Pagin Ragin Russ Wood: Paul M.

[RUsojo]

The last thread Russ commented in on Paul he pointed out he needed to work on his D.

A poster then said why would Rutgers recruit a guy who can’t play defense or shoot?

Russ than said “I didn’t say he couldn’t play defense”.

Now two weeks later Paul commits to Rutgers and Russ says he feels bad for Paul when watching him guard on ball because he get abused.

Now an ankle injury comes to light.

So take all this for what it’s worth. A guy watched Paul play two games with a bad ankle. Be careful where you worship.

What makes the most sense is that a team with the worst O in the Big Ten got a plus talent playmaker; that same team with a top 5 defense in the Big Ten got a - defender.

No need to flip out. It’s on Pike to make the ingredients combine for a good recipe.

 

[dkostus]

Strange post. Don't think anyone is taking Russ's word as gospel, I think they appreciate the opinion of a guy who evaluates high school basketball players on a regular basis. He appropriately qualified all of his statements. Maybe I'm misreading what you're saying...

 

[RUsojo]

Strange post. Don't think anyone is taking Russ's word as gospel, I think they appreciate the opinion of a guy who evaluates high school basketball players on a regular basis. He appropriately qualified all of his statements. Maybe I'm misreading what you're saying...

Me?

That strange post is just a timeline of quotables., A timeline of direct quotes is strange?

“Don’t think anyone is taking Russ’s word as gospel”. That’s all I reinforced. Not even Russ is sure - he watched two games. The focus should be a bad offensive team added a playmaking talent at the expense of a solid defender since they already defend well. And the prospect has measurables to help make up for a lack of footwork to a degree. No need to get worked up by one review that leaves out one side of the ball (b/c Russ has already touched on the O) I think that’s what came across in my post?

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

The last thread Russ commented in on Paul he pointed out he needed to work on his D.

A poster then said why would Rutgers recruit a guy who can’t play defense or shoot?

Russ than said “I didn’t say he couldn’t play defense”.

Now two weeks later Paul commits to Rutgers and Russ says he feels bad for Paul when watching him guard on ball because he get abused.

Now an ankle injury comes to light.

So take all this for what it’s worth. A guy watched Paul play two games with a bad ankle. Be careful where you worship.

What makes the most sense is that a team with the worst O in the Big Ten got a plus talent playmaker; that same team with a top 5 defense in the Big Ten got a - defender.

No need to flip out. It’s on Pike to make the ingredients combine for a good recipe.

I don't know why you made the "be careful where you worship" comment. That was really unnecessary.

Russ follows High School basketball for a living...I hope he keeps coming to this board to offer his in depth opinions....but, your comment certainly won't help.

Opinions from non-Rutgers fans (except seton hall) should be welcomed here because they are not skewed by many of us who are diehard, emotional fans.

 

[Russ Wood]

The last thread Russ commented in on Paul he pointed out he needed to work on his D.

A poster then said why would Rutgers recruit a guy who can’t play defense or shoot?

Russ than said “I didn’t say he couldn’t play defense”.

Now two weeks later Paul commits to Rutgers and Russ says he feels bad for Paul when watching him guard on ball because he get abused.

Now an ankle injury comes to light.

So take all this for what it’s worth. A guy watched Paul play two games with a bad ankle. Be careful where you worship.

What makes the most sense is that a team with the worst O in the Big Ten got a plus talent playmaker; that same team with a top 5 defense in the Big Ten got a - defender.

No need to flip out. It’s on Pike to make the ingredients combine for a good recipe.

Goodness. I certainly hope no one is worshipping me. Yeesh.

Btw, I also said that I was almost hoping Mulcahy had an injury to explain his play (I guess that didn't fit whatever narrative you are trying to create) and, wouldn't you know it, he does.

Ironically, that made me happy because in games I saw before the first spring evaluation, and evidently his injury, his defense was better.

Lastly, my comment about his defense in the spring was part of my response to the question of giving Mulcahy a fourth star now.

There's plenty of time for him to move up in the rankings and get a fourth star before we release the final 2019 rankings next year. I'm pretty sure I mentioned that before as well.

 

[MADHAT1]

Russ said:
"I'm pretty sure I mentioned that before as well."
I say:
Russ, it doesn't matter what you said, it only matters what others think they heard [winking]

 

[RUsojo]

Goodness. I certainly hope no one is worshipping me. Yeesh.

Btw, I also said that I was almost hoping Mulcahy had an injury to explain his play (I guess that didn't fit whatever narrative you are trying to create) and, wouldn't you know it, he does.

Ironically, that made me happy because in games I saw before the first spring evaluation, and evidently his injury, his defense was better.

Lastly, my comment about his defense in the spring was part of my response to the question of giving Mulcahy a fourth star now.

There's plenty of time for him to move up in the rankings and get a fourth star before we release the final 2019 rankings next year. I'm pretty sure I mentioned that before as well.

I don't know why you made the "be careful where you worship" comment. That was really unnecessary.

Russ follows High School basketball for a living...I hope he keeps coming to this board to offer his in depth opinions....but, your comment certainly won't help.

Opinions from non-Rutgers fans (except seton hall) should be welcomed here because they are not skewed by many of us who are diehard, emotional fans.

Thought it was pretty clear my “narrative” was there’s no need to get worried about Paul M’s lack of D because he brings playmaking ability to an offensively challenged team - and he may lack in on the ball D but he has the measurables and Rutgers is already a strong defensive team.

People were getting upset because of Russ’s latest comment but he said he’s seen him play only two games, he was injured, and Russ himself has said he’s not a total liability in D two weeks earlier.

Wasn’t trying to infer anything with the “after committing to Rutgers comment” - that was just the timeline.

Big picture.

 

[zebnatto]

All I got from Russ’s post is that he had concerns about Mulcahy’s on the ball defense. That defense, for the time being, was keeping him moving from three to four stars. Is it that simple?

 

[ScarletLongIsland]

Yawn about what Russ thinks. It’s what Pike and staff thinks that is important, and they made him a huge priority. Good enough for me

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

Yawn about what Russ thinks. It’s what Pike and staff thinks that is important, and they made him a huge priority. Good enough for me

What a simple way to view this. In that sense....he also signed Bullock and Mensah.

There was nothing said other than what most of us already think...he needs to work on his defense. His High School Coach said just about the same thing when he said that the speed of the college will be a "Big Adjustment" for him. That's code for he could be a little on the slower side (Lateral quickness). To think that small PGs may be an issue is not being over critical.

Great pickup and Very Good Player, but he needs to improve defense and outside shooting.

 

[zebnatto]

Yawn about what Russ thinks. It’s what Pike and staff thinks that is important, and they made him a huge priority. Good enough for me

What Russ said is not necessarily at odds with what Pike thinks.

 

[LC-88]

FWIW, I highly value and appreciate Russ Wood's opinions/analysis. Same with Hawk. Keep it coming please.

 

[RUChoppin]

So, hopefully Mulcahy's ankle situation gets sorted out over the summer, and he will be back to 100%

I'm sure Pikiell has given some guidance on "things to work on" his senior year, which should lay some defensive groundwork before he arrives on campus. With three guards on the staff, I'm sure defensive skill building will be a focal point in the early going, too.

I'm not expecting a Defensive POY candidate - just enough so that he's not a liability on the floor as a freshman. His defense will improve year by year, as one would expect from everyone on the team. More reps at game speed, more practice with expert guidance, more film study - all will go a long way toward improving defense.

I'm not as worried on the defensive end as I would be if he couldn't pass or score. Defense can be taught more easily than more nebulous things like "playmaking" and "court vision"... and defense benefits also from the rest of the team, as a stronger interior rim protection can mask some deficiencies on the perimeter.

 

[RUinFla]

What a simple way to view this. In that sense....he also signed Bullock and Mensah.

There was nothing said other than what most of us already think...he needs to work on his defense. His High School Coach said just about the same thing when he said that the speed of the college will be a "Big Adjustment" for him. That's code for he could be a little on the slower side (Lateral quickness). To think that small PGs may be an issue is not being over critical.

Great pickup and Very Good Player, but he needs to improve defense and outside shooting.

Chop, to be fair, Bullock was recruited after Pike got the job, and there was zero leverage. Between FHJ who couldn't coach and was poor at handling people; Mike Rice who can coach, but made us a joke for a few years; and EJ, too old and too NBA-oriented to do anything but turn out bad teams, there was no reason for anybody to choose us. Bullock was all-state. Worth a shot. Mensah was second year when Pike had built up a little credibility. Absolute mistake. Everybody makes them, which is why you have so many guys transferring down out of major programs at season's end.

Agreed on Mulcahy, but he's only a junior in HS. He knows what he needs to work on during the summer and his senior year. Will he, like Harper, earn that extra star?
TL

 

[Duff366]

Think some people are sleeping on McConnell now that we have Mulcahy, love McConnell's tape, smooth, good court vision and he is similarly ranked to Mulcahy and a better shooter at this point. Look forward to seeing these guards in 2-3 years

 

[RUChoppin]

Think some people are sleeping on McConnell now that we have Mulcahy, love McConnell's tape, smooth, good court vision and he is similarly ranked to Mulcahy and a better shooter at this point. Look forward to seeing these guards in 2-3 years

I'm certainly not sleeping on McConnell - I think he's also a really good get.

What's great is that we now have multiple "high expectation" players that will be fighting it out for minutes at guard. When Mulcahy gets here, there will be: Baker (Jr), Kiss (RS Jr), Young (RS Jr), Mathis (So), and McConnell (So) all fighting for minutes (not to mention Thiam (Sr) and Harper (So) on the wing). Trying to find minutes for the players you have is a much better problem than trying to find players for the minutes you have.

 

[Scangg]

We are going to have players who could have started in previous years fighting for 8th man minutes. That's how you know the future is bright

 

[RUChow]

The last thread Russ commented in on Paul he pointed out he needed to work on his D.

A poster then said why would Rutgers recruit a guy who can’t play defense or shoot?

Russ than said “I didn’t say he couldn’t play defense”.

Now two weeks later Paul commits to Rutgers and Russ says he feels bad for Paul when watching him guard on ball because he get abused.

Now an ankle injury comes to light.

So take all this for what it’s worth. A guy watched Paul play two games with a bad ankle. Be careful where you worship.

What makes the most sense is that a team with the worst O in the Big Ten got a pluI t talent playmaker; that same team with a top 5 defense in the Big Ten got a - defender.

No need to flip out. It’s on Pike to make the ingredients combine for a good recipe.

I think Gomes said he was a good defender.

 

[RUChow]

Chop, to be fair, Bullock was recruited after Pike got the job, and there was zero leverage. Between FHJ who couldn't coach and was poor at handling people; Mike Rice who can coach, but made us a joke for a few years; and EJ, too old and too NBA-oriented to do anything but turn out bad teams, there was no reason for anybody to choose us. Bullock was all-state. Worth a shot. Mensah was second year when Pike had built up a little credibility. Absolute mistake. Everybody makes them, which is why you have so many guys transferring down out of major programs at season's end.

Agreed on Mulcahy, but he's only a junior in HS. He knows what he needs to work on during the summer and his senior year. Will he, like Harper, earn that extra star?
TL

Take exception to the too old comment - the other things yes. Is the guy at Duke too old? Was the guy at Wisconsin too old.? Wooden? The list could go on for a while. Only someone who doesn't know what it's like to be older would say that.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

This is a tremendous amount of time on the recruiting effort paying off and letting the sorting out process take place....Mulcahy is a player that I'm certain will be significantly better by the time he's age 19-20-21 vs his status as a junior in HS.

He's more than 18 months away from playing in his 1st college basketball game and a lot of strength and conditioning with more focus on those items, will only help his game transition to the next level.

Is he a dominant defender....no, but he doesn't have to be....he has 6'6" length and will be a one man fast break, when he gets the rebound and can start the play with a pass or bring the ball up to initiate the offense.

His playmaking ability will transition to offense to free up Mathis Baker McConnell and dare i say, Aundre Hyatt to get down the court and find spots to shoot.....if you get Jacob Young dialed in and scoring, there are ways where Mulcahy will find you in half court or a semi fast break.

My concerns with Mulcahy were related to his rating and him being asked to be a primary scoring option....right now, the roster has enough players that can score and Mulcahy can ease into a role of facilitating the game vs asked to score and pass....his best performances with the Playaz AAU team was because of the scoring options around him on the court.

He can also play off the ball as a wing and knock down baseline shots, floaters, and curl off the dribble-drive and become effective in ways RU hasnt had at the wing in years....if we can add Aundre Hyatt to this type of playmaker, Mulcahy stock becomes even greater.

This is about pieces fitting together and Hyatt and or Massoud both can be the final scholarship and compliment the Mulcahy addition......and McConnell has very similar traits to his overall game, with more shooting range....both players just need strength and the roster is equipped to play multiple versions of basketball vs where we've seen in recent years....

 

[RUinFla]

Take exception to the too old comment - the other things yes. Is the guy at Duke too old? Was the guy at Wisconsin too old.? Wooden? The list could go on for a while. Only someone who doesn't know what it's like to be older would say that.

People age differently. And one of the characteristics is a loss of flexibility in their thinking. Even Nick Saban is not immune. He is doing what he has done for many years, and when he gets somebody innovative on his staff--like Lane Kiffin--he screams at him on TV on the sidelines and boots him. That's why Lane Kiffin was able to lead FAU to a bowl game where they slaughtered their opponent. The way they had slaughtered all their conference opponents, losing only the "money games" where FAU is paid to be cannon fodder for a P5 power.

EJ is still physically hale, from all appearances, but he had the NBA mindset after all those years as an NBA HC or assistant. Expected these guys to know a lot of things other college coaches (like Pike) teach and have drills and exercises for. Expected adult behavior from college kids. And hired a staff typified by Mike O'Koren.

Love EJ. Great player in college and in the NBA, and a wonderful representative of RU always. Hate it when some posters go from attacking him as a coach to saying he was stealing money from RU. Good transition from people talking about Rice interminably. But he got old. Even Wooden got rigid his last couple of years.
TL

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Jordan hired O'Koren after a 8 month supposed job search. Jordan didn't return calls from high school coaches who had interested players. Jordan didn't watch game film on opponents. Jordan also had an ego and wouldn't listen to assistant coaches

I am sorry when I look back on all the previous coaches, including Rice, FHJ and Bannon he is the one that makes me the most upset.

 

[higgins3]

We are going to have players who could have started in previous years fighting for 8th man minutes. That's how you know the future is bright

Absolutely. Having good players is a GREAT problem to have.

I for one am not sleeping at McConnell. Very excited to watch his development.

 

[rufeelinit]

This is a tremendous amount of time on the recruiting effort paying off and letting the sorting out process take place....Mulcahy is a player that I'm certain will be significantly better by the time he's age 19-20-21 vs his status as a junior in HS.

He's more than 18 months away from playing in his 1st college basketball game and a lot of strength and conditioning with more focus on those items, will only help his game transition to the next level.

Is he a dominant defender....no, but he doesn't have to be....he has 6'6" length and will be a one man fast break, when he gets the rebound and can start the play with a pass or bring the ball up to initiate the offense.

His playmaking ability will transition to offense to free up Mathis Baker McConnell and dare i say, Aundre Hyatt to get down the court and find spots to shoot.....if you get Jacob Young dialed in and scoring, there are ways where Mulcahy will find you in half court or a semi fast break.

My concerns with Mulcahy were related to his rating and him being asked to be a primary scoring option....right now, the roster has enough players that can score and Mulcahy can ease into a role of facilitating the game vs asked to score and pass....his best performances with the Playaz AAU team was because of the scoring options around him on the court.

He can also play off the ball as a wing and knock down baseline shots, floaters, and curl off the dribble-drive and become effective in ways RU hasnt had at the wing in years....if we can add Aundre Hyatt to this type of playmaker, Mulcahy stock becomes even greater.

This is about pieces fitting together and Hyatt and or Massoud both can be the final scholarship and compliment the Mulcahy addition......and McConnell has very similar traits to his overall game, with more shooting range....both players just need strength and the roster is equipped to play multiple versions of basketball vs where we've seen in recent years....

Two mentions of possibly adding Hyatt in one post by Hawk. I hope he knows something since I get the sense that from a talent perspective, he might represent the best recruit Pike has a legitimate shot at yet. I assume Hyatt has not closed the door on reclassing to 2018?

 

[ScarletLongIsland]

Always enjoy when Hawk chimes in especially with Hyatt references

 

[ScarletLongIsland]

TOS elevated Mulcahy to 4 stars. I guess he does play D

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

TOS elevated Mulcahy to 4 stars. I guess he does play D

Yep, that proves it....:rolleyes:

 

[Ole Cabbagehead]

Jordan hired O'Koren after a 8 month supposed job search. Jordan didn't return calls from high school coaches who had interested players. Jordan didn't watch game film on opponents. Jordan also had an ego and wouldn't listen to assistant coaches

I am sorry when I look back on all the previous coaches, including Rice, FHJ and Bannon he is the one that makes me the most upset.

Jordan wasn't a college coach. Plain and simple. But people also forget that the only reason we had to endure Jordan...the only reason he was here in the first place, was for a detox period. We simply needed time to pass, because after Hill and Rice the program stank worse than the Meadowlands on a still August day.

 

[Scarlet Shack]

We are going to have players who could have started in previous years fighting for 8th man minutes. That's how you know the future is bright

This

Absolutely this....

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

The days of default minutes should be OVER.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

The days of default minutes should be OVER.

I tend to agree but my instincts tell me that if opponents play small, we can matchup and play smaller...if we choose to try and dictate things by playing bigger, then minutes will flow based on what's actually happening on the court.

What happens at the highest level of basketball in the NBA (especially last night's Warriors /Rockets game & especially in Cavs/Celts) was a strategy that teams decided to take to attack the smallest defender.

If that didn't work, plan B is to attack the slowest defender that cannot block shots or cannot alter an offensive players shooting range or "air space"....or simply, how much can your arm length affect a shooter or how quickly can your footspeed, "close out", on an opponent.

I think it doesn't take much effort to play 10-11 players if you really wanted to...it would likely take longer to define a stronger rotation of whose most likely to make the least amount of mistakes defensively that likely matters more.

I think the players who study and are coachable and aware of their defensive assignments, rotations and fundamentals, are more apt to play consistent minutes MORE than a players ability to shoot/score.....doesn't mean you won't play at all, but coaches are looking to make every offensive possession as difficult as possible for an opponent and taking away what a team prefers to do.

To a certain extent, because RU has so many new players, defensive lapses are probably going to get players less minutes...the positive difference is that with 11 or 12 potential options, it's possible that when opponents force RU to their 3rd 4th or 5th option offensively, that for the 1st time in 5-6 years, there will be a capable threat that can shoot, pass, dribble or score...that may save possessions on offense where we score a few more points, but with so many new faces, the more players that are coachable and minimize the mistakes defensively, will stretch the bench out to a point where anyone off the bench is capable of 8-9 points....that's the difference between finishing last and perhaps finishing 12th or 11th......how fast can we gel as a unit....

If we land the appropriate stretch 4 OR Myles Johnson can simulate that at the 5 position from 10-15 feet and/or you landed a grad transfer at stretch 4 or bonafide SF (grad transfer or Hyatt type of wing) that can double as a PF against smaller opponents...

If RU gets either of those 2 options filled, they will 1000% escape the basement for the next 2-3 years if healthy. It doesn't mean I'm saying RU wins 20 games in the next year, but it closes out the hole in the roster and truly makes the rotation the tightest based on what players minimize blown assignments. That's how you take what will be the next 2 years of painful and inconsistent steps towards winning.

 

[RUBigFrank]

They may not be default minutes - BUT - Pike seems to play lineups that match up well to the opposition.

For example - Very evident last year that Shaq did not play against smaller lineups. Best to play everyone so that they are ready when needed due to match ups or injuries.

 

[RUChoppin]

They may not be default minutes - BUT - Pike seems to play lineups that match up well to the opposition.

For example - Very evident last year that Shaq did not play against smaller lineups. Best to play everyone so that they are ready when needed due to match ups or injuries.

Really hoping with a fully healthy offseason, coming off a healthy season where he was really performing well toward the end, that Shaq shows more than just situational usefulness this year.

You could tell last year, especially earlier in the season, that his foot speed just wasn't there - but it improved a bit as the year went on, and he got more adjusted to playing more minutes. Bigs frequently blossom late - hoping his 5th year lets him put more of the pieces together.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

when i say default minutes I mean players getting minutes in the rotation no matter what. Guys going through a stretch shooting sub 30% from the floor or guys reluctant to shoot open perimeter shots can find their PT cut or go to ZERO.

I hope and expect what it takes to see the court requires contributions from both ends of the court.

 

[RutgHoops]

when i say default minutes I mean players getting minutes in the rotation no matter what. Guys going through a stretch shooting sub 30% from the floor or guys reluctant to shoot open perimeter shots can find their PT cut or go to ZERO.

I hope and expect what it takes to see the court requires contributions from both ends of the court.

I think Coach P starts and ends with a kids ability to defend and rebound. Not that he "doesn't care" if a kid isn't shooting well, but if someone is a plus-plus defender (i.e. Thiam) he isn't losing minutes because someone is shooting better in my opinion.

 

[RUChoppin]

when i say default minutes I mean players getting minutes in the rotation no matter what. Guys going through a stretch shooting sub 30% from the floor or guys reluctant to shoot open perimeter shots can find their PT cut or go to ZERO.

I hope and expect what it takes to see the court requires contributions from both ends of the court.

Also, if a player is playing out of control or not focused on D, it'll be much easier for Pike to sit them down with a viable replacement coming in for those minutes. Too often last year we had moments when Sanders should have sat for a stretch, but the only alternative was to put in Mensah or Dadika for extended minutes.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Issa is a great example why maybe we shouldn't be too concerned with Mulcahy's defense. Issa is long and a willing defender, but lacks the lateral quickness to stay in front of quick guards. Issa is still effective.

Calling Issa a plus plus defender is a stretch. I disagree and have a ton of confidence that Issa will have to take and make 3s to be in the rotation. we can't win with 0s offensively from a scoring position.

 

[Degaz-RU]

but if someone is a plus-plus defender (i.e. Thiam) he isn't losing minutes because someone is shooting better in my opinion.

This is why I think the predictions of some people that Thiam will reduced to an 8 minute role player are greatly exaggerated. Unless Kiss, Mathis and/or Harper can play the kind of defense that Thiam can, Thiam will be playing 20-30 minutes per night. Period. And if he makes a Eugene-like leap in offensive skills, watch out...

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I am talking about the '17-'18 Issa. Hopefully not the '18-'19 Issa.

 

[RUChoppin]

Issa is a great example why maybe we shouldn't be too concerned with Mulcahy's defense. Issa is long and a willing defender, but lacks the lateral quickness to stay in front of quick guards. Issa is still effective.

Calling Issa a plus plus defender is a stretch. I disagree and have a ton of confidence that Issa will have to take and make 3s to be in the rotation. we can't win with 0s offensively from a scoring position.

I'd say Thiam was an above average defender last year. Covering wings, he was very good. When he was forced to switch onto a quicker penetrating guard, he had a harder time. Usually, though, he wasn't tasked with covering that type of player.