Game 1 FDU: New Beginnings

[bac2therac]

Pretty much loved everything I saw tonight. For starters FDU was not very good although they were very scrappy and opportunistic playing toe to toe with RU in first 12-14 minutes of the game. Remember RU beat FDU by a similar margin last year but that was with Sanders/Freeman/Williams.. This year Rutgers was basically putting out a whole different team full of youth and I think we didn't know exactly what to expect with so many newcomers. There was a little bit of a slow start early and the defense was a more than pourous including rebounding but you can chalk that up to a bunch of newcomers trying to gel together and settle down. This to me was what was so impressive about this game, it was how quickly the team got more comfortable playing with each and noticably better and more dominant as the game wore on. Six players in double figures...SIX....12-20 on three pointers...the most ever made in the Pikiell era. 11 scholorship players played and all scored. Tonight was like night and day from last year. These are Pikiell's players...the era of Freeman/Sanders and disjointed offenses are over. Truly the program can move forward now and you saw glimpses of how. Not perfection but it does not need to be on game 1

Geo Baker....LEADER as a soph no question about it. What was so great is that he didnt even have a great shooting night but still got 14 but was able to hand out 7 assists. RU didn't need his scoring because he distributed the ball well and got everyone involved.

Peter Kiss...will be fan favorite of students....7-9 shooting/3-4 on 3s, 17 points. Leading scorer, brought big time emotion and huge new offensive option which this team desperately needed. Havent had a guy like him for a while on the banks....test will be if he can bring against Big 10 competition, I think he can.

Eugene.....14 and 10 double double. Very important for him to pick up where he left off last year.. How many players in the past have you seen at RU that do not take the next step. Eugene seems ready to take another leap. Yes 5 turnovers not good but....

Ron Harper Jr....7-8 fg 15 pts and 5 boards in just 17 minutes...get out...Impressive start, way exceeded my expectations. That is how you get your feet wet. Athleticism!

Montez Mathis....struggled mightily early but settled in as the game wore on. still ended up with 10pts/5 rebs....and the back to back alley oops where he and Harper traded assist and slams really gives a taste of what the future holds for this program

Myles Johnson...some nice touches for basketball...Looked ready and capable defensively with 3 blocks. and 5 boards.20 very solid minutes

Doorson...great D..3 blocks and 6 boards in just 17 minutes. Going to enjoy the role he is going to play for this team inside

Issa Thiam...when he hits those 3s...they looked better and he was hitting them. Its going to be his roll this year. Going to be an X factor.

Caleb McConnell...good to get minutes...9, at this stage all he needs to be is servicable.

Shaq Carter...well very interesting he didnt play until late so apparently he must be behind in practice but he was fairly hyped so we shall see if he catches up

Doucoure...just 6 minutes. Many were high on him last year but we shall see if he can take the next time. Its just the first game but the limited minutes may mean he is well behind the others but depending on the matchup he should get more.

Coach Pikiell and staff did a real good job tonight with substitution patterns, love the distribution of minutes as Geo was the only one over 30 and 8 players saw 17 or more minutes. I liked how Pike was patient with this team as they fought through some gelling issues in the first half and then had them ready to pour it on late

some random stuff

32-3 run from 53-42 to 85-45...when was the last time you saw a RU team do that

tonight just felt different..for the first time since Rice's year I felt I was watching a real team. The athleticism and ball movement was a marked change from recent times.

bring the marching band every game

I am more optimistic on the season than I was coming in. But yeah this team will struggle at times because of youthful mistakes....however I am more confident that they are capable of knocking off Big 10 competition when things are clicking.

announced attendance 5,521.. very very solid for a rainy night although it might be inflated by a few hundred

 

[G- RUnit]

Kudos! Well done review!

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I’ll add some random things....

1. We aren’t as good as we looked in the last 25 minutes of the game and not as bad in the 1st 15 minutes. I thought to myself watching the beginning that it could be a long season

2. We have a lot of work defensively. Length covers up mistakes. Being so hung up on star ratings led to our lack of length in the back court over the years. Thank goodness there has been a change

3. 6 minutes in the 2nd half with Harper Jr at the 4. It was a part of the run. I think we will see more small lineups

4. Issa out of his shell a bit. Makes a 3 and does more that run back on defense.

5. Chemistry change is clear as day.

 

[bowlgoal]

Pretty much loved everything I saw tonight. For starters FDU was not very good although they were very scrappy and opportunistic playing toe to toe with RU in first 12-14 minutes of the game. Remember RU beat FDU by a similar margin last year but that was with Sanders/Freeman/Williams.. This year Rutgers was basically putting out a whole different team full of youth and I think we didn't know exactly what to expect with so many newcomers. There was a little bit of a slow start early and the defense was a more than pourous including rebounding but you can chalk that up to a bunch of newcomers trying to gel together and settle down. This to me was what was so impressive about this game, it was how quickly the team got more comfortable playing with each and noticably better and more dominant as the game wore on. Six players in double figures...SIX....12-20 on three pointers...the most ever made in the Pikiell era. 11 scholorship players played and all scored. Tonight was like night and day from last year. These are Pikiell's players...the era of Freeman/Sanders and disjointed offenses are over. Truly the program can move forward now and you saw glimpses of how. Not perfection but it does not need to be on game 1

Geo Baker....LEADER as a soph no question about it. What was so great is that he didnt even have a great shooting night but still got 14 but was able to hand out 7 assists. RU didn't need his scoring because he distributed the ball well and got everyone involved.

Peter Kiss...will be fan favorite of students....7-9 shooting/3-4 on 3s, 17 points. Leading scorer, brought big time emotion and huge new offensive option which this team desperately needed. Havent had a guy like him for a while on the banks....test will be if he can bring against Big 10 competition, I think he can.

Eugene.....14 and 10 double double. Very important for him to pick up where he left off last year.. How many players in the past have you seen at RU that do not take the next step. Eugene seems ready to take another leap. Yes 5 turnovers not good but....

Ron Harper Jr....7-8 fg 15 pts and 5 boards in just 17 minutes...get out...Impressive start, way exceeded my expectations. That is how you get your feet wet. Athleticism!

Montez Mathis....struggled mightily early but settled in as the game wore on. still ended up with 10pts/5 rebs....and the back to back alley oops where he and Harper traded assist and slams really gives a taste of what the future holds for this program

Myles Johnson...some nice touches for basketball...Looked ready and capable defensively with 3 blocks. and 5 boards.20 very solid minutes

Doorson...great D..3 blocks and 6 boards in just 17 minutes. Going to enjoy the role he is going to play for this team inside

Issa Thiam...when he hits those 3s...they looked better and he was hitting them. Its going to be his roll this year. Going to be an X factor.

Caleb McConnell...good to get minutes...9, at this stage all he needs to be is servicable.

Shaq Carter...well very interesting he didnt play until late so apparently he must be behind in practice but he was fairly hyped so we shall see if he catches up

Doucoure...just 6 minutes. Many were high on him last year but we shall see if he can take the next time. Its just the first game but the limited minutes may mean he is well behind the others but depending on the matchup he should get more.

Coach Pikiell and staff did a real good job tonight with substitution patterns, love the distribution of minutes as Geo was the only one over 30 and 8 players saw 17 or more minutes. I liked how Pike was patient with this team as they fought through some gelling issues in the first half and then had them ready to pour it on late

some random stuff

32-3 run from 53-42 to 85-45...when was the last time you saw a RU team do that

tonight just felt different..for the first time since Rice's year I felt I was watching a real team. The athleticism and ball movement was a marked change from recent times.

bring the marching band every game

I am more optimistic on the season than I was coming in. But yeah this team will struggle at times because of youthful mistakes....however I am more confident that they are capable of knocking off Big 10 competition when things are clicking.

announced attendance 5,521.. very very solid for a rainy night although it might be inflated by a few hundred

That’s one terrific assessment Bac. I’m smiling this morning. I don’t think I ever remember having this many shooters and never a player like Myles Johnson in my 30 years of watching. Peter Kiss is just a baller. Harper and Mathis are going to be outstanding and Geo is a rock star out there. And the one player who I think will really take the step is Thiam. Thanks to Eugene, Doorsan and Johnson down low plus the other shooting options, a guy like Thiam now finds himself more open shots and they are good shots.

I said yesterday before the game. This is when you buy your season tickets. It’s going to be a tough ticket to get very soon with the exception of some 300 level seats. I hope the word spreads quickly and just come enjoy watching these young kids. There will be plenty of bumps in the road in conference play but this group is special. Lots of recruits there as well last night and I can’t imagine anyone of them not being excited about the performance on the court. Unselfish players who genuinely love their teammates. The RAC is back baby!

 

[Barnaby&Neill]

Pretty much loved everything I saw tonight. For starters FDU was not very good although they were very scrappy and opportunistic playing toe to toe with RU in first 12-14 minutes of the game. Remember RU beat FDU by a similar margin last year but that was with Sanders/Freeman/Williams.. This year Rutgers was basically putting out a whole different team full of youth and I think we didn't know exactly what to expect with so many newcomers. There was a little bit of a slow start early and the defense was a more than pourous including rebounding but you can chalk that up to a bunch of newcomers trying to gel together and settle down. This to me was what was so impressive about this game, it was how quickly the team got more comfortable playing with each and noticably better and more dominant as the game wore on. Six players in double figures...SIX....12-20 on three pointers...the most ever made in the Pikiell era. 11 scholorship players played and all scored. Tonight was like night and day from last year. These are Pikiell's players...the era of Freeman/Sanders and disjointed offenses are over. Truly the program can move forward now and you saw glimpses of how. Not perfection but it does not need to be on game 1

Geo Baker....LEADER as a soph no question about it. What was so great is that he didnt even have a great shooting night but still got 14 but was able to hand out 7 assists. RU didn't need his scoring because he distributed the ball well and got everyone involved.

Peter Kiss...will be fan favorite of students....7-9 shooting/3-4 on 3s, 17 points. Leading scorer, brought big time emotion and huge new offensive option which this team desperately needed. Havent had a guy like him for a while on the banks....test will be if he can bring against Big 10 competition, I think he can.

Eugene.....14 and 10 double double. Very important for him to pick up where he left off last year.. How many players in the past have you seen at RU that do not take the next step. Eugene seems ready to take another leap. Yes 5 turnovers not good but....

Ron Harper Jr....7-8 fg 15 pts and 5 boards in just 17 minutes...get out...Impressive start, way exceeded my expectations. That is how you get your feet wet. Athleticism!

Montez Mathis....struggled mightily early but settled in as the game wore on. still ended up with 10pts/5 rebs....and the back to back alley oops where he and Harper traded assist and slams really gives a taste of what the future holds for this program

Myles Johnson...some nice touches for basketball...Looked ready and capable defensively with 3 blocks. and 5 boards.20 very solid minutes

Doorson...great D..3 blocks and 6 boards in just 17 minutes. Going to enjoy the role he is going to play for this team inside

Issa Thiam...when he hits those 3s...they looked better and he was hitting them. Its going to be his roll this year. Going to be an X factor.

Caleb McConnell...good to get minutes...9, at this stage all he needs to be is servicable.

Shaq Carter...well very interesting he didnt play until late so apparently he must be behind in practice but he was fairly hyped so we shall see if he catches up

Doucoure...just 6 minutes. Many were high on him last year but we shall see if he can take the next time. Its just the first game but the limited minutes may mean he is well behind the others but depending on the matchup he should get more.

Coach Pikiell and staff did a real good job tonight with substitution patterns, love the distribution of minutes as Geo was the only one over 30 and 8 players saw 17 or more minutes. I liked how Pike was patient with this team as they fought through some gelling issues in the first half and then had them ready to pour it on late

some random stuff

32-3 run from 53-42 to 85-45...when was the last time you saw a RU team do that

tonight just felt different..for the first time since Rice's year I felt I was watching a real team. The athleticism and ball movement was a marked change from recent times.

bring the marching band every game

I am more optimistic on the season than I was coming in. But yeah this team will struggle at times because of youthful mistakes....however I am more confident that they are capable of knocking off Big 10 competition when things are clicking.

announced attendance 5,521.. very very solid for a rainy night although it might be inflated by a few hundred

Was watching on BTN Plus, and looked like a full student section—was that the case?

 

[rufeelinit]

Well if EO and RH are going to be playing mostly the 4 then it will be very hard to manage minutes for Shaq, Myles, Duke and Carter. Seems like Shaq and Myles got most of them last night. I have not seen Carter or Myles but saw enough of Duke last year to think he could be an effective 4/5. Just could not stay out of foul trouble last year. Will be interesting to see how this evolves during the next few games.

 

[knights1212]

An excellent summary as usual BAC. Baker ran the show real well but he had 10 points not 14. Last night showed that he doesn't have to do everything by himself. We have pieces in place now. The future looks bright with Young and Mulcahy coming on board next season. Who will grab our last open scholarship? I wonder who the recruits were who attended last night. I can't wait until tomorrow's game. The RAC should be fun this year. The student section was packed. It was an awesome turnout by the students. Hopefully they can return tomorrow and for every game.

 

[Scarlet Shack]

Bac nailed it

 

[Scarlet83]

That’s one terrific assessment Bac. I’m smiling this morning. I don’t think I ever remember having this many shooters and never a player like Myles Johnson in my 30 years of watching. Peter Kiss is just a baller. Harper and Mathis are going to be outstanding and Geo is a rock star out there. And the one player who I think will really take the step is Thiam. Thanks to Eugene, Doorsan and Johnson down low plus the other shooting options, a guy like Thiam now finds himself more open shots and they are good shots.

I said yesterday before the game. This is when you buy your season tickets. It’s going to be a tough ticket to get very soon with the exception of some 300 level seats. I hope the word spreads quickly and just come enjoy watching these young kids. There will be plenty of bumps in the road in conference play but this group is special. Lots of recruits there as well last night and I can’t imagine anyone of them not being excited about the performance on the court. Unselfish players who genuinely love their teammates. The RAC is back baby!

Boalgoal - which recruits were there last night?

 

[MadRU]

I'll add the alley-oop to Dorson was a play he couldn't make the last 4 years. There was actually contact on the catch and he powered the dunk on the defender. Great to see.

I am still interested to see McConnell and how he progresses. If he can give Geo legitimate rest it will be huge for this team. I thought it was a great move by coach to put him in with Geo towards the end to allow Caleb to play off the ball and have less responsibility. Unfortunately it only lasted for a couple possessions.

Great first impression once everyone settled in.

Appears like Drexel gave Eastern Michigan a battle so I expect a decent test Sunday. Then we get the Johnnies.

 

[Scarlet83]

Was watching on BTN Plus, and looked like a full student section—was that the case?

It was a filled student section, however, the entire marching band was there (they sounded GREAT!). They took up the entire section that the pep band normally sits in. So only 2 of the 3 sections were open for students, and they filled them up.

Gotta keep the wins and the mojo going. Let’s hope this is the first year that RU students prioritize going to hoops games!

 

[RU848789]

Pretty much loved everything I saw tonight. For starters FDU was not very good although they were very scrappy and opportunistic playing toe to toe with RU in first 12-14 minutes of the game. Remember RU beat FDU by a similar margin last year but that was with Sanders/Freeman/Williams.. This year Rutgers was basically putting out a whole different team full of youth and I think we didn't know exactly what to expect with so many newcomers. There was a little bit of a slow start early and the defense was a more than pourous including rebounding but you can chalk that up to a bunch of newcomers trying to gel together and settle down. This to me was what was so impressive about this game, it was how quickly the team got more comfortable playing with each and noticably better and more dominant as the game wore on. Six players in double figures...SIX....12-20 on three pointers...the most ever made in the Pikiell era. 11 scholorship players played and all scored. Tonight was like night and day from last year. These are Pikiell's players...the era of Freeman/Sanders and disjointed offenses are over. Truly the program can move forward now and you saw glimpses of how. Not perfection but it does not need to be on game 1

Geo Baker....LEADER as a soph no question about it. What was so great is that he didnt even have a great shooting night but still got 14 but was able to hand out 7 assists. RU didn't need his scoring because he distributed the ball well and got everyone involved.

Peter Kiss...will be fan favorite of students....7-9 shooting/3-4 on 3s, 17 points. Leading scorer, brought big time emotion and huge new offensive option which this team desperately needed. Havent had a guy like him for a while on the banks....test will be if he can bring against Big 10 competition, I think he can.

Eugene.....14 and 10 double double. Very important for him to pick up where he left off last year.. How many players in the past have you seen at RU that do not take the next step. Eugene seems ready to take another leap. Yes 5 turnovers not good but....

Ron Harper Jr....7-8 fg 15 pts and 5 boards in just 17 minutes...get out...Impressive start, way exceeded my expectations. That is how you get your feet wet. Athleticism!

Montez Mathis....struggled mightily early but settled in as the game wore on. still ended up with 10pts/5 rebs....and the back to back alley oops where he and Harper traded assist and slams really gives a taste of what the future holds for this program

Myles Johnson...some nice touches for basketball...Looked ready and capable defensively with 3 blocks. and 5 boards.20 very solid minutes

Doorson...great D..3 blocks and 6 boards in just 17 minutes. Going to enjoy the role he is going to play for this team inside

Issa Thiam...when he hits those 3s...they looked better and he was hitting them. Its going to be his roll this year. Going to be an X factor.

Caleb McConnell...good to get minutes...9, at this stage all he needs to be is servicable.

Shaq Carter...well very interesting he didnt play until late so apparently he must be behind in practice but he was fairly hyped so we shall see if he catches up

Doucoure...just 6 minutes. Many were high on him last year but we shall see if he can take the next time. Its just the first game but the limited minutes may mean he is well behind the others but depending on the matchup he should get more.

Coach Pikiell and staff did a real good job tonight with substitution patterns, love the distribution of minutes as Geo was the only one over 30 and 8 players saw 17 or more minutes. I liked how Pike was patient with this team as they fought through some gelling issues in the first half and then had them ready to pour it on late

some random stuff

32-3 run from 53-42 to 85-45...when was the last time you saw a RU team do that

tonight just felt different..for the first time since Rice's year I felt I was watching a real team. The athleticism and ball movement was a marked change from recent times.

bring the marching band every game

I am more optimistic on the season than I was coming in. But yeah this team will struggle at times because of youthful mistakes....however I am more confident that they are capable of knocking off Big 10 competition when things are clicking.

announced attendance 5,521.. very very solid for a rainy night although it might be inflated by a few hundred

Great summary, as usual. Maybe we should both stay away from the CE board, lol. We're going to have growing pains, but we have a legitimate looking B1G team with size, skill, shooting ability and the ability to defend - only thing lacking at some spots is quickness, IMO, which means we'll need to rotate well on D when some guys get beat off the dribble. By the way, Geo had 10, not 14, but agree he had a great game, after a shaky first 10 minutes, especially from a distribution/leadership perspective. I'm really excited for the season.

 

[Degaz-RU]

Good summary. Just a few additional points.

Eugene is a LEGIT threat from deep. He looks like a natural shooter now. So defenders can’t just sag on him. He can score all over the court now.

Baker looks like a PG out there. Running the show, steady hand, finding the open man, and occasionally dribble penetrating or freeing himself for his own shot.

Myles Johnson, oh my that kid oozes ability, on both offense and defense.

Kiss - very efficient and can score in different ways. Has eye of the tiger too. A bit concerned with his on-ball defense though. He let up a bunch of blow byes.

Thiam still Thiam, but just more confident on the floor. And still our best defender.

Very impressed with Harper. No freshman jitters at all, just seems like a natural scorer, but also does other things to help the team.

Mathis had a sloppy first game, but you can see the potential. I’m not really worried about him.

McConnell on the other hand looked really shaky. He’s not ready to be a PG against legitimate competition, though I realize this was opening night for the freshman. I think Kiss will have to step up in that role, which is doable since I’m confident that Mathis and Harper can play quality minutes at the 2.

 

[BigEastPhil]

BAC - great post as always...always look forward to your recaps.

Some additional thoughts:

Baker - Has a chance to go down as one of greats at RU. That's how impressed i was with him last year as well as this year. He is the leader of the team and the student section and band cheering his name reinforces it. He needs to stay healthy and he is our most important player and cog in the wheel.

Kiss - what an addition. Shows such confidence; swagger etc and will be a fan favorite and a kid who other teams and fans will despise - which I think he yearns for.

Eugene - was that the quietest 14/10 game that he's ever had. Pike said he again is the most improved player on the team. Another fan favorite. A warrior and all blood;sweat and tears on the court.

Harper - As Pike said, he will be a mismatch for many teams. Was poised; can shoot the tray and so much to look forward for.

Mathis - seemed nervous in the first half but kid is an athlete; has the physical stature and once he plays within himself - there is much to look forward to.

Myles Johnson - was so impressed. His skills around the basket were terrific and we all can see now why Pike raved about last year. So much upside.

Doorson - did his job and made improvements in 2nd half to rebound and focus defensively much better.

Thiam - exerted confidence hitting the tray and he is our silent assissan and one who we need to shoot us out of a drought when it occurs - along with Kiss and Geo.

Caleb - had challenging first game and Pike is high on him. He is critical when Geo is out.

Shaq Carter - only played a few minutes so tough to gage but looked raw.

Dourcore - I'm a big supporter of Mamadou but I sense he's fallen out of Pike's key rotational players. Needs to show progress to play pivotal minutes.

 

[bac2therac]

Was watching on BTN Plus, and looked like a full student section—was that the case?

it was solid..marching band was there and they took almost all of 108....not exactly raucous but solid for first game

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Great summary bac. Peter Kiss will be a fan favorite.

 

[bac2therac]

every new beginning starts from some other beginnings end

 

[Loyal_2RU]

every new beginning starts from some other beginnings end

Closing Time. For this thread

 

[RUBubba]

Very interesting read. Good take on several of the players, missed on others, but generally they played out correctly.

 

[RUPete]

Closing Time. For this thread

We don’t have to go home, but we can’t stay in this thread.

 

[BillyC80]

Interesting thought: if Caleb has a great season and makes it onto an NBA roster, then that 2018 team would have had 3 eventual NBA players on it. Still remains to be seen, but pretty sure that’s never happened before.

 

[knight82]

Interesting thought: if Caleb has a great season and makes it onto an NBA roster, then that 2018 team would have had 3 eventual NBA players on it. Still remains to be seen, but pretty sure that’s never happened before.

Sellers, Copeland, Jordan, and Bailey all made NBA rosters, and Dabney might have for a day or two

 

[BillyC80]

Sellers, Copeland, Jordan, and Bailey all made NBA rosters, and Dabney might have for a day or two

Wow, thanks. I stand corrected. I knew about Jordan and Bailey but for some reason thought Sellers, Copeland and Dabney never made it.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Interesting thought: if Caleb has a great season and makes it onto an NBA roster, then that 2018 team would have had 3 eventual NBA players on it. Still remains to be seen, but pretty sure that’s never happened before.

Kiss isn’t in the NBA

😂

 

[BillyC80]

Kiss isn’t in the NBA

😂

I was referring to Eugene, Ron and Caleb.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I was referring to Eugene, Ron and Caleb.

I actually forgot about Eugene, thought you were referring to Cliff actually.

 

[knight82]

Wow, thanks. I stand corrected. I knew about Jordan and Bailey but for some reason thought Sellers, Copeland and Dabney never made it.

Copeland played major minutes for the Knicks for about two or three years