Nigel Johnson

[RutgHoops]

Look, if you had the choice of Nigel or Souf (not only this year but now next year as well), who would rather have? Are you trying to say Souf because of the player development of others?

I am saying Souf because Nigel wouldn't run the offense the way Coach P wants nor would he play defense the way Coach P wants nor would he practice the way Coach P wants.

So you want another year where said player on the team said "F--k this guy, I'm doing it my way?" For what reason exactly? Nigel wasn't exactly Quincy Douby. Give me the guy who buys in on a team trying to build a culture 10 times out of 10. Even if he isn't quite ready to play at this level. At least the 12 other guys on the squad don't watch a guy who doesn't do a thing the HC wants get minutes because there is no other option.

Nigel was a perfect guy for Coach Jordan who really didn't care if a player bought in or practiced hard. "I'm getting mine" was ok when he was HC. Nigel was the absolute opposite of everything Coach P was/is trying to do here. That, to you, is worth it?

I hope Nigel got his head straight and plays the way Coach Bennett wants. I really do. But there was zero chance of that happening here.

 

[knights1212]

Nigel would have taken many minutes from Baker. I doubt Johnson would have been happy coming off the bench. He is now on a team which should make the NCAA tournament. If he stayed at RU there might have been a chemistry problem on the team. We should just move on and continue to root for the guys on our team now. Hopefully we can bring in a point guard to help us next year if Corey moves on. If he should stay we will have him, Geo, Mathis, Peter Kiss, Souf and possibly Harper and one other new guy. Thiam will possibly play guard at times as well.

 

[SkilletHead2]

And that is exactly why he left- to play more minutes. Johnson is an average player. He is not a mediocre player.

Mediocre means average.

 

[Goku]

Some of you people don’t understand that we are better off without most of these Jordan players. They are not high b-ball IQ winning ball players. We are better off without nigel just like we will be better off next year with Corey going pro and playing overseas.

 

[BKIn118]

Nigel is not awful, or a bad kid.

He didn't fit with a coach that didn't recruit him. That's not the end of the world and doesn't make some wide sweeping statement.

I personally have always found he and his family to be pleasant, caring and engaging.

He'd be coming off the bench for 12-15 min a game here tops, but could have helped for sure if that role was something he saw for himself as comfortable.

Instead, he's playing closer to home in front of family and friends for a great program to finish his long and winding career.

Go get em Nigel! Thank you for your time at Rutgers...and continued success at UVa!

 

[SJScarlet]

Mediocre means average.

It can mean average or below average
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/mediocre

 

[SJScarlet]

Some of you people don’t understand that we are better off without most of these Jordan players. They are not high b-ball IQ winning ball players. We are better off without nigel just like we will be better off next year with Corey going pro and playing overseas.

Uh, no not even close. I hope he stays and you don't have to find out how wrong you are.

 

[MADHAT1]

I wish Nigel well, where he's at.
But don't think he would be a good fit, now, for RU.
Souf might not be working out, now, like planned, but
he might still be better for the program than giving Nigel the playing time he would expect if he stayed.

 

[SkilletHead2]

It can mean average or below average
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/mediocre

Only by mediocre users of the English language.

And btw, higgins is a well-above average contributor to this board. Exemplary, even.

 

[SJScarlet]

Only by mediocre users of the English language.

And btw, higgins is a well-above average contributor to this board. Exemplary, even.

Cant tell if you're serious or not, but in case you are, mediocre is widely and correctly used to mean subpar or ordinary to the point of being disappointing. It is almost always used disapprovingly and is rarely used in a neutral way.

 

[Hamilton's Cannon]

Don’t miss Nigel at all. Streaky Guy. Not feeling he was a team player. Weak defense. Geo gives us as much or more as a freshman, IMO.

 

[SkilletHead2]

Cant tell if you're serious or not, but in case you are, mediocre is widely and correctly used to mean subpar or ordinary to the point of being disappointing. It is almost always used disapprovingly and is rarely used in a neutral way.

Well, to a large degree I am, especially with the "mediocre users of the language" comment. But mediocre does mean average, ordinary, not standing out; it doesn't mean below average. It is used in a derogatory fashion in the same way that "average" is used in a derogatory fashion. "Is he good? No, he's just average."

I think we can at least agree that average means average. Hence, higgins statement, "Johnson is an average player. He is not a mediocre player" really indicates a misusage here. Average and mediocre do not represent two different points on a scale. They are the same, and either can be used in a negative fashion.

And for those still reading, mediocre actually comes from middling in height, or "halfway up the mountain." I didn't know that!

 

[TDIrish27]

HC

You think Sanders is a team guy ?

 

[SJScarlet]

Well, to a large degree I am, especially with the "mediocre users of the language" comment. But mediocre does mean average, ordinary, not standing out; it doesn't mean below average. It is used in a derogatory fashion in the same way that "average" is used in a derogatory fashion. "Is he good? No, he's just average."

I think we can at least agree that average means average. Hence, higgins statement, "Johnson is an average player. He is not a mediocre player" really indicates a misusage here. Average and mediocre do not represent two different points on a scale. They are the same, and either can be used in a negative fashion.

And for those still reading, mediocre actually comes from middling in height, or "halfway up the mountain." I didn't know that!

You should really email Random House (used by dictionary.com) to get rid of their second definition, then. Or Merriam Webster: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mediocre
Or Collins: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/mediocre

 

[Goku]

Uh, no not even close. I hope he stays and you don't have to find out how wrong you are.

If he goes I find out I’m wrong because we lose a guy with a weak outside shot and carelessly drives to the lane every game to get his 10 point on 3 of 15 shooting? If he is so good why haven’t we seen him step up and be a dominant player on the court against minn or MSU or FSU? When he goes our offense will run better and the other players will all pick up the slack.

 

[SJScarlet]

If he goes I find out I’m wrong because we lose a guy with a weak outside shot and carelessly drives to the lane every game to get his 10 point on 3 of 15 shooting? If he is so good why haven’t we seen him step up and be a dominant player on the court against minn or MSU or FSU? When he goes our offense will run better and the other players will all pick up the slack.

He has flaws and has been very inconsistent. If we magically found a great replacement, then sure maybe we wouldn't miss him too much. Problem is that in reality, a guard rotation of Baker, Mathis, Kiss, Mensah is like 6-7 wins worse than one of Sanders, Baker, Mathis, Kiss.

 

[biazza38]

I’ll break it down for some of you. Nigel was basically gaurenteed playing time last year out of necessity. We had no other guards. Nigel was not gaurenteed those minutes this year, so he left.

 

[GoFish2]

not necessarily. havent seen him play, but I'll trust what NJH says.

We really need a point guard. i am hoping Pike finds the one that is 2/3 distributor and 1/3 scorer and 3/3 defender. I really don't know where Alvarado fits there.

I'll help you out. Here are his numbers this year. He's been money.

https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/players/141044/

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Numbers only tell part of a story. Just like wins and losses only tell part of the story.

 

[jellyman]

Sometimes a coach makes a decision for the benefit of the PROGRAM, the long-term development of the program, even if there is a short-term drop off in on-court performance.

I think if you read BK's post (Johnson is a nice kid, with a nice and good family, but not necessarily the best fit), and other posters about other things, I think you might be able to figure this out.

That said, Mensah WAS expected to contribute for 8-10 or even 12 minutes per game, and clearly is not able to do so ... at least not yet. Which has to be considered a miss by the staff ... unless there were other reasons besides playing time (like I believe there were for the Bullock offer, for example). Though Mensah is averaging 7 minutes per game, if you take out the CCNY game, in which he played 19 minutes, Mensah is averaging just 5.6 minutes per game ... with 9 minutes each in the CSU and Coppin State games. In the last 6 games Mensah has averaged 4 minutes a game. If mensah could actually contribute enough to play 10 minutes per game, that would be a huge difference, since it would give Baker and Sanders 2-3 minutes per game extra rest ... which would help a lot at the end of games, I think. But ... well, we are not there yet, if at all.

 

[SkilletHead2]

You should really email Random House (used by dictionary.com) to get rid of their second definition, then. Or Merriam Webster: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mediocre
Or Collins: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/mediocre

Yeah, mediocre and average both get used to mean "below average." In the UK, "quite" actually means (is used to mean) "not quite." To say something is "quite good" means it isn't really good (no kidding).

We live in a time when good is amazing, very good is spectacular, and excellent is freak of nature.

 

[RUonBrain]

Why can't Dadika play ~5 minutes per game?

He CANNOT be worse than Souf, plus he has game experience.

Anyone?
Beuhler?

 

[xkiesterx]

This thread is mediocre.