Does Pike have what it takes to make tough decisions

[FIJI'83]

Pike just coached his worst game of his tenure tonight so it's easy for people to jump all over him but overall he obviously has done a great job building this program. However, one thing that I've always questioned about Pike is if he has that killer instinct as a coach and if he is willing to do whatever it takes to win.

Paul Mulcahy should not be allowed to return for his 5th next year. Dean Reiber and Jalen Miller must be told that they no longer have a place in this program. As of right now Rutgers has zero open scholarships for the portal next year and I seriously question whether Pike has the stones to tell these kids they need to leave. If this team is back in full next year (Minus McConnell, Plus Griffiths and Davis) I can't see them be much better then they are right now unless Griffiths turns out to be a freshman superstar. How is Derek Simpson supposed to develop and take over this team if Paul is back getting most of the mins and having the ball in his hands every play.

Both Paul & Hyatt wanted zero part of having to shoot any free throws at the end of the game. 2 veteran players who were afraid of the moment in their 4th year in college.

This team has a lot of dead weight on the roster and we will see if Pike has what it takes to make the changes needed to take this team to the next level.

 

[RUforJERSEY]

If that's the criteria than no I don't think he does.

 

[ImBadRU]

He could be a lot tougher. Way too timid.

 

[Rokodesh]

Pike just coached his worst game of his tenure tonight so it's easy for people to jump all over him but overall he obviously has done a great job building this program. However, one thing that I've always questioned about Pike is if he has that killer instinct as a coach and if he is willing to do whatever it takes to win.

Paul Mulcahy should not be allowed to return for his 5th next year. Dean Reiber and Jalen Miller must be told that they no longer have a place in this program. As of right now Rutgers has zero open scholarships for the portal next year and I seriously question whether Pike has the stones to tell these kids they need to leave. If this team is back in full next year (Minus McConnell, Plus Griffiths and Davis) I can't see them be much better then they are right now unless Griffiths turns out to be a freshman superstar. How is Derek Simpson supposed to develop and take over this team if Paul is back getting most of the mins and having the ball in his hands every play.

Both Paul & Hyatt wanted zero part of having to shoot any free throws at the end of the game. 2 veteran players who were afraid of the moment in their 4th year in college.

This team has a lot of dead weight on the roster and we will see if Pike has what it takes to make the changes needed to take this team to the next level.

Don't let Hyatt come back either

 

[bac2therac]

Pike just coached his worst game of his tenure tonight so it's easy for people to jump all over him but overall he obviously has done a great job building this program. However, one thing that I've always questioned about Pike is if he has that killer instinct as a coach and if he is willing to do whatever it takes to win.

Paul Mulcahy should not be allowed to return for his 5th next year. Dean Reiber and Jalen Miller must be told that they no longer have a place in this program. As of right now Rutgers has zero open scholarships for the portal next year and I seriously question whether Pike has the stones to tell these kids they need to leave. If this team is back in full next year (Minus McConnell, Plus Griffiths and Davis) I can't see them be much better then they are right now unless Griffiths turns out to be a freshman superstar. How is Derek Simpson supposed to develop and take over this team if Paul is back getting most of the mins and having the ball in his hands every play.

Both Paul & Hyatt wanted zero part of having to shoot any free throws at the end of the game. 2 veteran players who were afraid of the moment in their 4th year in college.

This team has a lot of dead weight on the roster and we will see if Pike has what it takes to make the changes needed to take this team to the next level.

harsh but fair points

So I was looking for a thread this week after the Penn State about Paul and what everyone thought about him going forward for this and Northwestern game...didnt see it, its almost because we beat Penn State we couldnt discuss Paul crapped the bed there and wasnt even on court and RU rallied because he was out of the lineup. Touchy subject but now what.

 

[bethlehemfan]

He’s your guy. Pikes gonna ride him. Hopefully he figured things out.

 

[FIJI'83]

harsh but fair points

So I was looking for a thread this week after the Penn State about Paul and what everyone thought about him going forward for this and Northwestern game...didnt see it, its almost because we beat Penn State we couldnt discuss Paul crapped the bed there and wasnt even on court and RU rallied because he was out of the lineup. Touchy subject but now what.

I 100% agree with you Rutgers started coming back against Penn State when Paul sat with his 4th foul. When he was put back in he took a horrible shot that was blocked that led to a fast break And-1 where Paul also picked up his 5th foul and left the game. After that Simpson took over and Penn State never scored again

 

[RUsojo]

He’s very bad at end half/game situations but luckily the list of things he’s bad it is short.

Reality is it’s tough for a coach to be great at every aspect of the job.

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

Pike has his way of running the program and hes been pretty successful with it by Rutgers standards. His players all love him. Its a blessing and a curse as it leads to him turning down guys like Jahvon Quinerly who was put in his lap when he left nova but pike said no

 

[FIJI'83]

Pike has his way of running the program and hes been pretty successful with it by Rutgers standards. His players all love him. Its a blessing and a curse as it leads to him turning down guys like Jahvon Quinerly who was put in his lap when he left nova but pike said no

I don't disagree he's been successful by the old Rutgers standards but at this point who cares about the old Rutgers standards. We are in the ****ing Big Ten and it's only going to get harder with UCLA coming in. It's time for the program to take the next step and that can easily happen next year if Pike just makes the right personnel decisions.

 

[DennisHajekRC84]

He could be a lot tougher. Way too timid.

been complaining about this for years. Early season he was and it showed. Somebody/somehow got him to just sit back down on his a$$.
His endgame and other things are "let it ride"
He's a repetitive guy for sure.
Cliff gonna get the first shot and Cam is going to get an inbounds turnaround jumper. Just like his sub patterns. Scripted.
Performance is definitely on the players but we've seen this movie too many times.

 

[richthedentist]

No Paul should have been benched tonight

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

I don't disagree he's been successful by the old Rutgers standards but at this point who cares about the old Rutgers standards. We are in the ****ing Big Ten and it's only going to get harder with UCLA coming in. It's time for the program to take the next step and that can easily happen next year if Pike just makes the right personnel decisions.

I totally agree with you. However most here dont. People will point to where RU was prior to pike. The bar was buried, not a high bar to exceed. We now have a top 25 highest paid HC, a top 10 facility and a top 5 home court in the nation. The ceiling should be higher

 

[FinalFourOrBust]

I totally agree with you. However most here dont. People will point to where RU was prior to pike. The bar was buried, not a high bar to exceed. We now have a top 10 facility and home court in the nation. The ceiling should be higher

Pretending he’s not killing recruiting the next two years is so weird

 

[FinalFourOrBust]

I don't disagree he's been successful by the old Rutgers standards but at this point who cares about the old Rutgers standards. We are in the ****ing Big Ten and it's only going to get harder with UCLA coming in. It's time for the program to take the next step and that can easily happen next year if Pike just makes the right personnel decisions.

The next step like getting a top ten recruiting class in the nation? Oh wait

 

[fluoxetine]

Paul has been awful the last month or so but I don't think telling him to walk would be a good personnel decision.

 

[Scangg]

I totally agree with you. However most here dont. People will point to where RU was prior to pike. The bar was buried, not a high bar to exceed. We now have a top 25 highest paid HC, a top 10 facility and a top 5 home court in the nation. The ceiling should be higher

The ceiling is the highest it's ever been

You're still going to argue a Griffiths Ace Dylan Warren etc roster has a low ceiling?

If anything you'll have to switch your argument to underachieving bc its hard to argue that the ceiling isn't extremely high with all that talent

 

[fluoxetine]

Pretending he’s not killing recruiting the next two years is so weird

The next step like getting a top ten recruiting class in the nation? Oh wait

Yeah this kind of angst made much more sense before the recent recruiting wins. Maybe we've reached Pike's ceiling with this caliber of player.. so what? Let's see what he can do with a different caliber of player.

 

[FIJI'83]

The next step like getting a top ten recruiting class in the nation? Oh wait

First of all nobody said anything about recruiting we are talking about changes having to be made to current roster for next season.

Secondly, Bailey and Warren haven't signed yet so until they do it's smart to hold off on giving Pike to much credit until they are 100% going to be playing for Rutgers

 

[FinalFourOrBust]

Yeah this kind of angst made much more sense before the recent recruiting wins. Maybe we've reached Pike's ceiling with this caliber of player.. so what? Let's see what he can do with a different caliber of player.

He’s on the verge of making his 4th straight ncaa tourney (something like only 15 schools can say) with mostly 3 star recruits. Now he’s bringing in 4s and 5s. We really do have the dumbest fanbase.

 

[billgumpper]

harsh but fair points

So I was looking for a thread this week after the Penn State about Paul and what everyone thought about him going forward for this and Northwestern game...didnt see it, its almost because we beat Penn State we couldnt discuss Paul crapped the bed there and wasnt even on court and RU rallied because he was out of the lineup. Touchy subject but now what.

I discussed it and people came right after me and defended him. I've been saying for years that he isnt a PG and complaining about his play.

 

[bac2therac]

He’s very bad at end half/game situations but luckily the list of things he’s bad it is short.

Reality is it’s tough for a coach to be great at every aspect of the job.

he likely cost the notre dame game last year on an inbound and also nearly cost the penn state game at the rac last year..

 

[bac2therac]

I discussed it and people came right after me and defended him. I've been saying for years that he isnt a PG and complaining about his play.

this board is like that....when you win you cant discuss anything and everyone bumps all the threads and pumps their chest out

 

[RUKen]

You don’t tell him to walk. You over recruit and within a few games the new guy is starting

 

[FinalFourOrBust]

First of all nobody said anything about recruiting we are talking about changes having to be made to current roster for next season.

Secondly, Bailey and Warren haven't signed yet so until they do it's smart to hold off on giving Pike to much credit until they are 100% going to be playing for Rutgers

Well talking about recruiting kills your entire argument so of course you’re ignoring it

 

[FIJI'83]

The next step like getting a top ten recruiting class in the nation? Oh wait

First of all nobody said anything about recruiting we are talking about changes having to be made to current roster for next season.

Secondly, Bailey and Warren haven't signed yet so until they do it's smart to hold off and giving Pike to much credit

The ceiling is the highest it's ever been

You're still going to argue a Griffiths Ace Dylan Warren etc roster has a low ceiling?

If anything you'll have to switch your argument to underachieving bc its hard to argue that the ceiling isn't extremely high with all that talent

please count only those players who have made a WRITTEN commitment to the program. After Griffiths it’s all ifs and buts …

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

The ceiling is the highest it's ever been

You're still going to argue a Griffiths Ace Dylan Warren etc roster has a low ceiling?

If anything you'll have to switch your argument to underachieving bc its hard to argue that the ceiling isn't extremely high with all that talent

Future looks bright. No doubt.

 

[bac2therac]

Paul has been awful the last month or so but I don't think telling him to walk would be a good personnel decision.

I think its because program wise Pike needs to hit the portral hard to improve the team and that may be by promising playing time and not sure that Paul as a 5th year player wants his minutes cut...i think Pike will be loyal to Paul and other bench players and we dont bring in the best

 

[FIJI'83]

The ceiling is the highest it's ever been

You're still going to argue a Griffiths Ace Dylan Warren etc roster has a low ceiling?

If anything you'll have to switch your argument to underachieving bc its hard to argue that the ceiling isn't extremely high with all that talent

Last time I checked only Griffiths will be on the roster next year so if all you care about is what's going to happen in 2024 thats good for you then. This thread is about changes needed to be made for next year because I want the team to win now while they still have Cliff, Mag, and Spencer who will all be gone after next year.

 

[fluoxetine]

this board is like that....when you win you cant discuss anything and everyone bumps all the threads and pumps their chest out

That's because there's a ton of dumb trolling and super non-sensical negativity when you lose, so everyone wants to stick it to those people when we win. Actual substantive discussion probably needs to happen in the offseason lol.

please count only those players who have made a WRITTEN commitment to the program. After Griffiths it’s all ifs and buts …

Nah, come on. Verbals should be considered very likely commits at the very least.

 

[billgumpper]

You don’t tell him to walk. You over recruit and within a few games the new guy is starting

We need him to walk so that we can pull a legit PG from the portal

 

[mikemarc1]

Paul is our most important player. Ive said this for the last two season. As Paul goes, this team goes. And I think it’s fairly obvious.

I don’t think Pike should tell his most important player not to come back

 

[FinalFourOrBust]

Last time I checked only Griffiths will be on the roster next year so if all you care about is what's going to happen in 2024 thats good for you then. This thread is about changes needed to be made for next year because I want the team to win now while they still have Cliff, Mag, and Spencer who will all be gone after next year.

Yea dude you’re gonna have to wait one more year where we only just make the tournament (the horror!) until we bring in some of the best recruits in the nation. If you can’t wait that year then go root for Kentucky for something.

 

[fluoxetine]

I think its because program wise Pike needs to hit the portral hard to improve the team and that may be by promising playing time and not sure that Paul as a 5th year player wants his minutes cut...i think Pike will be loyal to Paul and other bench players and we dont bring in the best

If you get a better player cut his minutes anyway. That's the real "tough decision" you make. Who cares if he likes it?

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

Last time I checked only Griffiths will be on the roster next year so if all you care about is what's going to happen in 2024 thats good for you then. This thread is about changes needed to be made for next year because I want the team to win now while they still have Cliff, Mag, and Spencer who will all be gone after next year.

I also think people like @Scangg and @FinalFourOrBust need to check their expectations for the 24-25 season or set themselves up for disappointment. 4* and 5* freshman are still freshman. And they dont just dominate the conference on day 1. @Geo_Baker_1 talked about this on his pod. How the upperclassmen have such an advantage and why they never blinked against 5* frosh they faced.

 

[Scangg]

Next year might be a rebuilding year with a young roster depending on who stays

It's TBD at this point until we see what the roster will look like

 

[FIJI'83]

He’s on the verge of making his 4th straight ncaa tourney (something like only 15 schools can say) with mostly 3 star recruits. Now he’s bringing in 4s and 5s. We really do have the dumbest fanbase.

If we lose at home to Northwestern we are out of the tournament so I'm not sure how we are on the verge of anything when Northwestern can easily come and beat us. Not saying they will but acting like its still a lock Rutgers will be in the tournament is ridiculous

 

[RUKen]

We need him to walk so that we can pull a legit PG from the portal

Not happening. No way

 

[rubjk]

Pretending he’s not killing recruiting the next two years is so weird

Yes let’s see what he does with real scoring threats and point guards that are a threat to drive to the basket.

 

[Scangg]

I also think people like @Scangg and @FinalFourOrBust need to check their expectations for the 24-25 season or set themselves up for disappointment. 4* and 5* freshman are still freshman. And they dont just dominate the conference on day 1. @Geo_Baker_1 talked about this on his pod. How the upperclassmen have such an advantage and why they never blinked against 5* frosh they faced.

The dream season should be in 25 if Griffiths sticks around and the superclass are sophomores and Ace and Dylan come and stay for a second year

I've actually made the same points as Geo before but top 5 type overall players should be very good as freshman too. Ace Dylan and Griffiths aren't projects