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OT: Battle for Atlantis Bahamas

RU_DIO

RU_DIO

Heisman Winner
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Sep 1, 2002
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My family traveled to the Bahamas Monday for this tournament with Villanova.

We flew in on a charter flight and were bussed to our hotel with a police escort. The Atlantis is absolutely beautiful. Walking around the hotel I have seen Hubert Davis and Eric Musselman plus others.. Had a conversation with half the Michigan basketball team in the hotel lobby. Players from multiple teams everywhere you go. Everyone is in a relaxed, friendly mood.

This is exactly the type of tournament I wish Rutgers would do. Will update when the games start.
 
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It appears we are getting the #1 ranked class in the country. I realize $ has almost everything to do with it. Maybe the selling point of we put our players 1st and make sure they can spend time with their families matters to some. I know that would be huge with my wife.

After the dark, dark, dark days of RU hoops I thnik I can be happy where we are and not be that bent out of shape that our coach put the players and his own family over us fans wanting to see basketball over the holidays.
 
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ruinac said:
People really believe that Pike gives the team 4-5 days off for the out-of-state players to travel home for Thanksgiving???

Or that the out-of-state players would really rather spend Thanksgiving in NB than the Bahamas??
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You're absolutely, correct. We all know it's a bunch of baloney. Someone did a run down of the RU schedule around Thanksgiving since he's been here. During multiple years, there was a Friday home game meaning players had to be back on campus Thursday night.

He wants to schedule wins against low majors, it's that simple. And if you play in a big boy tournament you're probably going to come home with at least 1 and possibly 2 or three losses.
 
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Local Shill said:
You're absolutely, correct. We all know it's a bunch of baloney. Someone did a run down of the RU schedule around Thanksgiving since he's been here. During multiple years, there was a Friday home game meaning players had to be back on campus Thursday night.

He wants to schedule wins against low majors, it's that simple. And if you play in a big boy tournament you're probably going to come home with at least 1 and possibly 2 or three losses.
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Spot on comments.Pikiell understands that Rutgers doesn't have the cache that will allow playing higher level out of conference competition and still compete in the B1G Ten.The goal is the NCAA Tournament every season and Rutgers has a very small margin for error.Recruiting after next season will be very important because Harper and Bailey will be gone.
 
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Local Shill said:
You're absolutely, correct. We all know it's a bunch of baloney. Someone did a run down of the RU schedule around Thanksgiving since he's been here. During multiple years, there was a Friday home game meaning players had to be back on campus Thursday night.

He wants to schedule wins against low majors, it's that simple. And if you play in a big boy tournament you're probably going to come home with at least 1 and possibly 2 or three losses.
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For a Friday home game , I doubt he would have allowed a late Thursday return . That is way too close .
 
Maui is already filled for next year? Wow. I thought that was determined in the off season and RU might have an opportunity based on the recruiting class etc.
 
Greene Rice FIG said:
If I am not mistaken we have reports in the past of where players are staying for thanksgiving with some players spending thanksgiving at other players houses
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So not with their own families. Now, which do you think is more appealing to a 20 year old; A trip to the Bahamas (or Maui) with all of their teammates, or dinner at their friend’s house?
 
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I am totally in the camp that says RU needs to make an all out effort to get in one of these early season tourneys. We will probably get killed for losing to Princeton, but the Committee seems to reward teams who have early season losses to top-tier competition like Duke and Kentucky.
 
Greene Rice FIG said:
Parents can be part of the equation
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Pike’s a good coach and good man, but his “home with their family” excuse is BS and almost everyone can see it.

He‘s the same guy who refuses to accept invitations to the four-team tournaments in early/mid Nov, scheduled weak OOC games until the selection committee called RU on it this year, and took his team away from family and friends on a two week trip in the middle of this past summer. He‘s recruited players from around the world and country to RU. He’s scheduled games 2 days before and 1 day after T’giving. I don’t know how anyone could see all of that and swallow the line that he doesn’t play tournaments because he wants his players to have Thanksgiving with family.
 
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ruinac said:
Pike’s a good coach and good man, but his “home with their family” excuse is BS and almost everyone can see it.

He‘s the same guy who refuses to accept invitations to the four-team tournaments in early/mid Nov, scheduled weak OOC games until the selection committee called RU on it this year, and took his team away from family and friends on a two week trip in the middle of this past summer. He‘s recruited players from around the world and country to RU. He’s scheduled games 2 days before and 1 day after T’giving. I don’t know how anyone could see all of that and swallow the line that he doesn’t play tournaments because he wants his players to have Thanksgiving with family.
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I can tell you I personally saw Coach Pike the day after losing to SHU his 1st year grocery shopping for his family on XMAS eve.

I don't know why people don't respect that holidays have a lot of importance to certain people. We like to watch our teams play, but is it crazy to think coaches and players maybe would rather not.

If we are ducking because of increased competition.....is it maybe not a bad idea?

Everyone wants increased competition, but 90% of people complain when we lose to better competition.
 
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Greene Rice FIG said:
I can tell you I personally saw Coach Pike the day after losing to SHU his 1st year grocery shopping for his family on XMAS eve.

I don't know why people don't respect that holidays have a lot of importance to certain people. We like to watch our teams play, but is it crazy to think coaches and players maybe would rather not.

If we are ducking because of increased competition.....is it maybe not a bad idea?

Everyone wants increased competition, but 90% of people complain when we lose to better competition.
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Can’t spend your entire life as a coward my guy
 
ruinac said:
So not with their own families. Now, which do you think is more appealing to a 20 year old; A trip to the Bahamas (or Maui) with all of their teammates, or dinner at their friend’s house?
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So you go to Maui. You are spending how many hours in an airplane? You get to Maui and you play how many games? What are you allowed to do when you aren't playing? How much free time do you actually have? What can you do in your free time?

Every year my son gets to on a training trip for 2 weeks in December. This will be his 4th trip. He barely gets any benefit being in Florida. He really isn't looking that forward to it.
 
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Greene Rice FIG said:
If I am not mistaken we have reports in the past of where players are staying for thanksgiving with some players spending thanksgiving at other players houses
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That has been mentioned several times, but selfish people will ignore it because it's not to their benefit or agenda. If they want to question the schedule, that's fine, but to take shots at them for taking a few days off says a lot about the individuals making the comments. These kids will perform around 31 times for the fans' enjoyment. If that's not enough, those complainers should look elsewhere for entertainment.
 
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I’m very indifferent about these tournaments.
The battle of Atlantis is usually played in a weird facility that’s half empty. The Maui invitational is THE tournament to play in, but the field gets made 2-4 years in advance. Personally I like the one Uconn was just in. No idea what it was called but it was only two games. The Maui invitational was a brutal field this year. Tennessee is playing Purdue and Kansas on back to back days. That’s an unlucky draw for them. Who wants to play the number 1 team in the country on day 3 of playing 3 days in a row. I think Pike will have us in one next year because of our class. And he should
 
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cubuffsdoug said:
That has been mentioned several times, but selfish people will ignore it because it's not to their benefit or agenda. If they want to question the schedule, that's fine, but to take shots at them for taking a few days off says a lot about the individuals making the comments. These kids will perform around 31 times for the fans' enjoyment. If that's not enough, those complainers should look elsewhere for entertainment.
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31? and I am the negative one!
 
FinalFourOrBust said:
The committee literally said our noncon sos was an important factor. The committee frowns upon cowards.
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It’s both. The committee is full of crap and has no idea what the criteria is to get in. It’s totally arbitrary and no one should believe a single word they say. The Mountain West Conference teams didn’t play much in OOC play but they still got 4 in. Avoid losing to Minnesota and Temple and we’re no where close to the bubble. The same type of schedule worked in previous seasons, but we had more blemishes last season. That being said, we have to play better teams in OOC play next year.
 
People can switch it up for a year and do something different for a holiday. It's not the end of the world.

If you're a parent and you selfishly want your kid home for Thanksgiving and would deny them a trip of a lifetime to play in a Maui tournament, you're a selfish bad parent, sorry
 
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Greene Rice FIG said:
31? and I am the negative one!
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No. 🤣 🤣 🤣

I was talking about the complainers who complain for the sake of it. Some people really do value the holidays. Some people don't understand the time and energy these kids put into playing a sport for our entertainment. Taking some time off around one holiday isn't going to break or hurt any of us.
 
Scangg said:
People can switch it up for a year and do something different for a holiday. It's not the end of the world.

If you're a parent and you selfishly want your kid home for Thanksgiving and would deny them a trip of a lifetime to play in a Maui tournament, you're a selfish bad parent, sorry
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I hope spending maybe an extra day and a few hours in Maui isnt the trip of a lifetime.

Most of the trip is a business trip. The game counts towards the resume. You arent there to snorkel, lay out in the beach and go out at night.
 
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RUDivision said:
We didn’t get in last year because we melted down and lost to Minnesota. We beat Minnesota the schedule doesn’t matter.
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our non conference schedule was horseshit and we didnt beat anyone of note

rutgers is literally giving the committee reasons to keep them out and im not convinced a win over Minnesota changes anything
 
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Greene Rice FIG said:
I can tell you I personally saw Coach Pike the day after losing to SHU his 1st year grocery shopping for his family on XMAS eve.

I don't know why people don't respect that holidays have a lot of importance to certain people. We like to watch our teams play, but is it crazy to think coaches and players maybe would rather not.

If we are ducking because of increased competition.....is it maybe not a bad idea?

Everyone wants increased competition, but 90% of people complain when we lose to better competition.
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this is baloney..we are currently paying players hundreds of thousands of dollars
 
RUDivision said:
We didn’t get in last year because we melted down and lost to Minnesota. We beat Minnesota the schedule doesn’t matter.
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Minnesota shouldn’t have been a must-win game. And if anyone wants to play “win the games you’re supposed to win,” that goes both ways. Purdue should have defeated RU. Change Purdue to a L and Minn to a W and RU wouldn’t have even been on the bubble.
 
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