Basketball Montez Mathis hits transfer portal

[nukem]

This is also a load of crap narrative going on. Do kids transfer more than years past? Yes.

But this is simply not the way things are for a team that just broke a drought and has a very solid core.

Very dismissive of everyone to just say this.

I can go down the list of every game where some/all of these players were absolutely terrible with their play. There is not 1 guy that is irreplaceable. I'm not saying we will be better next year. But the guy who was the architect of turning this shit ass program around is still here. If these kids aren't loyal to this program and Pikiell, then I'm not going to lose sleep over losing these guys. He built it once and he will do it again.

 

[goru7]

he was awful period

He was awful when he wasn’t starting . He didn’t take well and tried to do too much. He was a great team player before the switch and was averaging 15 points a game 10 games in. Go back and read your first 10 post game recaps and you will realize it all went downhill after he wasn’t starting. Our offense , and the inability to hit the 3 , or to have the confidence to take a three , was missing when he went to the bench and our offense lost 10 points per game. What have you done for me lately is your take, and my take is that player and coaches could have fixed the problems and they did notand it hurt us a team. We can agre to disagree but get the facts straight pre and post his benching and you might as well include all last year in there as well as this was really 2 years of winning basketball Rutgers and Pike put together in the Big 10.

 

[S.W.A.I.N]

Keep being blind to what’s actually happening.

A week ago I was an idiot that doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Today I’m a weirdo for calling it out.

You and everyone else that wants to hitch their wagon to him (Pike included), will regret it.

Don’t worry, you’re still an idiot today.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I hear what you’re saying, just don’t think signing up for losing both Baker and Harp this year is the best idea 😀.

Not sure what Bakers deal was this year, but didn’t appear to bust it, body language sucked.

After Harper hurt his ankle he took a while to get going again, but IMO at least he played with some attitude most of the time.

As far as defense, let’s all remember before Young and Johnson, Pikels team’s MO was tough D and rebounding, ..so I’m not concerned about team D, just need to make D and rebounding the emphasis again.

You are probably right

 

[The RUT]

Don’t worry, you’re still an idiot today.

And I’m sure you wanted Butch Jones as our football coach.

 

[Pancho1939]

I have been pulling for this kid since he came to the Banks; I love his energy, but he has just regressed period! Mathis was a black hole on offense when the ball got in his hands in this season, and he couldn't finish and looked bad trying. This impacted everyone and you could see it in their body language. He just didn't seem to be "1 of the guys". I loved his intensity on D, but I for one will not miss seeing airball layups and that knuckleball of a 3 pointer!

I agree. I really thought he was talented and take the time this offseason to mature as a player and be a big part of next year.

The portal has given players the easy way out.

 

[Rutgers1010]

Another guard who can shoot the ball. Maybe on bright spot Rutgers 1010 is gone.

Nope still here

 

[Rutgers1010]

Since this thread is about Montez., let me say this is a big loss. The message board posters here at Rutgers have a tendency to kill our own. Montez was a 3 year starter until he wasn’t after the 5 game losing streak. He was a main part of our winning team last year and was early this year a crucial part of our winning team this year. People’s memories are so short and forget that for the first 10 games of the year Montez was our third leading scorer with app. 15 points per game, rebounding, playing defense, hitting threes at a reasonable rate.and a solid teammate and someone the other coach had to defend. Then he got placed on the bench and did not react to it well. He tried todo too much when he got his minutes, which ended with turnovers, driving 1 on 3, missing layups, not even shooting threes, and not even an effective defender. Some guys can easily adjust to coming off the bench, Montez did not. Yes, some like BAC blame it all on the player, but I blame it on the player and the coaches. It is easy to teach a jump stop to avoid the out of control drives so to me Pike or Brandon Knight failed in their coaching as well. Montez is incredible athletic and when dialed in and not pressing and not trying to do too much , was a key part of our winning success as he offensive rebounded, played lockdown defense, got out on the break , and was not afraid to shoot the three when we needed it. In my opinion, losing Montez three point making when he went to the bench is one of the reasons we struggled to score 70 points a game , which would have won us even more games. We saw bad Montez coming off the bench as his confidence was shot and he couldn’t even make a simple play like an uncontested layup. I blame the coaches as much as a portion of you want to place all the blame on Montez. The thing I really cannot stand are those that say it is no big loss or no loss at all. That is pathetic and clueless for anyone that has watched this team for the last 3 years. Shame on you.

Thank you but for some reason the people who n this forum are blind and forgetful smh

 

[IL Lusciato]

Rutgers fans are funny.

Not saying Tez was our best player. But this is the same as when a kid commits and he's great with a ton of upside, but if not, he wasn't a take anyway, and we dodged a bullet bc he sucks.

We aren't gaining by montez leaving. Maybe a net even, maybe.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

There's a difference between rooting for a kid to play, because he brings something to the table and not seeing it happen. Or thinking that a player can improve.

I saw @goru7 and it's a question of now we have to assign a players development to coaches?? There's something to that, but it's 2 offseasons that Mathis had and he has too many things he has to work on, to be a complete guard at this level.. The jump stop is either part of your ability to have fundamentals in your game OR it is up to the player to ADD that dimension to his game.

If you are a plus athlete and have been successful your whole athletic career at just being better physically than your opponent, 90% of your career, it is difficult to get that player to understand you have to pivot, jump stop, turn and pass.....these things are taught and learned OR they are not when you have never had to do that before.

If Mulcahy is struggling on defense to guard his man, sure, you want to have Mathis as an option to come in for a Mulcahy for some minutes. The defense potentially gets fixed if that was the case, but you give up the passing and ball movement, because Mathis felt like if he didn't score, another guard was coming into replace him....another guard who could handle the ball....bring the ball up the court....start the offense.

I saw fans complaining about "the weave " at the top of the key.....well you have that aspect in your offense to get a player like Mathis, Harper,, Jacob, Mulcahy,
Geo and Caleb, moving with the ball and getting an opportunity......you have to be able to read the defense and score with what the defense presents itself with......for Mathis, it was just moving downhill, against a defensive player who is also moving and not stationary.....teams figured that out and help defense crowded the lane, because he didn't pass out of those drives and he forced up a shot....head down, not seeing Myles or Cliff or other cutters open for a better shot.

Mathis did not have the off the dribble pull up jumper of Baker, Harper, Young or even Caleb, to succeed in the weave that helped Mathis get downhill......keep in mind, Mathis is the most athletic of the group to just drive into traffic and try and hang in the air, challenge a defender to score. The baskets he did score, were sometimes more about Mathis being a plus/great athlete, more than anything.....if he had a pull up jumper, a mid range shot and didn't just go with his reliance on being a better athlete than his defender, he would be here thriving.

In Year 2, he improved or fixed his 3 point shot.....but he is just not a complete guard that can be a combo guard that can master all of the aspects needed at this level.

If I was Mathis, I would be working on footwork and my handle. His strengths can get him on the floor but at this level of play, without the other fundamentals, his game would not improve past what we saw in the last 2+ months or from Year 1 to Year 3...... Teams have scouted and know what he can or can't do. Mathis has ability, he has to expand his game beyond his strengths and improve his weaknesses.

If Mulcahy takes his fundamentals and applies a little more willingness to score in the next 6 months, mixed with Mulcahy's improved 3 point shooting getting better, I didn't see a path for Mathis being as complete a guard as the others on the roster. Keep in mind, Mulcahy is not a guard generating his own 3 pointer on his own, so while that is not part of his game, it also wasn't part of Mathis and his game as well. The difference is, if Paul isn't left wide open for a 3, he can do other things off the dribble and make passes (sometimes too many times looking to pass).....Mathis rarely if ever, got into the paint looking to create for a pass, he was just downhill to score.

It was also just a matter of time at this point and i am fairly certain (99.9%) that Jaden Jones has way less athletic ability than Mathis does, but is so fundamentally sound in every aspect with the ball, that he will be more effective and more consistent when he gets minutes. Jones upside and skill set is as capable as I've seen in a long time as far as an incoming recruit that isn't reliant on "being a better or faster athlete" like Mathis or Jacob. He has a complete game and tools that just need minutes.

By January or February 2022, this will bear itself out, as Jones gets acclimated to the speed of the game and used to being a B1G player. He needs strength, but has all the tools needed to be a player. You don't need (in my opinion) too much from Jalen Miller to give you the Mathis lost production. I feel like Jaden Jones has as much upside to replace the scoring of Jacob Young, in about a year's time. I don't think it's fair to ask Jones to replace Jacob, in Game 1 or start of year 1, but Jalen Miller or an incoming guard via the portal or JUCO, can replace Mathis and his athletic ability and productivity.

 

[rufeelinit]

I do think a lot of the shortcomings being assigned Mathis, particularly the fall off in his play this year, could be said about pretty much everyone else on this team. We were consistently inconsistent when it comes to individual performances. Other than maybe Paul, I did not see anyone who really raised the level of their game from the prior year.

Better hope Jaden Jones is as good as advertised because all of the sudden he seems to be a key contributor next year. I think the team still has more needs than open slots to fill them so player development remains paramount.

I wish MM the best wherever he lands. While he was not great this year, I thought if anyone got the short stick with minutes without regard to actual performance, it was likely him. He may not be as easy to replace as some think. We will see.

 

[zazoo2002]

There's a difference between rooting for a kid to play, because he brings something to the table and not seeing it happen. Or thinking that a player can improve.

I saw @goru7 and it's a question of now we have to assign a players development to coaches?? There's something to that, but it's 2 offseasons that Mathis had and he has too many things he has to work on, to be a complete guard at this level.. The jump stop is either part of your ability to have fundamentals in your game OR it is up to the player to ADD that dimension to his game.

If you are a plus athlete and have been successful your whole athletic career at just being better physically than your opponent, 90% of your career, it is difficult to get that player to understand you have to pivot, jump stop, turn and pass.....these things are taught and learned OR they are not when you have never had to do that before.

If Mulcahy is struggling on defense to guard his man, sure, you want to have Mathis as an option to come in for a Mulcahy for some minutes. The defense potentially gets fixed if that was the case, but you give up the passing and ball movement, because Mathis felt like if he didn't score, another guard was coming into replace him....another guard who could handle the ball....bring the ball up the court....start the offense.

I saw fans complaining about "the weave " at the top of the key.....well you have that aspect in your offense to get a player like Mathis, Harper,, Jacob, Mulcahy,
Geo and Caleb, moving with the ball and getting an opportunity......you have to be able to read the defense and score with what the defense presents itself with......for Mathis, it was just moving downhill, against a defensive player who is also moving and not stationary.....teams figured that out and help defense crowded the lane, because he didn't pass out of those drives and he forced up a shot....head down, not seeing Myles or Cliff or other cutters open for a better shot.

Mathis did not have the off the dribble pull up jumper of Baker, Harper, Young or even Caleb, to succeed in the weave that helped Mathis get downhill......keep in mind, Mathis is the most athletic of the group to just drive into traffic and try and hang in the air, challenge a defender to score. The baskets he did score, were sometimes more about Mathis being a plus/great athlete, more than anything.....if he had a pull up jumper, a mid range shot and didn't just go with his reliance on being a better athlete than his defender, he would be here thriving.

In Year 2, he improved or fixed his 3 point shot.....but he is just not a complete guard that can be a combo guard that can master all of the aspects needed at this level.

If I was Mathis, I would be working on footwork and my handle. His strengths can get him on the floor but at this level of play, without the other fundamentals, his game would not improve past what we saw in the last 2+ months or from Year 1 to Year 3...... Teams have scouted and know what he can or can't do. Mathis has ability, he has to expand his game beyond his strengths and improve his weaknesses.

If Mulcahy takes his fundamentals and applies a little more willingness to score in the next 6 months, mixed with Mulcahy's improved 3 point shooting getting better, I didn't see a path for Mathis being as complete a guard as the others on the roster. Keep in mind, Mulcahy is not a guard generating his own 3 pointer on his own, so while that is not part of his game, it also wasn't part of Mathis and his game as well. The difference is, if Paul isn't left wide open for a 3, he can do other things off the dribble and make passes (sometimes too many times looking to pass).....Mathis rarely if ever, got into the paint looking to create for a pass, he was just downhill to score.

It was also just a matter of time at this point and i am fairly certain (99.9%) that Jaden Jones has way less athletic ability than Mathis does, but is so fundamentally sound in every aspect with the ball, that he will be more effective and more consistent when he gets minutes. Jones upside and skill set is as capable as I've seen in a long time as far as an incoming recruit that isn't reliant on "being a better or faster athlete" like Mathis or Jacob. He has a complete game and tools that just need minutes.

By January or February 2022, this will bear itself out, as Jones gets acclimated to the speed of the game and used to being a B1G player. He needs strength, but has all the tools needed to be a player. You don't need (in my opinion) too much from Jalen Miller to give you the Mathis lost production. I feel like Jaden Jones has as much upside to replace the scoring of Jacob Young, in about a year's time. I don't think it's fair to ask Jones to replace Jacob, in Game 1 or start of year 1, but Jalen Miller or an incoming guard via the portal or JUCO, can replace Mathis and his athletic ability and productivity.

Thorough analysis...as usual. So, Hawk, curious...how much of Mathis' lack of progression would you place on him and how much on the staff? Likewise, how would you grade the staff on player development?

 

[RUDead]

Good luck Montez.

 

[RU#1fan]

Not a surprise. Last one to leave please turn off the lights.

 

[RU84]

There's a difference between rooting for a kid to play, because he brings something to the table and not seeing it happen. Or thinking that a player can improve.

I saw @goru7 and it's a question of now we have to assign a players development to coaches?? There's something to that, but it's 2 offseasons that Mathis had and he has too many things he has to work on, to be a complete guard at this level.. The jump stop is either part of your ability to have fundamentals in your game OR it is up to the player to ADD that dimension to his game.

If you are a plus athlete and have been successful your whole athletic career at just being better physically than your opponent, 90% of your career, it is difficult to get that player to understand you have to pivot, jump stop, turn and pass.....these things are taught and learned OR they are not when you have never had to do that before.

If Mulcahy is struggling on defense to guard his man, sure, you want to have Mathis as an option to come in for a Mulcahy for some minutes. The defense potentially gets fixed if that was the case, but you give up the passing and ball movement, because Mathis felt like if he didn't score, another guard was coming into replace him....another guard who could handle the ball....bring the ball up the court....start the offense.

I saw fans complaining about "the weave " at the top of the key.....well you have that aspect in your offense to get a player like Mathis, Harper,, Jacob, Mulcahy,
Geo and Caleb, moving with the ball and getting an opportunity......you have to be able to read the defense and score with what the defense presents itself with......for Mathis, it was just moving downhill, against a defensive player who is also moving and not stationary.....teams figured that out and help defense crowded the lane, because he didn't pass out of those drives and he forced up a shot....head down, not seeing Myles or Cliff or other cutters open for a better shot.

Mathis did not have the off the dribble pull up jumper of Baker, Harper, Young or even Caleb, to succeed in the weave that helped Mathis get downhill......keep in mind, Mathis is the most athletic of the group to just drive into traffic and try and hang in the air, challenge a defender to score. The baskets he did score, were sometimes more about Mathis being a plus/great athlete, more than anything.....if he had a pull up jumper, a mid range shot and didn't just go with his reliance on being a better athlete than his defender, he would be here thriving.

In Year 2, he improved or fixed his 3 point shot.....but he is just not a complete guard that can be a combo guard that can master all of the aspects needed at this level.

If I was Mathis, I would be working on footwork and my handle. His strengths can get him on the floor but at this level of play, without the other fundamentals, his game would not improve past what we saw in the last 2+ months or from Year 1 to Year 3...... Teams have scouted and know what he can or can't do. Mathis has ability, he has to expand his game beyond his strengths and improve his weaknesses.

If Mulcahy takes his fundamentals and applies a little more willingness to score in the next 6 months, mixed with Mulcahy's improved 3 point shooting getting better, I didn't see a path for Mathis being as complete a guard as the others on the roster. Keep in mind, Mulcahy is not a guard generating his own 3 pointer on his own, so while that is not part of his game, it also wasn't part of Mathis and his game as well. The difference is, if Paul isn't left wide open for a 3, he can do other things off the dribble and make passes (sometimes too many times looking to pass).....Mathis rarely if ever, got into the paint looking to create for a pass, he was just downhill to score.

It was also just a matter of time at this point and i am fairly certain (99.9%) that Jaden Jones has way less athletic ability than Mathis does, but is so fundamentally sound in every aspect with the ball, that he will be more effective and more consistent when he gets minutes. Jones upside and skill set is as capable as I've seen in a long time as far as an incoming recruit that isn't reliant on "being a better or faster athlete" like Mathis or Jacob. He has a complete game and tools that just need minutes.

By January or February 2022, this will bear itself out, as Jones gets acclimated to the speed of the game and used to being a B1G player. He needs strength, but has all the tools needed to be a player. You don't need (in my opinion) too much from Jalen Miller to give you the Mathis lost production. I feel like Jaden Jones has as much upside to replace the scoring of Jacob Young, in about a year's time. I don't think it's fair to ask Jones to replace Jacob, in Game 1 or start of year 1, but Jalen Miller or an incoming guard via the portal or JUCO, can replace Mathis and his athletic ability and productivity.

I agree with your analysis Hawk. Just surprising how a player can get to this level, especially as a 4 star recruit, on just sheer athleticism without the basic fundamentals (footwork, dribbling, court vision, etc.)

 

[RUBlackout]

There's a difference between rooting for a kid to play, because he brings something to the table and not seeing it happen. Or thinking that a player can improve.

I saw @goru7 and it's a question of now we have to assign a players development to coaches?? There's something to that, but it's 2 offseasons that Mathis had and he has too many things he has to work on, to be a complete guard at this level.. The jump stop is either part of your ability to have fundamentals in your game OR it is up to the player to ADD that dimension to his game.

If you are a plus athlete and have been successful your whole athletic career at just being better physically than your opponent, 90% of your career, it is difficult to get that player to understand you have to pivot, jump stop, turn and pass.....these things are taught and learned OR they are not when you have never had to do that before.

If Mulcahy is struggling on defense to guard his man, sure, you want to have Mathis as an option to come in for a Mulcahy for some minutes. The defense potentially gets fixed if that was the case, but you give up the passing and ball movement, because Mathis felt like if he didn't score, another guard was coming into replace him....another guard who could handle the ball....bring the ball up the court....start the offense.

I saw fans complaining about "the weave " at the top of the key.....well you have that aspect in your offense to get a player like Mathis, Harper,, Jacob, Mulcahy,
Geo and Caleb, moving with the ball and getting an opportunity......you have to be able to read the defense and score with what the defense presents itself with......for Mathis, it was just moving downhill, against a defensive player who is also moving and not stationary.....teams figured that out and help defense crowded the lane, because he didn't pass out of those drives and he forced up a shot....head down, not seeing Myles or Cliff or other cutters open for a better shot.

Mathis did not have the off the dribble pull up jumper of Baker, Harper, Young or even Caleb, to succeed in the weave that helped Mathis get downhill......keep in mind, Mathis is the most athletic of the group to just drive into traffic and try and hang in the air, challenge a defender to score. The baskets he did score, were sometimes more about Mathis being a plus/great athlete, more than anything.....if he had a pull up jumper, a mid range shot and didn't just go with his reliance on being a better athlete than his defender, he would be here thriving.

In Year 2, he improved or fixed his 3 point shot.....but he is just not a complete guard that can be a combo guard that can master all of the aspects needed at this level.

If I was Mathis, I would be working on footwork and my handle. His strengths can get him on the floor but at this level of play, without the other fundamentals, his game would not improve past what we saw in the last 2+ months or from Year 1 to Year 3...... Teams have scouted and know what he can or can't do. Mathis has ability, he has to expand his game beyond his strengths and improve his weaknesses.

If Mulcahy takes his fundamentals and applies a little more willingness to score in the next 6 months, mixed with Mulcahy's improved 3 point shooting getting better, I didn't see a path for Mathis being as complete a guard as the others on the roster. Keep in mind, Mulcahy is not a guard generating his own 3 pointer on his own, so while that is not part of his game, it also wasn't part of Mathis and his game as well. The difference is, if Paul isn't left wide open for a 3, he can do other things off the dribble and make passes (sometimes too many times looking to pass).....Mathis rarely if ever, got into the paint looking to create for a pass, he was just downhill to score.

It was also just a matter of time at this point and i am fairly certain (99.9%) that Jaden Jones has way less athletic ability than Mathis does, but is so fundamentally sound in every aspect with the ball, that he will be more effective and more consistent when he gets minutes. Jones upside and skill set is as capable as I've seen in a long time as far as an incoming recruit that isn't reliant on "being a better or faster athlete" like Mathis or Jacob. He has a complete game and tools that just need minutes.

By January or February 2022, this will bear itself out, as Jones gets acclimated to the speed of the game and used to being a B1G player. He needs strength, but has all the tools needed to be a player. You don't need (in my opinion) too much from Jalen Miller to give you the Mathis lost production. I feel like Jaden Jones has as much upside to replace the scoring of Jacob Young, in about a year's time. I don't think it's fair to ask Jones to replace Jacob, in Game 1 or start of year 1, but Jalen Miller or an incoming guard via the portal or JUCO, can replace Mathis and his athletic ability and productivity.

I actually think Mag can replace Mathis' defense as he seems pretty active on the floor in the limited time I have seen him. I think Mulcahy on defense is a dropoff compared to Mathis but you get so much more from him in other aspects of the game.

I happen to agree on Jones being a step up but that is just a hypothetical for now until he gets more minutes on the floor. Seems like he has the tools but will the game slow down for him is the question. I personally believe that if you move Mulcahy to the PG position and he just becomes more aggressive with the Mathis mindset of driving to the hoop with his ability to pass/create he will replace the production of JY and Mathis in one. I personally believe he has the ability to be great from what I have seen but seems extremely tentative at time.

 

[RUKiid]

Totally the right move for MM. Went from an every game starter to not playing very much. Whether his own confidence was lost first or the coach's, he needs to start over. He did great things for Rutgers....thank you MM.

 

[BoogieKnight]

We need good defenders who buy in..lockdown defenders is an overratted term

Mathis was a collossal negative on offense

Agree. TEAM defense >>> individual defenders. JY is the rare exception because he's SO disruptive on the ball with his quickness and hands. I don't put MM in that category. MM also started forcing the issue on offense once he went to the bench. He did play well vs. Houston but game in, game out throughout the season he was tough to watch.

 

[SirScarlet]

So a guy who’s minutes were drastically cut this season decided to go into the portal and your first thought is “This must be Geo’s fault.”

What did this kid do to you that you’re so eager to make him the villain in literally every scenario man? It’s super weird.

Classic trolling ... thats all he is

 

[SirScarlet]

😂😂 you’re right. I made all this shit up.

You just love to embarrass yourself on this topic. What did Pike ever do to you man? You have been so wrong on this topic going back to last year...your epic fail last year was cringeworthy as you got b1tch-slapped from here till the end of the planet but you keep saying dumb things.

you are simply trolling at this point

 

[LETSGORU91]

Montez wasn’t lock down this year, he regressed both on O and D.

You are absolutely spot on. Many times when someone drove easily to the basket after a clear out, I would yell "how did he get to the basket that easy?" My son would reply "Mathis was guarding him". His defense regressed and the offense was brutal this past season.

We aren't gaining by montez leaving. Maybe a net even, maybe.

It's a net even (the bench is shorter) but only until there is a replacement and hopefully it will be a nice upgrade. Someone else here made a great point, if MM were on another team and was in the portal, we wouldn't be clamoring to get him. I wish him the best going forward.

 

[The RUT]

You just love to embarrass yourself on this topic. What did Pike ever do to you man? You have been so wrong on this topic going back to last year...your epic fail last year was cringeworthy as you got b1tch-slapped from here till the end of the planet but you keep saying dumb things.

you are simply trolling at this point

The truth is this board lives in a fairy tale land. I was making posts like this about Flood in the early days and got the same treatment.

My biggest problem with Pike is that he doesn’t have a killer instinct and you can see that through the teams play on the court.

So many people on here ignore the red flags just because we made the NCAAs. It’s comical to me how you can all brush off a team looking completely disinterested in putting effort out there for half the season. And yes, whether you want to admit it or not, that is 100% on the coaching staff. We saw the same crap with Ash.

 

[SirScarlet]

The truth is this board lives in a fairy tale land. I was making posts like this about Flood in the early days and got the same treatment.

My biggest problem with Pike is that he doesn’t have a killer instinct and you can see that through the teams play on the court.

So many people on here ignore the red flags just because we made the NCAAs. It’s comical to me how you can all brush off a team looking completely disinterested in putting effort out there for half the season. And yes, whether you want to admit it or not, that is 100% on the coaching staff. We saw the same crap with Ash.

How complex of you...you were right on Flood so you MUST be right on Pike. Even though Flood inherited the keys to his car while Pike built the car himself. So yeah, awesome and accurate anology.

My take is that no matter what happens from here on out you were/are wrong because Pike did more than Flood ever did and did something that most big-time coaches didn't even want to attempt to sign up for here.

The next 30 to 60 days will tell us a lot about the future but that will not change the fact that you are completely wrong in your assessment of Pike. No matter what you say, you can't change what he accomplished.

 

[The RUT]

How complex of you...you were right on Flood so you MUST be right on Pike. Even though Flood inherited the keys to his car while Pike built the car himself. So yeah, awesome and accurate anology.

My take is that no matter what happens from here on out you were/are wrong because Pike did more than Flood ever did and did something that most big-time coaches didn't even want to attempt to sign up for here.

The next 30 to 60 days will tell us a lot about the future but that will not change the fact that you are completely wrong in your assessment of Pike. No matter what you say, you can't change what he accomplished.

My original post from last season about Pike was that he is overrated.

Being overrated does not mean you’re bad. Pretty crazy I need to explain that to the simpletons on this board.

 

[RUBlackout]

My original post from last season about Pike was that he is overrated.

Being overrated does not mean you’re bad. Pretty crazy I need to explain that to the simpletons on this board.

No. Its more about you throwing comments out there but do not back them up with any substance. More of the throw spaghetti against the wall and hope it sticks mentality. Essentially you bring zero value to the conversation

 

[urbanecane]

Since this thread is about Montez., let me say this is a big loss. The message board posters here at Rutgers have a tendency to kill our own. Montez was a 3 year starter until he wasn’t after the 5 game losing streak. He was a main part of our winning team last year and was early this year a crucial part of our winning team this year. People’s memories are so short and forget that for the first 10 games of the year Montez was our third leading scorer with app. 15 points per game, rebounding, playing defense, hitting threes at a reasonable rate.and a solid teammate and someone the other coach had to defend. Then he got placed on the bench and did not react to it well. He tried todo too much when he got his minutes, which ended with turnovers, driving 1 on 3, missing layups, not even shooting threes, and not even an effective defender. Some guys can easily adjust to coming off the bench, Montez did not. Yes, some like BAC blame it all on the player, but I blame it on the player and the coaches. It is easy to teach a jump stop to avoid the out of control drives so to me Pike or Brandon Knight failed in their coaching as well. Montez is incredible athletic and when dialed in and not pressing and not trying to do too much , was a key part of our winning success as he offensive rebounded, played lockdown defense, got out on the break , and was not afraid to shoot the three when we needed it. In my opinion, losing Montez three point making when he went to the bench is one of the reasons we struggled to score 70 points a game , which would have won us even more games. We saw bad Montez coming off the bench as his confidence was shot and he couldn’t even make a simple play like an uncontested layup. I blame the coaches as much as a portion of you want to place all the blame on Montez. The thing I really cannot stand are those that say it is no big loss or no loss at all. That is pathetic and clueless for anyone that has watched this team for the last 3 years. Shame on you.

Appreciate all Montez did to help right the ship, but there's a reason many here are suggesting he may end up at an A10 or CAA school. Pikiell offered him plenty of minutes this season, including the end of the season. If the tables were turned, Pikiell would get roasted for bringing in a player with Mathis' stat line. A slasher that shoots 57% from the line and 30% from three is just not cutting it.

 

[The RUT]

No. Its more about you throwing comments out there but do not back them up with any substance. More of the throw spaghetti against the wall and hope it sticks mentality. Essentially you bring zero value to the conversation

You’re right. There were zero locker room issues this season. Our team played with effort every single game. We also run one of the best half court sets in all of college basketball.

It’s funny, I actually think Pike is a good post season coach because his game plan requires effort. The 40 gets you 40 mentality forces players to go into fight or flight mode. Just wish we actually saw that the entire year.

Oh and also, my basketball team in high school ran better offensive sets than Rutgers does right now.

If you disagree with anything I said in this post, then you don’t watch the games.