GAME 30 WISCONSIN: Tomorrow's Gonna Be a Brighter Day

[bac2therac]

Well as this season staggers to sputtering end, once again its wash rinse repeat time in this space. Recaps not needed. There was no way to fix a roster that just was so poorly constructed. Partly bad luck but partly Pikes own poor recruiting decisions over the years. As I said games ago, turn the page. This mess of a season never really changed. Day 1 vs Princeton to Day 30 at Wisconsin, can you really spot any difference. Happy to get J Will on the court showing he is our best player. We can take some positives in the play of Gavin tonight and in the last few games but this season has been one to forget about. No not awful like some Eddie Jordan or Fred Hill years and it did have its moments with some boisterous crowds and efforts Wisconsin and Northwestern. Yet this was a difficult season for me and alot of other RU fans to watch. For years it was about hope and finally getting the promised land. The early Pike years were not always good but you saw the hope and promise and the work ethic. Soon Pike had RU competing for and landing what should have been 3 straight NCAA appearances. Those were good times. The ride was enticing. Getting there was fun. The bitter taste of last seasons finish and NCAA snub combined with this seasons mediocrity is a hard pill for fans to swallow. Thank god...thank god, Pikiell landed Ace and Dylan. I do not think Rutgers fans have any idea what we are in for with their talent here. We have never had one of these with talent let alone too. And yes it does not make us a top 10 team or even sweet 16 just to have them. Tons of work need to be done in the offseason and in the portal for Pikiell to give RU their best chance to max their potential in what looks to be a unique once in a lifetime type situaton for the program. There have been better coaches than Pike that floundered with more talent so nothing is ever assured. Yet Rutgers has never ever been in this position before. The angst and irritation that I experienced with this years team is going to be replaced with anticipation and fluttering heartbeats. Next season is why we are fans. Its why we suffered through 30 years without a NCAA bid. Coach Pikiell was the guy who got us there. He put the program in a new stratosphere. Coach Pikiell sings...."Tomorrow is gonna be a brighter day" and I believe him.


Well, I'm sorry for the things that I told you
But words only go so far and if I had my way
I would reach into heaven
And I'd pull down a star for a present

And I'd make you a chain out of diamonds
And pearls from a summer sea
But all I can give you is a kiss in the morning
And a sweet apology

Well, I know that it hasn't been easy
And I haven't always been around
To say the right words or to hold you in the mornin'
Or to help you when you're down

I know I never showed you much of a good time
But baby things are gonna change
I'm gonna make up for all of the hurt I brought
I'm gonna love away all your pain

And tomorrow's gonna be a brighter day
There's gonna be some changes
Tomorrow's gonna be a brighter day
This time you can believe me

No more cryin' in your lonely room
And no more empty nights
'Cause tomorrow mornin'
Everything will turn out right

Well, there's something that I've got to tell you
Yes I've got something on my mind
But words come hard when your lying in my arms
And when I'm looking deep into your eyes

But there's truth and consolation
And what I'm trying to say
Is that nobody ever had a rainbow baby
Until he had the rain

And tomorrow's gonna be a brighter day
There's gonna be some changes
Tomorrow's gonna be a brighter day
This time you can believe me

No more cryin' in your lonely room
And no more empty nights
'Cause tomorrow mornin'
Everything will turn out right

It's gonna, it's gonna
It's gonna be a brighter day
It's gonna, it's gonna
It's gonna be a brighter day

It's gonna, it's gonna
It's gonna be a brighter day
It's gonna be, it's gonna be
It's gonna be a brighter day

It's gonna be, it's gonna be
It's gonna be a brighter day
Come on tomorrow, come on tomorrow
It's gonna be a brighter day

 

[Scangg]

The silver lining for this season may be that the team was bad enough offensively to force Pike to be more aggressive making changes for next season

 

[Sweet Peas Corner]

I thought there was gping to be Brady Bunch song in there. Remember the good times.

 

[Mike from MD]

 

[shields]

Thank goodness season almost over. Very good ship going over, like this season.

 

[BillyC80]

It will be the most interesting off-season ever, with lots to talk about on these boards.

 

[bac2therac]

It will be the most interesting off-season ever, with lots to talk about on these boards.

Its my sabbatical..call me around Halloween

 

[RUJMM78]

The silver lining for this season may be that the team was bad enough offensively to force Pike to be more aggressive making changes for next season.

Players that can create and make shots off the dribble along with stationary 3 point shooters. Coaching a half court offense with player and ball movement.Teaching players to make foul shots at a higher percentage.Teaching players on positioning for rebounding.Recruiting aggressively for Bailey and Harper replacements which means no 2/3 star recruits.Lots to do and little time for it to happen.

 

[Sweet Peas Corner]

 

[wicker]

We'll always have the successive matchups of _U__ERS vs _U__ERS and ___GERS vs ___GERS

 

[BillyC80]

Its my sabbatical..call me around Halloween

Haha, will be tough to stay away during portal season 😎

 

[BillyC80]

The silver lining for this season may be that the team was bad enough offensively to force Pike to be more aggressive making changes for next season

Yes. We were so bad this year that we earned 2 first-round draft picks for next season.

Our ping-pong ball came up in the lottery!

 

[LeapinLou]

The silver lining over the last few games is that Griffiths has looked good. We desperately need a sniper from the portal. But if we don't get that person, we now have some hope that Griffiths can be that guy.

I don't think we can keep both Simpson and JMike. And since JMike is Ace's guy, I guess the writing is on the wall. My biggest concern with that is the only guys on the team that can make free throws are JWill, Simpson, and Fernandez. Losing two of those commodities isn't good for end game situations.

 

[BillyC80]

The silver lining over the last few games is that Griffiths has looked good. We desperately need a sniper from the portal. But if we don't get that person, we now have some hope that Griffiths can be that guy.

I don't think we can keep both Simpson and JMike. And since JMike is Ace's guy, I guess the writing is on the wall. My biggest concern with that is the only guys on the team that can make free throws are JWill, Simpson, and Fernandez. Losing two of those commodities isn't good for end game situations.

Lou, we’re getting a good foul-shooter with Harper and another guy, Ace, who makes foul shots with his eyes closed!

I have a feeling those guys will have the ball, in end-game situations. 🙂

 

[jonS]

Well as this season staggers to sputtering end, once again its wash rinse repeat time in this space. Recaps not needed. There was no way to fix a roster that just was so poorly constructed. Partly bad luck but partly Pikes own poor recruiting decisions over the years. As I said games ago, turn the page. This mess of a season never really changed. Day 1 vs Princeton to Day 30 at Wisconsin, can you really spot any difference. Happy to get J Will on the court showing he is our best player. We can take some positives in the play of Gavin tonight and in the last few games but this season has been one to forget about. No not awful like some Eddie Jordan or Fred Hill years and it did have its moments with some boisterous crowds and efforts Wisconsin and Northwestern. Yet this was a difficult season for me and alot of other RU fans to watch. For years it was about hope and finally getting the promised land. The early Pike years were not always good but you saw the hope and promise and the work ethic. Soon Pike had RU competing for and landing what should have been 3 straight NCAA appearances. Those were good times. The ride was enticing. Getting there was fun. The bitter taste of last seasons finish and NCAA snub combined with this seasons mediocrity is a hard pill for fans to swallow. Thank god...thank god, Pikiell landed Ace and Dylan. I do not think Rutgers fans have any idea what we are in for with their talent here. We have never had one of these with talent let alone too. And yes it does not make us a top 10 team or even sweet 16 just to have them. Tons of work need to be done in the offseason and in the portal for Pikiell to give RU their best chance to max their potential in what looks to be a unique once in a lifetime type situaton for the program. There have been better coaches than Pike that floundered with more talent so nothing is ever assured. Yet Rutgers has never ever been in this position before. The angst and irritation that I experienced with this years team is going to be replaced with anticipation and fluttering heartbeats. Next season is why we are fans. Its why we suffered through 30 years without a NCAA bid. Coach Pikiell was the guy who got us there. He put the program in a new stratosphere. Coach Pikiell sings...."Tomorrow is gonna be a brighter day" and I believe him.


Well, I'm sorry for the things that I told you
But words only go so far and if I had my way
I would reach into heaven
And I'd pull down a star for a present

And I'd make you a chain out of diamonds
And pearls from a summer sea
But all I can give you is a kiss in the morning
And a sweet apology

Well, I know that it hasn't been easy
And I haven't always been around
To say the right words or to hold you in the mornin'
Or to help you when you're down

I know I never showed you much of a good time
But baby things are gonna change
I'm gonna make up for all of the hurt I brought
I'm gonna love away all your pain

And tomorrow's gonna be a brighter day
There's gonna be some changes
Tomorrow's gonna be a brighter day
This time you can believe me

No more cryin' in your lonely room
And no more empty nights
'Cause tomorrow mornin'
Everything will turn out right

Well, there's something that I've got to tell you
Yes I've got something on my mind
But words come hard when your lying in my arms
And when I'm looking deep into your eyes

But there's truth and consolation
And what I'm trying to say
Is that nobody ever had a rainbow baby
Until he had the rain

And tomorrow's gonna be a brighter day
There's gonna be some changes
Tomorrow's gonna be a brighter day
This time you can believe me

No more cryin' in your lonely room
And no more empty nights
'Cause tomorrow mornin'
Everything will turn out right

It's gonna, it's gonna
It's gonna be a brighter day
It's gonna, it's gonna
It's gonna be a brighter day

It's gonna, it's gonna
It's gonna be a brighter day
It's gonna be, it's gonna be
It's gonna be a brighter day

It's gonna be, it's gonna be
It's gonna be a brighter day
Come on tomorrow, come on tomorrow
It's gonna be a brighter day

View embedded media

BAC --very sober and honest commentary. This team seemed so out of synch the entire season but two things I most associate with past Pike teams stood out most me as lacking-- the lack of defensive rebounding and the selfishness of the guard play. The former deals with toughness, effort and tenacity and the latter to team play. Yes Simpson can't shoot but he played selfishly. I can't recall a single time when he stole the ball , drove to the hoop and refused to pass to a trailing player with a better shot at scoring. Instead Simpson would force a shot that too often was off the rim. I really like Pike but what really bothered me was his not getting in the face of Simpson for his selfishness and taking him out. What message does that send?

 

[G- RUnit]

We have another game to play.
Season isn’t over.
Gavin improving by the day.
Let’s officially get payback and Knock OSU out of any tourney bid.
Can we use NIL money to get Williams some Nikes and get a Mason Gross student to paint some Adidas stripes on them?

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

I actually don't have any concerns about what happened this season. The team did as much as they could and RU was always a build and develop program and got to a winning stature with that formula. The only problem with that, is RU went into the last 2 full seasons, asking for build and develop, around players who just aren't built for that front-line workload.

But I do think we found out, what needed to happen to move into 2024-25 and beyond, which was always what this season was about. We counted on some leadership and toughness (Mag), some development (Simpson) and asked some kids to play roles that were too much for them to carry (Cliff and Hyatt).

All games are won and lost in late March through the recruitment season. And while fans will retreat into perhaps not caring about Ohio State Sunday or a 3rd potential game vs Maryland and maybe another Wisconsin match in a few days, there are still 2 games and possibly 3 left. For some players like Gavin, 3 games could make up 10% of his career.

JWill at 13 PPG in 10 games is something I can work with.

Griffiths at 7.4PPG in his last 5 games and 9 of 22 from 3, is about 41% from 3. Beyond the 3s, which is important, he looks more fluid and moving better.

Cliff is Cliff.....some good, some "eh", mixed with some Wow moments in the last 10 games. Nothing to sneeze at, he also would benefit with a true 5th year, with some legitimate speed and wings brought in the 2024 class and a portal pickup or 2.

There's a lot of Simpson or Davis, Davis or Simpson nonsense and people in their corners....no reasonable RU fan can or should even remotely try and pick apart one being better than another. Both have VERY clear and massive holes in their games and while Simpson shooting poorly gets the lion share of critics, Davis is really not better as a shooter and as a guard, is 25% from 3 and 50% from the line.

Under no circumstances, could anyone accept or say Davis can function in a role on a winning roster, unless BOTH numbers climb by

FT% gets to a floor of 70% minimum of 20% jump necessary.

3PT% gets to a bare minimum of 30%

For JMike (who I think plays as a more complete guard than Simpson), he absolutely has to get to 75% from the line to play next year. There's really no path to play JMike in any meaningful minutes next year on defense and take advantage of his excellent hustle, until BOTH of those items are fixed. The 3s I think are possible to get to 30%, but 50% FTs as a guard, is a non-negotiable item.

What am I looking for beyond the above items?? I like JWill hustle and effort....I liked Gavin passing up a 3, and hitting Simpson, who when he is stationary and sets his feet, actually can shoot. It's the Corey Sanders type drive and pull up game, that only Kobe or MJ can master.

Onto Ohio State and while fans may think this year is disappointing, last year's debacle down the stretch was much worse IMO. I have 5 players right now, who need to keep playing.....JWill, Davis, Simpson, Gavin and Cliff, mixed with Hyatt, since Mag has mailed it in. Let's see if those 5 who I am pretty certain will be here next year, decide to keep working and improving.

 

[G- RUnit]

I think Gavin’s D has improved by leaps and bounds(pun intended?).

His blocked shots have been a welcome benefit.

10 to 15 pounds will be a force next year.

Want to keep winning just to get as many games and practice as possible for next year.

 

[RU848789]

Cautiously optimistic is my stance. I have no idea what the roster will look like, but have to believe there are portal players out there who would love to be part of the Ace and Dylan show (plus the other guys coming in are not slouches). Cliff could really thrive in a more high flying offense, so I think he might stay one more year and we know we could use his D/shot-blocking/rebounding and I really like JWill's game and how Gavin grew over the last 3-4 games. No idea, though, on what happens with the other guards. We're at least going to have a fun year, next year, I think and I think we can live with a bit less defense if we can trade that in for a much better offense.

 

[BillyC80]

Having JWill on day one next year is a huge upgrade, that cannot be understated.

Gavin turned a corner, showing more toughness and confidence — he can be a solid contributor in the 3 role, which we’ll desperately need. Adding strength to his body will help tremendously.

Just imagining our offense mid-season next year. Give me a 4-minute run with JWill, Harper, Gavin, Ace, and Lathan. Defense might take a hit, but that’s a big team with offensive talent that could outscore anyone.

 

[bac2therac]

BAC --very sober and honest commentary. This team seemed so out of synch the entire season but two things I most associate with past Pike teams stood out most me as lacking-- the lack of defensive rebounding and the selfishness of the guard play. The former deals with toughness, effort and tenacity and the latter to team play. Yes Simpson can't shoot but he played selfishly. I can't recall a single time when he stole the ball , drove to the hoop and refused to pass to a trailing player with a better shot at scoring. Instead Simpson would force a shot that too often was off the rim. I really like Pike but what really bothered me was his not getting in the face of Simpson for his selfishness and taking him out. What message does that send?

maybe this is what Cam meant by accountability. I think with Pike there is too much loyalty and playing time guaranteed...this goes back over the years. I know Geo and Ron were very good but there was almost an assumed that Paul/Caleb were going to have major minutes last year....no surprise because Pike didnt recruit anyone under them to push them.

 

[bac2therac]

I think Gavin was not allowed to flourish until certain players were removed or phased out of the game plan.....namely Hyatt but also Mag and Simpson to some extent

I think J Mike and Gavin are on the same page and along with J Will

I know who needs to not be here next year.

 

[G- RUnit]

Obvious bias again.

Gavin has been getting shots all year.
Confidence has improved and has matured and has learned.

Defense has improved. I think he’s on the same page as Derek.

I know who needs to not be here next year.

And you wonder why I repeated come to the defense of a kid who plays his guts and heart out and is the leading foul shooter on the team. I would like an 87% foul shooter next year and a great ball handler.

 

[ColonelRutgers]

maybe this is what Cam meant by accountability. I think with Pike there is too much loyalty and playing time guaranteed...this goes back over the years. I know Geo and Ron were very good but there was almost an assumed that Paul/Caleb were going to have major minutes last year....no surprise because Pike didnt recruit anyone under them to push them.

What I took more out of those Spencer family comments is that Cam and, evidently his father, are very much simpatico with Hurley in temperament and personality so they connect that way and they equate that with the right approach for holding people accountable. Hurley's a psycho who doesn't control his emotions and is a yeller. Look at the way Cam acts on the court and there's a connection there. Some people equate that approach as the way to hold people accountable like a Bobby Knight. Dean Smith held people accountable too but also knew how to control himself. None of us are really close enough to understand the inner workings of the program to know if people weren't being "held accountable" in my opinion.

Regarding loyalty and playing time guarantee, as far as last year is concerned, people were down on Mulcahy last year and wanted Simpson to play more at the end of last year. But now with a good sample size to judge what Simpson actually is, I think sticking with Mulcahy as much as he did was the right thing. If you want to argue that Pike doesn't recruit over guys as much as he should that's another argument but I think the players that he was "loyal" to have mostly justified that.

 

[kcg88]

maybe this is what Cam meant by accountability. I think with Pike there is too much loyalty and playing time guaranteed...this goes back over the years. I know Geo and Ron were very good but there was almost an assumed that Paul/Caleb were going to have major minutes last year....no surprise because Pike didnt recruit anyone under them to push them.

My theory on this is that Cam looked around starting after the season and guys were not putting in the work to get better and the coaches were not pushing them. Remember that from April 12 - May 22 we did not have a third assistant coach. Lathan Sommerville committed on April 21 so it's reasonable to believe some amount of time and effort was being spent by the coaches on his recruitment, as well as Dylan's, obviously. Cliff was mostly away from the team training for the NBA draft and going through workouts. Same for Mulcahy.

Obviously I can never prove this but that was the situation during April and May. Cliff and Paul doing their NBA draft thing.. Mag still rehabbing his injury. Oskar had already committed to Elon so he might not have been around. Fernandes, Griffiths, and Davis weren't there yet. So those April and May workouts would've been just Cam, Hyatt, Simpson, Woolfolk, and Chol. Given the lack of development by the latter four is it so crazy to think Cam soured on the program in that span? I am not definitively saying those guys aren't hard workers but none of them really got much better.

 

[bac2therac]

My theory on this is that Cam looked around starting after the season and guys were not putting in the work to get better and the coaches were not pushing them. Remember that from April 12 - May 22 we did not have a third assistant coach. Lathan Sommerville committed on April 21 so it's reasonable to believe some amount of time and effort was being spent by the coaches on his recruitment, as well as Dylan's, obviously. Cliff was mostly away from the team training for the NBA draft and going through workouts. Same for Mulcahy.

Obviously I can never prove this but that was the situation during April and May. Cliff and Paul doing their NBA draft thing.. Mag still rehabbing his injury. Oskar had already committed to Elon so he might not have been around. Fernandes, Griffiths, and Davis weren't there yet. So those April and May workouts would've been just Cam, Hyatt, Simpson, Woolfolk, and Chol. Given the lack of development by the latter four is it so crazy to think Cam soured on the program in that span? I am not definitively saying those guys aren't hard workers but none of them really got much better.

very plausible take here. The whole covid extra year definitely screwed with things and the lack of any real portal rules and timelines require better management by Pike and his staff. But again underscores how poorly Pike recruited the couple seasons prior

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

These are wild takes on Cam being some sort of hard worker while others aren't?? Cam is a solid player, but don't mistake lack of skill or talent as lack of working hard. You don't have the 3rd ranked defense in all of CBB, because players aren't putting in effort. Maybe Cam wasn't a defense 1st player and wants to shoot open 3s all day, nothing wrong with that.

In terms of fans deciding who they think should or shouldn't be on the team, as long as it based on actual talent or skill and not some sort of vendetta, I'm all in for a discussion. There is a big difference between not being on the team and a reduced role.

I will repeat this again....Dortch and Grant are very talented on tape.....so is Lathan Sommerville. I see no reason why this freshman class cannot mirror RHJ, Mathis and Caleb in terms of minutes, shot attempts and learning on the job like they did during the rebuild. The difference is these frosh will be supported with potentially Cliff, JWill, some Gavin mixed in and a team 1st guy like Oskar.....shedding the players who bailed on this season (Mag) will improve chemistry and work ethic a ton.

It also helps to have less turnover on how we want to play, vs turning the entire roster over. Simpson and Davis to me, make a lot of sense as the 4th and 5th guards.....if we are comparing them to Noah and Austin Williams, I consider that an upgrade off the bench.

We have too many empty minutes from starters and the bench, which is lack of athletes who make basketball plays (Hyatt. Mag, Wolf, Chol). Noah and Austin really got exposed by playing too many minutes in spots this year.

 

[G- RUnit]

My theory on this is that Cam looked around starting after the season and guys were not putting in the work to get better and the coaches were not pushing them. Remember that from April 12 - May 22 we did not have a third assistant coach. Lathan Sommerville committed on April 21 so it's reasonable to believe some amount of time and effort was being spent by the coaches on his recruitment, as well as Dylan's, obviously. Cliff was mostly away from the team training for the NBA draft and going through workouts. Same for Mulcahy.

Obviously I can never prove this but that was the situation during April and May. Cliff and Paul doing their NBA draft thing.. Mag still rehabbing his injury. Oskar had already committed to Elon so he might not have been around. Fernandes, Griffiths, and Davis weren't there yet. So those April and May workouts would've been just Cam, Hyatt, Simpson, Woolfolk, and Chol. Given the lack of development by the latter four is it so crazy to think Cam soured on the program in that span? I am not definitively saying those guys aren't hard workers but none of them really got much better.

Or more likely Cooley opened his eyes and UConn opened their wallets and now trying to rationalize the hurt he did to the RU program leaving so late and not even allowing Pike to counter after all Pike did for him.

Don’t begrudge Cam at all but the parents pot shots are over the top.

 

[zebnatto]

Obvious bias again.

Gavin has been getting shots all year.
Confidence has improved and has matured and has learned.

Defense has improved. I think he’s on the same page as Derek.

I know who needs to not be here next year.

And you wonder why I repeated come to the defense of a kid who plays his guts and heart out and is the leading foul shooter on the team. I would like an 87% foul shooter next year and a great ball handler.

I agree there’s been too much criticism of DS. You can admit he’s had a horrid shooting year, but still recognize his positives and hard work.

 

[G- RUnit]

I agree there’s been too much criticism of DS. You can admit he’s had a horrid shooting year, but still recognize his positives and hard work.

Exactly. Shooting has been bad.

Think D, motor, ball handling and foul shooting alone reason to keep him around. Heck he’s almost shooting better from the three than the field. Other players have become RU cult heroes for their D. Why not Simpson?

One last thing. Can’t teach speed.

Obviously wouldn’t be shooting as much next year.

Lots of upside.

 

[Degaz-RU]

Exactly. Shooting has been bad.

Think D, motor, ball handling and foul shooting alone reason to keep him around. Heck he’s almost shooting better from the three than the field. Other players have become RU cult heroes for their D. Why not Simpson?

One last thing. Can’t teach speed.

Obviously wouldn’t be shooting as much next year.

Lots of upside.

If Simpson and Davis are willing to be the 4th and 5th guards next year (not necessarily in that order), with Pike bringing in a starting-quality SG from the portal who can shoot and be the 3rd guard, I would be okay with both of them on the roster because of what they bring on defense, rebounding, and with intangibles. But JMike MUST improve his foul shooting and needs to improve his outside shooting; and Simpson MUST improve his outside shooting or simply understand that he can't take 9 shots per game as a reserve guard, and focus on what he does well (he could become Caleb-lite on defense).

 

[G- RUnit]

If Simpson and Davis are willing to be the 4th and 5th guards next year (not necessarily in that order), with Pike bringing in a starting-quality SG from the portal who can shoot and be the 3rd guard, I would be okay with both of them on the roster because of what they bring on defense, rebounding, and with intangibles. But JMike MUST improve his foul shooting and needs to improve his outside shooting; and Simpson MUST improve his outside shooting or simply understand that he can't take 9 shots per game as a reserve guard, and focus on what he does well (he could become Caleb-lite on defense).

Agree with everything you said. But Is Dylan the point? Do you want to wear him out?

JWill looks good inside the paint and lob passes to Cliff are things of beauty.

But dribbling the ball in the backcourt and into the forecourt he has gotten himself into quite a bit of trouble handling and passing the ball.

Still think Derek best handle on the team. And unlike many others on this site, I think an 87% foul shooter would be a really nice weapon next year in addition to D.

 

[Scangg]

Simpson has taken 2 FTs total over his last 5 games combined. People are wayyy over the top with his value as a FT shooter

Sure, late game it's a big weapon if teams are fouling. Playing someone during the course of the game just bc they are a good FT shooter is not remotely as important as people are making it out to be, especially if they aren't getting to the line a lot

 

[Scangg]

If Simpson and Davis are willing to be the 4th and 5th guards next year (not necessarily in that order), with Pike bringing in a starting-quality SG from the portal who can shoot and be the 3rd guard, I would be okay with both of them on the roster because of what they bring on defense, rebounding, and with intangibles. But JMike MUST improve his foul shooting and needs to improve his outside shooting; and Simpson MUST improve his outside shooting or simply understand that he can't take 9 shots per game as a reserve guard, and focus on what he does well (he could become Caleb-lite on defense).

I'm OK with Simpson as a 5th guard defensive energy hustle guy who doesn’t take shots, but I don't think Simpson would be OK with it

When it comes to roster construction, too many people are treating this like a video game stacking talent. The reality is players need to be understanding and accepting of their roles on the team or you can have team chemistry and lock room issues

 

[Scangg]

These are wild takes on Cam being some sort of hard worker while others aren't?? Cam is a solid player, but don't mistake lack of skill or talent as lack of working hard. You don't have the 3rd ranked defense in all of CBB, because players aren't putting in effort. Maybe Cam wasn't a defense 1st player and wants to shoot open 3s all day, nothing wrong with that.

In terms of fans deciding who they think should or shouldn't be on the team, as long as it based on actual talent or skill and not some sort of vendetta, I'm all in for a discussion. There is a big difference between not being on the team and a reduced role.

I will repeat this again....Dortch and Grant are very talented on tape.....so is Lathan Sommerville. I see no reason why this freshman class cannot mirror RHJ, Mathis and Caleb in terms of minutes, shot attempts and learning on the job like they did during the rebuild. The difference is these frosh will be supported with potentially Cliff, JWill, some Gavin mixed in and a team 1st guy like Oskar.....shedding the players who bailed on this season (Mag) will improve chemistry and work ethic a ton.

It also helps to have less turnover on how we want to play, vs turning the entire roster over. Simpson and Davis to me, make a lot of sense as the 4th and 5th guards.....if we are comparing them to Noah and Austin Williams, I consider that an upgrade off the bench.

We have too many empty minutes from starters and the bench, which is lack of athletes who make basketball plays (Hyatt. Mag, Wolf, Chol). Noah and Austin really got exposed by playing too many minutes in spots this year.

The difference between next year and the RHJ Caleb Mathis class is pretty obvious. That was part of a full on rebuild and before the modern transfer portal era where 50% of players are going to enter the portal

The goal isn't to play all the freshman as much as possible to get them experience for the future. The goal next year is to win now and do everything we can to make the 24-25 season as successful as possible

 

[G- RUnit]

Simpson has taken 2 FTs total over his last 5 games combined. People are wayyy over the top with his value as a FT shooter

Sure, late game it's a big weapon if teams are fouling. Playing someone during the course of the game just bc they are a good FT shooter is not remotely as important as people are making it out to be, especially if they aren't getting to the line a lot

Valuing an 87% foul shooter is over the top?
If we were winning and opponents have to foul??
81 fouls shots pretty fair sample.
I want that next year.