Rapid Reaction — St. Peter’s

[NewJerseyHawk]

You're painfully close to getting it on Hyatt

Agree with most everything else. Davis needs to keep attacking. His finishing will only improve with more actual game reps at it. FTs nowhere to go but up. Can't imagine he is actually this poor from the line. Sample size is still small.

Gavin needs more shots and is learning defense. Slowly getting better. He is making some plays with blocks steals and deflections. Positioning improved. Really needs to work on lateral quickness and use his length effectively to compensate, but he's on the right path

Wolf needs to rebound better. You can't start your backup 5 at the 4 and have him get 1 rebound while getting dominated on the glass against a low level program. Rebounding struggles have been a theme all year and we aren't in the B1G schedule yet where rebounding should only get tougher. Right now this looks like the worst rebounding team in years

The offense has seemed to really struggle with Cliff and Wolf on the court together as well. Is his defense at the 4 so much of a positive that it outweighs the negatives so far? TBD but if I was coaching against RU I would play so far off Wolf and clog the lanes. Let him shoot 3s all day long. Clog the lane for guards to prevent drives. Crowd the paint to make it tougher on Cliff... yes he made a big 3 and I was pumped for it but the chances he is actually an effective 3 point shooter are unlikely at this point. Wolf is surprisingly good at ball handling for his size. The way he ran the break and dished off that steal was very impressive.

If the offense struggles with Woolfolk and Cliff together, that's fine for now, it's not necessary to be clicking at all times.

What I think (or know) is Woolfolk is one of our Top 7 offensive and defensive players and he is going to play the 4 for some minutes next to Cliff. And he's more likely to develop into a better rebounding option and defender, the more he plays the 4.

The baseline 3 is a necessary item for him to take once in a while.....I'm not advocating him taking 3 of those per game, but the offense/defense dilemma requires someone to score from the front court. It is either Cliff, Hyatt, Mag or Woolfolk. Someone has to score or space the floor.

There is also no concern about the rebounding, if you are playing good defense. The rebounding item is where Cliff is ultimately trying to erase or alter everything in the paint....he had 4 blocks and altered other shots. He is the best rebounder, but it requires Woolfolk, or Mag or Hyatt to then clamp down and get into the paint, on the weak side and rebound.

Caleb McConnell was very good at doing that and that will arrive with Woolfolk and others as they play more minutes and with Cliff.

I don't know what the roster is supposed to do with fans who act as if Hyatt isn't asked or required to take 12 to 14 shots per game. We actually had very few turnovers, so all the shot attempts were up.....free throw attempts up.....more shots equal more rebounds for the opponent....more block shot attempts by Cliff, means you are susceptible to giving up offensive rebounds.

If we watched the early games against Q4 opponents.last year, the offense was worse last year vs this year......we just played poor defensive teams that were Q3 or Q4 opponents and Pike shortened his rotation and bench, which resulted in skewed numbers......then we played vs Temple, Miami, Indiana and Seton Hall last year. The offense was significantly worse last year, it was masked by Spencer's shooting against not very good opponents.

We are getting better looks in transition this year.....and the Power 5 teams quickly scouted RU and shutoff Spencer's airspace last year....and there was no other pitch that RU offered opponents.....other than Hyatt who was off the bench and Simpson, who wasn't given the leeway or minutes fast enough to develop.

This year, it does not make sense to push Gavin Griffiths into a number of high shot attempts or that leads the team in attempts 6 games into his career. We now have more options at guard....Simpson can create, Davis can create.....Noah can create....we have other options now vs last year.

As we move into December and January, let the opponents scout and focus on Hyatt and Simpson and Cliff, and then we can counter with Gavin for 20 to 24 minutes a game and Woolfolk for 16 to 20 minutes a game. Those two are going to find open shots, as long as Simpson, Noah and Hyatt are leading with Cliff 1st.

We don't need to pass the final exams in November and reveal everything or every weapon we have. There's time to get there folks.

 

[RU-ROCS]

1. Despite the blowout win, nobody should feel very good about this team’s offense. We are extremely out of synch and frankly just can’t shoot.

2. The sheer number of missed layups and bunnies is eye popping. I don’t have the stats, but we must’ve missed 20 shots “at the rim.”

3. Noah Fernandes gets game ball tonight. He energized the team in the second half and was perfect from the foul line on his way to a team leading 19 points.

4. Our defensive pressure was elite tonight, both in the full court 2-2-1 press and in the half court rotations. We forced 22 TOs, and we also blocked 9 shots.

5. SPU absolutely destroyed us on the boards, 51-38, including 22-11 on the offensive glass. Very concerning. Our starting PF had a total of 1 rebound.

6. Cliff continues to frustrate. He’s sooo athletic, but he’s so uncoordinated in making post moves, and when we force feed him in the paint, it really drags down our offense. He still ended up with 17 and 8, but it was mostly dunks and FTs.

7. The free throw shooting continues to be a MAJOR concern. We actually ended up 23-31 for 71%, primarily because of Noah’s 9-9 and Cliff’s 5-6. Kudos to them. But Derek 2-4 and Hyatt 3-6. Also, JMike 0-2 and Woolf 0-1, all on 1-and-1 chances, so it’s really like 6 missed FTs. JMike is now 7-18 and Woolf 6-18 on the year.

8. Gavin had a quietly solid game, nice to see two 3-pointers, plus contributing in other ways and creating scoring chances. But he needs more time on the floor, especially when we’re in a scoring drought.

9. Simpson with a good first half with two 3s and 10 points, but quiet in the second half as Noah took over and Pike gave A. Williams some time on the floor.

10. JMike with 4 assists and solid defense. Making himself valuable even though not looking to score and struggling at the line.

11. Hyatt was awful tonight. 3-6 from the line, 2-11 from the field, and many of those were him playing hero ball and just throwing crap shots up in the post.

12. Woolf drains a 3-pointer and had 3 assists. But only ONE rebound on a night we were getting creamed on the boards. Unacceptable for our starting 4.

13. We need Mag back in the worst way for interior defense and especially rebounding.

Noah is definitely playing much better, but he still fails to see Cliff when he's wide open in the post and has difficulty make an entry pass ven when he does see it. He missed an easy alley oop to Cliff on the first play of the game. He also missed Gavin and others who were wide-open for threes. His defense and dribble penetration has been great, but his floor vision and ability to distribute has been disappointing for a 5-year senior PG.

 

[billgumpper]

When you win by over 30 points offensive rebound stats are irrelevant. Sorry for the reality check negatoids.

The offensive rebound stat is not irrelevant because if St.Peters, who out right stinks, can do it to us, what is a Big 10 team going to do. There was another cup cake that got 15 offensive rebounds against us. This will be a major issue when we play better teams.

 

[Eagleton96]

Here's what's actually happening, what's actually being done or required and how does that matter?

First, we have to give credit to St Peters, not because of their talent level, but they actually compete for 40 minutes. We have to give the opponent credit for knowing who they are and how they have to play.....they look like RU in the 1st 2 years of Pike.....poor shooting, not a lot of skill, BUT, you can play that way, if you are willing to hustle, rebound and get on the glass.

It was early Eugene Omoyuri before he was actually functional as a complete basketball player, miss shots from inside 6 feet, get his own rebound and try again.

There would be post-game comments in the early Pike years, where the other coach wouldn't say RU isn't good, the coach would essentially say, "RU wanted it more and outworked us"......that was a theme of the only way RU could win. St Peters played hard and they didn't back down and got on the glass......because they couldn't score over Cliff or the defense, getting offensive rebounds is the way to win or compete.

The other "concerns" are actually part of the process on how RU is being rebuilt and how RU is going to play this year and more importantly next year and beyond.

So when the comments are "Hyatt played poorly and took too many shots or Davis keeps driving and attacking the basket without a plan or then can't hit his FTs....."......that is actually part of the change on how RU is going to play.

It may be difficult to comprehend, but what good is having Aundre Hyatt, if he's not shooting the ball.....what else does he do well.....?? Is he a dominate defender, shot blocker?? NO.....so when we see the same comments game after game, it's as if no one understands "what is that players primary role or strength??

If you don't use your quickness and speed and ability to dictate tempo, if you are JMike Davis and you actually DON'T drive to the basket, what's his strength to his game if he doesn't do that?? He doesn't have to be a 80% foul shooter himself to help the team win.....if he draws a foul, that pushed RU into the bonus quicker.....significantly more effective and sustainable vs launching 3s last year and hoping they go in.....

If you are Gavin Griffiths in the 1st month of his college career, why do we see the same comments about how he may not be the best defender or can't stay in front of players on defense...?????.......well, duh, he's played 5 to 6 games and is learning how to play real college basketball.....St Peters or Bryant have 21 to 23 old men playing on their rosters, do we actually think a true freshman walks into the RAC and plays plus level defense AND is our best perimeter shooter, scorer and learning how to play, all at the same time??? All players take time to grow.

I can only say it so many times from May 2023 through now and into 2024.....this revamped roster is NOT going to look as organized, or as crisp or as reliant on 3 point shooting like RU did last year.

It is a process to evolve away from playing a slower paced game and setting screens for Spencer to shoot 3s and Caleb to play superman as Defensive Player of the Year and hope that's sustainable over 30+ games like last year.

The roster is revamped and is attacking the basket. What matters to me is what's actually working and will it get better when Mag starts to get minutes??

The on the ball press, is wearing down opponents.....is that sustainable with our guards and Woolfolk or Mag at PF....?? Yes....we are actually effective without Mag, it can only stay the same or improve, once he starts playing off the bench.

The guards are being required to drive into the paint to try and score (unlike last year, when we didn't have guards or Caleb, capable of taking their defender off the dribble and getting into the paint).....I don't want Davis playing passive and then relying on him to shoot jumpers.....he's not there yet.

Foul shooting.....is that sustainable OR can RU continue to draw fouls.....?? I think so....here are foul shot attempts the last 2 years through 6 games.

2023-24

7, 30, 34, 24,26, 32

2022-23

14, 22, 34, 29, 32, 22

The 7 vs Princeton is probably more of an aberration, Princeton does not foul or play that type of defense....that is probably closer to what we will see vs Iowa, Nebraska or another team that's reliant on offense and shooting.

RU has played better OOC opponents this year vs last year.....we are drawing fouls with our guards at a higher rate this year vs last year.

All of these things (to me) are about fitting players into roles that work now AND can be developed into December, January and February.

The good news is RU should get back another player who doesn't need the ball to score (Mag) who can rebound, defend and help Cliff on the glass. Woolfolk is still learning how to play along side Cliff, and he will get better in that role. He's clearly more comfort functioning as the primary big man when Cliff is not in. But that will sort itself out in December and January.

I think the next phase of development is what RU looks like when they decide to take more 3s and teams start to take away driving lanes OR if teams decide to play zone to keep RU from driving and drawing fouls. That's when the guard play of Fernandes, Simpson and Davis will set up Gavin, Oskar, Hyatt or the other guard to find shots.

I'm very comfortable with what I've seen, 6 games into the season. It's sustainable over 3 months.

I agree with a lot of this in terms of game planning and strategy. I'm comfortable with Hyatt taking open looks from 3 when he gets them. He just needs to make them. That's not a strategy issue, it's question of canning your open looks. If the team improves the shooting a little, we will be OK.

 

[Shelby65]

Noah is a real PG, not a guy who dribbles for the sake of dribbling as the clock winds down the last 12 seconds like the last few did.

 

[RU84]

The offensive rebound stat is not irrelevant because if St.Peters, who out right stinks, can do it to us, what is a Big 10 team going to do. There was another cup cake that got 15 offensive rebounds against us. This will be a major issue when we play better teams.

Pike said in his post game presser St Peters is one of the top offensive rebounding teams in the nation ... that's what they do. They did what they're good at and we did what we're good at and won by 30. What's all the hand wringing about? Alot of good takeaways, we can see incremental improvement, the coaches tinkering with rotations and roles and the team has more ceiling, plus more fun to watch, than last years' team. What's not to like?

 

[29PAS]

The flag thing with the RU chant was cringe worthy.

Please make this stop - agree its not needed.

Agree. At first I thought the point was to slow the pace of the cheer down but it didn't look like it. And if it was, it didn't. Do away with it.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

NJH,

I never want to see a player shooting off the dribble in transition if they are landing 2-3 feet ahead of where they shoot.....add to that a side spin rotation....add to that a career poor make percentage.

Hyatt needs to be red lighted to only open catch and shoot. He should not be penetrating with more than 5 seconds on the shot clock.

We have a 5 star forward who is on the 2025 NBA draft board. He is hurting us defensively so he needs to help us on offense. It is infuriating the shot attempts he is taking from others.

I get and respect the turnover comment. If 20% of possessions end in a turnover a shot does mean you aren't turning it over and you give your self a chance at securing points in the possession if the attempt goes in. Provided you OREB 30% of misses the shot attempt doesn't have to be the highest % if you really want to optimize things. We just can't have shot attempts that have less than 25% chance of going in.

Rebounding is a huge concern....as is Pikiell for the 2nd straight game having to try and motivate Cliff. 3X Cliff got beat for a rebound off a foul shot. That is being outworked. This is a big problem. Derek Simpson was trying to get Cliff going in a huddle.

 

[RUKnights86]

There were pros and cons about the game last night. Anytime you hold a team to 40 despite being badly out rebounded (more on that in a minute) and win by 31, that is a strong defensive showing and something should be said about that.

Pros:
- Our guards are going to full court press for 40 min to put teams so that they dont have time to run their sets or to speed them up and force turnovers and we saw that tonight. Do I expect 20+ a game once the caliber of competition steps up, no but we will create some transition and points off turnovers that we need to win games from this.
- Continued confidence from Noah. Love his defense and motor in addition to his shot selection. End of games get him or Derek the ball from a free throw close out perspective. Shout out to cliff for showing up at the line tonight.

Cons:
- Rebounding in general has been a problem which is lacking and will lack all year if the effort and execution isnt put in. We went from guards of 6'4 (Cam) and two at 6'6 (Paul & Caleb) to guys like Noah, Derek and JMike playing major minutes at around 6ft. Those guys need to stick their nose in and get position or box out on long rebounds otherwise higher quality teams are going to kill us on 2nd chance points. Furthermore 20 seconds of more defense will tire them out to execute on offense.
- Free throw shooting of guys not mentioned above excluding Hyatt who will be in that 70-75% range and is good.
-Hyatt did not have his best game but the previous besides the princeton opener he has been very efficient and contributed some good minutes. As one poster mentioned, Hyatt will be shooting shots because the bench minus Gavin at this point is limited offensively. I just think it was an off night and he might have them from time to time. Seemed to either not be set on a couple step into 3s where he more time or just off, but overall you will see more above average then mind boggling with him.
- 3pt shooting still a concern and only a few guys who I really want to see shoot which is Gavin, Derek, Noah and Andre. Nice to see Derek shoot with confidence and hit them, I think he will be much improved.

This is a different team than Pike's of years past that was heavily elder and had years together so as you heard him postgame, really still need to find time to grow. Next few games will be a good bench mark of where they are and what they have to work on.

 

[higgins3]

Noah is showing us the player he has been in past. Getting comfortable! That is great for him. After first couple games I looked more into Ogbole as more rebounders are needed. Seemingly not going to be back for a while. JaMike will need to get in there more. Sup talented on boards and the huge shot differential leads to opportunities for them. The team got very loose with shots being up so much. Probably won’t happen as much when they face serious opponents.