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Props to Myles Johnson

Basketball has very little to do with starting on a team? That's interesting. A novel theory.
If you had any clue what you were talking about it had to do with getting accepted to one of the most prestigious post grad engineering programs in the country at UCLA

That and that alone was the reason and this was well known at the time

Again….you’re full of it
 
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If you had any clue what you were talking about it had to do with getting accepted to one of the most prestigious post grad engineering programs in the country at UCLA

That and that alone was the reason and this was well known at the time

Again….you’re full of it
You don’t know that was the only reason. in the end he didn’t want to be a scrub his last year so he quit basketball. if UCLA wanted him, he would have stayed.
 
You don’t know that was the only reason. in the end he didn’t want to be a scrub his last year so he quit basketball. if UCLA wanted him, he would have stayed.
How do you know if UCLA wanted him he would have played!
Did he tell you that or are you just making stuff up?

And yes….that is exactly why he left
 
How do you know if UCLA wanted him he would have played!
Did he tell you that or are you just making stuff up?

And yes….that is exactly why he left
UCLA men's basketball center Myles Johnson will not be part of the program moving forward, the former Rutgers transfer announced Thursday on Twitter. Johnson had one year of eligibility remaining, but has elected not to cash it in, setting his sights on his career in the engineering field instead.

After earning his undergraduate degree in electrical and computer engineering last June, Johnson enrolled in UCLA's graduate engineering school. Johnson said he looks forward to finishing his master's degree in Westwood regardless of his departure from the basketball team.

Johnson played in all 35 of the Bruins' contests this past season, making 15 starts and averaging 3.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Those numbers, and Johnson's overall impact on UCLA's interior defense, helped him earn a spot on the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team at the conclusion of the regular season.

“Myles has been a great addition for our program at UCLA,” Cronin said in a statement released by the team. “Simply put, he’s one of the best people who I have had the pleasure of coaching. Myles has worked very hard during five years in college. He’s on track to get his graduate degree in electrical engineering from UCLA, and he has tremendous professional opportunities ahead of him. He is a very driven, humble and motivated young man who is destined to make our world a better place. UCLA basketball has become a much better program by having Myles Johnson as part of our family.”

https://www.si.com/college/ucla/men...rom-ucla-mens-basketball-focus-on-engineering
 
Myles and Paul both graduated from RU. I am glad that they both gave time to RU. Paul was a high school star in NJ and stayed home to represent New Jersey at his state university. I will always root for both of them. I think Paul's timing was poor for when he left but I believe the criticism by so many RU fans on this site really hurt him. He was injured almost this entire past season but so many were relentless on this site in ripping him. I wish him well but hope he does not wind up at another Big Ten team. A thought pops into my head that being Paul and Cam were roommates that possibly they might have both spoken at some point of the possibility of both of them leaving RU after graduating and getting NIL money from playing at another university whether before graduating or even after Cam signed with Connecticut which maybe gave Paul something more to consider.
 
Should also be noted that he gave up his last year of eligibility to dedicate his full attention to his degree. Doesn’t sound like someone hunting for 30 minutes per game to me….
Because he already knew he’d be a 6-8 minutes a game player at most. He and Cronin had a talk. At a blue blood like that, always reloading, It was time to hang ‘em up.
 
Because he already knew he’d be a 6-8 minutes a game player at most. He and Cronin had a talk. At a blue blood like that, always reloading, It was time to hang ‘em up.
Myles decided to invest his time in preparing for the business world and basketball wasn't going to be part of it except for recreation .
As for talking to the UCLA HC i don't doubt that happened.
But I feel that talk was because Myles decided to focus on his studies and basketball would take to much of his time.
Cronin probably wasn't planning on starting Johnson, but planned to give him plenty of time on the floor because of his great defense .
Myles would have gotten far more time on the floor than you think, he is/was an award winning PAC defensive player :Pac-12 All-Defensive Team center Myles Johnson,while being UCLA's leader in defensive rating who led the team in rebounds and blocks.
 
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Myles decoiided to invest his time in preparing for the business world and basketball wasn't going to be part of it except for recreation .
As for talking to the UCLA HC i don't doubt that happened.
But I feel that talk was because Myles decided to focus on his studies and basketball would take to much of his time.
Cronin probably wasn't planningon starting Johnson, but planned to give him plenty of time on the floor because of his great defense .
Myles would have goten far more time on the floor than you think, he is/was an award winning PAC defensive player :Pac-12 All-Defensive Team center Myles Johnson,while being UCLA's leader in defensive rating who led the team in rebounds and blocks.
chicken and egg....in the end, he and Cronin agreed it was time to hang em up. it's not accurate to suggest he wasn't hunting 30 minutes a game. he was, and only when he realized that wasn't going to happen did he quit.
 
chicken and egg....in the end, he and Cronin agreed it was time to hang em up. it's not accurate to suggest he wasn't hunting 30 minutes a game. he was, and only when he realized that wasn't going to happen did he quit.
no he realized his life was going to be in the business world and decided to prepare for that .
As for basketball, not a starter, but would be getting pretty good minuites because of his ad.
But his role as a player had little to do with his decision, his was looking towards his future career when he decided playing basketball would hinder the time he could put towards studying for his chosen profession once school was over and he would be entering his chosen profession.
Not chicken and egg, but getting ducks in a row
 
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because that's what coaches and players do....encourage certain players to take advantage of other opportunities they may have (wink, wink). You can bet all the players who left RU this year, with the possible exception of has Cam, had the same discussion with Pikiell.

Cronin and Myles had the same talk....and that prompted Myles to quit and focus on school. I commend Myles for being a gifted student and hope he has a rewarding career. But his basketball role going forward was certainly a factor guiding the decision to quit
 
I loved having Myles at RU. One of my all time favorite players on the court and it appears he is going to be extremely successful off the court.
 
OK sure, go ahead and think he would still have quit if he were a projected starter or major minutes guy. You guys are clueless.

His late-year play and demotion led to "the talk", and he quit to focus on grad school. Admirable, actually. Weak player and strong student. Good for him. But don't for a minute think his reduced role wasn't the reason.
 
He's also from Cali and is near the computer engineering world now (Silicon Valley area).
 
From a basketball standpoint Myles made a mistake going to UCLA. You could see he wasn't happy there and they way they used him, he was just another guy. There was zero focus on him to get the ball. He was there to set picks and rebound. I don't think we gave him enough touches but at UCLA he was a non factor.
 
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From a basketball standpoint Myles made a mistake going to UCLA. You could see he wasn't happy there and they way they used him, he was just another guy. There was zero focus on him to get the ball. He was there to set picks and rebound. I don't think we gave him enough touches but at UCLA he was a non factor.
Right. He wasn’t good enough, recognized he wouldn’t play much anymore and called it a career. Of course that’s not his stated reason for quitting; quitting for school is better PR. But make no mistake…
 
Right. He wasn’t good enough, recognized he wouldn’t play much anymore and called it a career. Of course that’s not his stated reason for quitting; quitting for school is better PR. But make no mistake…
give it up.
Myles was all PAC in basketball but wasn't going pro so went business .
He was good enough, but not really interested in playing anymore .
He might not have been a starter, but would get minutes because his D was needed.
 
Yeah OK his D was needed. Hard to play D from the bench, which is where he usually was by the end of the year. Probably 40 lbs overweight And in Cronin’s doghouse. Pay attention to facts next time before chiming in. He didn’t only want his touches to be in the layup line in his last year, so he quit, using the ‘school’ reason as a more favorable excuse.
 
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Yeah OK his D was needed. Hard to play D from the bench, which is where he usually was by the end of the year. Probably 40 lbs overweight And in Cronin’s doghouse. Pay attention to facts next time before chiming in. He didn’t only want his touches to be in the layup line in his last year, so he quit, using the ‘school’ reason as a more favorable excuse.
I usually try to not comment on posts like this but this is crazy to me. Lol this is a guy that has spoken about academics/engineering since before he got to Rutgers. That was his main agenda and focus his whole time in college. Made a point of emphasizing so it's amazing that people still try and label him. "He quit" the man graduated and is transitioning into the next chapter in his life, which doesn't include basketball. It's hard to fathom but apparently he didn't care about basketball that much. Everything from his words to his actions affirm that he doesn't care about playing basketball anymore. Yet you're here saying he's using his life as a "more favorable excuse". You are projecting your mindset onto Myles Johnson. You speak as if your assumptions about his reasoning are more valid than what he actually has said and done. For what? So you can say "Myles Johnson sucked" "Myles Johnson isn't better than cliff"?

The kid transferred, coincidentally he was coming off the bench the year before that. Plus the staff was not caught off guard by his transfer and was able to prepare, as opposed to mulcahy. But nil money changes everything so I don't blame mulcahy at all. But that is the main his reason his transfer is different, the timing. Dont try and talk down on Myles, the man has different priorities
 
Yeah OK his D was needed. Hard to play D from the bench, which is where he usually was by the end of the year. Probably 40 lbs overweight And in Cronin’s doghouse. Pay attention to facts next time before chiming in. He didn’t only want his touches to be in the layup line in his last year, so he quit, using the ‘school’ reason as a more favorable excuse.
Also, ayo lol pause yourself
 
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The bottom line is Miles would have started the pre-season games at Rutgers if he chose to return without question. He left for academic reasons - nothing else. It’s BS that he left because Cliff was getting his spot. We would’ve easily been a 6 seed with MJ because we wouldn’t have lost the DePaul or Lafayette games. There’s no way. Our fans discount how huge his rebounding was on both ends. Lafayette in particular killed us on the glass. There’s no way that happens with MJ.
 
Never doubted his academic prowess or high career goals. My point has been, the lack of basketball prowess and clear disfavor at UCLA going forward mattered in his decision.

I say for the last time, were he to have a meaningful role he’d have stayed. He chose the classroom over the bench. Great for him to have that option.

Both he and Cronin said all the right things, but actions (riding pine) speak louder.
 
Never doubted his academic prowess or high career goals. My point has been, the lack of basketball prowess and clear disfavor at UCLA going forward mattered in his decision.

I say for the last time, were he to have a meaningful role he’d have stayed. He chose the classroom over the bench. Great for him to have that option.

Both he and Cronin said all the right things, but actions (riding pine) speak louder.

Yes I’m sure that’s partly true but not in the way you described it. If UCLA was relying on him for major minutes he wouldn’t have walked away and let them down. He’s not that kind of kid. The point is that he did not make a basketball decision in selecting his grad school in the first place. He picked the school he felt was best for his future and leveraged basketball to secure the scholarship for it. In this case, it turned out the school he selected wasn’t a great basketball fit. Being on a major conference team takes up way too much time for someone with Myles aspirations for it not to be a good fit and enjoyable. If he was in some BS grad school program he’d still be playing and just would’ve transferred if PT was the issue. Basketball wasn’t the main priority.
 
Never doubted his academic prowess or high career goals. My point has been, the lack of basketball prowess and clear disfavor at UCLA going forward mattered in his decision.

I say for the last time, were he to have a meaningful role he’d have stayed. He chose the classroom over the bench. Great for him to have that option.

Both he and Cronin said all the right things, but actions (riding pine) speak louder.
check the stats.
Myles ( 18 mpg)and Cody Riley basically shared the C spot with Riley (21 mpg) getting 3 more minutes a game .
His meaningful roll became studying for his business world future and knowing basketball would take time from making sure he was fully ready to enter his profession of choice once his UCLA studies were over.

Cronin and Johnson said the right things because both knew Myles study time would hurt the time he would practice and it was best for the program
to bring in a player that would put in the practice time that Johnson felt took away from his study time.
If Myles wanted to put in the time Cronin would have loved to have one of the best defensive centers in the PAC back and would have given Johnson meaningful minutes.
Check the 2022-23 stats and the center with the most MPG was down on the list of players with most minuets ( but played well in his 22 mpg) and his back-up had far less than Myles did in the 2021-23 season
 
Agreed
But every time I think of him I will remember his “ Bill Buckner” moment against Houston
Still stings
That was a big miss in the midst of a much bigger meltdown.

The inability to in bound the ball stands out in my memory much more. That was Houston game right? Lol, obviously i have fuzzy memory so its easy for me to forgive.
 
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