Mike Williams ....

[Scarlet Shack]

.....is doing ALL the little things that make for winning basketball. Countless numbers of the little things through three games

And is becoming a tough basketball player

His buy in into the new staff as a guy who had all the minutes he could want and now is a 25 mpg guy says a lot of about him

Major major thumbs up for mike Williams ...who has taken lots of heat for low shooting percentage in the past....to ABSOLUTELY bringing it and leaving it all in the court

I absolutely love how our backcourt is rounding into form

Fellas...it's early but we REALLY have a shot here in the next two seasons

 

[SleepingGiantIsAwake]

He's tough and he brings it with the energy and hustle. Have to love that. Need Mike to continue to hit some 3's, the team needs that.

 

[Rokodesh]

he's a tough guy around the boards, for 6'1-6'2. Makes sure he grabs whatever is in his area, and finishes on the glass. The whole mindset of the team is so much better than years prior. No opportunity is wasted. Miss a shot? go get the rebound.

You can see him getting fired up after big plays, coaches must love that

For all the bad things I said about last years team, this one deserves praise for how well they've handled their jobs on the court so far, but it's only 3 games.

 

[Degaz-RU]

Huge +1.

Tough kid, and also seems to be our only guard who can consistently hit a 3-pointer.

 

[Veiox]

Agree on everything said above. Williams is a key piece in our success so far.

 

[RU_DIO]

If he can shoot consistently with all the other things he brings to the team, he will be the complete package. I always loved how hard he plays.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

well said...winning programs have players like this.

 

[RUonBrain]

You need guys like Mike
Glue guys
Play hard, do the dirty work
Plays with fire and emotion
Selfless

Loving his game.

I think he will be the 2nd fan favorite behind CJ just by how hard he plays

 

[toby83]

Liking his role

Unfortunately in conf play will rely on him more than I would like to make some threes vs the zone, without many other options

 

[ScarletLongIsland]

.....is doing ALL the little things that make for winning basketball. Countless numbers of the little things through three games

And is becoming a tough basketball player

His buy in into the new staff as a guy who had all the minutes he could want and now is a 25 mpg guy says a lot of about him

Major major thumbs up for mike Williams ...who has taken lots of heat for low shooting percentage in the past....to ABSOLUTELY bringing it and leaving it all in the court

I absolutely love how our backcourt is rounding into form

Fellas...it's early but we REALLY have a shot here in the next two seasons

I agree. I really love the hustle from this team. You can see that they want it. I think if we can keep up the tough D and rebounding, and make improvements and continue to gain confidence in certain areas, this team can really achieve.

 

[DennisHajekRC84]

glad to see this thread when I came here this morning. Can't add anything more than I couldn't agree more ... gotta give Eddie credit for this one...but he has certainly turned it up in year three so far.

 

[RU-ROCS]

Shack- Glad you posted this. Mike's effort thus far this year, and especially last night, deserved its own thread!

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Liking his role

Unfortunately in conf play will rely on him more than I would like to make some threes vs the zone, without many other options

in B1G play we will not see much zone. The defense our opponents select will be based on what they play best and not our deficiencies.

 

[Good-Knight]

I'm guilty of writing him off. I like what I see.

 

[MadRU]

Mike's effort was never questioned when he first put on a Rutgers uniform. Mike hustled from day one. Towards the end of last season he seemed to gain confidence in his shot. Hopefully he gets that same confidence back again, and keeps doing what he is doing in the other aspects of his game.

 

[RUAEPI]

1 week ago everyone was saying he was odd man out. You could make argument that he has been the most consistent player so far in the first 3 game. 100 effort, and his points are coming from everywhere. It looks like the game is starting to slow down for him.

 

[PiscatawayMike]

Williams has a high basketball IQ. He is almost always in the right spot on the court. That will earn him minutes on any team. He has a nose for the basketball. His lack of size doesn't deter him from getting rebounds. I absolutely loved watching him last night.

 

[Caliknight]

A big piece of it has been his fitness, like the rest of the team.

He lost the doughy look he had up until this point and looks more athletic.

 

[bowlgoal]

Mike used to just focus on the 3 pointer and when he was off that was it. Now he's a complete player and it's had such a huge impact. I think he just took to this staff and decided to lead by example

 

[shields]

Mike has always been tough.

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

Love mikes effort thus far, hes leaving it all out there. Very easy kid to root for

 

[Scarlet Knut]

The big difference this year is he is playing his natural position and not trying to guard players 6 or 7 inches taller then he is.

 

[Dpgru]

And I love the fact he comes off the bench. As a starter he might play within a role but off the bench he comes in the game with one goal and that is to make an impact and create wherever possible. It seems to suit his skill set beautifully.

 

[RUBubba]

Mike has always been tough.

I agree. I don't think his effort was in question, but rather we as fans didn't pay as much attention because we focused so much on the missed 3's, especially since he was billed as the best shooter coming out of NYC.

When my 9 year old son sees some success after I show him something, his eyes light up, he laughs with accomplishment, then he goes at it with a different level of enjoyment. It's very similar to the RU team... they are getting it.

 

[jakeknight]

His form is so much better this year it is night and day, he is not rushing his shot, he is shooting in rhythm, and most importantly he is squared up the basket and seeing the iron. (his biggest problem with his form in the past) Obviously someone has spent some time with him.

 

[new jersey1]

in B1G play we will not see much zone. The defense our opponents select will be based on what they play best and not our deficiencies.

If that's the case, that probably bodes well for us if they play us man to man. Our athleticism, particular at guard, is more of a strength than our outside shooting.
Love the depth, size, and intensity of this team. And the coaching is obviously a big step up.

 

[TruJerz]

Gotta give credit where credit is due.

I've been critical of Mike Williams in the past, mainly because I thought the Big 10 is a bit out of his league. And although this team hasn't faced anyone near the quality of a Big 10 opponent yet, the play of Mike Williams has to be promising thus far.

Last year in out of conference games, he wasn't this efficient and effective. Hope this is the start of something new. Would love for Mike to become a consistent 3 point shooter from here on out. His defense, rebounding and toughness has always been there but if he can find ways to score, that would be a major boost for this ball club.

 

[AshCatchEm]

What's easy to forget is this is a young team and we return everyone minus gettys.. that may be one of the most exciting parts of our rebuild

 

[4theknights]

Just a flat out solid player who was great on the boards vs DePaul and we are lucky to have him.