Can't wait......We’re going to try to play really fast,” Fernandes said. “Rutgers has been one of the best defensive teams in the country. We want to use that to play fast, to get in the best shape possible, wear people down and play in transition.”
I always felt his teams were well conditioned no matter how they were trying to play. A physical game demands peak conditioning too.Maybe the 15th time I've seen him or pike talk about being in shape. If you're going to go with the run and shoot style, everyone needs to be in peak condition. Get this man with the cross country team for the fall ..
You know some posters will take what you say as a dis towards Paul and Cam. I see it as Rutgers adapting the personnel to the style of play Pike wants to run this year. Defense is the program's calling card, but offense has been lagging. Pike has made a decision to change that approach by bringing in more athletic players who fit the faster pace offense. If the offense can score on average of 5 to 7 points more per game, we are talking another 2 to 4 wins minimum. We're talking about a different view on the season.The takeaways from the article, highlight a lot of the inefficiency or limitations with the guard play last year....highlights or focus on playing a faster tempo and that "this is the first time Cliff with be playing with a true slash & dish PG", should be something to see in action.
There's really no reason why Cliff shouldn't jump to about 17 to 18PPG, if we play faster and get out in transition.
The other part about Fernandes being a leader and mentoring the younger guards Simpson and Davis is also another important aspect towards their development.
Those two guards need to see a veteran player who plays at a similar size and skill set in practice....and those plays can or should be easier to simulate with Simpson and Davis playing like Fernandes.
I can't see how this roster isn't vastly improved, especially in practice and preparation for games with a deeper backcourt to simulate what opponents run. Much easier to do with this type of backcourt or roster vs last year.
Is he an overall upgrade to PM?Noah was an important get. He showed during the foreign tour that he will be a good point guard who can score, hand out assists and speed up the offense. We will be a good team this year.
Short answer: yesIs he an overall upgrade to PM?
Out of curiosity, why would you exclude the freshman year for one and not the other?Outside of his first season, 21 game- 3 starts, with Wichita St that drags down his averages, Noah is a better true PG than Paul.
3 yrs UMass 52 games, 51 starts, 1664 minutes, 13.6pts, FG 236-534 44.2%,
2pt 148-306 48.4%, 3pt 88-228 38.6%, FT 149-197 75.6%, 4.8ast, 3.1reb, 1.4 STL
Paul 4 yrs RU, 121 GM, 81 starts, 3326 minutes, 6.8 pts, FG 308-683 45.1%
2pt 232-474 48.9%, 3pt 76-209 36.4%, FT 126-176 71.6%, 3.8ast, 3.4reb, 0.9 STL
Noah in half the minutes or less than half the amount of games, took and hit more 3pts than Paul, took and hit more FTs than Paul. To be effective, you have to be a threat to shoot, score, or draw fouls. Paul hasn't shown that consistently at the point forward spot or the point guard spot given the amount of minutes he's played, injury or no injury.
Noah is a better, more willing shooter, but even more importantly he is a true ballhandler. We won’t have trouble with full court pressure this year, and we will not be at constant risk of backcourt violations because we need the full 10 seconds to get across mid court.Outside of his first season, 21 game- 3 starts, with Wichita St that drags down his averages, Noah is a better true PG than Paul.
3 yrs UMass 52 games, 51 starts, 1664 minutes, 13.6pts, FG 236-534 44.2%,
2pt 148-306 48.4%, 3pt 88-228 38.6%, FT 149-197 75.6%, 4.8ast, 3.1reb, 1.4 STL
Paul 4 yrs RU, 121 GM, 81 starts, 3326 minutes, 6.8 pts, FG 308-683 45.1%
2pt 232-474 48.9%, 3pt 76-209 36.4%, FT 126-176 71.6%, 3.8ast, 3.4reb, 0.9 STL
Noah in half the minutes or less than half the amount of games, took and hit more 3pts than Paul, took and hit more FTs than Paul. To be effective, you have to be a threat to shoot, score, or draw fouls. Paul hasn't shown that consistently at the point forward spot or the point guard spot given the amount of minutes he's played, injury or no injury.
Noah is a better, more willing shooter, but even more importantly he is a true ballhandler. We won’t have trouble with full court pressure this year, and we will not be at constant risk of backcourt violations because we need the full 10 seconds to get across mid court.
It almost has to be better since Miller rarely played and Simpson only played more later in the year. Hopefully a veteran in Fernandes combined with a more experienced Simpson bringing along Davis will work better.Not doubting Fernandes - there was just no reason for the cherry-picking in the comparison. There's 4 years of stats for both players.
In terms of ball handling and pushing the pace against pressure, I also feel the combination of Fernandes/Simpson/Davis will be a better combo than Mulcahy/Simpson/Miller last year.
Remember how many slow walks up last year leaving little time to get into an offensive set?? Then rushing a tough shot.Short answer: yes