Coaching Fails on Multiple Fronts Is Why We Are BAD this year

[RUSCFORMERLYRULOU]

1. The recruiting fails - Palmquist, Reiber, the guard who left (can't remember his name).
2. The portal fails for this year, coupled with being caught off guard with Spencer and Mulcahy.
3. Inability to get Griffiths in the mix. He might say goodbyesville for next year.
4. The inexplicable egression of Cliff O - he is not even a shadow of the player he was the last few years.
5. No real bigs outside of Cliff and Woolfolk, which is why our rebounding is poor.
6. Inability to run any kind of offense.
7. Lack of court awareness by our guards.
8. Despite the stats, we are not nearly the defensive team we have been.

Conclusion: Our coaching this year and with aspects in other years are poor and it's caught up to us. Williamson might be some recruiting wizard but can he teach? I thought Knight was supposed to be the guard guru? What's Thompson doing? Is Pike not managing team chemistry well?

My hopes for this year are completely dashed. For next year, my hopes are three fold:
1. Obviously next year's recruiting class - although there's a little voice in my head that thinks that Dylan may look elsewhere if we continue to play like this. Remember, he hasn't signed anything yet.
2. I only want Davis, Mag, Griffiths and maybe Simpson back next year. Everyone else can hit the portal, and we can get pieces int he portal (if Pike utilizes it correctly) to build around Ace and Dylan.
3. BRING BACK JAY YOUNG. He can teach bigs, defense and rebounding.

 

[kcg88]

Where's Gavin going? The A-10? High major schools are interested in:

1. Proven productive players
2. Formerly highly rated recruits who haven't seen the floor.

They're not interested in guys who actually get minutes and don't produce.

 

[RUSCFORMERLYRULOU]

Where's Gavin going? The A-10? High major schools are interested in:

1. Proven productive players
2. Formerly highly rated recruits who haven't seen the floor.

They're not interested in guys who actually get minutes and don't produce.

Trust me - some blue blood will take a chance on a five star, top 25 kid with the thought he's being terribly mismanaged (TRUTH).

 

[RAC93]

Where's Gavin going? The A-10? High major schools are interested in:

1. Proven productive players
2. Formerly highly rated recruits who haven't seen the floor.

They're not interested in guys who actually get minutes and don't produce.

I guess that’s the silver lining to Gavin’s poor performance thus far. He hasn’t put much good play on tape to generate portal interest.

 

[kcg88]

Trust me - some blue blood will take a chance on a five star, top 25 kid with the thought he's being terribly mismanaged (TRUTH).

No shot. He might catch on somewhere like a Georgetown or Penn State situation where a coach needs bodies. But like... Iowa isn't taking him. Maryland isn't taking him. Let alone UConn or Kentucky.

 

[Rutgers25]

No shot. He might catch on somewhere like a Georgetown or Penn State situation where a coach needs bodies. But like... Iowa isn't taking him. Maryland isn't taking him. Let alone UConn or Kentucky.

Iowa absolutely would take him. Fran knows Pike is an offensively challenged coach. This isn’t some secret that Pike doesn’t know what he’s doing offensively. We’ve won games due to incredible effort defensively, rebounding and clutch one on one play offensively.

 

[RUSCFORMERLYRULOU]

Iowa absolutely would take him. Fran knows Pike is an offensively challenged coach. This isn’t some secret that Pike doesn’t know what he’s doing offensively. We’ve won games due to incredible effort defensively, rebounding and clutch one on one play offensively.

This.

 

[FAT MOON]

You guys begging for Gavin are funny. He hasn’t been good all year. Liability on defense and his offense is a mess. If he was a three star recruit you’d be killing Pike for the miss.

He’s a true Frosh. Coaching staff knows how valuable he is and guarantee they are working with him nonstop in practice to fix both ends. They just aren’t gonna play a kid more than he’s earned because he had stars next to his name.

 

[BigEastPhil]

Lou can be a bit of a delirious poster but I am concerned about Gavin possibly transferring at the end of the year.

Is Gavun the reason or is the coaching staff the reason why he hasn’t played well ? It’s probably both but many times the player and family etc will decide a change of scenery makes sense especially given how bad Gavin has looked.

If he decides to leave, he ll have many suitors. Potential is a significant commodity especially in the right system where offense is emphasized

 

[bethlehemfan]

Pike didn’t forget how to coach. He has a bad roster. He will never admit but he knows it.

 

[RUSCFORMERLYRULOU]

Lou can be a bit of a delirious poster but I am concerned about Gavin possibly transferring at the end of the year.

Is Gavun the reason or is the coaching staff the reason why he hasn’t played well ? It’s probably both but many times the player and family etc will decide a change of scenery makes sense especially given how bad Gavin has looked.

If he decides to leave, he ll have many suitors. Potential is a significant commodity especially in the right system where offense is emphasized

I can occasionally be as you say "delirious" in years past. But I stand my analysis in my initial post as spot-on gospel.

 

[Scarlet Blind]

1) Palmquist Reiber and Jalen Miller were underrecruited role players that didn't work out, not Main Recruiting targets that Pike has landed more often than not.

2) Up until June 1st, Pike thought he still had Spencer and Mulcahy on the roster after the portal window closed. He can't actively recruit players and promise playing time with Spencer and Mulcahy still here which made it worse. If we kept one, the guards aren't as bad off as we are. Teams succeed with two returning guards, we have 1 with 1 year of returning experience this year is why all the inconsistencies and chemistry issues.

3) Gavin is a rail thin 18-19 year old freshman and needs to bulk up. He has trouble getting to his spots or creating his own shot, and the guards are interested more in finding their own shot than passing it off to Gavin when he is in his spots. Hence, the low assist totals.

4) Cliff is "regressing" because teams are doubling Cliff, and until Mag got back we've had no other player that is a post up option on the floor with Cliff. The Woolf/Cliff experiment didn't work and the guards aren't very good passing into the post.

5) Rebounding has gotten better now that Mag is back.

6) We are running an offense but our guards are too inexperienced with each other to run it. Simpson 1 year 14 games, Davis, Williams, Noah 14 games. Chemistry just doesn't happen overnight or in practice, it develops as you play live competition.

7) See 6)

8) Now that we are into the B1G season and vs other good teams, Q1 and Q2 1-6, we have 4 out of 10 players in their first year here learning and playing in a new system to them, Noah, Austin, Gavin, and JMike, Derek and Woolf, 2nd year, Cliff, Mag, Hyatt, and Oscar being here more than two years, all forwards/centers. Our defense is suffering at times because of the inexperience at the guard position for 40 minutes. We are losing to higher ranked teams that have guards and forwards returning from 22-23 which is why they are good teams.

We can only hope at some point this year talent takes over and chemistry develops before it's too late, we are closer than you think. This year could look a lot like 2018-19(7-13) when we got rolling. I think we started 0-5, went 7-6 and lost our last two after the Thiam incident but should have won at least one of them. I don't think we start 0-5, I think we should get our first win vs Indiana at home, we should be at least a 0.500 team in our last 16 games.

 

[RUJMM78]

Griffiths was supposed to be the replacement for Spencer's 3 point shooting.The experiment so far has been a failure for the player and the team.

 

[Mr Magoo]

You guys begging for Gavin are funny. He hasn’t been good all year. Liability on defense and his offense is a mess. If he was a three star recruit you’d be killing Pike for the miss.

He’s a true Frosh. Coaching staff knows how valuable he is and guarantee they are working with him nonstop in practice to fix both ends. They just aren’t gonna play a kid more than he’s earned because he had stars next to his name.

He should have been playing much more earlier. Now, he looks shattered. He’s been terrible but he’s also been mismanaged. You build a kid up and set him up for success. You don’t break him.

A simple back-door now and then early on to get him going would be nice but we don’t even know what that is.

 

[zappaa]

Griffiths would more than likely end up a poster child for going somewhere else and putting a clinic on against us if we played his new team

 

[rucoe89]

1. The recruiting fails - Palmquist, Reiber, the guard who left (can't remember his name).
2. The portal fails for this year, coupled with being caught off guard with Spencer and Mulcahy.
3. Inability to get Griffiths in the mix. He might say goodbyesville for next year.
4. The inexplicable egression of Cliff O - he is not even a shadow of the player he was the last few years.
5. No real bigs outside of Cliff and Woolfolk, which is why our rebounding is poor.
6. Inability to run any kind of offense.
7. Lack of court awareness by our guards.
8. Despite the stats, we are not nearly the defensive team we have been.

Conclusion: Our coaching this year and with aspects in other years are poor and it's caught up to us. Williamson might be some recruiting wizard but can he teach? I thought Knight was supposed to be the guard guru? What's Thompson doing? Is Pike not managing team chemistry well?

My hopes for this year are completely dashed. For next year, my hopes are three fold:
1. Obviously next year's recruiting class - although there's a little voice in my head that thinks that Dylan may look elsewhere if we continue to play like this. Remember, he hasn't signed anything yet.
2. I only want Davis, Mag, Griffiths and maybe Simpson back next year. Everyone else can hit the portal, and we can get pieces int he portal (if Pike utilizes it correctly) to build around Ace and Dylan.
3. BRING BACK JAY YOUNG. He can teach bigs, defense and rebounding.

Pikiell is a nice guy, but I just can't see him getting us to a final 4, even with a roster that includes Bailey and Harper. His teams consistently struggle to score. His team defenses can be good, but when they are not we are done. To get to final 4 you need both. Other coaches and teams are able to do that because they have talent that can do that on the court and bench. Arguably we will have that talent next year. But, whether this coaching staff can get the potential out of them is a big question mark.

 

[coldsprings]

Admittedly, there are 5-star busts, but which is more likely: Gavin is a bust, or Pike has terribly mismanaged him. Confidence comes from doing, and if you are getting the hook quickly, there is no way you are building confidence.

Most coaches will conclude Gavin has been terribly mismanaged. He and his parents will look elsewhere if this continues. They will find many takers.

 

[zappaa]

Name the players whose final year here was obviously more productive and better than the years preceding it?
Can any of us confidently say Simpson will be a much improved player as a senior?
Shouldn’t he be?

 

[rubs]

Our guards don’t make others better. So often other teams’ guards drive to the basket and dish out for open threes(shots). Almost all of our shots are contested.

 

[zappaa]

Our guards don’t make others better. So often other teams’ guards drive to the basket and dish out for open threes(shots). Almost all of our shots are contested.

Have you ever seen a pivot man swarmed, tied up and guarded by 2 and 3 defenders like Cliff is every time he touches the ball.
I have to believe there something schematically incorrect in what we are attempting to do?

 

[Shelby65]

Issue is, Cliff can’t convert OR find open players to pass to. But if they don’t use him in that way they’d be playing 4 on 5.

At the end of the day players need to make plays.

 

[FAT MOON]

Lou can be a bit of a delirious poster but I am concerned about Gavin possibly transferring at the end of the year.

Is Gavun the reason or is the coaching staff the reason why he hasn’t played well ? It’s probably both but many times the player and family etc will decide a change of scenery makes sense especially given how bad Gavin has looked.

If he decides to leave, he ll have many suitors. Potential is a significant commodity especially in the right system where offense is emphasized

I’m with you. I’m nervous too. But you can’t just play a younger guy 30 plus minutes when he hasn’t earned it. At least not until the season is out of reach. Plus the transfer risk would be just as high if he came in here and lit it up and suitors were trying to give him a huge bag to leave. You just have to trust your program and your culture and KOTR and co to ante up after the season lol.

Remember Simpson had a way way better second half than first half last year. Hopeful Gavin will be the same.

 

[Scangg]

Our guards don’t make others better. So often other teams’ guards drive to the basket and dish out for open threes(shots)

This

 

[Scangg]

Gavin is 100% a portal risk at this point

In today's game, everyone is. There is plenty of season left though. If he finds life at some point I'd fully expect him back. If it keeps going like this...

 

[zappaa]

Gavin is 100% a portal risk at this point

In today's game, everyone is. There is plenty of season left though. If he finds life at some point I'd fully expect him back. If it keeps going like this...

When you’re young and struggling it’s good to have structure, a system and an assignment to guide you.
Does Gavin have that?

 

[fluoxetine]

Admittedly, there are 5-star busts, but which is more likely: Gavin is a bust, or Pike has terribly mismanaged him. Confidence comes from doing, and if you are getting the hook quickly, there is no way you are building confidence.

Most coaches will conclude Gavin has been terribly mismanaged. He and his parents will look elsewhere if this continues. They will find many takers.

Of the two options you’ve given, it’s more likely he’s a bust. By a lot. There simply wasn’t time for the coaching staff to **** him up this badly, and it’s not clear to me what they could even have possibly done to do so. Furthermore, he plays plenty of minutes, this “gets the hook quickly” stuff is nonsense.

However, it doesn’t have to be either, he can just be a freshman in a slump.

 

[Scangg]

When you’re young and struggling it’s good to have structure, a system and an assignment to guide you.
Does Gavin have that?

Nope. It looks like he's told to be aggressive but then has been taking bad early shots and missing and getting yanked

 

[fluoxetine]

Nope. It looks like he's told to be aggressive but then has been taking bad early shots and missing and getting yanked

He’s been missing by a country mile, he’s air balled multiple threes, he can’t hit foul shots. He’s in a bad place mentally but unless Pike has been threatening to murder his family or something it’s pretty unclear how it could really be his fault.

 

[bethlehemfan]

GG seems like a Chris remley type
with more upside.

 

[King of S]

Iowa absolutely would take him. Fran knows Pike is an offensively challenged coach. This isn’t some secret that Pike doesn’t know what he’s doing offensively. We’ve won games due to incredible effort defensively, rebounding and clutch one on one play offensively.

Let’s hope Dylan doesn’t realize this about our offensively challenged coach.

 

[zappaa]

He’s been missing by a country mile, he’s air balled multiple threes, he can’t hit foul shots. He’s in a bad place mentally but unless Pike has been threatening to murder his family or something it’s pretty unclear how it could really be his fault.

Of the two options you’ve given, it’s more likely he’s a bust. By a lot. There simply wasn’t time for the coaching staff to **** him up this badly, and it’s not clear to me what they could even have possibly done to do so. Furthermore, he plays plenty of minutes, this “gets the hook quickly” stuff is nonsense.

However, it doesn’t have to be either, he can just be a freshman in a slump.

He’s completely lost and looks like he's hasn’t played much basketball

 

[Mr Magoo]

Gavin is 100% a portal risk at this point

In today's game, everyone is. There is plenty of season left though. If he finds life at some point I'd fully expect him back. If it keeps going like this...

Big East teams will be all over him if it doesn’t work out here. He needs to play but just throwing out there in this mess of an offense isn’t doing him any favors. Pike needs to figure it out as much as he does.

 

[fluoxetine]

He’s lost and looks like he's hasn’t played much basketball

Okay but he is obviously playing basketball. He's "lost" in the sense that he shoots and it goes into the stands instead of at the hoop. Blaming that on coaching is a huge stretch.

 

[Doctorzit]

1. The recruiting fails - Palmquist, Reiber, the guard who left (can't remember his name).
2. The portal fails for this year, coupled with being caught off guard with Spencer and Mulcahy.
3. Inability to get Griffiths in the mix. He might say goodbyesville for next year.
4. The inexplicable egression of Cliff O - he is not even a shadow of the player he was the last few years.
5. No real bigs outside of Cliff and Woolfolk, which is why our rebounding is poor.
6. Inability to run any kind of offense.
7. Lack of court awareness by our guards.
8. Despite the stats, we are not nearly the defensive team we have been.

Conclusion: Our coaching this year and with aspects in other years are poor and it's caught up to us. Williamson might be some recruiting wizard but can he teach? I thought Knight was supposed to be the guard guru? What's Thompson doing? Is Pike not managing team chemistry well?

My hopes for this year are completely dashed. For next year, my hopes are three fold:
1. Obviously next year's recruiting class - although there's a little voice in my head that thinks that Dylan may look elsewhere if we continue to play like this. Remember, he hasn't signed anything yet.
2. I only want Davis, Mag, Griffiths and maybe Simpson back next year. Everyone else can hit the portal, and we can get pieces int he portal (if Pike utilizes it correctly) to build around Ace and Dylan.
3. BRING BACK JAY YOUNG. He can teach bigs, defense and rebounding.

I agree with almost everything you have written here. A good coach adapts his schemes to the strengths of his players. For one Griffith can't get himself open for 3 pointers. Where are the plays to accomplish this? Our guards save for one are not good 2 person pick and rolls players. Iowa has most players on the move on offense. RU has 1 player at each baseline corner just standing still; a 2 man game at the top of the key; and another player near the basket. There is no constant movement and picks trying to get someone like Gavin open for a squared up shot. Obviously, these players don't fit the current scheme being played on offense.

 

[Plum Street]

Name the players whose final year here was obviously more productive and better than the years preceding it?
Can any of us confidently say Simpson will be a much improved player as a senior?
Shouldn’t he be?

Under pike ? Harper, Eugene , sanders, McConnell . Palmquist

 

[darkcheck]

Why do true frosh contribute all over college basketball. Every year. Look at Ndongo at Ga Tech. But our frosh need time and nurturing?

 

[LotusAggressor]

He should have been playing much more earlier. Now, he looks shattered. He’s been terrible but he’s also been mismanaged. You build a kid up and set him up for success. You don’t break him.

A simple back-door now and then early on to get him going would be nice but we don’t even know what that is.

It's amazing how much this team struggles with the basics on offense.

 

[SBP]

Why do true frosh contribute all over college basketball. Every year. Look at Ndongo at Ga Tech. But our frosh need time and nurturing?

Indiana frosh inside guy is a handful.

 

[RU to the Core]

He’s a big tall kid who can dribble. Why not drive to the hoop and stop trying to shoot threes. That one game early in the year he was crushing it. That didn’t look like a bust to me. But I agree that I thought he’d be shooting lights out and it’s not even close. It’s odd.

 

[Scangg]

I agree with almost everything you have written here. A good coach adapts his schemes to the strengths of his players. For one Griffith can't get himself open for 3 pointers. Where are the plays to accomplish this? Our guards save for one are not good 2 person pick and rolls players. Iowa has most players on the move on offense. RU has 1 player at each baseline corner just standing still; a 2 man game at the top of the key; and another player near the basket. There is no constant movement and picks trying to get someone like Gavin open for a squared up shot. Obviously, these players don't fit the current scheme being played on offense.

Wayyy too much standing and watching. No one ever is cutting. There are no off ball screens of any kind really. Even when it looks like we run some sort of set, the players look like they are going through a walk through instead of with purpose