I'm not saying Thiam is going to start--that depends on a lot of things--but I highly doubt a 6'10" junior who can defend and hit the 3 is going to go from starter to 2nd to last guy off the bench. I think he'll be one of the first off the bench if he doesn't start. I think he'll take another leap forward in his development like he did this year from last year. A lot of people wrote of Omoruyi from last year to this year too and he ended up as a starter by the end of the season.
Matt Bullock and Souf Mensah to leave program
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I’m not going to get into an argument, I agree athletic success isn’t the end all be all, but we must be the only fan base that doesn’t make athletic success a priority. I give two shits what Rutgers does as academic institution. Whether they’re ranked 1st or 500th as a academic place I could care less
I wasn't coming after you. I was making fun of how quickly people move on the next new thing without ever giving the previous new "thing" a chance to succeed.
Thiam is not going to be a forgotten man that quickly. I know for a fact that in any sport where you play strong defense, the coach will find a spot for you on the court, field or ice. There will be games where scoring points will be difficult, but defense is the one thing you can control every game. All I'm going to say is watch Florida State right now. Everyone is talking about how dangerous they are and how they can score especially from the wing. I recall Thiam doing a helluva job against those guys to the point they were p*ssed. You pointed out how the 1, 2 and 4 positions can score, but I recall multiple games where the players at those positions never showed up on either side of the ball. What purpose does it serve to give up as many points as you score? Thiam gave you the same effort every game with the same result on defense. His guy wasn't the reason why Rutgers loss some games. Thiam may not have the natural gifts of Corey or Geo, but he has length and a work ethic that is easy to see. If his confidence is straight he can score because he has shown at times when pushed to score more. Thiam situation is similar to what I saw with Barry Sanders playing a supporting role to Thurman Thomas at Oklahoma State in the 80s. Sanders could get the job done, but you step aside for the guy perceived to be player who has to carry the team.
You would be in the minority here. I would guess most on this forum have RU degrees and would certainly care aboutvRUs academic success. Two of my diplomas say RU and I donate, so RU doing well is also important. Not sure where the thought process that academic and athletic success are mutually exclusive came from?
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Most competition there has been in last couple years. Players will be pushed. Thiam and Kiss will compete for that wing spot.
Well unfortunately Rutgers didn't let me in because of 1 class I did poorly in at prior school. Therefore IDC how they do academically
Sounds like they made the right decision.
Out of the RU loop since the B1G--too much time fretting about why Hornacek doesn't start Burke at PG. Mudiay has his moments, but he is as advertised--too inconsistent. Maybe we get Mark Jackson next season.
TL
If memory serves me wasn’t he named All State his senior year. That is a fairly good representation as to whether he has skills or not. Seems to have some pretty good skill sets and I and probably some others can’t figure why they didn’t translate to better performance.
Judging from posts, you don’t know correct phase is I couldn’t care less not I could care less
Rutgers needs double digit scoring from 3-4 starters and 4-6 points from bench players.Bottom line the team must score more than 60 points against B1G rivals to show real improvement.
Bullock should transfer to Monmouth. I liked his game. Not Big 10 ready, but he’d do fine at Monmouth.
Well it’s interesting looking at Final Four bound Loyola-Chicago that their wing during his sophomore year had the same scoring average as Thiam. And he only shot 28% from 3p but for some inexplicable reason (per folks on this board) they kept him around another 2 years and kept playing him. Lol
And I think we can tell from this tourney is that a great a coach as Pike is, he has plenty of room for improvement on the offensive side because these winning teams are patient, relying on screens and passing to take open 3s.
IMO, I’m going to say that a final 4 bound coach may know something about player development.
Yeah the only realistic chance that Rutgers has getting into the tourney is via the long game such as player development and maybe get lucky with a JUCO or Grad-Transfer player or 2 that exceed expectations. Also possible with a freshman but even 5-Stars hit the wall deep into a season.
Hey @cubuffsdoug, I wonder if our experience with a Rocky Mountain education at a school that produces champions in several sports and as many Nobel laureates as it does NBA & NFL players provides one with unique insight and perspective?!
;-) lol
Thiam is 6’10 and can shoot. He has the most unique skill set on the team. He certainly needs to develop his game more and be more assertive on offense. But, I have a hard time time seeing his role getting reduced. RU needs more out of him in addition to guys like Baker, Omoruyi, and Doucoure for the program to turn around.
The new recruits are great additions, but I think people have to keep their expectations realistic and not expect too much from them on day one.
The new recruits are great additions, but I think people have to keep their expectations realistic and not expect too much from them on day one.
He averaged 7 this year. I think he will be somewhere between 10-12.
How? By taking more shots and not passing up open opportunities like he did this year. It's not that he can't make the plays, he just lacked confidence and needs to be more assertive. Another year of development should help him gain that confidence.
If we are happy being 3-15 let the same players play in their same roles and hope they magically get better OR realize that what we are doing just is not working. For a P5 team to be were we have been offensively should make people think nothing is right and everything needs to change.
Good shooters don’t lack confidence.
Good shooters don’t lack confidence.
Not sure your point about magically getting better. So you are saying no college player improves/develops year to year?
we finished 273rd in offensive efficiency. That is 7 th out of 8 in Ivy league...middle of the road MEAC. This is a lot more than just guys improving. This is about guys getting replaced....no one is adequate offensively. The names in the 273rd area should make people puke.
Hate stuff like that. You can surely have a winning team in the Big 10 without having a minimum number of points from a specific position.
I think with Kiss eligible and Harper available Thiam's playing will definitely be reduced.
So comparing the development of the wings left in the tourney with Thiam, you would’ve replaced all but maybe Bridges? Lmao.
Hmmm, But the 3 Elite schools with way more depth than Rutgers stuck with the players?!
Issa Thiam
So 7pt & 4.4rb shot 36.4% 3PA 3.6
Donte Ingram Loyola
So. 7.4 & 4.1 3p 28% 3PA 2.8
JR 13.6 & 6.8 45% 3PA 4.1
Sr. 11.3 & 6.3. 39.3% 3PA 5.1
Duncan Robinson Michigan
Soph. 7.7 & 1.7 42% 3PA 4.0
Jr. 9.6 & 2.5 39.5% 3PA 5.0
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk KU
Soph. 5.4 & 1.3 3p 40% 3PA 2.6
Jr. 9.8 & 3.0 39.8% 3PA 4.9
Sr. 14.8 & 3.8 45.1% 3PA 6.6
Mikal Bridges Nova
Soph 9.8 & 4.6 shot 39.3% 3PA 3.1
Jr. 18.0 & 5.4 44.6%. 3PA 6.0
I agree with your statement that the Rutgers fan base doesn't make athletic success a priority.I disagree strongly regarding your comments on Rutgers academic reputation.
Ridiculous statement for many reasons. Athletic success is a priority but so is academic excellence. One can have pride in one's institution for many reasons ,success in athletics and academics are two notable examples. And they aren't mutually exclusive and the Big Ten has multiple examples such as Northwestern, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois. Even Penn State is a fine academic institution. So is Maryland. And so is and should be Rutgers. Are you even associated with Rutgers as a student , alumni , or whatever?
Let’s just say that position needs 16 PPG over 40 minutes. If Issa plays 30MPG he needs to average 12 PPG.
His willingness to take 3s actually declined significantly year over year. His quickness getting the shot off and release point went unchanged.
Where I could be wrong is with Freeman (and to a lesser extent Sanders) gone Issa may come out of his shell more. Eugene, Baker and Duke (my guessed 3 leaders if Corey isn’t coming back) have the best chance of getting Issa to play free....think Duncan Robinson.
His willingness to take 3s actually declined significantly year over year. His quickness getting the shot off and release point went unchanged.
Where I could be wrong is with Freeman (and to a lesser extent Sanders) gone Issa may come out of his shell more. Eugene, Baker and Duke (my guessed 3 leaders if Corey isn’t coming back) have the best chance of getting Issa to play free....think Duncan Robinson.
