We now see this team's potential. Nice to see them play amidst the energy of the RAC/JMA. We need to build on this. And, yes more Miller, please.
No one of the negative posters
- Thread starter rubjk
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They all want to play. There’s a lot that I like about Pike. Redshirting players is not one of them.
Great team win .The offense scored more than 70 points and the defense limited Clemson 3 point shooting .Foul shooting was the only aspect of the game that was subpar.Happy for McConnell hitting jump shots and Harper was the star player Rutgers needs to win games .Miller got his first minutes of the season and showed poise under pressure .The coaching staff to their credit got the players to forget the past three games and instead concentrate on the challenges ahead.
Great win lat night and great to see the upperclassmen finally step up. But it does not give a pass for what happened in the first 6 games. Hoping we can carry the Clemson game forward.
I hear you with guys wanting to play right away or hit the portal these days, so that makes perfect sense. But with regard to big men, would Myles have had the success he had if we threw into the fire right away?
Doucore was a 4-star. He re-classified, we threw him in out of necessity and he never gained his footing. Now, he just may not have been suited for for this level, but we'll never know what could have happened if he had more time to develop.
If that's what you did, most wouldn't care that much, but you called for Pike to be fired this year, which is literally insane and effing moronic, after he just produced the two best years at RU since the late 70s, which is the last time we had two NCAA teams in consecutive years (and yes 2019 was an NCAA team).
Yes, I'm not on the team. The Rutgers Basketball team is an entertainment option for me. Just like the Rutgers Football team ... and the Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rangers, UFC, the Scripps Spelling Bee, WWE, Marvel Movies, etc. I support the team, but I don't feel obligated to watch one of their games if I don't think I'm going to enjoy myself or if I have something more entertaining to do. I am a customer, not a participant.
Pete, I hear you too. But I don't wholly agree with "more time to develop." In a general sense, yes, the player gets an extra year of practice. But he doesn't get more games. And that's important. From the point of view of the school--which is the side almost always pushing for the redshirt--it can even result in fewer games. That happened to RU with Miles. Players want to play. Miller is a case in point.
Now, I know that there are times when players aren't ready. But in basketball (as opposed to football), that's already a red flag, particularly if it's not a big man.
My concern with Pike and redshiring--and I like a lot of things that Pike does--is that redshirting decisions are a concession that he didn't win the recruit that he wanted and he needs more time to try to develop him into a viable player. In other words, he's already working from behind. Now I'd be willing to believe that this is his "system" and not a concession about his recruits if he wasn't offering and pursuing the more highly sought after recruits who don't get redshirted. But he is.
The #1 Target for the spot that went to Jalen Miller was Ryan Conway. He selected Seton Hall over Rutgers and......is Redshirting this year at SH.
With that said, I was very vocal in the summer stating that Miller needed to play this year because he is the only guard on the team that can apply defensive pressure and was needed against small fast guards.
All fair. But also fair that this kind of fits the definition of a bandwagon fan as was pointed out by the other poster.
I assure you I've been rooting for Rutgers Basketball longer than any player or coach on the team (or administrator in the Athletics Department).
EDIT: Spelling
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All excellent points. I think that these days if a coach tells you he is deliberately going for under-the-radar recruits over highly rated talent, he is not being honest. Not saying Pike has said that or does that. I do think that chemistry and culture factor in at times.
I imagine that many here , me included, can make the same claim. But length aside, the point is where your interest (or disinterest) stands now. For instance, I've been a NY Ranger Fan for 40 years - but at this point, I don't follow them religiously and have become more of a bandwagon fan - jumping in when things are going well or during the playoffs.
That happens with teams. Your interest in a sport is dependent on how competitive or relevant your team is at the time. Even in the beginning of Pike's rebuild here, I re-discovered my interest in college hoops because even though they were overmatched, he put a team on the floor that competed and fought - you could see that new and better habits were being formed.
Now take my Cubs for instance. I checked out on baseball after they blew up the team at the all star break. Did watch some of the playoffs and World Series though.
That doesn't make you a bandwagon fan. Becoming a Tampa Bay fan because they just got Tom Brady and won the Super Bowl would make you a bandwagon fan. Becoming a Nets fan because they traded for Kevin Durant would make you a bandwagon fan. Being more interested in your favorite team because they actually started performing better (or have started to make an effort at actually trying to win) doesn't make you a bandwagon fan. If someone says, "I'm not watching the Jets because their ownership obviously doesn't give a shit, so why should I?" and then that same person starts watching games again when the head coach is replaced and they draft a new QB, that doesn't make him a bandwagon fan; it makes him rational. I have a nephew who lives in Texas whose two favorite NFL teams are Tampa Bay and Kansas City. He's a bandwagon fan.
It will never be over. They walk among us.
In the ilk of a typical Rutgers fan, I've gone from "we're the worst team in basketball" to "we're definitely winning the Natty" after last night's game. 🤣
Yeah, check back in at about 9 p.m. Friday. Although it would be great if the opposite happens. Big RU athletics night this Friday.
The argument for wins by Depaul, Lafayette and UMass was they got lucky on their shots. By definition Rutgers got lucky last night. Nothing proved one way or the other yet. Until you get consistency, the jury is out on this team.
Perhaps I'm wrong but I've always viewed bandwagon fans as either jumping from team to team an/or jumping on/off a team based on how they are performing.
The problem is the damage done by the last 3 losses unless those teams dance means we must win several games we are not supposed to win to get back to even footing in terms of resume. That’s a tall ask based on what we’ve seen. Clemson though a nice win is not one that moves the needle. They were preseason 11 in the ACC.
In hoops, does playing in one game burn a redshirt? Or does it take a few games like football?
Listening to Pikes postgame he sounded pissed as he must have been reading or listening to the message boards. You could tell he had an edge to him, I don’t blame him as some of the comments about him were rough.
Doucoure had 4 years to develop playing in a top environment with high quality coaching. He's playing exactly the same so far at the LaSalle. Redshirt him wouldn't have mattered.
Some fans have been super loyal attending games for 30 years without one NCAA bid.
I agree with that, but throttling Clemson should at least mean that the nightmare scenarios some were painting of only 2-3 B1G wins are very unlikely. I didn't make a preseason prediction this year, because I simply forgot, but I've been saying I thought we'd be 10-1 OOC (only loss to SHU, so we're likely going to be 3 games behind that OOC) and would win maybe 8-9 B1G games to put us on the bubble (possibly the wrong side of it) with 18-19 wins. I now think we're more likely to win 6-7 B1G games, which would put us at 13-14 wins instead of the 18-19 wins I thought preseason. Now, unless we beat SHU and get 10 B1G wins (for 18 total), both of which are unlikely, I think we have little chance for making the tourney - in my mind I've already given up on that mostly.
Been going to most/nearly all the games since 1980-81, but at least got 83, 89, and 91, but didn't go to any of those for a variety of reasons (never thinking it would be 30 more years!), which is why it was a must that I go this year in Indy and had a blast.
Does anyone know the father and son that sit on the rail in 101 E and F? They may be the worst fans I've ever seen. Always shout when Rutgers messes up and then sit quietly when Rutgers scores. There's a guy in 101 H that keeps score with a notepad that does the same thing. Absolutely embarrassing.
Lol - no he’s not the worst. Our other season success doesn’t just get wiped off. A down year would’ve been understandable if he hadn’t propped up this team as his best ever. That’s the main issue.
One has to wonder WHY Pike was so vocal about the talent this year.
Was it because he truly believed it?
Was it because to say otherwise would send the wrong message?
Was it to lure recruits?
Was it so he would not have to explain the talent drop-off after an NCAA year...
We received votes in the AP preseason rankings this year and as late as February last year we had been ranked number 25.
I think he misjudged his talent. He never made those comments before. I think he truly believed and my guess is he is in a little shock and disbelief right now at how bad these guys are.
This entire year has been a misjudgment by Pike. This team has looked awful from day 1
And o have a difficult time believing that this is his best chemistry too. No way.
