Two newcomers projected and expected to be starters, and vital cogs to boot
I had figured we would lose to Princeton due to unorganized
play
This will take time
GAME 3 BRYANT: Perhaps some positives
- Thread starter bac2therac
- Start date
I had figured we would lose to Princeton due to unorganized
play
This will take time
So Gavin ,Noah, Davis, Austin , along with sophomores Woolford and Simpson both who played limited minutes last year are experienced /seasoned upper classmen--- in what universe do you live in?
Thanks as usual for the write up. A few things that stood out to me:
1. Cliff: Is too slow in the post on O. A good post scorer makes his move (shoot or pass) quickly before the D can respond. Cliff still gathers and allows the D to respond. Cliff hasn't shown he will be an offensive threat that we can build a half court scheme around.
2. Davis and Fenandes aren't good (yet). In particular I'm surprised how many minutes Davis has gotten. He has poor shooting touch and his penetration doesn't achieve anything. Nobody runs the offense and sets up their teammates. I agree it's got to be Simpson. I think Davis needs to go back to "reserve learning the ropes" status.
3. Pikel now has a documented history of experimenting with player combos more than fans think is warranted...and some history of it paying off later. So we will see.
1. Cliff: Is too slow in the post on O. A good post scorer makes his move (shoot or pass) quickly before the D can respond. Cliff still gathers and allows the D to respond. Cliff hasn't shown he will be an offensive threat that we can build a half court scheme around.
2. Davis and Fenandes aren't good (yet). In particular I'm surprised how many minutes Davis has gotten. He has poor shooting touch and his penetration doesn't achieve anything. Nobody runs the offense and sets up their teammates. I agree it's got to be Simpson. I think Davis needs to go back to "reserve learning the ropes" status.
3. Pikel now has a documented history of experimenting with player combos more than fans think is warranted...and some history of it paying off later. So we will see.
This could be the biggest issue with Mulcahy leaving. He was always good at feeding Cliff. It's not happening as it should through 3 games.
Long scoring drought have been a ongoing problem regardless of the opponent or players on Rutgers roster.
Yes, should work itself out this season, as Gavin becomes more consistent & Mag’s return leading to more “easy” buckets off pressing defense..
In ‘19/20 a few weeks after the close call with Bryant, RU followed up with destructions of Seton Hall & Wisconsin.
I am still optimistic about this season
In ‘19/20 a few weeks after the close call with Bryant, RU followed up with destructions of Seton Hall & Wisconsin.
I am still optimistic about this season
It's college basketball, not the pros. Everyone has turnover. The numbers indicate we are solidly middle of the pack.
Also, the players are playing poorly anyway. The point about a harder schedule is that losing to a very good team is better than losing to, say, Princeton or Temple, to say nothing of Lafayette or UMass.
My 2 cents:
When Mags returns the intensity level on defense will vastly improve with all players. Right now it's sorely lacking.
Nice that Hyatt got his 19 points but I still take issue with his shot selection. Too often when Rutgers is building momentum and a flow he takes an ill-advised outside shot that cranks off the rim and seems to give life to an opponent.
Davis and Simpson need to get the bulk of the guard minutes. Simpson finally showed some life yesterday and made some big FTs. Fernandes and Williams have shown nothing and look to still be suffering from too much rust from past injuries. They should not be starting . Davis has energy and plays good hustling defense but his shot is off. If he's to play in crunch time he needs to make his FTs. Davis also needs to show he can dish off to the bigs and put them in good position to score underneath.
Woolfolk needs to play more at the 4 as he provides a physical presence underneath and is a sorely needed second rebounder besides Cliff. However he needs to improve his ball handling around the basket and make his FTs. Because he's so active he'll have plenty of FT opportunities.
Gavin's shot was off but he still does little things that help in the end and his defense looked better. He is a player.
People overlooked how many new parts to this team that will take some to mesh and gel. Perhaps that's the state of college ball today with easy transfer rules and the portal -November becomes a time for teams to learn who they are and how to play together...
When Mags returns the intensity level on defense will vastly improve with all players. Right now it's sorely lacking.
Nice that Hyatt got his 19 points but I still take issue with his shot selection. Too often when Rutgers is building momentum and a flow he takes an ill-advised outside shot that cranks off the rim and seems to give life to an opponent.
Davis and Simpson need to get the bulk of the guard minutes. Simpson finally showed some life yesterday and made some big FTs. Fernandes and Williams have shown nothing and look to still be suffering from too much rust from past injuries. They should not be starting . Davis has energy and plays good hustling defense but his shot is off. If he's to play in crunch time he needs to make his FTs. Davis also needs to show he can dish off to the bigs and put them in good position to score underneath.
Woolfolk needs to play more at the 4 as he provides a physical presence underneath and is a sorely needed second rebounder besides Cliff. However he needs to improve his ball handling around the basket and make his FTs. Because he's so active he'll have plenty of FT opportunities.
Gavin's shot was off but he still does little things that help in the end and his defense looked better. He is a player.
People overlooked how many new parts to this team that will take some to mesh and gel. Perhaps that's the state of college ball today with easy transfer rules and the portal -November becomes a time for teams to learn who they are and how to play together...
We must have the fanbase that literally asks for the coaching staff to do things, then they do them.....and as soon as they accomplish what should happen, the same fans keep complaining.
We watched all of last season and cried bloody murder about Pike's not recruiting well in 2019, 2020 and 2021....it was the "lack of talent", that RU didn't have on the bench.....so the staff upgraded across the board AND in the starting lineup.
Fans are now saying "Fernandes isn't good, we want Mulcahy....."....I don't understand why Davis keeps playing.... why is Austin Williams starting "???
Let's rewind.....a year ago, the bench minutes were Dean Reiber....who had a role but limited.....we had Jalen Miller, who played excellent defense as a freshman but tailed off as a sophomore, but was not an offensive threat at all.....we also supposedly didn't get much mileage out of Palmquist, until we saw some 3s in February and Hyatt slumped....but for the better part of 3+ years, Palmquist was a nonfactor.
So we upgrade with Ogbole, upgrade with Austin Williams, upgrade with Noah Fernandes, add a plus athlete in JaMicheal Davis in the backcourt and do we want Reiber, Miller back??
Whether we played Jalen Miller, Oskar Palmquist, Noah Fernandes or Austin Williams or Gavin Griffiths or JaMicheal Davis this year......ANY newcomer will take time to gel and get comfortable.
Fans can't complain about the lack of depth last year (which doomed the team without real options who could play off the bench) and then use 3 games to say "the newcomers aren't good".
That is my recap.....when you add 3 to 5 newcomers off the bench or via the portal, it's going to take 2 months minimum, to flush out roles and see what actually works....sometimes, it may take well into late January or February.
I am not saying RU is Nebraska from 2022-2023.....we have a better coach, better discipline and better home court. BUT, if you watched Nebraska early last year, with injuries and a bunch of new faces, it wasn't until they hit the RAC, when people started to wonder....is this an awful loss by RU???
In February, Nebraska played as good a level of faster paced brand of basketball....(not reckless), but I tend to think RU will take a couple of months to gel....and as long as RU holds the fort down in the next 3 weeks and handles the games they should, by the time Illinois arrives, we should look much better.
There's probably going to be 3 versions of what RU looks like in 1 season.....sorting out/experimenting......then ramping up and letting the competitive players earn more minutes.....then allowing the roles for the bench to get comfortable and start really contributing on a consistent basis.
Can RU dance and make the NCAAs, while integrating 5 new players and still not committing to a starting backcourt of Simpson and Griffiths?? Only time will tell.
We watched all of last season and cried bloody murder about Pike's not recruiting well in 2019, 2020 and 2021....it was the "lack of talent", that RU didn't have on the bench.....so the staff upgraded across the board AND in the starting lineup.
Fans are now saying "Fernandes isn't good, we want Mulcahy....."....I don't understand why Davis keeps playing.... why is Austin Williams starting "???
Let's rewind.....a year ago, the bench minutes were Dean Reiber....who had a role but limited.....we had Jalen Miller, who played excellent defense as a freshman but tailed off as a sophomore, but was not an offensive threat at all.....we also supposedly didn't get much mileage out of Palmquist, until we saw some 3s in February and Hyatt slumped....but for the better part of 3+ years, Palmquist was a nonfactor.
So we upgrade with Ogbole, upgrade with Austin Williams, upgrade with Noah Fernandes, add a plus athlete in JaMicheal Davis in the backcourt and do we want Reiber, Miller back??
Whether we played Jalen Miller, Oskar Palmquist, Noah Fernandes or Austin Williams or Gavin Griffiths or JaMicheal Davis this year......ANY newcomer will take time to gel and get comfortable.
Fans can't complain about the lack of depth last year (which doomed the team without real options who could play off the bench) and then use 3 games to say "the newcomers aren't good".
That is my recap.....when you add 3 to 5 newcomers off the bench or via the portal, it's going to take 2 months minimum, to flush out roles and see what actually works....sometimes, it may take well into late January or February.
I am not saying RU is Nebraska from 2022-2023.....we have a better coach, better discipline and better home court. BUT, if you watched Nebraska early last year, with injuries and a bunch of new faces, it wasn't until they hit the RAC, when people started to wonder....is this an awful loss by RU???
In February, Nebraska played as good a level of faster paced brand of basketball....(not reckless), but I tend to think RU will take a couple of months to gel....and as long as RU holds the fort down in the next 3 weeks and handles the games they should, by the time Illinois arrives, we should look much better.
There's probably going to be 3 versions of what RU looks like in 1 season.....sorting out/experimenting......then ramping up and letting the competitive players earn more minutes.....then allowing the roles for the bench to get comfortable and start really contributing on a consistent basis.
Can RU dance and make the NCAAs, while integrating 5 new players and still not committing to a starting backcourt of Simpson and Griffiths?? Only time will tell.
So why shouldn't backcourt he Fernandes and someone? He was brought in as the starting point guard.
sorry but Fernades is not an upgrade over Mulcahy in any world. Ditto for Davis over Cam. Pike needed to keep Paul and Cam happy unless he was going to bring in something better. We just now have 3 small guard none of which are really point guards and do the same thing. The ceiling on this team is much less than the previous 4 seasons. I would not write off a ncaa bid this year but i would not predict one and didnt either.
Gavin of course is a prize recruit, no one disputes that.
I need to see another month of Fernandes before I can conclude that. So far it is tough to argue against you.
no i already know....is Noah singlehandedly going to be Michigan State...I will wait for that one
we brought in a 5th year player not a freshmen...and a player who is not in shape. What went on in Europe
We are playing Boston and Bryant not Baylor and Duke. This isnt a 4 year project. Its win right now to make the ncaa.
Next year has zero to do with this year
That’s where I differ from many in these threads. After three games I’m not locking into what players’ ceilings can be at this point. And while I still think PM was a loss, we can offset it in others ways. Also, ultimately I think GG will be your upgrade over Cam.
It is, but I also see a guy trying to fit in and who is being tentative and deferential on offense. Also can’t discount being out most of last year.
I dont think its a gg vs cam thing that im looking at here. Derek is the one who needs to replace cams scoring.
I have been extrememly lenient and tried to stay away from making rash declarations the first three games yet there are tons of red flags if I want to go there...so right now Im dabbling a bit in where I told myself I wouldnt go
biggest of which is who is going to get the ball to Cliff. We gave a 6ft 11 star center and through 5 of 6 halves he has been a non factor. Some of that on Cliff himself and he brought it big time the 2nd half yesterday.
biggest of which is who is going to get the ball to Cliff. We gave a 6ft 11 star center and through 5 of 6 halves he has been a non factor. Some of that on Cliff himself and he brought it big time the 2nd half yesterday.
I don’t think so. It doesn’t have to be a position to position transaction. If you get that threat from a new source so be it and maybe Derek picks up the slack in other ways like he did yesterday.
our 3 small guards are currently shooting 11-54 fg for the season and they only played one solid program.
unless some expect Hyatt to score 19 points a game.....
unless some expect Hyatt to score 19 points a game.....
And, I forgot who posted this, we have been doing this in hockey line shifts not settling into a rotation this year. Patience will rule the day here. I know that sounds comical for me to be telling a fan like you that. That’s all we have done with this program - be patient. 😂
It took Cam a month or so. I was ready to give up on him though when he passed to Oskar in transition at half court. That was rather shocking to me.
I’m having a hard time chalking up his lack of success so far as a step up in talent considering who we have played.
Something else is going on.
It’s go to be in there somewhere.
I went back and watched some of the highlights from when he played us.
He opened their scoring on their second possession by going one on one with Caleb and getting Caleb to bite on some sort of spin-step back-under move (I don’t even know what that’s called). He closed the game by drilling the game winning three over the next heralded defender (Mag). In between he took very few shots but got to the line (8-9) and dished 11 assists with only two turnovers. Probably made easier because CJ Kelly was on fire, but still.
Bookending that game over those defenders and not making mistakes has to be proof that he has it in him.
It is tough coming on to a new team and being the man with the ball and worry about doing too much and not get others involved. He is playing to not make mistakes
To me Noah is holding back on shooting, especially from deep. Like he purposely wants to defer to others or be a facilitator but the opportunities aren’t there yet.
I’d like to see him take more shots from the arc and establish himself as a threat, which will also open up the lanes for him to drive and dish.
What many forget is that we're not the only program that was greatly impacted by transfers and the portal. It wouldn't surprise me if there are many upsets this month......
Completely disagree on 1. Cliff has gotten noticeably better at making quick post moves. He's done it over and over immediately going to his little jump hook which he now seems to have found touch with
R.e. Hawk... if it takes til January or February to figure it out then it's irrelevant bc the season will be over. It needs to happen faster or we will just be playing for moral victories by the time they do
As mentioned above, the biggest issue is guard play, in reality we have three point guards and no real two guards, one of our guards had to become a two and fill the role as a shooting guard, perhaps Fernandes? However not sure either Jmike or Derrick is ready to take on full point responsibility, but neither of them shoot the ball consistently enough to be a two, Pike need to sort this out, and it may not be a quick fix.
Guards getting Cliff the ball (good entry passes where he has an opportunity to score before the double team arrives) is another issue, in a limited sample, Gavin Griffin seems to be the only one consistently looking for Cliff and making useful entry passes.
The Guard play will not be an easy problem to fix, but as the schedule increases in difficulty it becomes a critical fix that must happen to improve overall team play. No question the Big teams will full quart pressure our smaller inexperienced guards
Guards getting Cliff the ball (good entry passes where he has an opportunity to score before the double team arrives) is another issue, in a limited sample, Gavin Griffin seems to be the only one consistently looking for Cliff and making useful entry passes.
The Guard play will not be an easy problem to fix, but as the schedule increases in difficulty it becomes a critical fix that must happen to improve overall team play. No question the Big teams will full quart pressure our smaller inexperienced guards
Austin needs to take and knock down some more threes (currently 1-3 from deep this year). With his size, ball-handling, drives to the rim, and strong defense he could fill the 2-role very well if he would take and make more shots from beyond the arc.
I know he’s still getting acclimated from not having played in two years, so it may take a few more games, but I can see him as the starter in that role, for the foreseeable future.
Noah hasn’t been the same player who was at UMass. Yes, he is coming off an injury and adjusting to a new team, but as BAC noted, he looks out of shape even though he was training for and playing on the foreign trip and has had 3 months to get into shape. We really need a guard who can hit 3s once we start playing better teams, otherwise they will just pack the paint against us, hopefully Noah can start pulling it together.
The last two seasons he played, before he got hurt, Austin shot 32% from three (to go along with 57% from 2-point range). That’s good enough to be considered a legit threat from deep, and as a shooter/scorer in general.
I believe he led Hartford in scoring and rebounding and was awarded Outstanding Player of their America East championship run. He can score, defend, and rebound, and at 6’4 he has good size to play the 2 spot for us.
Hopefully as he gets into a groove again after not playing for over 600 days, he’ll start to prove himself as a sold 2-man.
A 32% shooter from 3 is not a good shooter and most teams would be happy to let him take lots of 3s. He has value as a player but it is not his 3 point shooting.
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