Caleb McConnell 2018 Combo Guard
- Thread starter dpwhite
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Who says he needs to play a full game or has to have a deadly impact in year one? He can develop just like anyone else over 4 years. His first year is for defense, facilitating,outside shooting, and getting used to playing with big kids. Second year he is bigger and more effective on drives.
We really wont have a sense of the possible PG rotation until the last 3 spots are filled. But, I share some of those concerns ..however, I am more concerned about the lack of real speed at PG right now. Hopefully, one incoming player addresses that....if not, fast PGs will give this team some problems. Sanders did a good job staying with fast PGs last year.
We need a fast PG on the roster.
In this era of college basketball closing out on shooters (with length) is more important than staying in front of penetrators on the perimeter.
Another question to ask related to your point is our potential lack of a shot blocking 5. Is Carter one?
Another question to ask related to your point is our potential lack of a shot blocking 5. Is Carter one?
I vealways thought shot blocking was overemphasized. How many times has it won games? Carter will be used for put backs and strong rebounding. He will fill a hole there. Johnson can be a shot blocker if we needed one.
This is exactly where I am.....Strickland is a more refined PG, but at 6'2" and not athletic/leaper, you are not getting a definite shooting threat that can also defend or potentially defend or bother a shooter from the other team.
I don't know how a player ranked around where he is for 2018 and is ranked around where Mulcahy is for 2019, somehow gets classified as not as good as Strickland....
I have no idea about the back story of McConnell being a better distribution type guard vs Mulcahy, so I will safely assume he's not as good a player as far as passing...they have the same build and height and McConnell is clearly the better shooter from 3 point range....
That said, I'm very happy to have the chance at players that can do more than one thing, so Mulcahy/Massoud/Hyatt and others are still players you cannot go wrong with in the 2019 class.....At the same time, I will say again that the grad transfer market has completely opened up a player this talented, to remain on the board, this late in the process.....if the grad transfer market wasn't white-hot, McConnell would be significantly tougher to land as a player....and while I'm not saying this recruitment is over, I'm happy RU is getting him here for an official.
I am saying that with 3 spots open and no idea who else may ultimately offer Mulcahy after this spring/summer AAU market starts, no idea where Hyatt may ultimately decide to go (hopefully RU) and extremely talented Massoud, who has Ivy league/elite skills to offer, it's crazy to make the leap forward that McConnell and/or Strickland wouldn't make sense for RU....
To me, McConnell (similar to other players at his size), have the ability to play multiple positions.....Strickland can possibly be just a PG with Baker and Mathis as your other off the ball guards.....if you have McConnell, you could have 3 6'4-5" options at guard, that can score AND potentially defend/alter shots and impact passing lanes with length.
Just strange because you are the guy over the last few years who said that he does not look at highlight films on recruits because it was meaningless.
I specifically asked for your opinion on a few recruits and you said it was meaningless.
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Geo is not great at stopping penetration but his length helps.
It is a little overemphasized. What's more important is the ability to alter shots
For sure. Show me a top shot blocker and most times you will have a player that cannot play more than 14 mpg due to fouls. Carters put back ability will be an asset.
I think you'd be surprised how much correlation there is between shot blocking and defensive efficiency.
I see boards with saying he is coming to the Banks. I don't want to get too excited, but this kid is going to be a talent in two years. He will help next year, but he will need to get bigger.
...with many more offers to come. Convincing Mulcahy to become a Scarlet Knight won't be a walk in the park.
There is a catch 22 with fans believing Mulcahy isn't a big time prospect and those that typically see that players at his level, usually get better month by month and year to year....There is no easy recruiting battle for any Top 150-200 prospect anywhere.....this should be no different....
Florida plays an excellent brand of basketball under Mike White....but if RU is eventually move up, they will win one or two of these 30+ battles, with kids with tons of offers out there....There are essentially TWO spots for 2019 likely to be open....I can count at least 10 legitimate prospects with interest or significant RU interest.....8 of those kids or possibly 9 or 10 of those known prospects may go elsewhere.....RU just needs another baseline recruit or two.....there are going to 8 times we are going to hear "woe is me".....not a big deal, there is no one "must have" recruit....you need one or two nice additions, and move on.....
Florida plays an excellent brand of basketball under Mike White....but if RU is eventually move up, they will win one or two of these 30+ battles, with kids with tons of offers out there....There are essentially TWO spots for 2019 likely to be open....I can count at least 10 legitimate prospects with interest or significant RU interest.....8 of those kids or possibly 9 or 10 of those known prospects may go elsewhere.....RU just needs another baseline recruit or two.....there are going to 8 times we are going to hear "woe is me".....not a big deal, there is no one "must have" recruit....you need one or two nice additions, and move on.....
The Rutgers paradox... our fans like to bitch that we don't get top level, competitive guys. and somehow still we have an insane level of hand-wringing about the idea that every recruit we want requires guaranteed playing time and is scared of competition
Florida usually has so many outstanding guards that some get much less playing time than they expected. Just look at what happened to Mike Rosario. He averaged 16 ppg for two years at RU and got so much less time at Florida in points and minutes. Mulcahy could go there and get very disappointed. At RU he would get major minutes.
Some are ultra confident that they have or will win the minutes. I believe this particular recruit is a realist and is very aware of the player he is and doesn't want to go to a school where playing time will be difficult.
I agree with you on blocking shots but being able to close out on outside shooters is important so they don't get easy, clean looks.
Pike has to win these battles though. If is not consistently winning these battles going forward he won’t win. It’s that simple.
NO! He needs to pick a different battle OR as NJH says close 10% of them.
How does Pikiell win these battles?
We may be saying the same thing, but maybe not. He can pick a different battle, meaning another recruit, but that other recruit better have tons of power five offers. So that recruit will be just as hard as Mulcahey. If doesn’t win battles (like he did with Mathis) more consistently he will not win. How does he do it? Recruit well. He now has a practice facility to sell. We are in one of the best if not the best conference in the country. After these FBI investigations I don’t think we are up against the bag man as much. If he doesn’t do it then he doesn’t do it and we will be hiring a new coach in a few years.
For sure. As long as you go out and stay on your feet with a hand in their face, you are in a good spot. So many fouls are happening in the current game because 3 pt shooters see the opportunity of the jumping defender closing out on them.
So do you think that if McConnell decided that he wanted in at Rutgers that would mean that RU would not continue to recruit Mulcahy or that Mulcahy would not be interested in Rutgers?
Just to be clear, I'm not suggesting any of those scenarios happen, based on your post I'm just wondering what your thoughts are.
You clearly want to continue the recruiting of Mulcahy...the point is we know very little about McConnell because he's new to the recruiting names for RU fans, where Mulcahy has been a focus of all the regional schools since his freshman season.
Mulcahy has an A+ game to me, he just lacks the knockdown shooting that would take him from good to elite...I'd rather see his shooting take off to next level while at RU after this summer and not in the next 60 days...
In McConnell, you have a similar build in player with some already built in shooting range, so to me, you have less downside if Mulcahy lands a bigger offer and blows up this summer...provided McConnell picks RU and then plays to his ranking and tape.
RU is in no position in a rebuild to have "must have" recruits....there are too many holes and not enough proven depth that needs to be patched in...
We definitely would like Caleb to choose RU and you definitely continue to recruit Mulcahy as well. We need as many really good players as we can get, The more the merrier. It is the best way to improve.
First of all don't agree with that statement, stopping penetration is the most important Defensive attribute, necessity in basketball. But, the real question is, why can't a player have both abilities? "Staying in front" of a player is all about technique, and therefore very teachable.
