Yes, recruiting at a B-10 school is different than at an American East school, but so is recruiting FOR a B10 school vs an AEC school. He has good track record as a head coach, and the experience to being the head guy, is something a promoted assistant would have to learn on the job. He's also shown the ability to develop players which should be a selling point to recruits. I agree with the thought that he needs some assistants with contacts to the AAU programs.
OT: Steve Pikiell to RU
- Thread starter RU4Real
- Start date
Isn't it hypocritical to say that HC Ash was a great hire even though he has no head coaching experience and no former HCs on staff but that it wouldn't make any sense to hire a top basketball assistant with no HC experience?
HC Ash has twice as many assistants to manage, many more support personnel and 5 times as many student athletes to supervise yet an experienced assistant with only 15 student athletes and a handful of assistants can't possibly take over a program?
I just feel IMO hiring a guy like Holloway would have inspired more excitement into this program and boosted recruiting within NJ immediately. Look at Seton Hall's success recently in a much better conference than the Am East.
I think you are over selling "player development" when it comes to what top recruits are looking for. Top recruits want a system that can showcase their skills while being competitive and getting to the tournament before taking their chances on the nba, this isn't a mid major conference where you build a team over 4 years and once you've developed a starting senior squad you make a run at the tournament.
Good article w quotes from Jim Calhoun:
http://www.northjersey.com/sports/sullivan-tenacity-defines-pikiell-s-approach-1.1530483
http://www.northjersey.com/sports/sullivan-tenacity-defines-pikiell-s-approach-1.1530483
People who question recruiting seem to quickly forget that being in the B1G and the ability to sell playing with the best and the media/tv exposure is a much better or an easier sell than many of the lesser conferences. And it also makes the ability to recruit nationally let alone overseas much easier. While some may feel that the NJ BB recruits are important (which in part they truly are) the attraction of the B1G on a broader basis is equally importsnt. In BB one only needs a couple of top players each year to move forward and be successful. Can history repeat itself again for Rutgers in the same manner as it did many years ago when Phil Sellers and a solid group of other very good players got the team an undefeated season and to the final 4? And where was the starting five from..2 NJ, 1NY, 1MA, 1DC.
We now have a head coach who has been successful in building a program as opposed to hiring an assistant who may or may not have that ability. There are many assistants who are great assistants but not good head coaches. Hiw often hsve we seen this. Could Rutgers BB at this point afford to take this chance? Isn't the sounder approach to go with a proven commodity. The last great Rutgers BB head coach hire was Tom Young and both he and Pikiell seem to be very similar. Given the circumstances that have been discussed by many here Rutgers and Hobbs have made a good choice There did not appear to be any other potential solid names with proven succes than Pikiell or perhaps Sendek. A major plus is Pikiell is very familiar with the Megagopolis area from Boston to DC both in recruiting and media relations. Good job by Hobbs. 'Nuff said!
Thanks 4Real....my original edits apparently did not post.
We now have a head coach who has been successful in building a program as opposed to hiring an assistant who may or may not have that ability. There are many assistants who are great assistants but not good head coaches. Hiw often hsve we seen this. Could Rutgers BB at this point afford to take this chance? Isn't the sounder approach to go with a proven commodity. The last great Rutgers BB head coach hire was Tom Young and both he and Pikiell seem to be very similar. Given the circumstances that have been discussed by many here Rutgers and Hobbs have made a good choice There did not appear to be any other potential solid names with proven succes than Pikiell or perhaps Sendek. A major plus is Pikiell is very familiar with the Megagopolis area from Boston to DC both in recruiting and media relations. Good job by Hobbs. 'Nuff said!
Thanks 4Real....my original edits apparently did not post.
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You can't compare Michigan and Notre Dame football that were going to bowl games with prior coaches and Rutgers mens basketball that has 25 years without 1 NCAA bid.
What is the difference between what Eddie was able to sell to recruits and what Pikiell (sp?) is going to sell. And I'm not buying the "ability to build a successful program" because building a program to be successful in the Am East which is one of the lowest rated non P-5 conferences and building a competitive B1G program are not even remotely close.
RU basketball won't be able to sell facilities or culture/tradition, or even the nba to recruits. they need someone who can relate to the young players and has good connections to the parochial high school coaches, I don't see national recruits wanting to come to Rutgers to play for a coach they've never heard of.
All I'm saying is I personally am not thrilled with this hire as many here seem to be and feel they moved too quickly with someone willing to take the job when others rejected Hobbs. I don't feel that taking a low mid major team to one NCAA tourney with an automatic bid consistutes "proven" success, many mid major coaches get a team with a senior star to the tournament, how good will SB be next year without Warney? Good for Pikiel for taking advantage of this timing, his negotiating position will never be and has never been higher.
Honestly its hard to get excited about any of the candidates including the eventual winner. I guess we have seen this before so many times, wake me up when we are competitive again.
Everything doubters about this hire need to know is summed up in the article, particularly in this quote:
“Steve is a unique guy. A lot of people want bells and whistles, and that’s all right, but he’s such a smart guy, a tough, tenacious guy who’s not going to give in. Ever,” Calhoun said. “I feel good for him and I feel good for Rutgers. We’re Rutgers believers. He was never on the edge about what Rutgers could do. He never said, ‘Should we take this job,’ it was. ‘If we can get this job.’ He is a person who wants to be there.”
And if that's not enough:
“It’s a big move to the Big Ten but he’s been a head coach for a long time,” said Jim Vail, the president of Paramus Catholic High School and former Pikiell teacher back at St. Paul’s. “He’s not a flashy guy, but he projects a presence. This is a very strong indicator of the athletic leadership at Rutgers, and as a high school person in New Jersey, this is a statement about the type of program they want to run — one that’s clean, done right, and with character.”
We got a fighter and a winner. Be happy.
Come on, what is his mentor supposed to say? That he might not be a good candidate?
That article is a fluff piece, it doesn't tell me how he has won major recruiting battles, how he has a system that will work against a bigger more athletic conference opponent than they saw in the Am East, or that he was able to lead SB to upsets against major conference teams regularly with less talent. Or even that he will be able to land the talented players that traditionally leave the state to play at other power conference schools. What coach is going to come in say they DONT want to run a clean program with character?
Those quotes do nothing for a doubters doubts, smart tough guys don't make great recruiters nor do they win at every stop.
Doubters are going to doubt.
Not a fluff piece at all. Calhoun didn't have to say anything, and he certainly did not have to be overly effusive in his praise.
Don't know who you wanted as coach, but there is no sure thing for this job.
Steve Pikiell seems to have all the right experience and attributes for the job. Let's see if what he did on a smaller stage translates on a a B1Ger stage before casting stones at him. OK?
Solid hire IMO and about as good as we're able to get considering $ and the difficulty of the job. The feedback from former colleagues is encouraging. All that said, it's an uphill battle for anyone coming in here... He'll need an Ash-like work ethic and plenty of breaks to succeed.
I'm not casting stones at him specifically but the hiring choice, no reason this hire needed to be made so quickly without vetting ALL possible
Options, and I agree lets "see" what he can do...I'm just not as high on him as others, and to answer your question, as I said in a previous post, I would have like to have seen a proven assistant with jersey ties like a Shaheen Holloway, more of a high risk high reward get consideration, I think we can all agree, major strides won't be made until facilities get a major upgrade anyway.
I guess we will agree to disagree.
At least I agree an assistant like Holloway would have been high risk. Who knows if he would have a better chance of succeeding than Pikiell. Holloway coached at Iona and SHU, not exactly powerhouses. This is not a put down of Holloway. As you can see, I prefer someone who had head coaching success, and while it was a while ago, Pikiell played for and coached with a coaching legend.
Major strides will be made before the facilities are upgraded. Will RU be at the the top of the B1G? Probably not. But major improvements on the court will be seen before the facilities are built.
I watched 6 NCAA tournament games at the Barclay Center this weekend, lots of excellent players, but only 1 player I saw is projected to be drafted in the NBA (Demetrious Jackson - Notre Dame).
Pikiell has shown that he can turn American East level players into professional basketball players overseas. The majority of guys playing in the NCAA tournament are going to be playing overseas not in the NBA. If he is developing guys from the AE into pros, imagine what he can do to higher level talent at Rutgers. Successful college basketball programs are not dependent on NBA talent and you are foolish to think our new coach needs to be able to sell that to compete. Once a strong foundation is built then it will be easier to get the "NBA level" talent, which with a strong team built of likely overseas pros will be able to make a run in the tournament.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Ste...AhUB0xoKHdciBs4QmxMIhAEoATAR&biw=1600&bih=767
How bad can he be? Gets us to .500, then a couple of NITs, and then loses in the first round of the NCAAs every few years, he will be a hero and have a job for life. The bar has been set so low, I don't see how he cannot succeed.
if he can get us to the NIT he would have been the best HC we had in over a decade... If he barely gets us to the NCAA even with the lowest seed possible.. , you might as well go ahead and start commissioning artists for his statue outside of the RAC.. er, I mean The Pikiell Arena.
NOT true here is the rub at Rutgers. After the Rice affair we needed a solid, respectable, experienced Coach who would turn our image around. We picked a RU player/NBA player/coach with Jersey ties. My oh My was that a failure i.e. we forgot to ask "DO YOU HAVE COLLEGE COACHING EXPERINCE?" Major error on Rutgers part but understandable as this should not be an issue with a X-pro coach. Coach pros you should be able to coach college? yea think. So hire an assistant is compounded with; "can you coach college players" and "RUN a major program" and "by the way can you recruit." We do not have the luxury to try the Bull $hit experiment a Jersey guy with connections <<< IT HAS NEVER WORKED IN THE PAST.
Jordan dug us deeper in a perceptional hole that Rutgers sports suck. We must flip ASAP not to carry the stench of being losers in the B10. So yes the cupboard in NOT bare with Sanders and Laurent as a baseline of some talent and we have a good looking big man in Laim (sp) from Spain coming in, it would be nice to pickup a 3 pt shooter. but we can still work the ball in and play tough.
So we need a proven HC √
we need a proven Recruiter √
We need a program builder √
We need a guy who can spot hidden talent √
We need a guy who can develop talent √
We need a guy who can recruit the NE megalopolis √
Name me one young assistant as you state " best relate to the jersey prep and Catholic high school kids RU needs to start recruiting better" You suggested Shaheen Holloway. He is a question mark on all above needs maybe he can spot talent but not proven all Holloway is a BIG ? across the board. Relating to Jersey Prep and Catholic is a small if not valueless desire in picking a head coach of a B10 team. Recruit national and internationally is something else Steve has successfully done.
No coach, assistant or water boy fills the bill as well as Steve does to turn Rutgers around in the shortest time possible.
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Yes. baby steps. When we get to the point that being .500 in the Big Ten is not good enough.. fire him! Until then... lets hope he gets us that far... or father.
Turd alert!!! Reppin jerk with his PSU slanted view. We collectively love your stinky spew of comments for a school you don't like
Would we be better if we hired the coach from your alma mater, Rider?
Transferred out, and his original story was he declined Rutgers and chose Rider. Oh, also a PSU fan since birth and he won't buy RU season tix until ooc games are better, so yes he's a putz
Well that's your point of view and I respect that, but I still think you are giving coach Pikiell way too much credit, he won one conference title and got an automatic bid to the NCAA tourney. He built a good team led by three seniors in a terrible conference. He spent one year working as an assistant at UConn. He recruited/developed one potential NBA player who helped get the team to the tourney now as a senior.
You make it sound like RU already has full funding for new facilities in place and need to start winning NOW. I don't sense the urgency from anyone else. And in my opinion RU could afford to take a chance on a young unproven guy to build a different type of program.
And I have to ask, football coach Ash doesn't check a lot of those boxes, never built a program, no prior head coaching experience, has not spent a majority of his time recruiting the NE, yet I WOULD say there is urgency in winning NOW for RU football, yet that was still
a "great hire".
So which is it?
Have no idea how successful Chris Ash and Steve Pikiell are going to be at Rutgers. But no one does. As the saying goes, time will tell and we all hope for the absolute best they can do.
But in 40 years of observing how Rutgers gets its decisions done in these matters, I think Pat Hobbs has been definitive, considered and confident carrying out his decisions for these positions. And he has done it hitting the ground running while almost simultaneously getting his own position which is not easy to do.
Many of us can cite instances from the past of delay, indecision, no back-up plans or being caught flat-footed in coaching change-overs. All those things could have occurred again this time around but did not. And I give kudos to the abilities of the new AD in how he was called on to make major decisions right out of the box in a timely manner. It seemed he created a road map quickly and competently and followed through on it. Let's hope we can all praise the decisions in the seasons ahead.
But in 40 years of observing how Rutgers gets its decisions done in these matters, I think Pat Hobbs has been definitive, considered and confident carrying out his decisions for these positions. And he has done it hitting the ground running while almost simultaneously getting his own position which is not easy to do.
Many of us can cite instances from the past of delay, indecision, no back-up plans or being caught flat-footed in coaching change-overs. All those things could have occurred again this time around but did not. And I give kudos to the abilities of the new AD in how he was called on to make major decisions right out of the box in a timely manner. It seemed he created a road map quickly and competently and followed through on it. Let's hope we can all praise the decisions in the seasons ahead.
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Ultimately, both of these new coaches look amazing on paper and appear to be prefect fits. Both have a huge hills to climb. The football program was historically bad on defense and we lost our best player on offense. MBB is... well... yeah... the worse Major program in history, it was ranked worse than Boston College and they lost all of their ACC games, let that stink in folks!
There is no way they can turn things around in 1 year but long term, they appear, on paper to be great choices to do it. Let's all hope.
There is no way they can turn things around in 1 year but long term, they appear, on paper to be great choices to do it. Let's all hope.
There was one at noon. There is a post and a link to R-vision if you want to rewatch it on the Men's basketball board.
Watched the press conference. He came off great. What I took away most though, is that Tara Sullivan is a complete and utter bitch.
If you can build a program, you can build a program, doesn't matter what level your're at so can we please stop with the nonsense?
The fact that the 2 conferences aren't "competitive," with one another, has ZERO to do with a coach's ability to be successful at that next level of competition. None whatsoever this is an absurd argument. Now, he might NOT do well, you never know, but the "levels" matter not and many - MANY - have proven that over the years. I mean WHERE do you think most of these guys come from? They tend to have been HC's at lower level schools. Duh.
The fact that the 2 conferences aren't "competitive," with one another, has ZERO to do with a coach's ability to be successful at that next level of competition. None whatsoever this is an absurd argument. Now, he might NOT do well, you never know, but the "levels" matter not and many - MANY - have proven that over the years. I mean WHERE do you think most of these guys come from? They tend to have been HC's at lower level schools. Duh.
Building a successful sports program isn't like building a piece of ikea furniture (if you can follow the directions once you can put anything together). You have simplified the task. This new coach needs to be able to find completely different types of and quality of players to be successful in the big ten vs recruiting lesser talented players to be successful in a lesser talented conference. There is no non sense about this.
I personally feel many here are exaggerating this guys qualifications. Consider as I've said before, he has a team led by three senior players that put it together to win a conference tournament and get an automatic bid to the tourney, chances are this team takes a significant step back next season with or without this coach as the three leading scorers depart.
We will know soon enough if he can recruit some better talent to compliment Corey sanders and if he can inspire this team to play better as a collector unit. Certainly needs to recruit some better shooters.
Reppin _jerk in the house, with his "everything is inferior at Rutgers and perfect at PSU" attitude- don't waste your energy on this putzy troll from Rider
