OT: Spencer tonight

[NewJerseyHawk]

I'll take this nonsensical response as an admission of defeat.

Has to attempt the strawiest strawman that ever strawed to still try to make himself right in his own head. Tough to watch

Yes, I am admitting defeat.....he's a lottery pick and UConns best player......he's the best RU player since Douby or before that with John Battle, Eddie Jordan and others at RU.

I have a high level of confidence and a high level of basketball knowledge, that this thread has multiple people with Hawk on their minds. Maybe because, what I actually say, hits home for you and other fans. Maybe because, what I write actually is factual.....mixed with some reasonable basketball opinions and insight.

There are fans who have a LOW standard of success....and that is perfectly OK. I cannot make fans raise their levels of expectations or reality. I can only state what is reality and what I see.

The harsh reality is this.....there are fans who accept mediocrity within every level of the RU sports....and it's spread out from decades of a loser mentality, a loser mindset and it shows up, when fans accept mediocre players like Cam Spencer as the standard for winning.

This is an indicator that I am not only 100% correct on Spencer, that you and countless others are still in disbelief that RU can actually do better than Cam Spencer....that there's levels to actually try and win more than a NIT bid. This is what you are crying over, I am looking back at last year and asking myself, if he was THAT good, when did that show up in February 2023???

The low expectations are still seeping into other threads, discussing Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey and others.........there are some still mentioning Lance Thomas and Jay Williams......LMAO.......it comes down to fans like you, who believe Cam Spencer is the standard of winning......and that a NIT season and 11PPG is the standard against Power 5 competitors. That was Spencer's production last year.

Maybe that is acceptable for YOU, but I am extremely confident that RU can and will do better down the road than Spencer brings to the table. But as 430PM arrives today, you and others still expect the worst.....you are scarred and scared of success.....you are afraid of winning and going further than a NIT bid last year.

Sooo to close this loop, I am admitting that Cam Spencer played his 1st game of his 5 year NCAA career, where he scored 20 points against a ranked opponent.....as a 5th year senior and a loaded UConn roster, he is the best UConn player to ever put on a Huskies uniform. I am admitting that today as well......

I hope being mediocre and average suits you well.....I stay at the top of the food-chain because you know and I know, I am right "most" of the time. If I wasn't right, why would you care what I have to say???? 😁😁

 

[NickRU714]

Just further proof of Pike’s inability to properly utilize offensive talent. Better change the philosophy if you want to take next step

Still believe RHJ should have touched the ball every possession he was in the game.

First pass should have been to him in the front court.
He should have brought the ball up the court instead of standing in a corner.

I'd have Gavin start bringing the ball up the court just so he touches the ball in the front court instead of running right to a corner.

 

[RU84]

So many bad takes on this thread.

Anyone catch Cam’s game vs UNC tonight? Trash talking Bacot and firing up the fan base with huge fist pump. oh, and the teams leading scorer. Remind me again of the posters saying he was too slow and couldn’t create his own shot ? Amazing how good he looks in a real offense that emphasizes player movement and ball movement.

Amazing how good he looks when he's not the focal point of the defense and you're on the defending national champion surrounded by highly recruited alphas. Throw any decent player on a top team and you'll see a stat bump.

 

[kcg88]

Yes, I am admitting defeat.....he's a lottery pick and UConns best player......he's the best RU player since Douby or before that with John Battle, Eddie Jordan and others at RU.

I have a high level of confidence and a high level of basketball knowledge, that this thread has multiple people with Hawk on their minds. Maybe because, what I actually say, hits home for you and other fans. Maybe because, what I write actually is factual.....mixed with some reasonable basketball opinions and insight.

There are fans who have a low standard of success....and that is perfectly OK. I cannot make fans raise their levels of expectations or reality. I can only state what is reality and what I see.

The harsh reality is this.....there are fans who accept mediocrity within every level of the RU fan base......and it's spread out from decades of a loser mentality, a loser mindset and it show up, when fans accept mediocre players like Cam Spencer as the standard for winning.

This is an indicator that I am not only correct on Spencer, that you and countless others are still in disbelief that RU can actually do better than Cam Spencer....that there's levels to actually try and win more than a NIT bid.

It is still seeping into other threads, discussing Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey and others....it comes down to fans like you, who belief Cam Spencer is the standard......that a NIT season and 11PPG is the standard against Power 5 competitors. That was Spencer's production last year.

Maybe that is acceptable for YOU, but I am extremely confident that RU can and will do better down the road than Spencer brings to the table. But as 430PM arrives, you and others still expect the worst.....you are scarred and scared of success.....you are afraid of winning and going further than a NIT bid last year.

Sooo to close this loop, I am admitting that Cam Spencer played his 1st game of his career, where he scored 20 points against a ranked opponent.....as a 5th year senior and a loaded UConn roster, he is the best UConn player to ever put on a Huskies uniform. I am admitting that today as well......

I hope being mediocre and average suits you well.....I stay at the top of the food-chain because you know and I know, I am right "most" of the time. If I wasn't right, why would you care what I have to say???? 😁😁

This is such a braindead take. Nobody - NOBODY - is saying Cam Spencer is single-handedly dragging a team to the second weekend. What we're all saying is that he's very clearly a winning basketball player and Rutgers is worse off for not having him. He's a major, major piece on a top-five team but your opinion is that we're better off having those minutes spread out among Fernandes, Davis, and Simpson who are a combined 30-98 (30.6%) on two point baskets, and are doing nothing to elevate others on offense?

Charitably, I think your point is that in a vacuum you would rather have a quicker, more athletic guard than Cam Spencer but you're badly discounting skill in the equation. Virginia won with Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome who are not crazy athletes. Villanova won with Ryan Arcidiacono.

 

[Scangg]

Yes, I am admitting defeat.....he's a lottery pick and UConns best player......he's the best RU player since Douby or before that with John Battle, Eddie Jordan and others at RU.

I have a high level of confidence and a high level of basketball knowledge, that this thread has multiple people with Hawk on their minds. Maybe because, what I actually say, hits home for you and other fans. Maybe because, what I write actually is factual.....mixed with some reasonable basketball opinions and insight.

There are fans who have a LOW standard of success....and that is perfectly OK. I cannot make fans raise their levels of expectations or reality. I can only state what is reality and what I see.

The harsh reality is this.....there are fans who accept mediocrity within every level of the RU sports....and it's spread out from decades of a loser mentality, a loser mindset and it shows up, when fans accept mediocre players like Cam Spencer as the standard for winning.

This is an indicator that I am not only 100% correct on Spencer, that you and countless others are still in disbelief that RU can actually do better than Cam Spencer....that there's levels to actually try and win more than a NIT bid. This is what you are crying over, I am looking back at last year and asking myself, if he was THAT good, when did that show up in February 2023???

The low expectations are still seeping into other threads, discussing Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey and others.........there are some still mentioning Lance Thomas and Jay Williams......LMAO.......it comes down to fans like you, who believe Cam Spencer is the standard of winning......and that a NIT season and 11PPG is the standard against Power 5 competitors. That was Spencer's production last year.

Maybe that is acceptable for YOU, but I am extremely confident that RU can and will do better down the road than Spencer brings to the table. But as 430PM arrives today, you and others still expect the worst.....you are scarred and scared of success.....you are afraid of winning and going further than a NIT bid last year.

Sooo to close this loop, I am admitting that Cam Spencer played his 1st game of his 5 year NCAA career, where he scored 20 points against a ranked opponent.....as a 5th year senior and a loaded UConn roster, he is the best UConn player to ever put on a Huskies uniform. I am admitting that today as well......

I hope being mediocre and average suits you well.....I stay at the top of the food-chain because you know and I know, I am right "most" of the time. If I wasn't right, why would you care what I have to say???? 😁😁

"Cam Spencer is mediocre "

Tells you everything you need to know. Hawk is just dead wrong on Cam Spencer. You won't even say he's average? Lol how can anyone take you seriously?

I have extremely high hopes for this program and its future success. The rest of your post is just more nonsense

Please tell me more about how you don't accept mediocre while lecturing us all on why a sub 30% career 3 point shooter is a sniper and our best shooter. Hyatt is the definition of mediocre and he's your favorite pkayer. The irony is so strong

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

"Cam Spencer is mediocre "

Tells you everything you need to know. Hawk is just dead wrong on Cam Spencer. You won't even say he's average? Lol how can anyone take you seriously?

I have extremely high hopes for this program and its future success. The rest of your post is just more nonsense

Please tell me more about how you don't accept mediocre while lecturing us all on why a sub 30% career 3 point shooter is a sniper and our best shooter. Hyatt is the definition of mediocre and he's your favorite pkayer. The irony is so strong

Why don't we do this.....you pull his stat line from Friday night, when UConn played at Kansas ......and had a big man Hunter Dickinson defend UConns big man Clingan and pull up Cam Spencer's stat line.....I'll wait.....

 

[Degaz-RU]

This is such a braindead take. Nobody - NOBODY - is saying Cam Spencer is single-handedly dragging a team to the second weekend. What we're all saying is that he's very clearly a winning basketball player and Rutgers is worse off for not having him. He's a major, major piece on a top-five team but your opinion is that we're better off having those minutes spread out among Fernandes, Davis, and Simpson who are a combined 30-98 (30.6%) on two point baskets, and are doing nothing to elevate others on offense?

Charitably, I think your point is that in a vacuum you would rather have a quicker, more athletic guard than Cam Spencer but you're badly discounting skill in the equation. Virginia won with Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome who are not crazy athletes. Villanova won with Ryan Arcidiacono.

Wish I could “like” this post a thousand times. A perfect response to Hawk’s utter nonsense about Spencer.

 

[Degaz-RU]

Why don't we do this.....you pull his stat line from Friday night, when UConn played at Kansas ......and had a big man Hunter Dickinson defend UConns big man Clingan and pull up Cam Spencer's stat line.....I'll wait.....

Did you know that Spencer was suffering from turf toe in both of his big toes while playing against Kansas?

Should I cite to the innumerable times Hyatt or Simpson have shot 3 for 11 from the field?

 

[Scangg]

This is such a braindead take. Nobody - NOBODY - is saying Cam Spencer is single-handedly dragging a team to the second weekend. What we're all saying is that he's very clearly a winning basketball player and Rutgers is worse off for not having him. He's a major, major piece on a top-five team but your opinion is that we're better off having those minutes spread out among Fernandes, Davis, and Simpson who are a combined 30-98 (30.6%) on two point baskets, and are doing nothing to elevate others on offense?

Charitably, I think your point is that in a vacuum you would rather have a quicker, more athletic guard than Cam Spencer but you're badly discounting skill in the equation. Virginia won with Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome who are not crazy athletes. Villanova won with Ryan Arcidiacono.

He has to create the straw man argument that Cam is an all American NBA superstar savior bc he has no leg to stand on in the actual debate

Agreed on your take about why he is so anti spencer and refusing to accept reality. Hawk wants faster quicker guards. That's great. So do I. Agreed.

That's the theory of how you want to play. That doesn't mean a player like Spencer can't fit a role in that type of offense. You actually want to surround quick guards with knock-down 3 point shooters

Bottom line is Spencer is a very good college basketball player. He does more than just shoot 3's. He has been showcasing that all season and really had a great game last night. Mediocre 1 dimensional players as Hawk describes Spencer don't do what he did last night

 

[bethlehemfan]

He has to create the straw man argument that Cam is an all American NBA superstar savior bc he has no leg to stand on in the actual debate

Agreed on your take about why he is so anti spencer and refusing to accept reality. Hawk wants faster quicker guards. That's great. So do I. Agreed.

That's the theory of how you want to play. That doesn't mean a player like Spencer can't fit a role in that type of offense. You actually want to surround quick guards with knock-down 3 point shooters

Bottom line is Spencer is a very good college basketball player. He does more than just shoot 3's. He has been showcasing that all season and really had a great game last night. Mediocre 1 dimensional players as Hawk describes Spencer don't do what he did last night

Spencer is an excellent collegiate player. This is obvious.

 

[Morrischiano]

Yes, I am admitting defeat.....he's a lottery pick and UConns best player......he's the best RU player since Douby or before that with John Battle, Eddie Jordan and others at RU.

I have a high level of confidence and a high level of basketball knowledge, that this thread has multiple people with Hawk on their minds. Maybe because, what I actually say, hits home for you and other fans. Maybe because, what I write actually is factual.....mixed with some reasonable basketball opinions and insight.

There are fans who have a LOW standard of success....and that is perfectly OK. I cannot make fans raise their levels of expectations or reality. I can only state what is reality and what I see.

The harsh reality is this.....there are fans who accept mediocrity within every level of the RU sports....and it's spread out from decades of a loser mentality, a loser mindset and it shows up, when fans accept mediocre players like Cam Spencer as the standard for winning.

This is an indicator that I am not only 100% correct on Spencer, that you and countless others are still in disbelief that RU can actually do better than Cam Spencer....that there's levels to actually try and win more than a NIT bid. This is what you are crying over, I am looking back at last year and asking myself, if he was THAT good, when did that show up in February 2023???

The low expectations are still seeping into other threads, discussing Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey and others.........there are some still mentioning Lance Thomas and Jay Williams......LMAO.......it comes down to fans like you, who believe Cam Spencer is the standard of winning......and that a NIT season and 11PPG is the standard against Power 5 competitors. That was Spencer's production last year.

Maybe that is acceptable for YOU, but I am extremely confident that RU can and will do better down the road than Spencer brings to the table. But as 430PM arrives today, you and others still expect the worst.....you are scarred and scared of success.....you are afraid of winning and going further than a NIT bid last year.

Sooo to close this loop, I am admitting that Cam Spencer played his 1st game of his 5 year NCAA career, where he scored 20 points against a ranked opponent.....as a 5th year senior and a loaded UConn roster, he is the best UConn player to ever put on a Huskies uniform. I am admitting that today as well......

I hope being mediocre and average suits you well.....I stay at the top of the food-chain because you know and I know, I am right "most" of the time. If I wasn't right, why would you care what I have to say???? 😁😁

I hope that with your high expectations of roster quality, you help with a NIL donation. Otherwise, “.I hope being mediocre and average suits you well”.
It’s BS. That walks. Money talks. Given your proclamations, I assume that you give to RU NIL collectives.

 

[kcg88]

Why don't we do this.....you pull his stat line from Friday night, when UConn played at Kansas ......and had a big man Hunter Dickinson defend UConns big man Clingan and pull up Cam Spencer's stat line.....I'll wait.....

Oh he played badly against the preseason #1 team in a game where he hurt his foot early. Guess he sucks.

 

[RUJMM78]

Why don't we do this.....you pull his stat line from Friday night, when UConn played at Kansas ......and had a big man Hunter Dickinson defend UConns big man Clingan and pull up Cam Spencer's stat line.....I'll wait.....

Spencer was playing with a injured foot during the Kansas game which was mentioned during the game against North Carolina.

 

[RU84]

He has to create the straw man argument that Cam is an all American NBA superstar savior bc he has no leg to stand on in the actual debate

Agreed on your take about why he is so anti spencer and refusing to accept reality. Hawk wants faster quicker guards. That's great. So do I. Agreed.

That's the theory of how you want to play. That doesn't mean a player like Spencer can't fit a role in that type of offense. You actually want to surround quick guards with knock-down 3 point shooters

Bottom line is Spencer is a very good college basketball player. He does more than just shoot 3's. He has been showcasing that all season and really had a great game last night. Mediocre 1 dimensional players as Hawk describes Spencer don't do what he did last night

So who would you rather have with the "knock down 3 point shooters" role: a one year player in Cam or a freshman Gavin who, not only has more upside than Cam, but needs minutes to develop for next year to add experience to our highest ranked, but all freshman, incoming recruiting class? There's only so many minutes and roles, you can't have both scenarios. Which one are you choosing?

 

[kcg88]

So who would you rather have with the "knock down 3 point shooters" role: a one year player in Cam or a freshman Gavin who, not only has more upside than Cam, but needs minutes to develop for next year to add experience to our highest ranked, but all freshman, incoming recruiting class? There's only so many minutes and roles, you can't have both scenarios. Which one are you choosing?

This would almost be a valid point if Pikiell was actually playing Griffiths 30+ minutes a night. I mean, it still wouldn't be (play them together!), but... almost!

If Pikiell was about building toward next season he wouldn't have brought Hyatt back.

 

[mikeyo]

I care. Can he come back?

Not unless RU comes up with a bigger sack full of cash. That's the current reality

 

[Degaz-RU]

So who would you rather have with the "knock down 3 point shooters" role: a one year player in Cam or a freshman Gavin who, not only has more upside than Cam, but needs minutes to develop for next year to add experience to our highest ranked, but all freshman, incoming recruiting class? There's only so many minutes and roles, you can't have both scenarios. Which one are you choosing?

This is an absurdist question. Austin Williams wouldn’t be here if Cam had stayed. There would be more than enough minutes for both Cam and GG.

 

[zappaa]

Run an in-sync coherent offense with movement and purpose.
Designed to highlight players strengths not weaknesses.
That’s my take, Cam left so I don’t care about him

 

[fluoxetine]

I always find it interesting/weird when someone would come in this type of thread and say, “who cares? Move on. Why do you care?” etc etc. Why are YOU in this thread, and posting in it if you don’t care or have already moved on?

Obviously some of us care. It’s a message board where fans talk about fan stuff. This 100% a normal RU MBB conversation because the guy was here 6 months ago, lol.

"Who cares? Move on." is just a part of the discussion. It's what I think the proper thoughts are. I'm expressing my opinion on the thread; I'm not saying you shouldn't be allowed to post it.

The other reason is that these kinds of threads generally seem to be taking some secondary swipe at the coaching staff or the current team.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

This would almost be a valid point if Pikiell was actually playing Griffiths 30+ minutes a night. I mean, it still wouldn't be (play them together!), but... almost!

If Pikiell was about building toward next season he wouldn't have brought Hyatt back.

Let me explain it slower for some people, so it sinks in.

A) this is not a Hyatt discussion BUT the obsessed fans keep attaching me to be a loyalty police officer for Hyatt.....or Simpson......it comes down to "what does that player do to make the team better??? AND, do we have another viable option to replace that player??

Sooo.....let's look at the staff....they spent years recruiting Hyatt.....has he been RHJ 2.0....?? No, but when it came down to LAST year's lineup, he was the ONLY option who could help generate 3s from the front court or corner position.....on a team that needed to SCORE points.

The same knucklehead fans, keep harping on defense and how Mag was better, when Mag provides no 3 point shooting vs Hyatt. Last years lineup required Hyatt to play and play well because "cough-cough", Spencer and Mulcahy didn't deliver points on a consistent basis.

B) I have a choice as a coaching staff... ..do I reward a player who could have gone anywhere (Michigan, Iowa, Notre Dame etc) and a player I recruited for TWO PLUS YEARS.....??

OR

Do I reward a player who I recruited for 2 WEEKS, in Cam Spencer via the portal???

I can only explain this soooo many times....the fans crying about THIS year, are not listening OR refuse reality. This is not a ONE year or 1 season decision.

I have explained multiple times in threads for MONTHS, that this is a longer term decision, that sets up 2024-25.....you don't reward Cam Spencer who didn't deliver on a consistent basis, 32 minutes a game over a kid the staff recruited for 2 to 3 years, and is the highest ranked recruit this staff has signed to date.....the level of ignorance is all time high, only RU84, seemingly is on the same page or with some sort of clue with me.....

Is Spencer better in November 2023 than Griffiths.....?? YES, but I have already acknowledged that months ago....will he be better in December....probably.....this is about a 4 month season for the frosh and sophs beyond this season.

The goal is to create opportunities for players who are part of the plan beyond this one season. And that is the level of denial, fans refuse to accept. This is about future earnings, not pennies on the dollar today.

And I will say again 100 out of 100 times, if you told me I would have 3 to 4 years of Gavin Griffiths vs 1 year of Spencer AFTER, the best we could do was a NIT bid?? No thanks......

 

[FinalFourOrBust]

That’s the amazing thing. There has been a handful of posters who said we were better off without him and the majority have pointed out it’s not the case and that he didn’t want to be here, yet we get another thread on this crap. Why don’t we just start an official Cam watch thread for the year and be done with it? These threads are pathetic.

It was definitely more than a handful of people. Don’t they to change history now.

 

[FinalFourOrBust]

He's the best player in the country......no one can stop Cam Spencer....his play is the difference between RU being in the Elite 8 this year and hoping RU will be making the NiT......I hope RU can make the NIT again this year without Spencer carrying RU on its back like he did all of last year.

He was a 1st team All B1G player, along with Zach Edey, Hunter Dickinson and 2 to 3 other NBA lottery picks who went to the NBA......RU fans should be fortunate enough to have landed the Patroit League leading scorer the year before......they defeated numerous Blue blood programs like Kentucky, Duke, Kansas and UConn last year for the All B1G and All American Spencer......he's THAT good folks.....he turned down the NBA draft combine and a chance to compete after his elite and unstoppable season at RU.....turned down NBA millions to instead hit the transfer portal to play at UConn.....

I think UConn is going to apply for a franchise opportunity in the NBA, since the Big East profitability and exposure for their sports programs, is now high enough that they can join the NBA...... Adam Silver is overseeing their application, based on Spencer's play, elevating the downtrodden UConn program. I think they can compete with the Knicks and Nets right now. I'm going to buy my Spencer jersey right away, it will be worth a lot of money down the road.

I wish I had more time to explain how critical a loss Spencer was to this program. He earned such a building block status, helping RU reach new heights with our NIT appearance last year......didn't fans know that it had been almost 15 years since RU (lead by Spencer) was even good enough to qualify for the NIT.....

We had to schedule and try to defeat the likes of Seton Hall, Temple, and play 2 games vs the mighty Minnesota Golden Gophers....Spencer was so elite in those contests (especially the toughest game of all, at Minnesota), it's just too bad the rest of the RU team and Pike and staff, couldn't hold up their end of the bargain and forced Spencer to lose vs those powerhouse programs.

Not sure what I'll do now that he's gone. I heard that all the recruiting is in trouble now because he transferred out. We'll never get any talent into the program that's better. I hope one day, UConn won't be able to just pluck the players from our roster, hopefully their NBA application gets approved and we won't have to worry about losing any other players to them down the road.

I also heard Dean Reiber put up big numbers the other day....maybe it was Jalen Miller, can't actually remember....one of them scored some points, the game was on ESPN 3 or something like that.

It's just unfortunate that when we made the NIT last year that the NIT wasn't even held at MSG anymore. It's probably better off that we lost in the NIT to Hofstra, it would have been expensive for the RU fans if we made the NIT finals, it was held in Vegas. At least Geoff Billet was able to actually WIN his NIT games back in the day.....his team was actually able to win enough to get to the NIT finals and MSG. The rest of the RU team Spencer played on last year, wasn't good enough to support Spencer and his 1st team all B1G play.

I hope one day, RU will actually be able to recruit another guard that's as close to Spencer's abilities. Hoping that day arrives sooner than later......

On a scale form 1-10, how lonely would you say you are?

 

[kcg88]

Let me explain is slower for some people, so it sinks in.

A) this is not a Hyatt discussion BUT the obsessed fans keep attaching me to be a loyalty police officer for Hyatt.....or Simpson......it comes down to "what does that player do to make the team better??? AND, do we have another viable option to replace that player??

Sooo.....let's look at the staff....they spent years recruiting Hyatt.....has he been RHJ 2.0....?? No, but when it came down to LAST year's lineup, he was the ONLY option who could help generate 3s from the front court or corner position.....on a team that needed to SCORE points.

But he didn't do that! He shot 30.6% on threes. If there was a hypothetical team that was five Aundre Hyatt's and their entire offense was shooting three pointers at a 30.6% clip, this offense would've ranked 352nd in the country (3 points * .306 = .918, or 91.8 points per 100 possessions). This assumes they never turn it over, too.

Opponents were happy to let Aundre Hyatt shoot threes and you're still trying to present it like it made us better somehow.

The same knucklehead fans, keep harping on defense and how Mag was better, when Mag provides no 3 point shooting vs Hyatt. Last years lineup required Hyatt to play and play well because "cough-cough", Spencer and Mulcahy didn't deliver points on a consistent basis.

B) I have a choice as a coaching staff... ..do I reward a player who could have gone anywhere (Michigan, Iowa, Notre Dame etc) and a player I recruited for TWO PLUS YEARS.....??

OR

Do I reward a player who I recruited for 2 WEEKS, in Cam Spencer via the portal???

It's not a binary choice. As @Degaz-RU said, if Cam stays then we simply don't get Austin Williams. Cam Spencer and Gavin Griffiths have almost nothing to do with each other.

I can only explain this soooo many times....the fans crying about THIS year, are not listening OR refuse reality. This is not a ONE year or 1 season decision.

I have explained multiple times in threads for MONTHS, that this is a longer term decision, that sets up 2024-25.....you don't reward Cam Spencer who didn't deliver on a consistent basis, 32 minutes a game over a kid the staff recruited for 2 to 3 years, and is the highest ranked recruit this staff has signed to date.

Is Spencer better in November 2023 than Griffiths.....?? YES, but I have already acknowledged that months ago....will he be better in December....probably.....

The goal is to create opportunities for players who are part of the plan beyond this one season. And that is the level of denial, fans refuse to accept. This is about future earnings, not pennies on the dollar today.

And I will say again 100 out of 100 times, if you told me I would have 3 to 4 years of Gavin Griffiths vs 1 year of Spencer AFTER, the best we could do was a NIT bid?? No thanks......

Somehow UConn is finding a way to make it work with Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer, Hasan Diarra, 5-star freshman Stephon Castle, and 4-star freshman Solomon Ball. Imagine that.

There's no world where Spencer takes meaningful minutes away from Griffiths so I have no idea what you're talking about.

 

[FinalFourOrBust]

Just further proof of Pike’s inability to properly utilize offensive talent. Better change the philosophy if you want to take next step

Cam has been better this year but not that much better. He was pretty good for us to. People forget but he was a candidate for first team all big ten about halfway through the conference schedule because he hit a little slump.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Oh he played badly against the preseason #1 team in a game where he hurt his foot early. Guess he sucks.

So that's your answer.....??

2-12 from the field

1 of 7 from 3.....

1 of 3 from the FT line.....

6 points in 36 minutes.

The simple answer that has been repeated is, Spencer is the 5th option on UConn....he "should" be able to score, the other 4 players are all BETTER than Spencer.....

That also excludes a 5* guard at UConn, who just returned to the lineup and is a projected NBA lottery pick. I am not saying Spencer is going to play 36 minutes a game, but if you defend Spencer as a 2nd or 3rd option, like he was at RU, he is NOT good enough to create his own offense.

This is reality and what showed up in the bulk or more than 50% of the Power 5 opponents we played. That's what the numbers and eye-test showed LAST year, at RU......any decent guard, as the 5th option on UConn, gets open shots. It's not complicated.

 

[Nycrusupporter]

He’s better at UConn because he’s not the focal point of the offense and isn’t relied upon to consistently create his own shot against the other teams best defender

He was been UConn‘s leading scorer in about half the games they have played this year, so I think it is fair to say he is a focal point of the offense.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

But he didn't do that! He shot 30.6% on threes. If there was a hypothetical team that was five Aundre Hyatt's and their entire offense was shooting three pointers at a 30.6% clip, this offense would've ranked 352nd in the country (3 points * .306 = .918, or 91.8 points per 100 possessions). This assumes they never turn it over, too.

Opponents were happy to let Aundre Hyatt shoot threes and you're still trying to present it like it made us better somehow.


It's not a binary choice. As @Degaz-RU said, if Cam stays then we simply don't get Austin Williams. Cam Spencer and Gavin Griffiths have almost nothing to do with each other.


Somehow UConn is finding a way to make it work with Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer, Hasan Diarra, 5-star freshman Stephon Castle, and 4-star freshman Solomon Ball. Imagine that.

There's no world where Spencer takes meaningful minutes away from Griffiths so I have no idea what you're talking about.

No.....you are wrong and unfortunately Austin Williams or Noah Fernandes do not warrant 32 to 33 minutes a game.....Spencer wanted to continue to play at that level and it was not going to happen here.

In terms of Hyatt and his shooting percentages, it comes down to where do you get your shot attempts in the offense AND Hyatt plays a completely different position than Spencer. I don't know why this is a Hyatt /Spencer discussion whatsoever.

If Spencer was 6'7 and played a wing or a hybrid PF position, then we would not have anything to worry about. But then the discussion would change to other excuse making.

The guard position required changes for the future.....time to move on folks....

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

He was been UConn‘s leading scorer in about half the games they have played this year, so I think it is fair to say he is a focal point of the offense.

Scoring means nothing.....it shows you don't watch basketball......UConn has a big man that requires a double team and another guard who can create his own shot......the other 2 forwards are BETTER players and require a team to defend them.

If he was the focal point of the RU offense last year, what were the results?? I'll wait......

 

[kcg88]

No.....you are wrong and unfortunately Austin Williams or Noah Fernandes do not warrant 32 to 33 minutes a game.....Spencer wanted to continue to play at that level and it was not going to happen here.

In terms of Hyatt and his shooting percentages, it comes down to where do you get your shot attempts in the offense AND Hyatt plays a completely different position than Spencer. I don't know why this is a Hyatt /Spencer discussion whatsoever.

If Spencer was 6'7 and played a wing or a hybrid PF position, then we would not have anything to worry about. But then the discussion would change to other excuse making.

The guard position required changes for the future.....time to move on folks....

Well you're making it a Spencer/Griffiths discussion when they don't play the same position either.

Is it fair for me to summarize your argument as: we're better off in the long run letting Simpson and Davis play major minutes this year?

 

[bac2therac]

OMG I am not reading all the posts in this thread but I will unequivocally say that Rutgers would be much better positioned to make the NCAA tournament this year if Cam Spencer was on the team.

 

[Nycrusupporter]

So who would you rather have with the "knock down 3 point shooters" role: a one year player in Cam or a freshman Gavin who, not only has more upside than Cam, but needs minutes to develop for next year to add experience to our highest ranked, but all freshman, incoming recruiting class? There's only so many minutes and roles, you can't have both scenarios. Which one are you choosing?

This is a false choice. If you ever happen to watch good teams play, they have MULTIPLE 3 point shooters on the floor together. In fact, go back and watch UConn with Spencer, Karaban and Newton all playing together, at the same time if you can believe it!

 

[bac2therac]

a poster here talked about how last year we were held back because Pike didnt unleash Simspon, well Simpson was unleashed at the end of last year and through 7 games this year and I have not see anything to indicate that he will not be coming off the bench next year and recruited over going forward

 

[cm_13]

Let me explain it slower for some people, so it sinks in.

A) this is not a Hyatt discussion BUT the obsessed fans keep attaching me to be a loyalty police officer for Hyatt.....or Simpson......it comes down to "what does that player do to make the team better??? AND, do we have another viable option to replace that player??

Sooo.....let's look at the staff....they spent years recruiting Hyatt.....has he been RHJ 2.0....?? No, but when it came down to LAST year's lineup, he was the ONLY option who could help generate 3s from the front court or corner position.....on a team that needed to SCORE points.

The same knucklehead fans, keep harping on defense and how Mag was better, when Mag provides no 3 point shooting vs Hyatt. Last years lineup required Hyatt to play and play well because "cough-cough", Spencer and Mulcahy didn't deliver points on a consistent basis.

B) I have a choice as a coaching staff... ..do I reward a player who could have gone anywhere (Michigan, Iowa, Notre Dame etc) and a player I recruited for TWO PLUS YEARS.....??

OR

Do I reward a player who I recruited for 2 WEEKS, in Cam Spencer via the portal???

I can only explain this soooo many times....the fans crying about THIS year, are not listening OR refuse reality. This is not a ONE year or 1 season decision.

I have explained multiple times in threads for MONTHS, that this is a longer term decision, that sets up 2024-25.....you don't reward Cam Spencer who didn't deliver on a consistent basis, 32 minutes a game over a kid the staff recruited for 2 to 3 years, and is the highest ranked recruit this staff has signed to date.....the level of ignorance is all time high, only RU84, seemingly is on the same page or with some sort of clue with me.....

Is Spencer better in November 2023 than Griffiths.....?? YES, but I have already acknowledged that months ago....will he be better in December....probably.....this is about a 4 month season for the frosh and sophs beyond this season.

The goal is to create opportunities for players who are part of the plan beyond this one season. And that is the level of denial, fans refuse to accept. This is about future earnings, not pennies on the dollar today.

And I will say again 100 out of 100 times, if you told me I would have 3 to 4 years of Gavin Griffiths vs 1 year of Spencer AFTER, the best we could do was a NIT bid?? No thanks......

My god you are so full of shit

 

[RUPete]

It was definitely more than a handful of people. Don’t they to change history now.

BS. I remember two off the top of my head starting threads and one keeps arguing with himself about it. All agreed that Pike wanted him to stay and most fans wanted him to stay, but he went with the highest bidder which he was entitled to do. Either way, it doesn't change the fact that these threads are pathetic.

 

[Nycrusupporter]

Scoring means nothing.....it shows you don't watch basketball......UConn has a big man that requires a double team and another guard who can create his own shot......the other 2 forwards are BETTER players and require a team to defend them.

If he was the focal point of the RU offense last year, what were the results?? I'll wait......

Last year, Rutgers forced him to waste time and energy bringing the ball up the court, which he had never done before, because Mulcahy and Simpson couldn’t do it. Then when he finally go past halfcourt, no one ever set any screens for him to get him open. Watching Cam play at Rutgers vs playing at UConn is like comparing grainy film from basketball in the 50s to the modern game.

 

[Nycrusupporter]

BS. I remember two off the top of my head starting threads and one keeps arguing with himself about it. All agreed that Pike wanted him to stay and most fans wanted him to stay, but he went with the highest bidder which he was entitled to do. Either way, it doesn't change the fact that these threads are pathetic.

Except he didn’t go to the highest bidder, which was Miami.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Well you're making it a Spencer/Griffiths discussion when they don't play the same position either.

Is it fair for me to summarize your argument as: we're better off in the long run letting Simpson and Davis play major minutes this year?

What I am saying and others agree with, is that last years slower paced game, is not sustainable or capable of winning on a consistent basis.

It required holding onto the ball and playing games in the 50s in order to win. If RU was successful and win 20 to 21 games playing that way, I would agree that was successful, it didn't work.

I am looking at Spencer against teams not named Minnesota and other Power 5/ 6 opponents......this is the breakdown.

Spencer had NINE games out of Indiana, Miami, SHU, MSU (2x) PSU, Illinois, Nebraska and Northwestern.....in those games Spencer scored 47 points........RU went 3 and 6 in those games....that's 5PPG

Spencer had another 10 games of Ohio State (2x) Wake Forest, Maryland, Iowa (2x), Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and PSU....he scored 147 points in these 10 games.....14.7 PPG.

I am not going to say the player is inconsistent, but there is an almost 10PPG difference between Power 5/6 opponents that are respectable........that's a LARGE sample size. Excluding Minnesota is fine in my thought process, but RU went 1 and 1 vs Minnesota, which also lands on the players resume. It was a must win game IMO.

So if I see good games on a much better UConn roster, why is that surprising?? What prevented him from putting up 15 to 20 PPG last year on a consistent basis....??

You're going to blame Pike and the offense....?? LOL.....the players generate their offense, based on talent and abilities. This is a high level of basketball opponents and athletes we compete against, not the Ivy League or some bottom level conference.

 

[RUPete]

Except he didn’t go to the highest bidder, which was Miami.

Whatever. It wasn't here and it hasn't been here for a while now. Damn, some of you guys obsessing over stuff you can't control...it's just nuts.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Last year, Rutgers forced him to waste time and energy bringing the ball up the court, which he had never done before, because Mulcahy and Simpson couldn’t do it. Then when he finally go past halfcourt, no one ever set any screens for him to get him open. Watching Cam play at Rutgers vs playing at UConn is like comparing grainy film from basketball in the 50s to the modern game.

I hate to break the news to you, but it is not up to the entire RU roster to sacrifice everything they can do, to set screens and run the entire offense through one player, in order for that other player to be successful.

Sooo.....you mention that "Spencer was required to bring up the ball, because Mulcahy or Simpson couldn't ".......wow, that's actually a fact that I agree with but then if I say BOTH guards were limited, I get push back on both Mulcahy and Spencer as a tandem.

Do I want to pin Spencer's limitations, on a freshman Derek Simpson.????.....you're really reaching at this point......

 

[kcg88]

You're going to blame Pike and the offense....?? LOL.....the players generate their offense, based on talent and abilities. This is a high level of basketball opponents and athletes we compete against, not the Ivy League or some bottom level conference.

lmfao

You're saying the only difference between Nebraska's offense and Rutgers' offense and Michigan State's offense and Iowa's offense is the personnel?