Now how do we rate in the Big Ten

[seels2662]

Wow what a difference a day makes. We have been talking for months now that we simply don't have the players to compete, but now if you compare the 2015 Rutgers class to the rest of the Big Ten we are basically very close to most of the league. We straight up have a better class than Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, and Purdue. Whats really crazy is that you can say that our 2015 class slightly edges out mighty Wisconsin and their 2015 class. Lastly there have been multiple reports on how highly touted the Nebraska's 2015 class is, we now have essentially an identical class to theirs.

Boy Ohio State and Michigan State still cream us though. They will certainly be the teams to beat.

Listen I know one year doesn't mean all is right with the world and we have to sustain classes like this for multiple years to be able to look down at the standings instead of up. But I feel at least for now that the hill isn't as insurmountable as we once thought.

 

[RUChoppin]

Let's get back to the postseason before we get ahead of ourselves.

 

[PatrickRU92]

I take much less stock in bball star rankings than I do with football. We have burned MANY times in the last 2 decades by recruits who were highly rated who simply weren't very good basketball players, or were good but not as good as advertised.

I will wait until I see them on the court, but you can't help but feel positive vibes at this point

 

[OntheBanks]

I take much less stock in bball star rankings than I do with football. We have burned MANY times in the last 2 decades by recruits who were highly rated who simply weren't very good basketball players, or were good but not as good as advertised.

I will wait until I see them on the court, but you can't help but feel positive vibes at this point

Actually, the * rankings are more meaningful in basketball because of the AAU circuit. The best are playing head to head against players from all over the country. You don't have that in football. You don't see game situations where a NJ offensive lineman goes against a FL defensive lineman. In basketball you do and you see it often in tournaments all over the country.

 

[seels2662]

I know what you are getting at Patrick, but I always felt we were just bad at developing players, not that they were incorrectly ranked.

 

[bac2therac]

while we may have a higher rated class than 5-6 Big 10 schools, it will take at least 2 more classes of similar quality in order for RU to make an impact substantially to move up. We have had solid classes in the past in the Big East but then never followed up with solid classes after that. Have to have a very strong 2016. Freeman will be gone after two years and we are not making the NCAA in his two years so a big time replacement will be needed for that jump to NCAA contention

 

[PiscatawayMike]

while we may have a higher rated class than 5-6 Big 10 schools, it will take at least 2 more classes of similar quality in order for RU to make an impact substantially to move up. We have had solid classes in the past in the Big East but then never followed up with solid classes after that. Have to have a very strong 2016. Freeman will be gone after two years and we are not making the NCAA in his two years so a big time replacement will be needed for that jump to NCAA contention

My mind thinks what you wrote is on the money, but in my heart I'm an eternal optimist. Hence, I'd like to believe if everything goes right with this team (Sanders and Freeman are as good as advertised, Goode turns out to be a deadly outside shooter, a couple other players are better than expected, etc.) we could make a run at a NCAA berth in 2016-2017.

As far as the upcoming season is concerned, it will be a year for the players to become acclimated with one another. We'll be scratching our heads one moment and then scream, "Whoa! Did you see that!" the next. Buckle your seat belts and enjoy the ride!

 

[RutgHoops]

I take much less stock in bball star rankings than I do with football. We have burned MANY times in the last 2 decades by recruits who were highly rated who simply weren't very good basketball players, or were good but not as good as advertised.

I will wait until I see them on the court, but you can't help but feel positive vibes at this point

I think basketball star rankings are much more accurate than football. Much more. Also with the smaller classes in hoops a "miss" is more greatly felt. For example, Huggins not turning out to be a "five star" had much less impact on football than Seagears not turning out to be a "four star" IMHO.

 

[RutgHoops]

while we may have a higher rated class than 5-6 Big 10 schools, it will take at least 2 more classes of similar quality in order for RU to make an impact substantially to move up. We have had solid classes in the past in the Big East but then never followed up with solid classes after that. Have to have a very strong 2016. Freeman will be gone after two years and we are not making the NCAA in his two years so a big time replacement will be needed for that jump to NCAA contention

Agreed. When you are not Kentucky, Duke, UNC, or the other programs that year after year get their pick of the Top 50 you need to back up Top 40 classes with another Top 40 class and then another. Then you assemble some depth of talent that is maturing in college.

I am an optimist and if you are looking for hope then you would say a class of Mike Williams, Foreman, Doorson, Diallo, Ry. Johnson, and Goode followed by Sanders, K. Johnson, Laurent and Freeman (for two years) looks to be potentially a start of those "back to back" type classes that in another year or two could represent pretty well.

 

[seels2662]

while we may have a higher rated class than 5-6 Big 10 schools, it will take at least 2 more classes of similar quality in order for RU to make an impact substantially to move up. We have had solid classes in the past in the Big East but then never followed up with solid classes after that. Have to have a very strong 2016. Freeman will be gone after two years and we are not making the NCAA in his two years so a big time replacement will be needed for that jump to NCAA contention

My mind thinks what you wrote is on the money, but in my heart I'm an eternal optimist. Hence, I'd like to believe if everything goes right with this team (Sanders and Freeman are as good as advertised, Goode turns out to be a deadly outside shooter, a couple other players are better than expected, etc.) we could make a run at a NCAA berth in 2016-2017.

As far as the upcoming season is concerned, it will be a year for the players to become acclimated with one another. We'll be scratching our heads one moment and then scream, "Whoa! Did you see that!" the next. Buckle your seat belts and enjoy the ride!

This is exactly what I am thinking PiscatawayMike. I feel that although there is still a long hill to climb things are not as impossible as say only a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I take much less stock in bball star rankings than I do with football. We have burned MANY times in the last 2 decades by recruits who were highly rated who simply weren't very good basketball players, or were good but not as good as advertised.

I will wait until I see them on the court, but you can't help but feel positive vibes at this point

this

 

[MADHAT1]

Being burned might have been the coaching more than the players.
You can get talent, but not develop that talent to help on a consistent bases.
Sometimes the system hurts more than helps and I believe Rice's comfortable in chaos harmed the development
of most of his recruits, including Carter.
Freddie might have gotten some good ones, but didn't make them better all around players.
Waters players were not ready for prime-time, but he could develop them into making a serviceable team, but not Dancers.

 

[mikefla]

We have no idea how a better recruit class will affect our W/L total next year but I have to think NOT having "leaders" who were sullen and mopey as Etou and Jack often were may also be a good thing.

I think we may see some good results next year.

 

[Ole Cabbagehead]

We have no idea how a better recruit class will affect our W/L total next year but I have to think NOT having "leaders" who were sullen and mopey as Etou and Jack often were may also be a good thing.

I think we may see some good results next year.

I agree, and hope we start to see a culture shift. I think a big part of the problem is that we have developed a culture of losing. A culture where a failure to perform is generally accepted. So new players come, and see that type of leadership in place, and the work ethic goes out the window. I believe that is what we have seen happen to quality players over the last decade. They stop working, and as a result, stop progressing. They do not live up to their rankings, and the team doesn't get any better. This year is going to be exciting, because it is the closest thing to a clean slate we've ever had. I don't think the younger guys on the team have been here long enough to have been corrupted by bad leadership. EJ needs to make it clear that last year is over, and that this year marks the beginning of something different.