That's why I love him... and he can do it in traffic.
Rothstein Tweet on Harper
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Harper Jr is just as athletic, if not more. Definitions matter. Mathis is an average athlete from where i sit. Many times i recall him almost falling on the way down from dunks. It happened a lot in HS as well.it looked very dangerous and at one specific time he landed right on his back on the way down.
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Corey Sanders is an athlete that you could say no one was close to. Mathis though is on similar levels to many players on thisnteam athletically. If you want to say he has vision on fast breaks, Id agree. Ability to defend well with the mentality he seems to possess? Absolutely. Far and away a very athletic player though is something i don't see. Competition is high for his position. That is my point of commenting on this thread. Where do you all see him right now?
I was just curious who else you thought was more athletic than Mathis besides Young as you implied we had multiple athletes more athletic than Montez. With that said, I can't wait to see an in shape Harper this season.
Gotcha. Pure athleticism and you could say Peter Kiss. Again, what is athletic? For most the ability to run, jump, and cut precisely is defined as athletic. MConnell as wel. I dont see the pure athleticism that GRf mentioned. Does Mathis possession a grit about him that not everyone possesses? Yes. Harper Jr will be a pleasure to watch this year. One thing that stands out is when he shoots he is always balanced going up for jump and down. He will be a top three scorer in the team.
Yes, I agree and this year will be very telling which direction he will go. By all accounts he is a gym rat and brings stuff to the table that other players on the roster don't which is why I do see him being a key cog down the stretch
Every year there is someone new who most gravitate to in the pre season forgetting the ability of the returning guys. Last year all we heard about was Kiss and Eugene was under the radar.
Montez Mathis is a guy who people should be excited about.
In my not so humble opinion Montez Mathis will be the most important guy on this roster. Hopefully it will be positive.
Montez Mathis is a guy who people should be excited about.
In my not so humble opinion Montez Mathis will be the most important guy on this roster. Hopefully it will be positive.
I don't know about that. Pikiell called Omoruyi the most improved player for a second offseason in a row. I don't think he was under-the-radar at all. And I think people were more excited about Mathis and Harper than Kiss heading into last season.
I certainly hope Mathis comes through like you think. But as of right now I have him as the 4th-best sophomore on the team.
I didn’t say he would come through. There are things I saw last year that concerned me.
This team’s identity went to Oregon. The one returning guy on this roster that can lead by example is Montez. What Montez can bring will not show up in any box score.
This team’s identity went to Oregon. The one returning guy on this roster that can lead by example is Montez. What Montez can bring will not show up in any box score.
We have 2 returning guys that will play with a noticeable chip on their shoulder. One is Montez and the other is currently in the US.
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anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy
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Your takes on basketball are pretty bad
Maybe too much was placed on Eugene. Sure, he went above and beyond as far as sacrificing himself. Did his players trust him? He decided to make a midnight post about leaving the team.
We have had junkyard dogs and fell in love with them. Hopefully Mathis shows up as he has a lot of ability. We know where Rutgers has been in the past five years. It's about putting the ball in the basket at this point. The "not in boxscore guys" are great, but we know as fans why the team has not moved forward. Shooting, shooting, shooting. The guys who can shoot will stay on the floor.
Really? He's the only one that can lead by example? I disagree.
Regarding Mathis. Geo, Young, and Caleb provide more overall value to the team. Mathis will have to beat out Kiss and Paul for minutes. Mathis needs to improve his shooting and decision making. He'll contribute because Coach likes a deep bench, but some of you guys are putting too much stock in what he'll contribute.
Rather stunning reading the analysis by some of Mathis. I wonder if people actually watched games last year? Do people only watch when Rutgers has the ball? Do people remember what we looked like defensively before and after Eddie Jordan?
Mathis is a flawed offensive player for sure. We need much more offensively than what he gave on the average night. On the defensive end we will take MANY steps backwards with lineups without Eugene and Mathis. People are really missing this.
Mathis is a flawed offensive player for sure. We need much more offensively than what he gave on the average night. On the defensive end we will take MANY steps backwards with lineups without Eugene and Mathis. People are really missing this.
Young already is....
I'm lost on the Mike Williams and Mathis comparison....Mike was a 8 to 10PPG 4 to 5 RPG, 40FG shooter and sub 25% from 3....granted he played on teams without as many options.
Mathis by the numbers is a better athlete and natural scorer and his numbers match Mike's senior numbers in a couple of categories. Mike was a clutch FT shooter, defensive player and rebounder but Mathis can close those gaps in time.
He was a career .285 and his rate dropped to .216 during an injury-impacted senior campaign. During his sophomore/junior years, he averaged .317 - which isn't great, by any stretch, but I'd say it's a reach to call him a sub-25% shooter overall.
I think the comparison between Mathis/Williams is more as the "grit" guy or "lunchpail" guy who isn't afraid to get physical and take contact under the basket.
It would be great if Jacob Young is 2/3 the player most are expected. I just don't get why people assume a guy who was barely in the rotation on a OK Big 12 team is all of a sudden better than one our best players.
Shaka Smart is no dummy.....if Young was as good as people say most likely he'd still be at Texas.
Shaka Smart is no dummy.....if Young was as good as people say most likely he'd still be at Texas.
Defensively, I agree, but offensively, Mathis only had a handful of good offensive games last year -- mostly when he was able to either run in open court or get into the lane -- and in the rest of the games he was either invisible or downright BAD. He is also a poor 3-pt shooter, at least as a true freshman. Given all of his offensive issues, I don't know how you can say he will be "the most important guy on the roster." His defensive prowess is great, but if he's a liability on offense, I don't know if he will see more than 20 mpg when you consider he's competing for time against Baker, Young, Harper, McConnell, and Kiss.
I know in a subsequent post, you clarified this to mean that he can lead by example ON DEFENSE. If that's what you mean, then fine, but if you're also including Mathis as an overall team leader, I don't know about that. I obviously don't know what's going on in the locker room, but from outward appearances, Mathis was moody and often had a surly/pouting demeanor -- hardly the traits of a good leader. Right now, it's pretty clear that the top leader on the team is Baker, and you can see from social media that guys like Young, Johnson, Harper, and McConnell also have leadership qualities.
LOL
You continue to overstate your criticisms of Young's career at Texas. He was not "barely in the rotation" - rather, he averaged 16.4 and then 16.8 mpg in his two seasons. Moreover, his production increased significantly from freshman year (3.7 ppg, 29% overall, 45% 2pt, 23% 3pt) to sophomore year (6.2 ppg, 41% overall, 52% 2pt, 32% 3pt). Perhaps he just didn't see eye to eye with Shaka. Regardless, he's now in his 4th year after redshirting, and he seems poised to be one of the team leaders, both on the court and off the court. You only seem to see what you want to see.
#BadTakeFIG in full effect today
Eugene under the radar last season? Not much to say here. Just a weird out of touch statement. He was probably the most above the radar player on the roster besides possibly Geo. Pike said he was the most improved players again. I had him projected for a big season. Maybe under the radar for Hawk who was expecting nothing but in generally he was about as above the radar as anyone gets
Mathis is the only player who can lead by example? Not sure where the logic for this comes from? I'd actually argue he isn't a player who leads by example at all. He has issues with keeping his head and focus. He gets clearly frustrated out there when things don't go his way and it effects his play on the court. His body language is also poor when this happens which is not a lead by example trait. He needs to follow other's example and not let his emotions get the best of him and to keep his focus during the games. It's his biggest issue besides 3pt and FT shooting that he needs to work on.
Mathis is obviously not the most important player on the team. That's clear. He will be a key piece to the team though and his defense and toughness are key. He also is great in transition and attacking the rim. I'm not here to bash Mathis and he brings some very valuable skills to the roster
Eugene under the radar last season? Not much to say here. Just a weird out of touch statement. He was probably the most above the radar player on the roster besides possibly Geo. Pike said he was the most improved players again. I had him projected for a big season. Maybe under the radar for Hawk who was expecting nothing but in generally he was about as above the radar as anyone gets
Mathis is the only player who can lead by example? Not sure where the logic for this comes from? I'd actually argue he isn't a player who leads by example at all. He has issues with keeping his head and focus. He gets clearly frustrated out there when things don't go his way and it effects his play on the court. His body language is also poor when this happens which is not a lead by example trait. He needs to follow other's example and not let his emotions get the best of him and to keep his focus during the games. It's his biggest issue besides 3pt and FT shooting that he needs to work on.
Mathis is obviously not the most important player on the team. That's clear. He will be a key piece to the team though and his defense and toughness are key. He also is great in transition and attacking the rim. I'm not here to bash Mathis and he brings some very valuable skills to the roster
Interesting that some seem to portray Mathis as a lunch pail effort type player instead of what he was last year......an effort guy with superior athletic ability who is unpolished on the offensive end. Those who dont think Matthis will remain a key cog have not been paying attention to how Pike coaches and values defense nor the potential Matthis has displayed.
First, he has both the lateral quickness and strength to ably guard at least 3 positions (potentially 4) which provides significant flexibility on the defensive end when the team goes with a small lineup or a pressure defensive scheme.
Second, although he was significantly uneven offensively last year, he has significant open court ability and explosion when the team plays fast.
Third, although his finishing skills need work, he has the ability to get to the rim better than anyone on the team other than Harper. I am leaving out Young until I see him in regular season play.
First, he has both the lateral quickness and strength to ably guard at least 3 positions (potentially 4) which provides significant flexibility on the defensive end when the team goes with a small lineup or a pressure defensive scheme.
Second, although he was significantly uneven offensively last year, he has significant open court ability and explosion when the team plays fast.
Third, although his finishing skills need work, he has the ability to get to the rim better than anyone on the team other than Harper. I am leaving out Young until I see him in regular season play.
Except Mathis' minutes went down by the end of the year. From January 5 through February 16, he averaged 29 minutes per game.* From then until the end of the season, he averaged 21.6 minutes per game.
*I counted the OT game as 37 minutes instead of 41 as to not skew the sample. Also note that his minutes did not go up when Omoruyi was out so that doesn't mess with the sample either.
Correct....Mathis is no doubt the more skilled player and probably already a better player than MIke was at any point. However, I see similarities in the way Mathis attacks the glass from the guard spot and could see him effecting the outcome of the games with stuff that does not show up in the box score similar to Mike.
If people remember correctly, Mike Williams made a massive jump his junior to senior years (Pikiell effect) and could see Mathis making a similar jump this offseason. I think you would be hard pressed to find a player that played in the last 10 years for RU that is as good of an comparison.
why do we do this ?
I brought up Mathis only because he was kinda forgotten
And, honestly , I’m rooting for the kid, Just like all of the other, because he is the four star kid who could have gone a lot of places ...and had the courage to choose Rutgers before Going to Rutgers basketball Became the in place that I think it’s about to become
But I root of every kid on the team to do well, because they all work their tails off harder than most of us could possibly know, to earn the right to play for the school.
How about enough nit picking on things ...and let’s get behind this team...because this team has a shot to do some crazy special things in the next couple of year...and even if that doesn’t happen...winning basketball to Rutgers is about to return
I brought up Mathis only because he was kinda forgotten
And, honestly , I’m rooting for the kid, Just like all of the other, because he is the four star kid who could have gone a lot of places ...and had the courage to choose Rutgers before Going to Rutgers basketball Became the in place that I think it’s about to become
But I root of every kid on the team to do well, because they all work their tails off harder than most of us could possibly know, to earn the right to play for the school.
How about enough nit picking on things ...and let’s get behind this team...because this team has a shot to do some crazy special things in the next couple of year...and even if that doesn’t happen...winning basketball to Rutgers is about to return
You've arbitrarily picked a time in the season (5 conf games and one Tourney remaining on schedule) n which the data trends to appear to support your point. He essentially trended down due to 3 games where he averaged 16 mins per game.........MSU, PSU and Nebraska in the BIG Tourney. In the Nebraska game he was in foul trouble (5 Personals). Would have to look individually at the PSU and MSU games to understand why his specific minutes were down for those games.
Except he didn't? RHJ had more assists and rebounds over the year and only averaged .7 points less than Mathis. It was also clear that RHJ was the better player last year. Even if what you said was true, those are all counting stats and not good indicators of success. RHJ was significantly more efficient last year.
We’ve already disagreed about why a player leaves... because using that logic Eugene would still be here considering most agree playing for Pike is a Good Thing! Who’s Oregon’s Coach?
I would love at least one REALLY explosive athlete on this team. A Miles Bridges type, next-level, head-above-the-rim, one step from the three point line rim finisher. Would bring some much needed buzz to this program. I think the closest athlete we've ever had to this in game recently was Corey and/or Dane Miller. Dane for whatever reason played soft his last 2 years.
I am not arguing who is going to be the better player this year. Simply pointing out that in just about EVERY statistical category last season, both out of conference and most importantly in conference play when the competition got MUCH tougher, Mathis put up "bigger" numbers than Harper.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/scarletknights.com/documents/2018/11/9/MBBSeasonStats.pdf
https://scarletknights.com/documents/2019/1/15/b1gonlystats.pdf
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