Our Most talented recruit in 20 years...

[higgins3]

Bac's as loyal as they come. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. This is a message board.

 

[bscharf]

Mr. Negative seems to keep coming back to the RAC to watch Rutgers basketball, unless it snows. Keeps renewing...one of the best fans we have.

I see both sides of this. I too am at every game and my family and I have been season ticket holders for decades. When you are a RU sports fan there is always a level of sarcasm about performance and skepticism about incoming recruits. It's a bazaar bond that every RU fan knows.

That being said, we shouldn't be discouraging buzz and excitement around a player like Sanders than can move this program in the right direction. We should embrace it.This season there were non conference games where the building was so quiet it felt like we were playing in a library. A player like sanders has the moxy and athleticism to make this team at the very least entertaining.

Having something to get excited about, even if people may be jumping the gun, is a good thing. If he comes and ends up being terrible, like the countless examples there are (my favorite being Darko Matijavsevic), then we will cross that bridge when we get to it and be back to square one and can go back to debating coaching changes and drastic fundraising techniques. Until then--we all want the same thing and thats a winning or atleast watchable team to cheer for.

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

There are many long suffering Rutgers fans. I am one of them. This does not mean that you should lose your objectivity and view everything in a negative light.

Yes, it's a message and people can express their opinions, but, we also have the right to point out and criticize the opinions of those that have shown a propensity to be overly negative against the staff and players. The Jordan being asked to leave with Danny Hurley taking over was one of the most ridiculous comments I have ever seen....some people have an agenda and it's obvious . If you don't post when news is good but jump back in at the first hint of bad news....that's an agenda.

I apologize, I'll dial it down and just ignore certain comments.

 

[bac2therac]

face palm...just put me on ignore next time

 

[DennisHajekRC84]

RU doesn't have a chance to be choosy, Sanders immediately improves RU on both ends of the floor, but I don't think this is a scenario where expectations are the issue. Sanders will have a chance to learn on the job and play through mistakes that an elite program would probably not want to see. I compare him to the kid Payton that was a lottery pick of the Orlando Magic last year, that went to Louisiana Lafayette.....yep, Lafayette.....a kid who played a ton of minutes at a mid-major, played through mistakes at a level where the spotlight isn't on him or the program and gets to the basket like nobody's business.

Sanders is not being asked to elevate the program or lead, RU is far from that aspect. It needs a personality injection and reason to watch games. I am leaning towards not knowing what or whether these antics or showboat items are a sticking point, RU needs to get players that can get RU on a path of a winning season and you can't get there without athletes.

This is so spot on. You really ought to have your own Rutgers Blog... "Hawks Eye View: The Voice of Reason"

 

[LotusAggressor]

I think Duke and specifically Syracuse has missed on more recruits in the last 3 years than I can recall.....BJ Johnson, transferred out, Robeson was not playing much for a lot of this past season and they just didn't develop the kids as much would think, based on their reputation. Sanders would assuredly play at any of the schools that didn't offer, but as has been mentioned here, Sanders is electric, but for some "old timers", his showmanship type antics are going to turn people off at times.

As far as the expectations are concerned, we've seen absurd expectations placed on local recruits out of Phila (Rysheed Jordan) and NYC (Whitehead) and neither has the athletic ability of Sanders. What all 3 kids have are skill sets that eventually need to be matched with hoops intelligence and playing in game situations that are not in an up and down setting.

RU doesn't have a chance to be choosy, Sanders immediately improves RU on both ends of the floor, but I don't think this is a scenario where expectations are the issue. Sanders will have a chance to learn on the job and play through mistakes that an elite program would probably not want to see. I compare him to the kid Payton that was a lottery pick of the Orlando Magic last year, that went to Louisiana Lafayette.....yep, Lafayette.....a kid who played a ton of minutes at a mid-major, played through mistakes at a level where the spotlight isn't on him or the program and gets to the basket like nobody's business.

Sanders is not being asked to elevate the program or lead, RU is far from that aspect. It needs a personality injection and reason to watch games. I am leaning towards not knowing what or whether these antics or showboat items are a sticking point, RU needs to get players that can get RU on a path of a winning season and you can't get there without athletes.

Whether Eddie hits a homerun on every targeted recruit of not, isn't my concern....he promised that RU lacked athletes to compete and he's targeted length, strength or kids that have in most instances, raised the upside physically. Sanders is a complete blur athletically and raises the tempo on what kids should be able to score in transition, as they also are a little stronger than what we are used to seeing out of freshman or JUCO's in years past.

Sanders is likely a jump shot away from being extremely dangerous, but having him at RU for 3 or 4 years isn't a bad problem to have. if he's "too good" too soon, he's bound to leave for the next level, so take the expectations with a grain of salt, they are always higher than they should be. Ideally, he's not better than advertised, because RU needs him here longer than him being here for a just a short period of time.

Elfrid Payton is a PG who shoots 55% from the line and isn't a good outside shooter. Let's hope Sanders is better than that.

 

[RUfanEst89]

Agree with Hawk about adding personality, I actually wouldn't mind a little showboating. As long as it doesn't jeopardize our chances of winning.

 

[Saint Puppy]

I think a lot of teams were turned off by his antics. Dancing on a court, staring people down. From what I see though, he is a good kid. Just high energy, highly competitive. To some coaches though, they don' want to deal with that.

Pretty much this! I have hesitations about all the drama he brings too. Hopefully he can reign it in.

 

[higgins3]

Saint puppy, one thing about a video that was posted on here is that Sanders responds very well to coaching. Also, Ej knows where these kids come from. He can bond with them. As long as Sanders can hold onto the ball we should get 12+ wins.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

i've linked Payton's stat at Lafayette......please keep in mind, he was a primary ball handler, typically offensive option 1 and 1A and had ability to get to the basket against most opponents...obviously playing D"Angelo Russell type opponents at Ohio State isn't what Paton dealt with, but Sanders is going to be given ample opportunity to have possessions at under 10 seconds on the shot clock and teams playing him to shoot and packing in to avoid him from driving.

The players that should benefit the most are Freeman and Mike Williams....It will be up to Justin Goode to earn minutes on the court to be able to take advantage and find shooting space.

http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/elfrid-payton-1.html

 

[RUfanEst89]

Just a side note on the video with Rivers, it's funny he is just hitting the jumpers and layups after shaking the young boys. I guess he has nothing to prove he's in the league.

 

[bscharf]

Pretty much this! I have hesitations about all the drama he brings too. Hopefully he can reign it in.

I think the exact opposite. I think that moxie is just what this team needs.

 

[TruJerz]

I don't know enough about RU's basketball history to go back 20 years but since I've been watching their basketball program beginning with Quincy Douby in 2003 I'd say Sanders will easily be the most "talented" recruit they've had since although Corey Chandler and Rosario comes pretty close as far as pure talent goes

Whether that talent translates to success is to be seen but I think he's the real deal and could potentially go pro before he graduates if he puts in the work as a Big 10 player. He's a 2 way player, very explosive and has the tools to be great. Excited to see him play

 

[RUMountie]

I don't know enough about RU's basketball history to go back 20 years but since I've been watching their basketball program beginning with Quincy Douby in 2003 I'd say Sanders will easily be the most "talented" recruit they've had since although Corey Chandler and Rosario comes pretty close as far as pure talent goes

Whether that talent translates to success is to be seen but I think he's the real deal and could potentially go pro before he graduates if he puts in the work as a Big 10 player. He's a 2 way player, very explosive and has the tools to be great. Excited to see him play

From what I have seen so far, Sanders is more athletic/explosive than Chandler and much more so than Rosario. Hopefully he hones his skills and he will be a fantastic college player and potentially a pro.

 

[GSGS]

I see both sides of this. I too am at every game and my family and I have been season ticket holders for decades. When you are a RU sports fan there is always a level of sarcasm about performance and skepticism about incoming recruits. It's a bazaar bond that every RU fan knows.

That being said, we shouldn't be discouraging buzz and excitement around a player like Sanders than can move this program in the right direction. We should embrace it.This season there were non conference games where the building was so quiet it felt like we were playing in a library. A player like sanders has the moxy and athleticism to make this team at the very least entertaining.

Having something to get excited about, even if people may be jumping the gun, is a good thing. If he comes and ends up being terrible, like the countless examples there are (my favorite being Darko Matijavsevic), then we will cross that bridge when we get to it and be back to square one and can go back to debating coaching changes and drastic fundraising techniques. Until then--we all want the same thing and thats a winning or atleast watchable team to cheer for.

Very well said, bscharf, your post is spot on!!!

 

[blockm2]

Sanders is an intriguing prospect. There was a time about 18 months ago I thought he was going to end up at Michigan but Beilein just didn't recruit him that heavily. He certainly has some flare in his game and the ability to beat people off the dribble and make the highlight pass. Biggest question to me is how he develops his fundamentals. Can he stick the 3 point shot consistently? Can he not turn the ball over in traffic? Can he play solid defense and stay in front of his man instead of going for the steal? It'll require some good coaching to get him to live up to his potential, but the potential is definitely there.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

but Beilein just didn't recruit him that heavily. .

this is what really scares me.

 

[blockm2]

this is what really scares me.

Why? Beilein is a great coach, but he was more focused on other options. Just because Beilein chose to look elsewhere doesn't mean anything bad about Sanders. He's not exactly Beilein's normal type of player so it would've been a bit out of the ordinary for Michigan to go all out for him.

FWIW Michigan was after the combo of Sanders and his 5 star teammate Dwayne Bacon. The "package deal" idea went nowhere far and both went in different directions as Michigan focused on other recruits.

 

[higgins3]

Beliein overlooks Sanders because he can have 80% of the recruits in the country. We don't have the option to be picky. EJ has a chance at getting less 20% of kids who can play at this level.

 

[blockm2]

Beliein overlooks Sanders because he can have 80% of the recruits in the country. We don't have the option to be picky. EJ has a chance at getting less 20% of kids who can play at this level.

Nah, I give Sanders more credit than that. His overall skill level is plenty fine to fit on Michigan's team. I just think his individual skill levels and style of play aren't the ideal fit for what Beilein looks for so despite liking his talent he chose to focus on other PGs. FWIW he didn't take a single PG in this class and is holding out hope for a couple top 25/50 type talents in the next class.

Beilein has taken guys like Muhammed Ali Abdur-Rahkman that barely had any other D1 offers so it's not like he's too high and mighty like Calipari and just overlooks players like Sanders. He just prefers PGs that have a slightly different skill set.

 

[higgins3]

Still though, Michigan has an easier time recruiting. I am a huge fan of Sanders, I think he will do well.Bilien will get his players though. Maybe he wasn't the perfect skill set, and Belien gets enough recruits that he can wait to see exactly what he wants. We don't have that kind of power.