ADVERTISEMENT

Bringing in Top Recruits Does Not Ensure Instant Success

RU-ROCS

RU-ROCS

Heisman Winner
Gold Member
Feb 5, 2003
12,040
7,026
113
I am among those who agree that RU needs a big infusion of Big10 quality talent for Pikes to succeed, especially a couple of sharp shooters. But, watching Shaka Smart's UT team last night makes you realize that even top talent and good coaching does not ensure instant success. Texas is relatively young, but their entire starting lineup is comprised of highly coveted 4 and 5 star players, including 2 McDonald's All-Americans. Yet, they are dead last in the Big12 with an overall record of 8-12. And, RU ain't Texas. So I think patience is really needed despite our desperate long-suffering fan base's desire for a winning team.
 
I've said this before in basketball and have been shouted down for saying it:

There is a ton of b-ball talent out there, way beyond the Rivals Top 150. The key is developing a system and finding players who fit that system.
 
  • Like
Reactions: biazza38 and eja92
KnightsofChrome said:
***** = POTENTIAL Also, st*rs equal Big Heads, Entitlement attitudes, Laziness, poor Work Ethics, or little Ethics at all.
Coaching is the key difference. Sometimes a Roster comprised of 3 stars can be more effective than a Texas type 4 & 5 star lineup. St*rs don't measure HEART.
Click to expand...

I don't disagree with you. But, by most accounts, Shaka Smart is an excellent coach. But, he is struggling to coach "top" talent at UT probably because of the baggage you mention. He certainly did not have such problems at VCU. ;)
 
RU-ROCS said:
I am among those who agree that RU needs a big infusion of Big10 quality talent for Pikes to succeed, especially a couple of sharp shooters. But, watching Shaka Smart's UT team last night makes you realize that even top talent and good coaching does not ensure instant success. Texas is relatively young, but their entire starting lineup is comprised of highly coveted 4 and 5 star players, including 2 McDonald's All-Americans. Yet, they are dead last in the Big12 with an overall record of 8-12. And, RU ain't Texas. So I think patience is really needed despite our desperate long-suffering fan base's desire for a winning team.
Click to expand...
On the other hand it works for Calipari. He churns out freshmen that never attend class but jump to the NBA after one season.
 
  • Like
Reactions: biazza38 and Plum Street
_dave_ said:
On the other hand it works for Calipari. He churns out freshmen that never attend class but jump to the NBA after one season.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Like him or not, there is certainly some magic to what Cal does. Even Duke is flailing this year with a bunch of one-and-done talent.
 
It is not that easy, as people have been saying. Even if you bring in top players, you have to make sure they buy into what the coach is selling during practice and then excel at their roles. A lot of these kids are the stars on their high school and AAU teams and expect to be when they walk in the door to their college. But you have to mold these kids and get them to do a lot of things they don't always do. Buy in and know their role.
 
Wouldn't mind finding out first hand for once, lol. But I agree, we need good players but also good workers etc. team first.
 
  • Like
Reactions: biazza38
agree with the OP and DP....Pike will give us a shot at being at the table, a punchers chance but even as good as a coach he is, there are pitfalls with better talent and also every coach in this league can coach, Rutgers does not exist in a vacuum in this league.
 
I like Northwestern's team this year. Long, athletic wingmen in Lindsey and Law; Lumpkin and Pardon do the dirty work on the boards; McIntosh is a consistent and smart ball handler and playmaker, who has the ability to take over games; Skelly and Taphorn coming off the bench as sharp shooters, especially from the 3 land; Brown giving them more athleticism from the G position. They have different skills and know their roles.

Collins also preaches fundamental basketball. They don't turn the ball over. They play fundamental basketball on both sides of the ball, rarely beat themselves and understand the different roles each player brings to the team. It could be done.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bac2therac
The issue at Texas is point guard play. They currently lack a lead guard who can consistently make a play off the bounce to either score, get to the line or create an opportunity for teammates.

Teams tend to be as good as their point guard play and that is on display at Texas.
 
  • Like
Reactions: eja92
KnightsofChrome said:
***** = POTENTIAL Also, st*rs equal Big Heads, Entitlement attitudes, Laziness, poor Work Ethics, or little Ethics at all.
Coaching is the key difference. Sometimes a Roster comprised of 3 stars can be more effective than a Texas type 4 & 5 star lineup. St*rs don't measure HEART.
Click to expand...
That's probably one problem we don't have to worry about here. I'm hoping if we get the right players to fit the system, we'll start to see some success in the conference. Still need some guys that can hit jumpers on a consistent basis and others things will fall into place.
Let's win a few more this season.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KnightsofChrome
RC1978 said:
I would love to find out if bringing in top recruits would actually help Rutgers or not.
Click to expand...


RU didnt have much success when they landed top 100 players like Rosario , Echenique, and Chandler, and Inman...of course look who there coach was...Fred Hill.

I do think though its not enough to have one or two guys, you really need several. We have Sanders but no one else..too much pressure on one guy to do everything. We are 3 years away from fielding a legit team with upperclassmen that can get things done
 
Need combo of both - good recruits and good coaching. Duke without Coach K is the perfect example of this.
 
I think chances of success are far higher with a team that has three or more consistent scorers versus a squad full of complementary type players .In Rutgers case the inability to get the right combination of coaching and talent has resulted in decades of futility and changes in coaching staffs every 3-5 years.
 
Maryland starts three freshmen. But, without Melo last night; we win that game. That's three good freshmen plus one superstar. We have to find more players at the Sanders level and others that are close to his cali we and of course, willing to play very, very hard.

I had a smile on my face ear to ear watching how hard we played at Maryland last night. The fans should continue to pack the RAC because of how hard we are playing defense and rebounding. Are you kidding me?? When was the last time you saw a group of players fight as hard as these guys in the history of our program??????

Pikiell has their respect and I can't tell you how proud I am of these kids. Coming to watch them play is a pleasure. If they could get some FTs to fall they are going to win more big 10 games this year. Pikiell is some coach. Just watch what happens when the talent gets better
 
  • Like
Reactions: Skull83 and Loyal-Son
True, but NOT bringing in top recruits will certainly guarantee more mediocrity...
 
I think Rice's first team fought very hard even though there was a big talent differntial. They beat Nova after being down double digits. That team played hard defense and lost a lot of close games
 
We need talented players. Period. It is not a matter of patience and a process -- that is B.S. The current roster can't knock down 3's or shoot from the charity stripe. We can't hit unguarded 3's in pre-game warmups. And the team doesn't have the moxie to win on the road. The Penn State loss at home spoke volumes -- we couldn't throw it in the ocean and we let a team feed us our lunch in our own building.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RUJMM78
basketball is in a similar place with baseball. in baseball everyone wants to be a power hitter and there's a real scarcity of lead off guys. in basketball everyone wants to be a scorer and there's a real scarcity of point guards. We need a point in the worst way.
 
Texas' problem may be that those 4 and 5 star players haven't adjusted to playing in Smart's system, or to college basketball in general. Or it maybe the stuff that worked at VCU and produced upsets in the NCAA Tournament isn't as effective in the Big 12.
 
Last edited:
LC-88 said:
'88-89. Bob W's first year.
Click to expand...
That 1989 team wasn't about fight. That was about a team with some veteran players who were finally healthy and some decent offensive players including a small forward who led the team in scoring while shooting 50% from three for the season (!!) playing disciplined basketball in a really, really down year in a mediocre conference (that's one long run-on sentence but you get the idea.) If you want an example of a team with fight, I'd go with Mike Rice's 1st year squad as the one that stands out.
 
Basketball is the easiest sport to predict outcomes. There is limited variance. The combination of most talented team and team that plays best together wins.
 
Russ Wood said:
The issue at Texas is point guard play. They currently lack a lead guard who can consistently make a play off the bounce to either score, get to the line or create an opportunity for teammates.

Teams tend to be as good as their point guard play and that is on display at Texas.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%. That was clearly evident even in their win over Oklahoma on Mon. night.
 
good post this is correct. We had 2 lights out 3 point shooters and Carter was very tough
RUJMM78 said:
Sadly, there is a segment of the fan base base that disagrees with your assessment.I guess 25 years of futility isn't enough.
Click to expand...

Yup. the idea that players are somehow going to be "coached up" is folly. It has happened before , there is precedent, but it's exceedingly rare.

88-89 team played killer defense (almost exclusively zone) BUT we had (by the end of the season) two absolutely stellar 3 point shooters, and Craig Carter was awesome driving to the hole.

The last time we had 2 good 3 point shooters--shockingly (thats sarcasm) the year we went to the NIT final. Before that? 1991--the last time we went to the NCAA (when we had at least FOUR legitimate shooters).

Isn't it odd how that works?
 
  • Like
Reactions: KnightTerrors
PatrickRU92 said:
good post this is correct. We had 2 lights out 3 point shooters and Carter was very tough


Yup. the idea that players are somehow going to be "coached up" is folly. It has happened before , there is precedent, but it's exceedingly rare.

88-89 team played killer defense (almost exclusively zone) BUT we had (by the end of the season) two absolutely stellar 3 point shooters, and Craig Carter was awesome driving to the hole.

The last time we had 2 good 3 point shooters--shockingly (thats sarcasm) the year we went to the NIT final. Before that? 1991--the last time we went to the NCAA (when we had at least FOUR legitimate shooters).

Isn't it odd how that works?
Click to expand...
In our history , since 1985 , which is when the 3 point shot was born, we have always had multiple guys who could shoot consistently from downtown. Ricky Dadika, Geoff Billet, Rob Hodgson, Donnell Lumpkin,, Tom Savage, Ricky Shields, Jerome Coleman , and of course Quincy Douby . The problem has been the lack of consistent 3 point shooter since about 2006, our last winning season. The way the college game has changed , we absolutely have to recruit 2-3 guys a year that can shoot period, but can shoot 30-35%consistently from the three point line. That is Coach Pikiell 's biggest challenge going forward in recruiting that will determine whether we can win in this conference or not.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RUJMM78
With the facilities,money,population,their own TV network and crowd support they have, how is Texas not Top 15 every year in football and basketball ?
 
HeavenUniv. said:
With the facilities,money,population,their own TV network and crowd support they have, how is Texas not Top 15 every year in football and basketball ?
Click to expand...

This to me is one of life's great mysteries. And people like to castigate RU for poor management and a bad administration? How do you screw up Texas, arguably the #1 brand in all of college sports?
 
My father says it best.. "Can't make chicken soup out of chicken sh*t"

Give me Naz Reid in 2018 and ill take my chances.
 
HeavenUniv. said:
With the facilities,money,population,their own TV network and crowd support they have, how is Texas not Top 15 every year in football and basketball ?
Click to expand...
Who was the last great Texas basketball coach? What about the last great Texas football coach?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT
Top Bottom
Back