Kenny Anderson led Georgia Tech to the Final Four as a freshman point guard. Chris Jackson had a monster freshman year at LSU as a point guard. It is rare, but it happens. Other freshmen have had monster years, too. Zion, Durant, Carmelo, Ewing, Trae Young, Tisdale, Beasley, Derrick Rose... maybe Dylan or Ace turn into one of those guys.
BB Recruiting Rutgers lands Merrimack transfer G Jordan Derkack
- Thread starter Zak57
- Start date
It was high school he could have played heads groundskeeper, center, or even coach if he wanted too.. His mother wanted more time for him at the 2 to expand his shooting and develop other aspects of his game.
Watch his junior game at PG against DJ Wagner who went on to win McDonald’s All American MVP and Kentucky. Steph Curry camp when they played heads up.. I know he can play the 2.
In the McDonald’s all American and most of his upper tier AAU and other camps he was the PG and primary decision maker. You don’t take your greatest asset and then not use his greatest strength.
No doubt about the Freshman fatigue but that’s on Pike to manage.
Based on roster formation I see a pressing team on defense and up tempo on offense. The power forward position has Martini and the two freshmen recruits all of which don't have great height.On defense that could be a problem against B1G Ten opponents that have taller front courts.Of course, Bailey could play some minutes at the power forward position.The key to winning is having Bailey and Harper on the court for at least 30 minutes against quality opposition which means staying out of foul trouble.
Maybe I overrate jWill as a PG and/or underrate Harper as a college player. I highly doubt Harper will be as good as a PG as Jwill.
I think you are more right than wrong about which guy takes the lead late in the clock in Nov/Dec. But if Dylan is truly lottery pick material, that role shifts more to him later in the year. We shall see. It's a great problem to have!
In what world is JWILL some high level pg? He can’t shoot, he can’t go left, struggles against pressure and If falling down is a key stat then Jwill is an All American!
Sorry we will disagree on this one but all good
I'll be honest I don't watch the NBA.....no idea if things have become "positionless" or not. Do teams have a PG or is it 5 guys racing to chuck 3s?
Our season was in the toilet, he comes in and we all were talking NCAAs. Yes you are right he can't shoot and for some reason falls a lot...team seemed and was different with him as the PG.
No!! I agree with you 100%!
That is what I have been telling our board peeps…these players will have different roles on this year’s R hoops team, and there talent will shine in these new roles, with offensive and defensive weapons surrounding them.
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Absolutely can score in those 4 games but after that 4 stretch and teams had some tape on him they learned to force him left.
He like Hyatt hangs his head and mopes when he is not scoring. His move is going hard right across the lane floater. Pressure him , back off him dare him to shoot or force him left.
Not one thought we were a NCAA team last year I know the boards had some hype but similarly how the NFL puts up In the Hunt for a team that’s 5-9 in week 15
I don't watch a lot either. But pulling up the stats, 10 guys averaged 8+ assists this season. That includes:
PG - 6
SG - 1 (Harden)
SF - 1 (LeBron)
PF - 1 (Sabonis)
C - 1 (Jokic)
Big Ten team assist leaders from last year that aren't traditional PG: Hoggard; Buie (I think he's a combo guard, some might still call him a PG); Domask; Mast... you could argue Galloway is more of a combo guard too.
I've mentioned this scenario for weeks.
If the ball is mostly in Dylan's hands (and then Ace's) that changes the role expected of JWill (and subsequently Acuff, Jordan and Davis).
Moves those players more off ball.
Which prioritizes different skills.
Agreed that’s why shooters are very important! Martini and hopefully another transfer
Guys will get the ball plenty of times whether they're the primary or not. This isn't the 1980s, more than just the PG can be an on-ball creator. This sounds like the arguments against the nets when we had Harden, Kyrie and Durant and that was the best offense ive ever seen. I agree it would be nice if JWill was a better shooter, but JWill is still someone defenses have to guard and is a great distributor, on top of being a good defender. Things will be fine, players will get enough minutes.
If only this freshman was a different caliber to other past Pike freshmen.
Dylan Harper had 101 made 3s in his HS career. Paul Mulcahy had 136.
Dylan is ridiculous with the ball in his hands, especially in transition.
I don't know if perimeter shooting is a strength.
Dylan is ridiculous with the ball in his hands, especially in transition.
I don't know if perimeter shooting is a strength.
NBA for most part is position less basketball .
You can argue Lebron and Jokic are the two best play makers/assit in the league.
Warriors are at their best with Dramyond running the offense and they have Steph.
So clearly Dlyan can play the 2 and still run the offense but then that limits Jwill effectiveness.
Look all good problems too have
Pike has never had a shooter come to RU better than Gavin. Before that Jaden. These guys were highly rated and almost exclusively highly rated for their shooting.
And you want him playing the 2 and not PG?
Reread your own comments and tell me where he should play
So you are saying that past freshman are somehow correlated to completely different human beings, playing with completely different teammates.
That dog don’t hunt, Greene. Not even a wimpy bark.
So having to play defense, fighting over screens and not going under. has no impact on how one shoots?
I know one is lefty and one is righty and they appear to be COMPLETELY different players. Take a look at Ron's struggles shooting the ball as a freshman. Especially early in the season.
Going from AAU to college is a huge adjustment at Rutgers. Maybe not as much playing in the ACC or the Pac2.
You accounted for the headwinds for them to shoot worse. But you don’t account for the tailwinds, such as better coaching, more practice time, better surrounding players etc.
Also, these players have much higher level offensive maturity and talent than any freshman at Rutgers under Pike. Much, much higher level.
Yeah and they were also skinny and lacked a handle, and we lacked the ability to create adequately for their skillsets. Dylan is much more physically mature and can self create.
Dylan was also the best player on the floor in every game he played in save for McDonald’s and some team USA games and even then might’ve still been arguable the best
With that superior talent if he knew he could get to the rim anytime he wanted and not shoot a 3 why wouldn’t he? Watching his don Bosco or team rens tape doesn’t mean he won’t or can’t shoot 3s but rather emphasizes how great he is at play making with the ball In his hands. He will need to show he can make a 3
With that superior talent if he knew he could get to the rim anytime he wanted and not shoot a 3 why wouldn’t he? Watching his don Bosco or team rens tape doesn’t mean he won’t or can’t shoot 3s but rather emphasizes how great he is at play making with the ball In his hands. He will need to show he can make a 3
I'm betting you said none of that before they stepped on the court.
Sure but even so there still is a difference in the caliber of player Dylan is vs those guys.
I was a huge Gavin fan, but during the season, I was disappointed and frustrated with his offensive decision making.
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FWIW, the Athletic ranked him #132 on a list of best players in the portal and said this:
Ht: 6-5 Wt: 205
Derkack will be one of the most fascinating evaluations in the portal this season. The Northest Conference Player of the Year this season has an interesting game that is simultaneously well-rounded and flawed. Offensively, almost everything comes near the basket. He’ll occasionally throw down dunks, but he mostly finishes with below-the-rim layups. He doesn’t have much of an in-between game and doesn’t take a ton of pull-up 3s. All that makes him a funky fit, especially since the NEC does not have a positive record with players attempting to transfer up.
However, Derkack has great feel and is a fast processor of the game. He passes exceedingly well, having averaged nearly four assists per game. His handle is pretty loose and he had a number of sub-optimal ball-control and footwork turnovers this season, but once he gets to his spots, he can quickly dissect how defenders are playing him and make the right reads.
None of that accounts for the place he’ll make the biggest impact on a high-major school. Derkack won the NEC Defensive Player of the Year award and is an aggressive on-ball player with all sorts of toughness. He has great hands and good instincts for getting into passing lanes.
If Derkack wants a starting role, I think he’d be best in the Atlantic-10 or a similar-level conference. But I’d understand if a Big East or Big Ten team wanted him to add on-court toughness and leadership as a role player. — Sam Vecenie
Ht: 6-5 Wt: 205
Derkack will be one of the most fascinating evaluations in the portal this season. The Northest Conference Player of the Year this season has an interesting game that is simultaneously well-rounded and flawed. Offensively, almost everything comes near the basket. He’ll occasionally throw down dunks, but he mostly finishes with below-the-rim layups. He doesn’t have much of an in-between game and doesn’t take a ton of pull-up 3s. All that makes him a funky fit, especially since the NEC does not have a positive record with players attempting to transfer up.
However, Derkack has great feel and is a fast processor of the game. He passes exceedingly well, having averaged nearly four assists per game. His handle is pretty loose and he had a number of sub-optimal ball-control and footwork turnovers this season, but once he gets to his spots, he can quickly dissect how defenders are playing him and make the right reads.
None of that accounts for the place he’ll make the biggest impact on a high-major school. Derkack won the NEC Defensive Player of the Year award and is an aggressive on-ball player with all sorts of toughness. He has great hands and good instincts for getting into passing lanes.
If Derkack wants a starting role, I think he’d be best in the Atlantic-10 or a similar-level conference. But I’d understand if a Big East or Big Ten team wanted him to add on-court toughness and leadership as a role player. — Sam Vecenie
Ya, either guy can play off ball for stretches, and JWill as primary PG when Harper needs a break.
I see this as highly positive. I understand the concern of too many guys who need the ball, I just highly doubt it will be a negative, let alone a significant one.
If he can be a rotational player that can make layups and free throws while playing solid defense thats progress.
Complementary player. Which is perfect given we have 2 star level players coming in.
In an odd way it sounds a bit like Mulcahy's profile, more of a scorer, less of a ball handler, but just a do everything guy. Minus the theatrics too I bet.
Really like this add (would love it if he add's the 3 ball to his repetoire).
