Give credit where it’s due, Seton Hall is legit

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

the simple answer here is talent, grit, leadership. Three things that RU bball severely lacks at the moment.

SHU has 3 guards who are either better or as good than Geo in Powell, McKnight and Cale. They have 2 good 4’s in Mamu and Nzei both of which are better than Eugene and a solid 5 in Gill. I think Thompson is a huge liability for them and doesnt deserve to play more than 5 minutes a game to give guys blows. He plays out of control and just takes awful shots and kills their offensive flow.

They have tough gritty guards who arent afraid to mix it up, take it to the hole or pull that big shot with a hand in their face. They also play aggressive defensive ball and scrap like hell.

Last but not least you can just see that McKnight and Powell run this team and call the shots. They are true leaders who the other guys look up to. Geo is our leader but I do wonder if hes a natural born leader or a leader by default just because hes our best player. McKnight and Powell seem to have this calming yet respected presence amongst their peers.

Theyre legit, they belong in the top 25 even though they got lucky vs st johns. Heading to the tourney again and this years rendition i believe will make the sweet 16 despite losing some really good players.

 

[ru66]

great for them but why the constant accolades--shyt do some of you guys crave to be SHU fans--go on their board and kiss their asses--by the way you can say more and better stuff about St. Johns-why the c@ck envy?

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

great for them but why the constant accolades--shyt do some of you guys crave to be SHU fans--go on their board and kiss their asses--by the way you can say more and better stuff about St. Johns-why the c@ck envy?

I think ive ripped everything about SHU other than their on court performance more than anyone on this board if we’re being honest

 

[dkostus]

I wouldn't say McKnight and Cale are better than Geo, or that both 4s are better than Eugene. I think those 4 guys benefit a lot playing with Powell, and each other, and that makes them all look better. If you slotted Geo in next to Powell he'd look a lot different

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

I wouldn't say McKnight and Cale are better than Geo, or that both 4s are better than Eugene. I think those 4 guys benefit a lot playing with Powell, and each other, and that makes them all look better. If you slotted Geo in next to Powell he'd look a lot different

Hence why I said AS GOOD or better. I think mcknight and cale are as good right now. You cant really say geo is better than mcknight or cale or vice versa. Powell better than them all

 

[Degaz-RU]

Powell was a BEAST tonight against Xavier. Kid scores and distributes.

Their team has Eye if the tiger. Tough and fearless.

Color me green with envy.

 

[HALL85]

Powell has taken his game to another level and he makes everyone around him so much better. This is one of the best passing SHU teams I have witnessed and they do not have bad possessions during the last five minutes. What’s most surprising is Thompson was supposed to be the second best player and he’s been MIA.

 

[Fzacsattac]

Powell was a BEAST tonight against Xavier. Kid scores and distributes.

Their team has Eye if the tiger. Tough and fearless.

Color me green with envy.

Yes he was..distribution of the ball was very good tonight.

 

[Plum Street]

Willard is slime . See tiny Morton .
But you need to be slimey to win in college hoops. I wish rutgers fans would realize this

 

[Vegas pj]

I think ive ripped everything about SHU other than their on court performance more than anyone on this board if we’re being honest

That's why I give you props for starting this thread!

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Additional by subtraction with a couple of seniors but I think the Big East is in definite transition this year. There's talented scorers all over the league but can't tell how good or not as good some teams are.

I was a believer all off season that Xavier warranted to be ranked higher because of their history, but there's a significant dropoff from Chris Mack to whomever their current coach is now....they dont defend like Xavier's teams under Mack........same for Holtmann leaving for Ohio State 2 years ago and Butler isn't quite the same....

Willard might get Big East Coach of Year, Powell is clearly the player of Year in the league. Not sure I would rank them yet, there's a lot of good teams from 20 to 45 around the country, but at some point this month, they're going to be ranked for sure.

See no reason why SHU cant win the Big East this year. As good as Shamorie Ponds is for SJU, he's too cool and plays like he's better than he is.....i see a talented player that shows flashes but he doesn't grind like Myles Powell....Powell plays like his hair is on fire and it's infectious.

I would be a little leery jumping the gun on what a victory or loss looks like early in the season or the 1st week of January. Teams evolve and are still wildly overrated based on preseason or last season's reputation or rankings......If Xavier gets things fixed and wins 20 games again, then tonight's game looks huge. By the end of February is probably a better time to check inventory on how good or what a win actually is or really looks like.

The Kentucky game should carry a lot of weight as the season moves on...Calipari typically has his teams better in February and early March.

 

[batts]

Willard is slime . See tiny Morton .
But you need to be slimey to win in college hoops. I wish rutgers fans would realize this

It was a desperation move to jump start the program. It was perfectly within the rules so I don’t get the slime comment. All high major programs are forced to bend the rules, including Seton Hall and Rutgers. Gonzo left SHU in horrible shape when Willard took over. It took a while for Willard to build the program up. Rice and EJ set your program back tremendously. Pikiell is doing things the right way. Your new BB facility will attract higher level recruits.

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

SHU Won in a difficult arena to play in
And they were down 10 in the 2nd half

 

[Scarlet Shack]

What kyk is missing is that the current kids on seton hall grew up in a winning basketball culture.

The group of seniors before the current group got to three straight NCAA tournament which means the current players didn’t havw to learn how to win on their own...they are clearly benefiting from being in thar cutire for thee plus years

That’s huge

The biggest step is gojng from being competitive night in and night out ...and learning how to win. Experience and the culture is huge .

We saw that in football...
Going from 1-11 in 2012...to two years of close but no cigar of 5-7 and 4-7, losing loads of close games, to getting over the hunp with a bowl in 2005 at 7-4, to winning big (partially because we won all of the close games) in 2006

 

[RickB113]

It’s all Powell to be honest. We are missing that star player which you have to have to win.

 

[TDIrish27]

the simple answer here is talent, grit, leadership. Three things that RU bball severely lacks at the moment.

SHU has 3 guards who are either better or as good than Geo in Powell, McKnight and Cale. They have 2 good 4’s in Mamu and Nzei both of which are better than Eugene and a solid 5 in Gill. I think Thompson is a huge liability for them and doesnt deserve to play more than 5 minutes a game to give guys blows. He plays out of control and just takes awful shots and kills their offensive flow.

They have tough gritty guards who arent afraid to mix it up, take it to the hole or pull that big shot with a hand in their face. They also play aggressive defensive ball and scrap like hell.

Last but not least you can just see that McKnight and Powell run this team and call the shots. They are true leaders who the other guys look up to. Geo is our leader but I do wonder if hes a natural born leader or a leader by default just because hes our best player. McKnight and Powell seem to have this calming yet respected presence amongst their peers.

Theyre legit, they belong in the top 25 even though they got lucky vs st johns. Heading to the tourney again and this years rendition i believe will make the sweet 16 despite losing some really good players.

Thompson had 7 pts and 4 rebs in 12 minutes last night

Having seen them now 4 times I feel like they defend well------go 10 deep----shoot it just well enough and are long and athletic.

Seem to have excellent team chemistry.

But it's early-----we'll see what the next 4-6 weeks bring.

 

[kcg88]

It’s all Powell to be honest. We are missing that star player which you have to have to win.

Yep. He's better than anyone we've had since Douby, and if Powell comes back for his senior season which is unfortunately likely then I think he'll eclipse even that. To be clear, Powell likely won't get drafted and if he does it won't be in the first round like Douby. I'm talking as a college player only.

We're at 13 seasons and counting without that kind of player.

 

[biazza38]

Yep. He's better than anyone we've had since Douby, and if Powell comes back for his senior season which is unfortunately likely then I think he'll eclipse even that. To be clear, Powell likely won't get drafted and if he does it won't be in the first round like Douby. I'm talking as a college player only.

We're at 13 seasons and counting without that kind of player.

How can there possibly be 60+ guys with better draft potential than Powell

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

How can there possibly be 60+ guys with better draft potential than Powell

You gotta remember half the draft is basically international guys now

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

Thompson had 7 pts and 4 rebs in 12 minutes last night

Having seen them now 4 times I feel like they defend well------go 10 deep----shoot it just well enough and are long and athletic.

Seem to have excellent team chemistry.

But it's early-----we'll see what the next 4-6 weeks bring.

I assume you didnt watch the game tonight if youre lauding thompsons stat line. How about the ridiculous 3’s he chucked early in the shot clock at a swing moment?

 

[kcg88]

How can there possibly be 60+ guys with better draft potential than Powell

There were only seven upperclassmen (juniors/seniors) taken in the first round of last year's draft. NBA teams loooooooove youth.

Remember how good Mo Wagner was for Michigan? He's playing 8 minutes a game for the Lakers. Chandler Hutchinson is scoring 4 PPG for a terrible Chicago team. Grayson Allen is at 4 PPG for Utah. Jerome Robinson was the #13 pick and got sent to the G-League. Jacob Evans just got called up from there. Mikal Bridges and Aaron Holiday are the other two and they're getting some decent burn.

 

[higgins3]

Quincy McKnight may have been the best transfer on the east coast.

Great defender, high character, plays his role VERY well.

Great job evaluating by SHU.

 

[TDIrish27]

He can hit them----never liked him even in HS but he has offensive skills and I'm sure they would take 7 and 4 in 12 minutes from him every night.

 

[kcg88]

Quincy McKnight may have been the best transfer on the east coast.

Great defender, high character, plays his role VERY well.

Great job evaluating by SHU.

This is true. He was asked to do everything at Sacred Heart and his numbers were poor but the year off and the smaller role have helped a lot.

Even though it doesn't feel like it at times the same thing has happened with Peter Kiss. He has better numbers in a smaller role this year than he did in a bigger role at Quinnipiac. We'll see how conference play goes for each of these guys.

 

[higgins3]

This is true. He was asked to do everything at Sacred Heart and his numbers were poor but the year off and the smaller role have helped a lot.

Even though it doesn't feel like it at times the same thing has happened with Peter Kiss. He has better numbers in a smaller role this year than he did in a bigger role at Quinnipiac. We'll see how conference play goes for each of these guys.

His numbers were very good at Sacred Heart.

As of right now, if you were to compare the transfer, even at different position, McKnight may have the upper hand. Great point about the role being minimized. I like what Knights1212 said about the benefit of starting McConnell. It may trickle down to other players having to step up, and play smarter. Right now Kiss has to be played because he is more of a 3 pt threat on a struggling offense.

 

[higgins3]

It’s all Powell to be honest. We are missing that star player which you have to have to win.

SHU has done a very good job at establishing roles for players it seems. They also picked up their defense a lot after losing their core that could establish so much offense that defense wasn't as important.

Powell, Cale, Shandro, Nzei, McKnight. These are all very good players that have bought into their role.

 

[kcg88]

His numbers were very good at Sacred Heart.

As of right now, if you were to compare the transfer, even at different position, McKnight may have the upper hand. Great point about the role being minimized. I like what Knights1212 said about the benefit of starting McConnell. It may trickle down to other players having to step up, and play smarter. Right now Kiss has to be played because he is more of a 3 pt threat on a struggling offense.

His raw numbers were good because, again, he was asked to do everything. But he was a 29.8% three-point shooter there. So far with SHU he's at 40%.

On two-pointers he was shooting 45.7%, this year he's at 48.5%. Small sample, yes, but it's what we have.

I also have no doubt that not needing to be "the man" on offense has helped him lock in defensively. Props to him for buying in on that end.

 

[higgins3]

His raw numbers were good because, again, he was asked to do everything. But he was a 29.8% three-point shooter there. So far with SHU he's at 40%.

On two-pointers he was shooting 45.7%, this year he's at 48.5%. Small sample, yes, but it's what we have.

I also have no doubt that not needing to be "the man" on offense has helped him lock in defensively. Props to him for buying in on that end.

Great points. The rest of the team is following suit as well. I think they knew they were underrated and everyone expected without the four they would fail. They have surprised a lot of people, including myself.

 

[biazza38]

There were only seven upperclassmen (juniors/seniors) taken in the first round of last year's draft. NBA teams loooooooove youth.

Remember how good Mo Wagner was for Michigan? He's playing 8 minutes a game for the Lakers. Chandler Hutchinson is scoring 4 PPG for a terrible Chicago team. Grayson Allen is at 4 PPG for Utah. Jerome Robinson was the #13 pick and got sent to the G-League. Jacob Evans just got called up from there. Mikal Bridges and Aaron Holiday are the other two and they're getting some decent burn.

I don’t know if it’s that they love youth or last year was a young draft. This year is a weak freshman class relative to last year. Last year was loaded. You make very good points. I think Powell has a better game than some of the guys you mentioned though. But yes, it’s tough getting into the league. Hopefully he leaves

 

[biazza38]

You gotta remember half the draft is basically international guys now

The second round gets a little random with the international guys.

 

[RUsojo]

Yep. He's better than anyone we've had since Douby, and if Powell comes back for his senior season which is unfortunately likely then I think he'll eclipse even that. To be clear, Powell likely won't get drafted and if he does it won't be in the first round like Douby. I'm talking as a college player only.

We're at 13 seasons and counting without that kind of player.

He will probably be back unless Willard loses him to Georgia or Serbia

 

[kcg88]

I don’t know if it’s that they love youth or last year was a young draft. This year is a weak freshman class relative to last year. Last year was loaded. You make very good points. I think Powell has a better game than some of the guys you mentioned though. But yes, it’s tough getting into the league. Hopefully he leaves

The year before actually had fewer... only six. I know because I accidentally looked up 2017 first because in my mind 2017 is still "last year."

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

Powell will return next season

 

[higgins3]

He will probably be back unless Willard loses him to Georgia or Serbia

Damn Sojo. You were that big of a Sanders fan, huh?

I don't blame you. Great kid with a big personality.

 

[RUsojo]

Damn Sojo. You were that big of a Sanders fan, huh?

I don't blame you. Great kid with a big personality.

Yes I was. What we’re seeing this year is that the people who attributed Rutgers nice three game consolation stretch in the big ten tournament last year to the team growing under Pike and positive prospects for this season incorrectly made that connection when what we were really seeing was Corey putting it all together.

He would’ve been the epitome of a 4 year PG having a big senior year and it would’ve helped massively. Although I do not see anything near a post-season has Corey stayed, I think there would’ve been a shot win some games we shouldn’t and really have built so much momentum that Pike could capitalize on that and the practice facility to really land a monster 2020 recruiting class (by rutgers standards) and really get things going.

Not so sure it happens now but sure as heck hoping he gets it done still. Unfortunately we have some people here they’ve been here for a while and love the addition by subtraction adage to push their agenda. It’s really not arguable but nothing we can do about it now.

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

Yes I was. What we’re seeing this year is that the people who attributed Rutgers nice three game consolation stretch in the big ten tournament last year to the team growing under Pike and positive prospects for this season incorrectly made that connection when what we were really seeing was Corey putting it all together.

He would’ve been the epitome of a 4 year PG having a big senior year and it would’ve helped massively. Although I do not see anything near a post-season has Corey stayed, I think there would’ve been a shot win some games we shouldn’t and really have built so much momentum that Pike could capitalize on that and the practice facility to really land a monster 2020 recruiting class (by rutgers standards) and really get things going.

Not so sure it happens now but sure as heck hoping he gets it done still. Unfortunately we have some people here they’ve been here for a while and love the addition by subtraction adage to push their agenda. It’s really not arguable but nothing we can do about it now.

I dont agree with you on much but people are absolute imbeciles to say that this team is either a) better without corey or b) doesnt MASSIVELY miss corey. Corey is the only reason we were competitive pikes first 2 years. ONLY REASON

 

[Fzacsattac]

What kyk is missing is that the current kids on seton hall grew up in a winning basketball culture.

The group of seniors before the current group got to three straight NCAA tournament which means the current players didn’t havw to learn how to win on their own...they are clearly benefiting from being in thar cutire for thee plus years

That’s huge

The biggest step is gojng from being competitive night in and night out ...and learning how to win. Experience and the culture is huge .

We saw that in football...
Going from 1-11 in 2012...to two years of close but no cigar of 5-7 and 4-7, losing loads of close games, to getting over the hunp with a bowl in 2005 at 7-4, to winning big (partially because we won all of the close games) in 2006

I agree

 

[RickB113]

SHU has done a very good job at establishing roles for players it seems. They also picked up their defense a lot after losing their core that could establish so much offense that defense wasn't as important.

Powell, Cale, Shandro, Nzei, McKnight. These are all very good players that have bought into their role.

It is MUCH easier to have role players when you have a one or two star players like they have had the last three years. The game is won with talent. We lack any big time players which is why I have been saying for a long time now that we have to land guys in the top 100 and occasionally the top 50 otherwise there is no chance to turn things around. There is no other way.

 

[higgins3]

It is MUCH easier to have role players when you have a one or two star players like they have had the last three years. The game is won with talent. We lack any big time players which is why I have been saying for a long time now that we have to land guys in the top 100 and occasionally the top 50 otherwise there is no chance to turn things around. There is no other way.

I agree. Willard took certain steps to get there. It didn't happen over night. He also toed the line of the law.

 

[S_Janowski]

Yes I was. What we’re seeing this year is that the people who attributed Rutgers nice three game consolation stretch in the big ten tournament last year to the team growing under Pike and positive prospects for this season incorrectly made that connection when what we were really seeing was Corey putting it all together.

He would’ve been the epitome of a 4 year PG having a big senior year and it would’ve helped massively. Although I do not see anything near a post-season has Corey stayed, I think there would’ve been a shot win some games we shouldn’t and really have built so much momentum that Pike could capitalize on that and the practice facility to really land a monster 2020 recruiting class (by rutgers standards) and really get things going.

Not so sure it happens now but sure as heck hoping he gets it done still. Unfortunately we have some people here they’ve been here for a while and love the addition by subtraction adage to push their agenda. It’s really not arguable but nothing we can do about it now.

Also rarely agree with you but 100% agree with this.

We miss Corey’s defensive, athleticism and scoring.....big time. Guys like Caleb and Montez are getting meaningful minutes and developing but if we had Sanders another year we would probably be good for a couple upsets but more importantly the hype and momentum around the program would have carried into 2020.

Plenty of season left but anyone who says we don’t miss Sanders just has a bias against the kid.

I just watched his music video he just posted on IG and it made me a little sad. He would have benefited from another year at RU too. He seems like a nice kid but if he only put 100% into basketball I think he could have made it further.