Mulchay: Realistic Expectations

[RutgersMO]

I've been reading the board- touting Paul as the first player to average a Triple Double in nearly the same time since RU has been to the big dance.

Then the Spain trip...and I read the box scores. Paul's production was minimal.

Did he work on his shot since the trip? What is missing? Are expectations of Mulcahy being a savior, a machine, etc. (all the euphemisms that we toss around) fabrications?

I don't have an answer, I'm not knocking Paul because I believe in Pike and think eventually Paul will be a contributor. But I'm wondering about THIS season...

Thanks

MO

 

[knightfan2000]

Way to go...let's throw a freshman under the bus before he plays a minute.

 

[ruready07]

Way to go...let's throw a freshman under the bus before he plays a minute.

Unless Mulcahy welcomes the pressure ... which would be awesome

 

[RUChoppin]

We're finally getting to the point where we don't have to look to a true freshman to be a savior. Mulcahy will be a good player for us, and this will be a great year to work him into the rotations and get him up to speed.

If he exceeds expectation and jumps into the limelight, that would be great. But that's not the expectation we should be leveling on him right now.

 

[MadRU]

No one is saying Paul will be the savior. As for the Spain trip "stats", if you know Paul's game he doesn't look to shoot, he is a pass first, second, and third type of player. Especially as a freshman Paul will pass to a fault at times.

Like RUChoppin said, we don't need to look at freshman as saviors now, just let him adjust to the college game and enjoy his development.

One thing I do anticipate happening, is that passing can become contagious, I see that as possibly Paul's biggest contribution as a freshman.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Rutgers is 0-0. He hasn’t played a game. We haven’t even had a secret scrimmage yet.....unless it was so secret that it has already happened.

No one has accomplished anything yet and no one is a disappointment.

Last year at almost the exact same time was an article where Pikiell was downplaying the freshman expectations and we all assumed Kiss and Issa would play 50 minutes and a certain player could/should redshirt.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

To add.....2 reasons we folded towards the end of the season last year

1. Eugene hobbled (go ahead hate me)
2. No backup point guard and Geo was slammed by the wall

 

[kcg88]

To add.....2 reasons we folded towards the end of the season last year

1. Eugene hobbled (go ahead hate me)
2. No backup point guard and Geo was slammed by the wall

3. Issa situation plus the crushing Penn State loss killed the team morale.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Oops. Missed that one. That was definitely right in there. May have been #1.

My memory is going. Yikes!

 

[Local Shill]

Way to go...let's throw a freshman under the bus before he plays a minute.

He asked valid questions. He didn't throw anyone "under the bus." Stop with the nonsense.

 

[RU_PAYBACK]

I've been reading the board- touting Paul as the first player to average a Triple Double in nearly the same time since RU has been to the big dance.

Then the Spain trip...and I read the box scores. Paul's production was minimal.

Did he work on his shot since the trip? What is missing? Are expectations of Mulcahy being a savior, a machine, etc. (all the euphemisms that we toss around) fabrications?

I don't have an answer, I'm not knocking Paul because I believe in Pike and think eventually Paul will be a contributor. But I'm wondering about THIS season...

Thanks

MO

I envision them bringing him along slowly. He'll contribute with low mins, assists, rebound a bit. Maybe some high % free throws and a 3 here and there. There are a lot of guards and he will have to earn his playing time. I like what he offers. I don't expect major minutes unless the team is unhealthy.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Mulcahy just wants to contribute towards winning.....he will do that this season, without any expectations asked by prior freshman classes.

 

[PaKnight]

Rutgers is 0-0. He hasn’t played a game. We haven’t even had a secret scrimmage yet.....unless it was so secret that it has already happened.

No one has accomplished anything yet and no one is a disappointment.

Last year at almost the exact same time was an article where Pikiell was downplaying the freshman expectations and we all assumed Kiss and Issa would play 50 minutes and a certain player could/should redshirt.

 

[BillyC80]

Paul will get appropriate PT for a freshman PG of his size and skill. No concerns.

 

[bowlgoal]

Remember when some of you guys were freshmen? Boone, you had a face like a pepperoni pizza. And Stork here, we all thought Stork was brain damaged.

Paul will take time to adjust. McConnell looked terrible in his first 5-6 games and then he made the adjustment to the speed of the game and became one of my favorite players to watch.

OP, I had the same question about the lack of scoring in Spain. But Pike told me that Paul is going to be really good; a special player at Rutgers. I believe what Pike says so let’s see it happen. Good news is there’s no immediate pressure for him to come and light it up. We finally have a great highschool player who can ease into college ball at Rutgers.

 

[LOU-RU85]

He’s a true freshman. Very few true freshman light the word on fire. My expectation is that he will provide solid minutes and give us more assists than points his first year. He should progress each year. By his Jr year he will start to make some noise. Anything other than that is a bonus.

 

[RU848789]

He asked valid questions. He didn't throw anyone "under the bus." Stop with the nonsense.

Wouldn't say he threw him under the bus, but the tone was definitely "disappointed." Problem is I don't recall anyone saying he'd be having triple doubles and I don't think anything is "missing." Anyone expecting him to be more than a situational sub is delusional. I'll be happy to see him get 5-10 minutes a game and make some positive contributions (unless we have injury problems at guard).

 

[knights1212]

I saw Paul play in high school 8 or 9 times. The first thing he thinks of is setting up the players on his team and getting assists. POINTS are not everything in a basketball game. We have many more experienced guards. He will play but probably not major minutes this season but will be a very good player for RU for 4 years. Let him grow as a freshman. He is all in on RU.

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

This year? 12-15 mins a game 4 pts 3 assists a game. The great thing is were at a point where we can slowly and properly bring along a true frosh

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Now that expectations are realistic with Paul.........

Focusing on what I believe to be his positive attributes....

He will defensive rebound, which will be crucial if we are to play a lineup with 4 non bigs

He is 6'6'' ish so he may be able to guard 3s and 4s.

I think he is a player that will sacrifice his body and take charges.

He will make the extra pass...may get a ton of 2nd assists that will show up as a ZERO on the box score (this isn't hockey)

Most importantly he will sacrifice himself and doesn't need/want to score. I believe he will do the small things to the best of his ability.

I truly don't know what to expect here. I love the fact that he is flying under the radar now. I think he is the only true PG on the roster.

Can he learn to play zone? Can we rebound enough out of a zone?
A lineup that finds it's way on the floor (during some point in the game)....
Mulcahy Baker McConnell RHJ/Yeboah Myles OR (gulp)
Mulcahy Baker McConnell RHJ Yeboah OR the 66 lineup
Mulcahy Caleb (may be to tall) Kiss (needs to grow an inch) RHJ Yeboah

 

[superfan01]

I've been reading the board- touting Paul as the first player to average a Triple Double in nearly the same time since RU has been to the big dance.

Then the Spain trip...and I read the box scores. Paul's production was minimal.

Did he work on his shot since the trip? What is missing? Are expectations of Mulcahy being a savior, a machine, etc. (all the euphemisms that we toss around) fabrications?

I don't have an answer, I'm not knocking Paul because I believe in Pike and think eventually Paul will be a contributor. But I'm wondering about THIS season...

Thanks

MO

who called mulcahy the savior this year? The mods were pretty clear he wouldn’t be a huge factor this year.

see him as a 10-12 minute guy this year. Lots of upside though.

 

[RutgersMO]

Way to go...let's throw a freshman under the bus before he plays a minute.

Did you read my entire post? Did you understand it?

"I'm not knocking Paul because I believe in Pike and think eventually Paul will be a contributor".

MO

 

[Degaz-RU]

I've been reading the board- touting Paul as the first player to average a Triple Double in nearly the same time since RU has been to the big dance.

Then the Spain trip...and I read the box scores. Paul's production was minimal.

Did he work on his shot since the trip? What is missing? Are expectations of Mulcahy being a savior, a machine, etc. (all the euphemisms that we toss around) fabrications?

I don't have an answer, I'm not knocking Paul because I believe in Pike and think eventually Paul will be a contributor. But I'm wondering about THIS season...

Thanks

MO

With respect, I think your post is a Strawman. There really wasn't ANYBODY here saying that Mulcahy would be a "savior" this year (or at all). Just that he's the first pass-first PG we've had in a long while, and most are simply excited for his eventual development on the Banks.

Okay, there may have been a small handful of people saying that Pike was going to "hand him the keys to the team" from the moment he matriculates. But that was a very small minority.

Most people think Paul is a good prospect who can be a really good pass-first PG EVENTUALLY. But I think most also think that, with our depth at 1 through 3 this season, Paul will likely be a reserve who plays 8 to 12 minutes TOPS. Personally, I have him pegged for about 8 mpg. I just can't see him being good enough THIS YEAR to cut into the playing time of Baker, Young, Mathis, McConnell, or Harper.

 

[RU-ROCS]

This year? 12-15 mins a game 4 pts 3 assists a game. The great thing is were at a point where we can slowly and properly bring along a true frosh

Agreed. I'd be happy if he got 10 quality minutes a game.

 

[Scangg]

The board consensus seems to be around 8-12 mpg with Paul clearly showing his pass first skill set. We will see some really special passes that will be a glimpse of things to come.

There is a chance he adjusts quickly and earns more PT by the end of the season. Also, is Geo or Young get hurt at any point his role would immediately increase, but like others have said... It's nice to be at a point where we don't need a freshman savior

Pike really has his work cut out for him when trying to divide the minutes amongst the perimeter players

 

[Scangg]

Last year at almost the exact same time was an article where Pikiell was downplaying the freshman expectations and we all assumed Kiss and Issa would play 50 minutes and a certain player could/should redshirt.

For the record I said Issa was going to gradually lose PT to those freshman as the season went on unless he made a big jump to diversify his game. Also there were some like me that thought the redshirt Harper takes were absurd and laughable. I didn't like Kiss's tape when he transfered but I did buy in once I heard Pike say he was the best three point shooter on the team when our team desperately needed 3 point shooters. Hopefully kiss finds his stroke this season though and a small role as a spot up 3 point shooter. If Mulcahy looks good that's just less perimeter minutes for kiss

 

[Scangg]

One more item on Mulcahy.... Do we think Pike tries to get him more minutes early in the season against some of the cupcakes than we will see in B1G play thinking long term or does he use that time to experiment with all sorts of lineup combinations to see which groups work well together? We could really see a much different rotation and minutes breakdown once B1G play starts

 

[Degaz-RU]

One more item on Mulcahy.... Do we think Pike tries to get him more minutes early in the season against some of the cupcakes than we will see in B1G play thinking long term or does he use that time to experiment with all sorts of lineup combinations to see which groups work well together? We could really see a much different rotation and minutes breakdown once B1G play starts

I think there's going to be a fair amount of experimentation with lineups against the cupcake OOC teams. Hopefully there will be alot of garbage time in those games where he can mix and match, and also get Mulcahy, Kiss, and Doucoure some P/T.

 

[Scangg]

I think there's going to be a fair amount of experimentation with lineups against the cupcake OOC teams. Hopefully there will be alot of garbage time in those games where he can mix and match, and also get Mulcahy, Kiss, and Doucoure some P/T.

Agreed.This the most likely scenario

 

[BillyC80]

My feeling after Paul committed was that he could conceivably be our starting PG from day one IF he blew everyone away in practice and overseas and if Pike felt he gave us the true point guard play needed to run the offense he wants to run.

Since then it appears that based on all factors Pike prefers to bring Paul along more deliberately, on a pace that suits his development without rushing it.

I think part of that is Pike seeing the excellent development of his super sophs plus Baker, with the addition of Yeboah and Young in particular showing out as a quicker faster point guard who can defend and has experience at this level.

That said, I think Paul will be a fan favorite that will wow us occasionally and may earn a start or two at PG before the end of the OOC slate. If not he’ll still get regular PT of 8-10 minutes per game, imo.

 

[BigEastPhil]

Mulcahy will be the backup PG. I expect him to play about 10 minutes per game. Dependent on how he plays especially in non conference, his playing time will either increase or decrease from my anticipated 10 minutes.

 

[wheezer]

actually this is a perfect situation for him....in previous years he might have been forced into a starting role and suffered due to it....let him
work in slowly.....

 

[Good-Knight]

Don't forget that Pike likes guards to be active on the boards. At 6'6" if Mulcahy is the pg best passer, defender, and rebounder he's going to get a chance to see what he can do this year.
More realistically, he is a 4 year player who can improve every year.

 

[RUHouston]

It just occurred to me that Paul reminds me of a young Pike.... just sayin’

I think he’ll get more time in the beginning to ease him into B1G play....