Having poor games in 10/33 is expected in almost every sport and probably like.
Batting title winners probably bat .200 in their worst 30% games
Batting title winners probably bat .200 in their worst 30% games
OT: UConn is good (!!WARNING!! Cam Spencer mention!!)
- Thread starter Degaz-RU
- Start date
You deliberately cherry picked stats to make it seem like wasn’t a good player
In the B1G tournament game against Michigan for example, was he great from three? No, he was 2-6. However he went 6-11 from the field and finished with 18 points with no turnovers. I’m honestly not gonna dig any deeper. If you think Cam is an average offensive player like Hawk, then you’re are delusional.
Cam definitely hit big shots for us. He also had 2 turnovers and a critical missed FT in the last minute at Minnesota last year. That loss killed our NCAA chances. That said, he is a very solid college player and of course would make us better this year.
One side note though — there’s a whole lot of revisionist history going on here. Cam didn’t leave to go chase a championship. He was out the door no matter what and pretty much set to go to a bad G’Town team before UConn threw him a bag. This idea that he only left to win is fiction. He wanted out.
One side note though — there’s a whole lot of revisionist history going on here. Cam didn’t leave to go chase a championship. He was out the door no matter what and pretty much set to go to a bad G’Town team before UConn threw him a bag. This idea that he only left to win is fiction. He wanted out.
Better than the current version of Simpson, Griffiths and Williams in what regard? Creating your own shot and drawing fouls by attacking the paint? Running the fast break? On ball defense? Ballhandling vs pressure defense? Other than making open 3's, and Gavin is close in that department, I can't see it. Also, you're not just playing players for today but giving them experience for what they will become. In terms of what the players offer today combined with future upside, I don't trade any of those three for Cam.
Is it wrong to leave for money? Not sure why people are so bitter. This is officially a business.
There is a difference between calling him average player and what I call him a limited offensive player based on quality of opponent or the quality of guard play from the opponent.
Yes, Cam can score double digits easily in a game if you free him up for multiple shots a game but more often than not he doesn't shoot well creating his own shot. He is also crafty driving to the basket but many teams easily defend his drives which he settled for over 100 mid range shots last year at 32.8%. He put up big numbers against teams that are known for stronger frontcourts, weaker backcourt play like Wisconsin, NW, and Purdue, who lost to FDU in the first round because of their weak guard play, teams with poor defenses like Hofstra and Wake, or just bad teams. I would never call him average because he knows when he can take advantage of an opponent and drop 20+ pts multiple times a year but he also can look below average based on how talented the guards are or how well they are coached to defend Cam, teams like Temple, UMass Lowell and Bucknell.
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Individuals and teams have bad shooting nights, it's why as a coach you make sure of the constants..... team has a high focus on D as well as being able to get to the rim on O. IMO Pike gets it even though we look sloppy on O at times.
No average player starts at UConn and Spencer prior to Seton Hall was averaging 16 points a game.
I didn’t say it was wrong. Guys can leave for any reason they want to. And I agree it is business which is why I find it odd that some fans seem to think of Cam as “one of us”. He was player who stopped for a year and moved on. People treat him like he’s Ron, Geo, Caleb, etc., which he isn’t.
Please explain all the bad takes after the SHU loss. The debate has been reasonable. Only one poster probably slightly off in his take.
One bad game where the entire UConn team was shit and people pounce....yes its insane and predictable
Shaheen’s figured out how to shut Cam down … guard him.
I understand what njhawk is saying but Spencer is not an average player because he's an elite shooter. On a team where he has to be the go to player he may not look as good some nights because he can't get away from defenders. But on a team like uconn hes an elite shooting threat.
Cam is a solid player and can really make weak defenders pay with bull’s eye shooting. The stronger his teammates or the weaker his opponents the better his offensive game looks. That being said his game is limited when going up against a strong, quick footed, athletic, long armed defender and his production goes to the extreme in the wrong direction. He’s a solid 3-4 offensive option on a stacked team but any team depending on his ability to create a shot for himself against a high level opponent will be disappointed.
He would have helped RU but he was not all in on RU and that’s ok. He just maximized his value by waiting to the very last minute before dipping on the program. Good luck to him but I like our back court by committee for the time being because it has yet to reach its potential.
GO RU
He would have helped RU but he was not all in on RU and that’s ok. He just maximized his value by waiting to the very last minute before dipping on the program. Good luck to him but I like our back court by committee for the time being because it has yet to reach its potential.
GO RU
And to add, he had to have known that he would have been the no. 1 option in an up tempo offense that wants to get 3s up. I'm sure Rutgers would have gave him some type of nil deal as well. Maybe not as much as uconn but he himself chose to leave the team where he was a no. 1. He definitely would have been a better option in the early games this year but once Griffiths gets comfortable I think his departure will actually be a plus as it will force Griffiths to get shots up.
The entire season's lines. The good, bad and average.
People are pointing out how bad he played. the flip side could be how important he is to them. Maybe they can't win in a game where he is a non factor and fouls out.
Nah, I'm hoping Griffiths will come into his own. He's 6'7" athletic, can be an elite shooter. If he develops his one on one moves and gains confidence he's on a whole different level than what Spencer is.
Better at playing basketball. People point out Spencer’s flaws as if other players don’t have any. I really like Simpson, Griffiths, and Williams, but they are farrrrr from perfect. On a 1 year basis, no coach in the country is taking 1 of them over Spencer. With that said, I won’t argue with the fact that in the long run it may be better to throw Griffiths, Davis, and Simpson in the fire now to prepare for next season.
This I don't agree with. Gavin has a much higher upside than Cam, has better size, and should be better balanced scoring across all levels.
Maybe what we hoped he would be across the first 10-15 games of his career? The jury is still very much out on what he will round into later in the season.
I am hoping too.....the reality is Gavin's offense isn't hurting him. It his defense. Until he improves his defense Cam Spencer and Gavin Griffiths shouldn't be in the same sentence (although I just did it).
Gavin has the ability to create his own shot, create for others, come flying around the court and come off a screen and make a defender pay for not getting through a screen.
Cam can do none of that......we agree.
Cam is a poor on ball defender, we both know that. With that being said he does other things on the defensive end that keep him from being a raging liability. Maybe Gavin improves this year, hopefully next year but as it stands right now unless he is making a HUGE impact offensively he is unplayable. His D and defensive rebounding is that bad.
As far as next year we will Have Ace and Dylan who both appear can create their own shot. Unless Ace and Dylan come in as plus defenders (which is HIGHLY unlikely) I am having a tough time envisioning how gavin adds all that much. Yes it is a huge advantage to have a player on the court who will make open 3s and whose defender can't help.
But Spencer was also a poor on-ball defender, though I agree that last year he was ahead of where Griffiths is now. He made up for it by being very savvy about playing passing lanes for steals, playing great team/help defense, and having others on the team who played great team/help defense. I see Griffiths having a higher upside than Spencer defensively, too, once he gets more comfortable with game speed at this level (and as the team builds more chemistry with communication and help defense).
Expectations for next year are high, because we'll have legitimate scoring options at multiple positions - which isn't something we're used to. Griffiths will have a year's worth of reps under his belt and an offseason worth of practicing and film review, and should complement what the freshman class is bringing in.
A big risk we have for next year is veteran leadership - having a voice who's "been there before", who can settle things down when necessary, and can impart the team/culture elements that are important for building chemistry. I'm hoping that will be a senior Mag and junior Simpson.
What's really insane is some of the same people who judge our players in game from play to play are putting a protective blanket around a mercenary player on Uconn after a bad game.
Cam is a 5th year senior and Gavin is less than one year removed from high school. I would hope he might be better today. That being said, Gavin's ceiling is higher, probably much higher. Let's compare notes in a couple years.
This is a good point and why it was a priority to give meaningful minutes to Gavin, Simpson and JMike rather than one year players like Cam and Mulcahy. Dylan and Ace may very well be one and done's. We need to put ourselves in a position to, not only make the NCAA's, but do some damage. You need veterans to complement freshman ... no matter how elite they are.
Cam is a very good player. Gavin will be better than him in the long run. He has physical attributes that Cam will never have. Just needs time to mature.
This is comical. Of course Gavin will improve by end of year. I’m sure Cam improved in his first year playing for Loyola.
A player like Ace may not come into the program with much meat on his bones but his ability to rebound, block shots and move his feet is at such high a level now, I would say him coming in as a plus defender is highly LIKELY. I see Dylan as more a high level scorer than defender but those qualities to be are there as well.
GO RU
While Davis brings a lot of composure for a freshman, unless knock off some ranked opponents, get a couple of games in the conference tournament, and make the dance, he won't have " been there before" in the same way that someone like Mag has.
There's a decent chance that the only players on next year's team who will have had two prior years in a Rutgers uniform will be Mag, Simpson, and Woolf.
I know what you're saying but as far as being a vocal leader. Idk if that's Mags personality; when I watch the games I see Davis being the most vocal of all the players, upper class men included. Maybe the guy that's ineligible right now is more of that guy but it seems like Davis is the only one for now..
