He was absolutely key today! Enough said!
Enough with the Know-nothings Who Say Mag Should Not Start
- Thread starter RU-ROCS
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He needs to do the Willie Mays Hayes pushups every time he shoots a jumper.
100% Mag does all the dirty work, defends and rebounds like a mad man. The guy is the ultimate glue player.
Two guys I've been down on, Mag and Reiber, showed up today. Reiber didn't score (no shots) but if he doesn't acquit his position in the first half, we lose the game. Hyatt seem more in the flow. I still think the minutes are best invested in Woolfolk and was glad to see the Wolfmen in the stands.
Mag played a terrific game today.
He was a +26 leading the team and had 9 boards.
Only criticism is to minmize the 3's and the poor shot selectons.
He was a +26 leading the team and had 9 boards.
Only criticism is to minmize the 3's and the poor shot selectons.
Had a couple of nice isolation buckets. His perimeter defense and toughness in the paint rebounding down the stretch was huge.
Still, his drives to the hoop are pretty funny.
Nevertheless, his contributions today were huge.
Mag is more effective than some seem to give him credit for in the post. He's so long and athletic he really can't be stopped if he gets good position. His shot has a super high release as it is so he can turn around and get the shot off with ease
He does need more games like today though.
But he's very much a Pike guy, not dynamic offensively, but does everything.
But he's very much a Pike guy, not dynamic offensively, but does everything.
As the rest of his game gives him confidence that he belongs, he'll find his offense.
Mag came up huge today. While guys like Simpson benefit from Paul’s return, Mag’s game really benefits from getting Caleb back. The 2 of them playing together make the defense special and ultimately gives Mag more opportunities to use his athleticism to also put up some points. I’ve always believed he was an important player and could start but just never expected him to be the break out offensive player some predicted. I still don’t expect that from him but would love to be proven otherwise and appreciate what he brings to the team.
That +26 stat is impressive. I think I read that Simpson’s plus number was very high as well.
I am admittedly a mag pessimist. Awesome Defense but out of control in offense. Today he was able to keep it together and played very well especially on defense he was enormous. Made some plays on offense but seems erratic a lot with the ball. All in all the positives far outweighed the negatives today
The 2 post up buckets in the lane in traffic were under control and what he should be capable of. He hit both over Rece Thompson who had a few inches on him as well.
His defense and doubling in Trace Jackson Davis was a clinic and frustrated him that I thought he was going to give up until he hit 2 buckets late. Mag’s length and his smart trapping ability is so elite . He hardly ever fouls doing it which s an added bonus. The defense today was super elite and Mag and Caleb led the way. They literally shut down their opponent and their team defense is what every coach should be teaching their players. We punched them in the mouth , bludgeoned them on the backboards and outtoughed them by a lot today. That is a great sign for a BIG 10 team with title aspirations.
His defense and doubling in Trace Jackson Davis was a clinic and frustrated him that I thought he was going to give up until he hit 2 buckets late. Mag’s length and his smart trapping ability is so elite . He hardly ever fouls doing it which s an added bonus. The defense today was super elite and Mag and Caleb led the way. They literally shut down their opponent and their team defense is what every coach should be teaching their players. We punched them in the mouth , bludgeoned them on the backboards and outtoughed them by a lot today. That is a great sign for a BIG 10 team with title aspirations.
The +/- stats from this game highlight which guys benefit most from the return of Caleb and Paul in the rotation - on both ends.
Caleb’s return to his regular form made this win possible - there’s a reason he played 37 minutes. When Caleb and Mag play together, the defense can be special. With Paul out there running the offense, and Caleb looking more comfortable handling the ball after a few games back, Simpson is no longer a walking turnover and can contribute using his speed.
Green is right - the defense broke down for the stretch where Cam and Paul were in together - when Mag had to come out picking up foul number 3 at the 16:43 mark of the second half and Cliff was playing in foul trouble. The +/- stats reflect this. Paul was understandably a bit rusty on rotations being his first game back so this may not be as glaring in future games when they are in together. Cam had a poor defensive game though on the perimeter. He will have to step that up or his PT will go down.
Caleb’s return to his regular form made this win possible - there’s a reason he played 37 minutes. When Caleb and Mag play together, the defense can be special. With Paul out there running the offense, and Caleb looking more comfortable handling the ball after a few games back, Simpson is no longer a walking turnover and can contribute using his speed.
Green is right - the defense broke down for the stretch where Cam and Paul were in together - when Mag had to come out picking up foul number 3 at the 16:43 mark of the second half and Cliff was playing in foul trouble. The +/- stats reflect this. Paul was understandably a bit rusty on rotations being his first game back so this may not be as glaring in future games when they are in together. Cam had a poor defensive game though on the perimeter. He will have to step that up or his PT will go down.
I have mentioned in the post Miami threads that the team is slow footed and methodical when you don't have Simpson put there, but adding Mulcahy to Simpson and McConnell is a mix of height, defense, savvy and speed/gritty play, that becomes a plague for opponents.....Mag feeds off of that energy.
I don't know if there's been a more injury plagued player than Mag (other than obviously Caleb), but Mag has worked on his post up moves. He is not Eugene Omoyuri level with the pivot foot yet, but he has an idea of what he wants to do, in the paint.
The offense is really able to give teams way more to consider, if Mag can be more consistent in his post up offense......Hyatt has post up ability, Caleb can isolate on the wing to post up or make plays.
The key for Mag is to eventually get used to passing accurately, out of the post. Eventually teams are going to make a decision on allowing Mag to get 6 to 8 footers in the paint, or send help to see if he can handle the ball.
So far, so good. How you perform in back to back to back games is important.
Hyatt has been leading the charge in the 1st 10 to 12 minutes of games.
Then Caleb picks up the slack and adds his toughness....mix in Paul being steady and understanding the game as a senior.
Then your getting a steady dose of Mag getting garbage points.
Then Simpson with his energy, extended the lead to a closing role.
Next is getting Cam Spencer to some spots where he can knock down some shots. He has to draw contact in this league to get cheap points at the line. Caleb grinds for rebounds and gets fouled. Cam has to do what Mag, Paul and Caleb/Hyatt do....get into the dirt and dig out some rebounds.
I don't know if there's been a more injury plagued player than Mag (other than obviously Caleb), but Mag has worked on his post up moves. He is not Eugene Omoyuri level with the pivot foot yet, but he has an idea of what he wants to do, in the paint.
The offense is really able to give teams way more to consider, if Mag can be more consistent in his post up offense......Hyatt has post up ability, Caleb can isolate on the wing to post up or make plays.
The key for Mag is to eventually get used to passing accurately, out of the post. Eventually teams are going to make a decision on allowing Mag to get 6 to 8 footers in the paint, or send help to see if he can handle the ball.
So far, so good. How you perform in back to back to back games is important.
Hyatt has been leading the charge in the 1st 10 to 12 minutes of games.
Then Caleb picks up the slack and adds his toughness....mix in Paul being steady and understanding the game as a senior.
Then your getting a steady dose of Mag getting garbage points.
Then Simpson with his energy, extended the lead to a closing role.
Next is getting Cam Spencer to some spots where he can knock down some shots. He has to draw contact in this league to get cheap points at the line. Caleb grinds for rebounds and gets fouled. Cam has to do what Mag, Paul and Caleb/Hyatt do....get into the dirt and dig out some rebounds.
It’ll be interesting to see how Pike uses Miller and Cam going forward assuming Paul stays healthy.
My guess is not a lot, but I’m usually wrong😊
With a step up in competition level Cam appears to be rushing/more hesitant. I'm guessing he will adjust and figure it out. He was asked to do a lot more when Paul/Caleb were out.....the team will elevate even further if he can adjust to a role to spot up open looks - especially on the perimeter. The issue will be his defense effectiveness in the BIG.
Mawot was Magnetically attracted to the ball on defense today. It was beautiful to see. Almost every time Indiana stood still, he came in to swat at it.
Dean cutting weight over the off-season was clearly the right call. He's able to stay on the court longer, and he's more effective when he is; probably a measure of being faster and able to position himself better.
I think we're seeing Caleb become "the guy" instead of the third man in the trio of Ron, Geo, Caleb. If he can sustain that? It's gonna be fun.
Dean cutting weight over the off-season was clearly the right call. He's able to stay on the court longer, and he's more effective when he is; probably a measure of being faster and able to position himself better.
I think we're seeing Caleb become "the guy" instead of the third man in the trio of Ron, Geo, Caleb. If he can sustain that? It's gonna be fun.
Everyone on the team had a strong. + - except for Spencer who was -9 ; Hyatt who was - 6 and Woolfolk who was even. I forget Simpson s actual number but it was a high +. This stat was telling and why we saw very little of Spencer and Hyatt in the second half.
First offensive foul called on Mag was a garbage call.
Now that all the pieces are in place and healthy, we might see for the first time this year how this team will play. Mag will be a very important piece to it.
The 3 biggest pieces in the Rutgers puzzle for 22-23 are Caleb, Paul, Cliff
4th piece is CamDerek
5th Piece is HyattMag
Those will be your minutes guys and how the team should shake out going forward, Dean, Jalen and Woolf will still be important pieces when needed.
Mag, and even Hyatt, will shine more that he, they, will get less attention with Caleb and Paul back healthy. You can't replace experience and leadership that those two bring, and if Paul isn't running the team it will be Caleb, than Cam or Derek. Mag and Hyatt are very capable and will provide the 15-20 pts and 10-15 rebounds from their roles this year. It's only going to get better for all players as the season progresses.
The 3 biggest pieces in the Rutgers puzzle for 22-23 are Caleb, Paul, Cliff
4th piece is CamDerek
5th Piece is HyattMag
Those will be your minutes guys and how the team should shake out going forward, Dean, Jalen and Woolf will still be important pieces when needed.
Mag, and even Hyatt, will shine more that he, they, will get less attention with Caleb and Paul back healthy. You can't replace experience and leadership that those two bring, and if Paul isn't running the team it will be Caleb, than Cam or Derek. Mag and Hyatt are very capable and will provide the 15-20 pts and 10-15 rebounds from their roles this year. It's only going to get better for all players as the season progresses.
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I'm one of the know nothings. And based on earlier games, he shouldn't be starting. Fortunately, certain players can learn from their mistakes and Mag turned things around today. I hope it continues.
Do what you're good at and don't force the issue with what you're not good at. Simple as that for Mr. Mag.
Exact same thing for Hyatt who is NOT a perimeter player. I would argue Hyatt is our best low post option on offense. He needs more touches on the blocks, not on the wings. Still waiting for Hyatt (and the staff) to realize this.
Do what you're good at and don't force the issue with what you're not good at. Simple as that for Mr. Mag.
Exact same thing for Hyatt who is NOT a perimeter player. I would argue Hyatt is our best low post option on offense. He needs more touches on the blocks, not on the wings. Still waiting for Hyatt (and the staff) to realize this.
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Someone on the BTN cast said Simpson was +24.
Based on the three games against decent competition, I agree with Zappaa that Jalen and Cam will be role players as long as the roster is fully healthy. Cliff, Mag, Hyatt, Mulcahy, McConnell, and Simpson will get most of the minutes. Woolfolk, Spencer, Miller, and Reiber will get minutes. I don't see anyone else getting meaningful minutes. I know Palmquist is a Pike and team favorite, but any minutes he would have received in the past should go to Spencer.
I mean, it’s not that surprising, we won the game by 15. He sat at 16:43 when we were up 33-26. In 4 minutes he was on the bench Indiana went up 37-35. He came back in with Simpson. Made a big difference.
I don’t keep track of when he was on court. Knew he played great obviously but +26 is pretty amazing numbers
I loved his development in low post. People need to trust Pike when he glows about him and Simpson. Yesterday was their coming out party.
My point is that we won the game by 15 and Indiana went on an 11-2 run over a short period. Anyone who played 30+ minutes that did not include the 4 minute stretch where Indiana went on that run would have a +/- around 24.
His best minutes will be at the four…not the three…
No. He was out of control. This stuff needs to be fixed. Not just Mag
I think Miller is going to disappear to the bench a bit, but definitely think you will still see some good minutes from Cam.
I've been a big proponent of not having Mag and Hyatt on the floor together - there is too many potential turnovers. I think Mag really showed you why he is on a different level than Hyatt against Indiana - he just has so many more dimensions with his defense and athleticism. I also think Mag is much more easily reigned in to play within himself and let the game come to him more. I feel like Hyatt never got over being a high school stud who was just better than everyone and had a green light whenever he touched the ball. On this level he's supposed to be a role player, but his mindset seems to be that he's the Go To guy and has a complete lack of awareness of what is going on around him. Right now seems like a long road to get Hyatt to buy in and be part of the team concept.
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You're never going to get a blocking foul on 1-on-4 breakaway where the offensive player is out of control. It's just not going to happen. Mag is a great glue guy, but in transition, he needs to either find the open man for an easy basket, or slow down and setup the offense, and not run through them like Derrick Henry
Mag plays great defense and helps the team with the dirty work, but he should not be on the court together with Hyatt. Too high of a possibility for disaster. With Paul coming back I don't we see that as much.
I don't care if he starts (or doesn't start), I just don't want him to handle the ball or shoot.
Disagree, I had a great angle from where I sit. Mag actually made a good move, more in control than usual, defender was never set, slid to his left and actually stuck his chest into Mag. Watched game again when I got home, even the announcers disagreed with the call.
The other charges I didn’t disagree with, that one was a poor call. Mag’s second offensive foul was a clear cut charge, not the first one, imho.
