and you ask Zach Martini in a bunch of critical spots to get on the glass?? And switch on defense and get stops??

All NINE of the players listed above are not better than Dylan Grant or Bryce Dortch with an ability to switch on defense and offer an option to rebound or alter a shot attempt.

I have been wrong PLENTY of times, but this one is beyond obvious that there is NO WAY, that an athletic 6'9, 195 to 200 lb wing/forward who is actually a little physically stronger size wise than even Ace Bailey, cannot find 6 rebounds......it is probably at WORSE 16 to 20 in 98 minutes of play.

We lost by 2 to Kennesaw
We lost by 1 to Princeton
We lost by 4 to Texas A&M
We won by 3 vs SHU, but realistically, that is a 10 to 11 point win, with normal FT shooting, so I am not counting that game as "close".

If you find an additional 10 to 15 rebounds by playing someone else other than Martini, that's not 19 offensive rebounds by Princeton, maybe it's 12 or 13. That is SIX more opportunities to score....that's not a defense problem as much as it's a glass problem.

I think we are bashing Pike and the staff for recruiting misses in 2021, 2022, 2023 BUT any Pike player mentioned above OR Grant and Dortch are at least 10 to 15 rebounds better than 6, in 98 minutes.

Don't blame Martini.....it is NOT his fault. He never had a pattern of rebounding at any point in time at Princeton, which I addressed 6 to 7 months ago. He is a situation specific player in the B1G, NOT a TWENTY minutes a game player, in crunch time, when you need defense and rebounding.

BURN the redshirt of Bryce Dortch, play Dylan Grant more OR let Sommerville play 26 minutes a game, or more minutes to Hayes or even Ogbole if the matchups are there.

But when you are playing a smaller Princeton, or Ohio State or others who go small-ball, Dortch, Grant are better options in EVERY category. Why the staff after 10 to 11 games, pulled this stunt, is beyond logical.

I agree 1000%. Martini does nothing on the court. Yes he scored 7 points yesterday, but how many points did he give up? I am actually shocked at how little he does on the floor. No intangibles. No rebounds. Nor even any diving to the floor for loose ballsl

 

[S_Janowski]

That’s not the point of the OP Janowski, why is he out there is the question?

Okay I got thrown off by the title of the OP and the 26 paragraphs.

If this is really the point then I’ll repeat essentially the same thing - did we really need 26 paragraphs asking that question?

We’ve all been asking that question.

Nobody has been asking for more Martini lol.

 

[Randal7]

Martini is … no bueno

 

[SBP]

Hawk, it’s clear Big E needs MORE minutes, not less, especially the last few games. When Pike took him out they were driving and scoring at will. He’s our BEST rebounding/interior D option other than Ace.

So it begs the question… do we play Lathan at 4 with Big E at times? Does Grant simply play 4? He’s not shown defensively he can handle it. So with Martini not a viable option WHO DO WE PLAY?

Small ball with Big E was our best lineup, wouldn’t you agree? Who should get the bulk? Who’s your Great 8?

 

[RUJMM78]

Yes,the rebounding stinks and Martini shouldn't get all the blame.The far bigger problem is the half court man to man defense stinks.The winning Princeton basket tells the story.They spread the court and have a player dribble across the center of the foul line and bank the ball into the basket with hardly any defense by the Rutgers player.The number of uncontested layups, dunks and three point shots is totally unacceptable.

After 12 games, its painfully clear that the status quo is a losing strategy.Rutgers needs to press to get turnovers and lessen the time the opponent has to run their half court offense.St.Johns was behind by double digits against Providence in the second half and Pitino utilized the press and the tide turned along with tough players that can rebound and make baskets after missed shots.

Rutgers also needs to play more zone defense to stop all the easy layups and dunks and force opponents to win games by taking more contested 3 point shots.Rebounding should improve if players are taught how to box out.Bottom line the coaching and player execution of basic fundamentals is lacking.Opposing teams have watched Rutgers tape and they know limiting the points from Harper and Bailey is the winning strategy on defense while on offense just spread the court and there will be layups and open 3 point shots.

 

[RUSCFORMERLYRULOU]

What you didn’t say…
The failure of putting players in a position to succesd is squarely on the head coach.

 

[shields]

Ogbole had 5 quick points in 2nd half and how many shots did he get after that?

 

[Ridge 22]

What you didn’t say…
The failure of putting players in a position to succesd is squarely on the head coach.

True. But the biggest problem is that the same coach brought these flawed players here and actually thought they could play in the first place

 

[RU84]

Here is the recap of the RU season....it doesn't mean that the 1st 4 games OR the St Johns exhibition didn't matter or count.

RU for the hoops perspective and football, has an enormous amount of coaching malpractice....but for the current topic....this is the current topic....I'll address the 2024 failures in football separately because it is the same PATTERN.

Here are 4 players that all have either position limitations or challenges on defense.....BUT the number 1 issue with RU hoops is REBOUNDING. These are stats of players starting with Kennesaw State.

PJ Hayes is a 6'5 Guard

83 Minutes
20 PTS
10 REBs

Ogbole
129 minutes....
42 points
34 rebounds,
2 assists,
7 Blocks

Sommerville
141 minutes.....
38 PTS,
25 rebounds
7 assists
7 turnovers.

Zach Martini
98 minutes
14 PTS (7 vs Princeton)
6 Rebounds
4 Steals (3 vs Notre Dame)
1 Assist (Kennesaw)
3 Turnovers

I am asking ANY fair and logical sports fan....if I gave you FOUR options of the choices above, which of the 4 players will do worse in 98 minutes in terms of rebounding.

I am focusing on REBOUNDING because a player HAS to be good as something in order to play. And of the 4 players above, 3 of them also struggle on defense. BUT all 4 have a higher chance of getting more than 6 rebounds.

This is WHY, Pike, the staff and fans that are enamored with 3 point shooting OR the game Martini had against RU and Cliff last year, can talk their way into believing something, when the eye test AND numbers DO NOT support playing someone who doesn't defend, doesn't rebound, doesn't generate any offense off the dribble with an assist. What does the player do well, against better competition??

I am 100% certain that RU could pull any player off of ANY of the past 5 rosters, who fans claim could not play, could not defend, could not shoot, pass or even make FTs and I can name EIGHT to TEN players who could get more than 6 rebounds in almost 100 minutes

Antonio Chol
Antione Woolfork
Dean Reiber
Candido Sa
Shaq Doorson
Issa Thiam
Oskar Palmquist
Daniel Lobach (Walk on)
Luke Nathan #55 (Walk-on, 6'10)

BUT, some will say "HAWK IS OVER THE TOP.......i think the reality is the level of play from an experiment gone bad is so alarmingly bad, that I don't want to hear anyone ever tell me, that if you have a DEFENSE and REBOUNDING problem, why on earth does a player earn 98 minutes of playing time.

IF Martini was scoring, or making plays, THEN, I "could" say that Pike and the staff are trading "offense for defense and rebounding ".

BUT he is scoring at a level LOWER than the 4 players and nowhere near the rebounding.

i watch basketball and I am 100% certain that Luke Nathan, who was on this roster and has skills and some "want to", can generate more than 14 PTS and 6 rebounds in 98 minutes....

So....I also have named NINE former players who played in the front court as bench players or Walk ons....and I believe ALL nine could get 14 and 6 and play better defense than Martini OR at worse still get 15 to 20 rebounds.

Princeton gets NINETEEN offensive rebounds.....Caden Pierce is a nice player. He gets a bunch on his own....and you ask Zach Martini in a bunch of critical spots to get on the glass?? And switch on defense and get stops??

All NINE of the players listed above are not better than Dylan Grant or Bryce Dortch with an ability to switch on defense and offer an option to rebound or alter a shot attempt.

I have been wrong PLENTY of times, but this one is beyond obvious that there is NO WAY, that an athletic 6'9, 195 to 200 lb wing/forward who is actually a little physically stronger size wise than even Ace Bailey, cannot find 6 rebounds......it is probably at WORSE 16 to 20 in 98 minutes of play.

We lost by 2 to Kennesaw
We lost by 1 to Princeton
We lost by 4 to Texas A&M
We won by 3 vs SHU, but realistically, that is a 10 to 11 point win, with normal FT shooting, so I am not counting that game as "close".

If you find an additional 10 to 15 rebounds by playing someone else other than Martini, that's not 19 offensive rebounds by Princeton, maybe it's 12 or 13. That is SIX more opportunities to score....that's not a defense problem as much as it's a glass problem.

I think we are bashing Pike and the staff for recruiting misses in 2021, 2022, 2023 BUT any Pike player mentioned above OR Grant and Dortch are at least 10 to 15 rebounds better than 6, in 98 minutes.

Don't blame Martini.....it is NOT his fault. He never had a pattern of rebounding at any point in time at Princeton, which I addressed 6 to 7 months ago. He is a situation specific player in the B1G, NOT a TWENTY minutes a game player, in crunch time, when you need defense and rebounding.

BURN the redshirt of Bryce Dortch, play Dylan Grant more OR let Sommerville play 26 minutes a game, or more minutes to Hayes or even Ogbole if the matchups are there.

But when you are playing a smaller Princeton, or Ohio State or others who go small-ball, Dortch, Grant are better options in EVERY category. Why the staff after 10 to 11 games, pulled this stunt, is beyond logical.

This has been one of Pike’s short comings/blind spots. Riding a player too long that shouldn’t be (Martini/Mulcahy/etc) These roster and substitution decisions matter in tight games which ultimately matters in making or not making the NCAA’s.
Either he has to do a better job in the portal, managing his roster or both.
Unfortunately the hole the team is digging is getting deeper and deeper.

 

[seansherm]

I have zero idea what Grant and Dortch can contribute at this level this year, but their profile was called out for in a big way yesterday. Martini was a poor choice when we brought him in and a poor choice yesterday.
Just to make sure I disagree w something too, more Lathan is never the right answer to a question this year. He had to struggle to get his shots up yesterday, against a small team. I expected better.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

26 paragraphs is too long.....point taken...

6 rebounds is walk-on level productivity.....Point given.

Are there other more realistic complaints?? Sure, I have 500 other paragraphs to comb through on this board and elsewhere....

What's more ironic is that I have a HC for 3 straight years, rewarding bad play down the stretch (Mulcahy), bad behavior & moping/quitting/sulking (Mag) and now a very nice, NJ native and HS classmate of Mulcahy, being placed in a position to torpedo a 3rd season in a row.

We have coaches in both sports who are very lax, who have contract extensions and ZERO sense of urgency.

I watched a substantial amount of snaps rewarded to Chris Long on offense, where he drops passes on a regular basis.....

I watch a HC seemingly look the other way, with a linebacker who does not read plays or the field well, continuing to be put on the field (Moses Walker) and blow assignment after assignment, which winds up giving huge chunks of yards.

I watch another safety in Igbinosun, continue to miss assignments on plays, allowing wide open WRs or lose containment at least 15 to 20 times in the 1st 8 games....

Meanwhile, anyone with a pulse could clearly see that the 2 best and productive WRs, were Ian Strong and KJ Duff......why waste so many snaps and blow games vs Nebraska, because you cannot convert in the redzone??

I have a HC, who seemingly cannot read weather forecasts or gauge wind or cold weather, calling mindless timeouts.....and I could agree with calling a timeout IF, it's 65 degrees and cloudy or even a slight rain.

RU football with "below average", roster management and common sense and sense of urgency, is a 9-3 football season and playing on New Years Day. We have a 1st team all caliber Running Back, 2 NFL caliber WRs and a left tackle, who just because he isn't a 4* recruit, is headed to the NFL after almost 50 straight starts on the OL (Hollin Pierce).

Pike is still actually better at coaching than Schiano, but playing Martini is dropping him BELOW Schiano status, which is below average for a Power 4/5 program.

Two different sports, same awful patterns.....same horrible results.....two 2024 sports seasons WAY below realistic expectations.

If Pike has any respect for his roster and results, these lineup changes are not atomic bombs, they're just normal coaching moves.....

 

[SBP]

True. But the biggest problem is that the same coach brought these flawed players here and actually thought they could play in the first place

Deep…

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

I have zero idea what Grant and Dortch can contribute at this level this year, but their profile was called out for in a big way yesterday. Martini was a poor choice when we brought him in and a poor choice yesterday.
Just to make sure I disagree w something too, more Lathan is never the right answer to a question this year. He had to struggle to get his shots up yesterday, against a small team. I expected better.

He had 8 points with 6 shots and drew fouls. Add 6 more minutes to his total and he's at 12 PTS and maybe fouls out Pierce.

 

[RutgersChow]

Yes,the rebounding stinks and Martini shouldn't get all the blame.The far bigger problem is the half court man to man defense stinks.The winning Princeton basket tells the story.They spread the court and have a player dribble across the center of the foul line and bank the ball into the basket with hardly any defense by the Rutgers player.The number of uncontested layups, dunks and three point shots is totally unacceptable.

After 12 games, its painfully clear that the status quo is a losing strategy.Rutgers needs to press to get turnovers and lessen the time the opponent has to run their half court offense.St.Johns was behind by double digits against Providence in the second half and Pitino utilized the press and the tide turned along with tough players that can rebound and make baskets after missed shots.

Rutgers also needs to play more zone defense to stop all the easy layups and dunks and force opponents to win games by taking more contested 3 point shots.Rebounding should improve if players are taught how to box out.Bottom line the coaching and player execution of basic fundamentals is lacking.Opposing teams have watched Rutgers tape and they know limiting the points from Harper and Bailey is the winning strategy on defense while on offense just spread the court and there will be layups and open 3 point shots.

"coaching is lacking " - this is getting to the point of the absurd.

 

[RUBlackout]

Here is the recap of the RU season....it doesn't mean that the 1st 4 games OR the St Johns exhibition didn't matter or count.

RU for the hoops perspective and football, has an enormous amount of coaching malpractice....but for the current topic....this is the current topic....I'll address the 2024 failures in football separately because it is the same PATTERN.

Here are 4 players that all have either position limitations or challenges on defense.....BUT the number 1 issue with RU hoops is REBOUNDING. These are stats of players starting with Kennesaw State.

PJ Hayes is a 6'5 Guard

83 Minutes
20 PTS
10 REBs

Ogbole
129 minutes....
42 points
34 rebounds,
2 assists,
7 Blocks

Sommerville
141 minutes.....
38 PTS,
25 rebounds
7 assists
7 turnovers.

Zach Martini
98 minutes
14 PTS (7 vs Princeton)
6 Rebounds
4 Steals (3 vs Notre Dame)
1 Assist (Kennesaw)
3 Turnovers

I am asking ANY fair and logical sports fan....if I gave you FOUR options of the choices above, which of the 4 players will do worse in 98 minutes in terms of rebounding.

I am focusing on REBOUNDING because a player HAS to be good as something in order to play. And of the 4 players above, 3 of them also struggle on defense. BUT all 4 have a higher chance of getting more than 6 rebounds.

This is WHY, Pike, the staff and fans that are enamored with 3 point shooting OR the game Martini had against RU and Cliff last year, can talk their way into believing something, when the eye test AND numbers DO NOT support playing someone who doesn't defend, doesn't rebound, doesn't generate any offense off the dribble with an assist. What does the player do well, against better competition??

I am 100% certain that RU could pull any player off of ANY of the past 5 rosters, who fans claim could not play, could not defend, could not shoot, pass or even make FTs and I can name EIGHT to TEN players who could get more than 6 rebounds in almost 100 minutes

Antonio Chol
Antione Woolfork
Dean Reiber
Candido Sa
Shaq Doorson
Issa Thiam
Oskar Palmquist
Daniel Lobach (Walk on)
Luke Nathan #55 (Walk-on, 6'10)

BUT, some will say "HAWK IS OVER THE TOP.......i think the reality is the level of play from an experiment gone bad is so alarmingly bad, that I don't want to hear anyone ever tell me, that if you have a DEFENSE and REBOUNDING problem, why on earth does a player earn 98 minutes of playing time.

IF Martini was scoring, or making plays, THEN, I "could" say that Pike and the staff are trading "offense for defense and rebounding ".

BUT he is scoring at a level LOWER than the 4 players and nowhere near the rebounding.

i watch basketball and I am 100% certain that Luke Nathan, who was on this roster and has skills and some "want to", can generate more than 14 PTS and 6 rebounds in 98 minutes....

So....I also have named NINE former players who played in the front court as bench players or Walk ons....and I believe ALL nine could get 14 and 6 and play better defense than Martini OR at worse still get 15 to 20 rebounds.

Princeton gets NINETEEN offensive rebounds.....Caden Pierce is a nice player. He gets a bunch on his own....and you ask Zach Martini in a bunch of critical spots to get on the glass?? And switch on defense and get stops??

All NINE of the players listed above are not better than Dylan Grant or Bryce Dortch with an ability to switch on defense and offer an option to rebound or alter a shot attempt.

I have been wrong PLENTY of times, but this one is beyond obvious that there is NO WAY, that an athletic 6'9, 195 to 200 lb wing/forward who is actually a little physically stronger size wise than even Ace Bailey, cannot find 6 rebounds......it is probably at WORSE 16 to 20 in 98 minutes of play.

We lost by 2 to Kennesaw
We lost by 1 to Princeton
We lost by 4 to Texas A&M
We won by 3 vs SHU, but realistically, that is a 10 to 11 point win, with normal FT shooting, so I am not counting that game as "close".

If you find an additional 10 to 15 rebounds by playing someone else other than Martini, that's not 19 offensive rebounds by Princeton, maybe it's 12 or 13. That is SIX more opportunities to score....that's not a defense problem as much as it's a glass problem.

I think we are bashing Pike and the staff for recruiting misses in 2021, 2022, 2023 BUT any Pike player mentioned above OR Grant and Dortch are at least 10 to 15 rebounds better than 6, in 98 minutes.

Don't blame Martini.....it is NOT his fault. He never had a pattern of rebounding at any point in time at Princeton, which I addressed 6 to 7 months ago. He is a situation specific player in the B1G, NOT a TWENTY minutes a game player, in crunch time, when you need defense and rebounding.

BURN the redshirt of Bryce Dortch, play Dylan Grant more OR let Sommerville play 26 minutes a game, or more minutes to Hayes or even Ogbole if the matchups are there.

But when you are playing a smaller Princeton, or Ohio State or others who go small-ball, Dortch, Grant are better options in EVERY category. Why the staff after 10 to 11 games, pulled this stunt, is beyond logical.

So let’s highlight that this is Pike mismanagement of his roster and his poor coaching ability without just coming out and saying it.
I do not blame Martini one bit. He was utilized in. Different system last year by a different and better coach who puts his players in positions to succeed. Should be pretty evident based on what we saw yesterday.
Someone abive said it but it’s Pike kryptonite to be a true players coach and ride with people even when they aren’t playing well.

 

[FAT MOON]

Is anyone or has anyone in the last six games been asking for more Martini? I feel like we're all on the same page here.

Imagine if Dortch came in now and was the long lengthy wing defender we are begging for? We've all already lost our minds but this would send us all right to Arkham Asylum.

 

[RUBlackout]

Is anyone or has anyone in the last six games been asking for more Martini? I feel like we're all on the same page here.

Imagine if Dortch came in now and was the long lengthy wing defender we are begging for? We've all already lost our minds but this would send us all right to Arkham Asylum.

Funny I was saying the same thing yesterday.....

At this stage I am willing to see what we have out of him especially in the age of the portal where he may not even be here next year. If I were riding the bench watching some players, who don't contribute much, playing over me I would consider leaving.

What I cant understand is how some of these players like PJ Hayes are riding the pine for poor defense yet I watch people like JMike get EATEN alive by players still getting playing time AND he has zero offensive production.

 

[RUskoolie]

Did we really need 26 paragraphs telling us that Martini can’t rebound?

I think we all know this lol.

I can now confirm the season is toast because Hawk took all night to come up with this as the reason why we are not good. I could have told you that the first 5 minutes of the exhibition game watching Martini run around looking like a total fish out of water.

 

[RUskoolie]

Dortch or Grant should take all of Martini's remaining minutes. He's worse than that tiny guy with the beard we brought in last year who was also in over his head at this level. Playing Martini does zero for us next season and he is out of his element after the Columbia game next week. Sorry kid, enjoy your NIL money and MBA here.

 

[RU84]

The portal pieces the staff brought in largely haven’t delivered.

 

[Shelby65]

The portal pieces the staff brought in largely haven’t delivered.

Not even the best of the bargain basement shopping, Derkack. He’s a train wreck and every dribble is an adventure, head down and eyes closed.

As absurd as this may sound, if he was the best in the NEC last year then Ol Shelby would have gotten decent minutes in that league.

 

[The RUT]

Martini’s minutes went from low single digits to 20 minutes yesterday.

Likely because it was his former team and “some things are bigger than basketball”

This is why we are not a serious program.

Oh and all the preseason yapping Ace/Dylan did. They’re 17/18, they don’t know any better, but our staff should have shut that shit down before it started.

Shame on our coaches

 

[SBP]

Our coaches obviously not good. TJ the cheerleader? Yea right. “Smoke” the joke?. That’s why Jay was brought back, but too little too late..

Brandin is not the offensive guru we thought, and no high major will come knocking anytime soon.

 

[RUSCFORMERLYRULOU]

Our coaches obviously not good. TJ the cheerleader? Yea right. “Smoke” the joke?. That’s why Jay was brought back, but too little too late..

Brandin is not the offensive guru we thought, and no high major will come knocking anytime soon.

OUr assistant coaches are a joke.

 

[seansherm]

He had 8 points with 6 shots and drew fouls. Add 6 more minutes to his total and he's at 12 PTS and maybe fouls out Pierce.

He's so bad on the defensive end we didn't play him the last 10 minutes. Believe me, yesterday was a game I said he and EO would combine for 20 plus. Maybe if they played more they would have, but while he scored he also gave up quite a few points had a TO and at least one of his shots was the equivalent of a to. 3 boards, no blocks, he wasn't a presence yesterday.

 

[AdventureHasAName]

Did we really need 26 paragraphs telling us that Martini can’t rebound?

I think we all know this lol.

Pike doesn't, apparently.