Development

[PhillyRU]

I get that overall talent level is a big reason our offense blows, but the lack of development on that end is really alarming too. Is there a player on the roster that's a better offensively than they were last year? I really cant' think of one.

Meanwhile, Gavin has gone from one of the more hapless defenders I've seen on a HM court to acquitting himself very nicely against a good offensive team yesterday. Speaks to probably my biggest issue with the current RU program, a belief that the offense will kind of just get better

 

[Eagleton96]

I get that overall talent level is a big reason our offense blows, but the lack of development on that end is really alarming too. Is there a player on the roster that's a better offensively than they were last year? I really cant' think of one.

Meanwhile, Gavin has gone from one of the more hapless defenders I've seen on a HM court to acquitting himself very nicely against a good offensive team yesterday. Speaks to probably my biggest issue with the current RU program, a belief that the offense will kind of just get better

They get reasonable looks from 3, and layup attempts. And miss a lot of them. Coaching gets you in position to make a shot. The players have to make the shot. Most of these players are 4th or 5th year guys that are career low % shooters. They aren't changing much in one off season of training.

 

[DirtyRU]

Derek is just a disaster. He literally almost NEVER finishes a layup if there is even an ounce of contact/resistance, etc. and his midrange game is more often than not brick city. He also rarely hits from deep. It's a shame for several reasons, most notably:

1. He is often a very good passer, has really good court vision. Yes I know he passed the ball to Pike last night, haha. But yeah. He has several wow-factor dimes over the past two seasons.

2. He is lightning quick.

3. He is a more than capable defender.

4. He is an outstanding free throw shooter.

5. Of a team of likable guys, he may be THE most likable. Just listen to interviews with him. GREAT kid. And a good under-the-radar stay home story.

But if his shooting doesn't improve next season (assuming he returns) it needs to be bench-city for him. He simply has to learn how to finish drives or do a better job of drawing contact to get to the foul line. And he needs to improve his midrange game, which, given the sheer volume he has taken, I'd deem as more important than improving from long-range since that's often what defenses give you.

For starters, he needs to get stronger. That's part of the problem with his inability to finish through contact. Two years in and he still looks like he has the body of a high school kid.

 

[ImBadRU]

Third off the bench on a solid B10 team.

 

[JudgeSmails56]

Derek is just a disaster. He literally almost NEVER finishes a layup if there is even an ounce of contact/resistance, etc. and his midrange game is more often than not brick city. He also rarely hits from deep. It's a shame for several reasons, most notably:

1. He is often a very good passer, has really good court vision. Yes I know he passed the ball to Pike last night, haha. But yeah. He has several wow-factor dimes over the past two seasons.

2. He is lightning quick.

3. He is a more than capable defender.

4. He is an outstanding free throw shooter.

5. Of a team of likable guys, he may be THE most likable. Just listen to interviews with him. GREAT kid. And a good under-the-radar stay home story.

But if his shooting doesn't improve next season (assuming he returns) it needs to be bench-city for him. He simply has to learn how to finish drives or do a better job of drawing contact to get to the foul line. And he needs to improve his midrange game, which, given the sheer volume he has taken, I'd deem as more important than improving from long-range since that's often what defenses give you.

For starters, he needs to get stronger. That's part of the problem with his inability to finish through contact. Two years in and he still looks like he has the body of a high school kid.

Simpson has great speed, shoots free throws well and plays good defense. His shooting on offense though is just brutal outside of a few games.

 

[RUJMM78]

The current roster has shown very little evidence of player development.Pikiell must somehow blend in Bailey and Harper with this roster of poor shooters and create a team worthy of a NCAA bid.The pressure on Pikiell and the coaching staff will be enormous because Bailey and Harper are elite recruits that normally go to the blue blood schools like Duke,Kentucky,North Carolina and Kansas.Rutgers better have a highly successful season or negative recruiting will be used against them.

 

[Rufaninga]

Our players develop defensively.
But have not seen good post play improvements with footwork or low post moves. Offensively, our team cannot shoot.

Are both Pike & Knight both focused on Defense/recruiting only?

Trying to think of who progressed the most from a pure offensive standpoint from year 1-4.

 

[fluoxetine]

I get that overall talent level is a big reason our offense blows, but the lack of development on that end is really alarming too. Is there a player on the roster that's a better offensively than they were last year?

Hyatt has been better. Cliff is sort of hard to evaluate because his production was so dependent on what he had surrounding him.

Other than that, the whole team is players who weren't major contributors last year so kind of hard to say? Simpson is arguably worse though he's being asked to do / trying to do much more.

 

[PhillyRU]

Hyatt has been better. Cliff is sort of hard to evaluate because his production was so dependent on what he had surrounding him.

Other than that, the whole team is players who weren't major contributors last year so kind of hard to say? Simpson is arguably worse though he's being asked to do / trying to do much more.

I’d agree Hyatt has taken steps forward across the board, shooting, FT rate and passing all a little better.

I guess Mag gets a pass, but Wolf and Simpson really nothing there

 

[RUJMM78]

Our players develop defensively.
But have not seen good post play improvements with footwork or low post moves. Offensively, our team cannot shoot.

Are both Pike & Knight both focused on Defense/recruiting only?

Trying to think of who progressed the most from a pure offensive standpoint from year 1-4.

Baker and Harper came to Rutgers not highly recruited.Baker showed promise as a freshmen playing with Sanders and continued playing at a high level until injuries limited his effectiveness as a senior.Harper started slower than Baker but was far better in his last years until an injury in his last year at Rutgers.The current roster shows very little evidence in player development for players that have been on the roster for multiple seasons.

 

[Scangg]

It's possible some of these assistants are better recruiters than coaches

Can't tell since I'm not at practices but it's a possibility

 

[PhillyRU]

Our players develop defensively.
But have not seen good post play improvements with footwork or low post moves. Offensively, our team cannot shoot.

Are both Pike & Knight both focused on Defense/recruiting only?

Trying to think of who progressed the most from a pure offensive standpoint from year 1-4.

It’s probably Ron or Eugene. Myles also, while he never had a huge offensive role, got a lot more efficient putting the ball in the basket

 

[fluoxetine]

It’s probably Ron or Eugene. Myles also, while he never had a huge offensive role, got a lot more efficient putting the ball in the basket

Jacob Young was completely out of control and a liability when he got here, became a very good player under Pike, and was worse at Oregon after transferring. I think Jacob Young is the best evidence that Pike *can* improve players on offense at least some of the time.

 

[PiscatawayMike]

It's possible some of these assistants are better recruiters than coaches

Can't tell since I'm not at practices but it's a possibility

Gotta admit... I've wondered about this myself.

 

[mikeyo]

I get that overall talent level is a big reason our offense blows, but the lack of development on that end is really alarming too. Is there a player on the roster that's a better offensively than they were last year? I really cant' think of one.

Meanwhile, Gavin has gone from one of the more hapless defenders I've seen on a HM court to acquitting himself very nicely against a good offensive team yesterday. Speaks to probably my biggest issue with the current RU program, a belief that the offense will kind of just get better

It'll get better with players who can actually shoot the basketball. Rumor has it we're getting better shooters next season (that wouldn't be hard). It's all about recruiting. Shooting is a gift. We need to recruit more gifted shooters. It's a skill that can't be taught in practice