Cam Spencer

[RUChoppin]

Simpson was thrust into a very difficult roll 4 games into his college career. He's going to be fine. If you can't see that, I don't know what to tell you.
The other 4 experienced starters shit the bed in the first half. I'd be more concerned about them. Part of their job is to help a guy like Simpson. They looked just as lost as he did. Concerning...

Omoruyi/Hyatt/Mag are not guys who run the show on offense - they are the recipients of guards who run the show. Spencer has experience overall, but not with our team in our system - this was his 4th game gelling at live game speed with these guys, and he's primarily an off-ball player.

Simpson will be good - but he wasn't ready to shoulder the load he was given today, and neither was Miller.

Our season this year will go as Mulcahy's health goes. He's a tough kid, and a sacrifice-the-body player... but he has to be smarter this year and not put himself in as much risk, because there's too much fall-off for the offense when he's off the floor for extended time.

 

[MiloTalon13]

Just re-watch the offense in the first half. It was horrendous. No movement, very rarely a ball screen, not once did they try to get their only shooter open. It was like they were just thrown out there with no plan.

Temple's ball pressure on Simpson was a big part of that. It's tough to run an offense when your Point Guard can't get the ball where it needs to go.
Pike and staff overestimated Simpson's ability to do that for sure.
They should have started the game with the ball in someone else's hands and let him settle in, The first half dozen possessions were a disaster that was too much to overcome.

 

[goru7]

Temple's ball pressure on Simpson was a big part of that. It's tough to run an offense when your Point Guard can't get the ball where it needs to go.
Pike and staff overestimated Simpson's ability to do that for sure.
They should have started the game with the ball in someone else's hands and let him settle in, The first half dozen possessions were a disaster that was too much to overcome.

True but part of that was Coach’s fault in my opinion. He was content with either Derek and Cam dribbling endlessly. The lack of quick passing and instead endless dribbling was hard to watch. If they applied ball pressure , they should have passed to the wing and cut a few times until they backed off. Pike was content walking the ball up court when the wheels were falling off in the first half with no attempt to get us going in transition. Adjustment was made later in second half

. Derek looked like first half Columbia and should have sat down and not played as many minutes. He is only a freshman only 4 games into his career. No reason to put that type of pressure on him.

 

[Scangg]

I worry about both Caleb and our fan base thinking he needs to score 15-20 pts a game this year. Yes he had a very nice offensive game against ND in the tournament last year but that struck me as an outlier performance. He can be a complementary offensive piece and will help keep opposing teams honest, I don't think we are successful if he is our leading scorer.

Straw man. Literally no one expects Caleb to be our leading scorer

 

[Scangg]

The big issue was absolutely no one was recruited to replace Ron....period.

Mag Hyatt Dean Oskar Woolfolk Chol all have played some 4 this year. It's the most crowded position on the entire roster

 

[bowlgoal]

True but part of that was Coach’s fault in my opinion. He was content with either Derek and Cam dribbling endlessly. The lack of quick passing and instead endless dribbling was hard to watch. If they applied ball pressure , they should have passed to the wing and cut a few times until they backed off. Pike was content walking the ball up court when the wheels were falling off in the first half with no attempt to get us going in transition. Adjustment was made later in second half

. Derek looked like first half Columbia and should have sat down and not played as many minutes. He is only a freshman only 4 games into his career. No reason to put that type of pressure on him.

I had good seats, second row center court and say that because i had a great vantage point to see exactly what you are saying and i agree.

The Temple guard on simpson did not give him an inch and when another one of our guys came to help and set the high screen, another temple defender was there to switch and Simpson was bottled up. His dribbling was high and he couldn’t maneuver himself to drive passed the second defender. Temple recognized the weakness and just continued to play him tight. We need to set better screens and our wings need to move faster to get open.

This was a great learning experience for Derek and it will pay dividends as we move through the season. With Caleb and Paul, we would have crushed Temple. Its thar simple. Jalen is not a point guard. We need to get healthy but i am not concerned about this team at all. We clearly have the potential ro be better than last year.

 

[BillyC80]

True but part of that was Coach’s fault in my opinion. He was content with either Derek and Cam dribbling endlessly. The lack of quick passing and instead endless dribbling was hard to watch. If they applied ball pressure , they should have passed to the wing and cut a few times until they backed off. Pike was content walking the ball up court when the wheels were falling off in the first half with no attempt to get us going in transition. Adjustment was made later in second half

. Derek looked like first half Columbia and should have sat down and not played as many minutes. He is only a freshman only 4 games into his career. No reason to put that type of pressure on him.

Agree. Was going to post the same thought, about too much dribbling and not enough quick passing.

 

[bac2therac]

If you think we are getting scoring from the other 4 starters than I suppose he is not a worry. If he is going to be asked to be a primary scorer I am worried

Its about recruiting

There was no replacement for Ron brought in and the board acted as if we were just going to plug in inconsistent role players

Miller was a miss in recruiting and we are paying for it this year

 

[bac2therac]

Mag Hyatt Dean Oskar Woolfolk Chol all have played some 4 this year. It's the most crowded position on the entire roster

I rest my case

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Its about recruiting

There was no replacement for Ron brought in and the board acted as if we were just going to plug in inconsistent role players

Miller was a miss in recruiting and we are paying for it this year

1. The book isn’t closed on this topic for 2022-23. Admittedly I am extremely concerned
2. Most programs have down years. I’d think after losing Ron and Geo that wouldn’t be shocking
3. I don’t think enough people respect how hard it STILL is to recruit at Rutgers. What Pike has done is miraculous

 

[bac2therac]

1. The book isn’t closed on this topic for 2022-23. Admittedly I am extremely concerned
2. Most programs have down years. I’d think after losing Ron and Geo that wouldn’t be shocking
3. I don’t think enough people respect how hard it STILL is to recruit at Rutgers. What Pike has done is miraculous

Agree

We also have alot of role players on team

If Paul and Cliff leave after this year its frightening

 

[BillyC80]

1. The book isn’t closed on this topic for 2022-23. Admittedly I am extremely concerned
2. Most programs have down years. I’d think after losing Ron and Geo that wouldn’t be shocking
3. I don’t think enough people respect how hard it STILL is to recruit at Rutgers. What Pike has done is miraculous

Your first point is important. Let’s remember that with Ron and Geo at this time last year we lost to UMass and DePaul away from the RAC and Lafayette at the RAC.

Criticizing Pike’s recruiting after a game where 2 of our starters were out is unfair at this point in the season. It remains to be seen whether this team, as currently configured, will meet or exceed our results from last year.

 

[richthedentist]

Just re-watch the offense in the first half. It was horrendous. No movement, very rarely a ball screen, not once did they try to get their only shooter open. It was like they were just thrown out there with no plan.

And we NEVER ever run off the ball screens this is our offense under Pikell which continually boggles me considering all our coaches are point guards!!!

 

[bac2therac]

Your first point is important. Let’s remember that with Ron and Geo at this time last year we lost to UMass and DePaul away from the RAC and Lafayette at the RAC.

Criticizing Pike’s recruiting after a game where 2 of our starters were out is unfair at this point in the season. It remains to be seen whether this team, as currently configured, will meet or exceed our results from last year.

Its not just after game...during last season i had my ckncerns whether guys like Miller Mag Reiber and even Hyatt were good enough to sustain success. I see them as limited and more served as role players

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

And we NEVER ever run off the ball screens this is our offense under Pikell which continually boggles me considering all our coaches are point guards!!!

Talk to me when Paul is back.

We had a tough time initiating offense because we didn’t have a capable point guard on the floor against Temple that wasn’t bothered by the moderate pressure applied by temple

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Its not just after game...during last season i had my ckncerns whether guys like Miller Mag Reiber and even Hyatt were good enough to sustain success. I see them as limited and more served as role players

If we are both right….we have a bunch of “role” players trying to get points in a half court offense…….

Is it enough to win all the cupcakes and go 12-12 the 24 real games and finish 19-12?

We have plenty of mediocre teams on the 24 game slate AND 11 are at home.

Caleb and Paul back means 66 minutes taken away from the players you saw in the temple game. PLUS, in theory, Paul enhances the play of others.

Where I have concerns that others don’t seem to have……The Caleb we have seen over his time at RU makes our offense worse.

 

[bac2therac]

If we are both right….we have a bunch of “role” players trying to get points in a half court offense…….

Is it enough to win all the cupcakes and go 12-12 the 24 real games and finish 19-12?

We have plenty of mediocre teams on the 24 game slate AND 11 are at home.

Caleb and Paul back means 66 minutes taken away from the players you saw in the temple game. PLUS, in theory, Paul enhances the play of others.

Where I have concerns that others don’t seem to have……The Caleb we have seen over his time at RU makes our offense worse.

It could..we need Paul and Caleb back...all the cogs have to be in place. The wheel spinning is sync better than the individuals. Its a narrow path with not alot of margin for error because unlike other years there is no Ron or Geo to hit a big shot in crunch time

We need a reminder that Paul and Caleb strengths are not as scorers but their strengths will put the other guys in better positions to succeed. Without them i do not think they are capable of stepping up on their own

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I hope I am wrong….I think there is a path, but is is very narrow.

We can’t have injuries to Cam, Cliff. Caleb or Paul.

Especially cliff and Paul

 

[BillyC80]

When we’re at full strength with Paul and Caleb back up to speed (will take a few games after their return), I believe Cam will have breakout performances because his skills will be enhanced by the team firing on all cylinders.

To some degree that will be true for all our guys, including and especially Cliff and to some degree Simpson, but I can see Cam benefiting the most.

 

[Yeah Baby]

So much hand wringing after a loss away from the RAC. I suspect Temple is better than U Mass and DePaul but either way 2 guys were out and we were not at home. We are a much better team at the RAC.

It’s true we don’t have a Ron or a Geo right now to hit the big 3’s. It’s gotta be team ball and get to the rim and that means Cliff vacating the rim which we did in the second half.

First half and part of the second half was bad basketball. Guys slipping, bad passes, guys taking their eyes off passes and trying to catch with one hand. Our chemistry was off without Paul but they worked it out in the second half which I take as a positive. We lacked energy which we always get at home. Winning on the road at some point is going to be our make or break for the fourth year in a row. We always find a way to get it done.

Spencer will score for us and Simpson is going to be a very good player for us without a doubt.

 

[MiloTalon13]

Where I have concerns that others don’t seem to have……The Caleb we have seen over his time at RU makes our offense worse.

Caleb for the Mag we've seen so far or Jalen is probably and upgrade offensively but maybe a wash. A downgrade if he's in for Hyatt or anyone else. Having a few 6'4"+ guys who can handle the ball and guard multiple positions gives Pikiell options lineup wise, hopefully we don't see much of any two of Caleb/Mag/Jalen on the court at the same time.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Caleb for the Mag we've seen so far or Jalen is probably and upgrade offensively but maybe a wash. A downgrade if he's in for Hyatt or anyone else. Having a few 6'4"+ guys who can handle the ball and guard multiple positions gives Pikiell options lineup wise, hopefully we don't see much of any two of Caleb/Mag/Jalen on the court at the same time.

Paul Caleb and Cam on the floor gives us 3 capable ball handlers. We will see teams that have 1 or 2 ball hawking defenders that can disrupt is, but 3?

The problem with having Mag and Hyatt on the floor is it leaves us with only 2 ball handlers. One possession Hyatt tried and it was a fail.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Spencer will score for us and Simpson is going to be a very good player for us without a doubt.

Not sure how one can say there isnt at least a doubt.

Simpson right now reminds me a lot of Montez Mathis with a better handle and a green light. Montez was a useful player and Simpson has only played 4 games.

 

[Yeah Baby]

Not sure how one can say there isnt at least a doubt.

Simpson right now reminds me a lot of Montez Mathis with a better handle and a green light. Montez was a useful player and Simpson has only played 4 games.

Tez was a pretty good player for us. Tez with a better handle would have been a very good player for us. There’s a reason players get the green light.

 

[Unionst]

Not sure how one can say there isnt at least a doubt.

Simpson right now reminds me a lot of Montez Mathis with a better handle and a green light. Montez was a useful player and Simpson has only played 4 games.

I actually don‘t think Simpson has a very good handle - reminds me of Caleb as a freshman so hopefully that is a skill he can improve Upon. He needs to be physically stronger as well to be effective on the point. He’s a year away but I think he can get there. Not a given though. In the meantime we’re screwed if Paul’s shoulder injury lingers.

 

[Mr Magoo]

Simpson should be a much better college player than Mathis. The basketball IQ and passing ability isn’t close.

 

[rudad02]

Agree. Was going to post the same thought, about too much dribbling and not enough quick passing.

Agree.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

too much dribbling is a lot better than picking up your dribble 45 feet from the basket!!!!!!

too much dribbling and not enough passing were symptoms
the problem was ball handlers not being able to handle hawkish perimeter pressure.

Unfortunately the only workable solution was to throw high screens and penetrate. that takes our offensive sets/plays and puts it in the garbage.

What scares me is teams have tape and know what needs to be done to disrupt our half court offense. It should be better with Paul in there. Even better with @Geo_Baker_1 in there, but that probably doesnt happen.

 

[Joey Bags]

But made 3 uncontested layup in the last minute

We also cut the lead from 11 to 4 in the last minute..

 

[goru7]

too much dribbling is a lot better than picking up your dribble 45 feet from the basket!!!!!!

too much dribbling and not enough passing were symptoms
the problem was ball handlers not being able to handle hawkish perimeter pressure.

Unfortunately the only workable solution was to throw high screens and penetrate. that takes our offensive sets/plays and puts it in the garbage.

What scares me is teams have tape and know what needs to be done to disrupt our half court offense. It should be better with Paul in there. Even better with @Geo_Baker_1 in there, but that probably doesnt happen.

Too much dribbling is never good. Let me repeat bever good. Quick ball movement to the wing and to the post would have negated a lot of the first half ball pressure on our guards. I am not worried if Paul or Caleb are pressured because I have seen them handle pressure and they know how to break it and create shots at the rim. This game unfortunately exposed both Derek and Cam if you were relying on them to be the point guard initiating our offense. Doubt they will be when we are healthy.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Too much dribbling is never good. Let me repeat bever good. Quick ball movement to the wing and to the post would have negated a lot of the first half ball pressure on our guards. I am not worried if Paul or Caleb are pressured because I have seen them handle pressure and they know how to break it and create shots at the rim. This game unfortunately exposed both Derek and Cam if you were relying on them to be the point guard initiating our offense. Doubt they will be when we are healthy.

You didn’t read my post.

Of course we want less dribbling and more passing. Just like we want our defnesive back to turn his head when the QB throws it. It is simple to say we should have passed it to the wing. It is simple to say run full speed to try and catch up to the WR that is a step ahead and do so with your head turned the other way.

How do you make a wing entry when you are 45 feet from the basket and worried about having the ball stolen.

It is like the Mike Tyson quote about plans and getting punched in the mouth

 

[goru7]

You didn’t read my post.

Of course we want less dribbling and more passing. Just like we want our defnesive back to turn his head when the QB throws it. It is simple to say we should have passed it to the wing. It is simple to say run full speed to try and catch up to the WR that is a step ahead and do so with your head turned the other way.

How do you make a wing entry when you are 45 feet from the basket and worried about having the ball stolen.

It is like the Mike Tyson quote about plans and getting punched in the mouth

The dribbling too much you watched was being done because Derek and Cam to a lesser extent thought they were going to beat their guy to the basket. It was not being done to set up the offense. That is done immediately. The continuing dribbling is thinking u will eventually brake down and beat your man. It was a terrible miscalculation.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

The dribbling too much you watched was being done because Derek and Cam to a lesser extent thought they were going to beat their guy to the basket. It was not being done to set up the offense. That is done immediately. The continuing dribbling is thinking u will eventually brake down and beat your man. It was a terrible miscalculation.

No. They were being hounded and couldn’t initiate the offense…..not by choice.

 

[goru7]

No. They were being hounded and couldn’t initiate the offense…..not by choice.

All the more reason to pass the ball.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

All the more reason to pass the ball.

So you think Pike would sit for 30+ 1st half possessions and watch us not get in to our offense if it was a decision our guards were making?

I sit across from Pike and watch him and he is very active communicating with guards and sometime calling plays. He doesn’t forget or accept us playing non structured offense.

 

[goru7]

So you think Pike would sit for 30+ 1st half possessions and watch us not get in to our offense if it was a decision our guards were making?

I sit across from Pike and watch him and he is very active communicating with guards and sometime calling plays. He doesn’t forget or accept us playing non structured offense.

Non structured offense. The offense was offensive. 10 turnovers in 15 trips. No attempt to change the pace of the game and happy to let our guards walk it up the court hounded and then hounded some more and no attempt to pass the ball. Instead of citing your opinion go re watch that first half. Try hard not to throw up as we dribbled endlessly.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Non structured offense. The offense was offensive. 10 turnovers in 15 trips. No attempt to change the pace of the game and happy to let our guards walk it up the court hounded and then hounded some more and no attempt to pass the ball. Instead of citing your opinion go re watch that first half. Try hard not to throw up as we dribbled endlessly.

It wasn’t by choice!

I drove 3 hours to go to the game. Definitely not going to rewatch. I knew exactly what was happening. Exactly what Aaron McKie was trying to do. He was in the floor making sure the guards stuck on Simpson.

You are mad at the symptoms and not the problem.

Our WR didn’t get open because they didn’t run good routes. They didn’t get open because the defense was covering them like a blanket and they weren’t good enough to get open.

 

[RUsojo]

The big issue was absolutely no one was recruited to replace Ron....period.

Bingo we really haven’t recruited a skilled wing in like 5 years. Not as in we brought a few in and they didn’t work out, as in we didn’t even bring a real all around wing into the program. Crazy

 

[RUsojo]

If we are both right….we have a bunch of “role” players trying to get points in a half court offense…….

Is it enough to win all the cupcakes and go 12-12 the 24 real games and finish 19-12?

We have plenty of mediocre teams on the 24 game slate AND 11 are at home.

Caleb and Paul back means 66 minutes taken away from the players you saw in the temple game. PLUS, in theory, Paul enhances the play of others.

Where I have concerns that others don’t seem to have……The Caleb we have seen over his time at RU makes our offense worse.

Gonna be tough in the beginning especially because we always start slow but hopefully pike can figure it out in the back half of the schedule and find some offense. I’d be surprised if it’s through Caleb. I’m not confident but he has found easy to improve in the past and hope he can do it again.

 

[Nycrusupporter]

The dribbling too much you watched was being done because Derek and Cam to a lesser extent thought they were going to beat their guy to the basket. It was not being done to set up the offense. That is done immediately. The continuing dribbling is thinking u will eventually brake down and beat your man. It was a terrible miscalculation.

Derek is not ready to initiate the offense, and Cam had to step into the role because no one else was getting the ball past mid court. As long as Paul and Caleb come back we will be fine. Like most teams, we if lose two of our top 3 players we are in a world of trouble.