The excitement level for the start of the season seems to be at an all time high. I think this is because there’s a lot of hype about this possibly being Pike’s best team, but I also think it’s because of all of the intriguing storylines that exist beyond just the potential wins and losses.
1. Will Geo and Harper round back into form and have the sort of “senioritis” that usually leads good teams to magical runs? They’re both over their injuries, and I think everyone is anticipating Ron shooting 40% and just becoming an all around go-to guy and future NBA player, and Geo shooting >35% and cementing his place as one of the all time leaders in Rutgers sports, like the Brian Leonard of men’s basketball.
2. Is Cliff the real deal? We’ve heard a lot about him in the off-season. He played with the Nigerian men’s national team, he packed on good muscle while still beating everybody in wind sprints, he’s shooting well from the outside now, he “dominated” Villanova, he made the most improvement of anyone, he’s the hardest working big man Pike has ever had, and so on. How much is hype, and how much is real? This is the most intriguing storyline of all.
3. Can Agee and Reiber provide a credible force in the paint behind Cliff? Pike says Agee is the most accomplished offensive threat he’s ever had at the 4/5 spot, and says Reiber is one of the team’s best athletes. A lot of our success will hinge on Cliff becoming what he’s been hyped up to be, but also Agee and Reiber giving good backup minutes.
4. How will the newcomers fare? There’s so much intrigue about whether Hyatt can become this year’s Yeboah, and whether the reported offensive game of Jaden Jones is just hype, or is it real? There’s also intrigue about whether Jalen Miller and Mawot Mag are really the lockdown defenders that we’ve heard about. Can’t wait to find out about all of this.
5. Will we miss Myles, Mathis and JY? They provided unique skill sets, with Myles being an elite rebounder, post defender, and shot blocker, and JY being a cat quick elite on-ball defender and penetrator, and Mathis being a very good defender and open court player. There’s probably nobody on the current roster that provides the same skill sets of Myles and JY to their level, but how will Pike adjust the game strategy to account for their loss? Will we become an elite rebounding team again just by everybody crashing the boards like in past years? Will we become an elite defense with superior length all across the lineup and a burgeoning shot blocker in Cliff to defend the rim? Can our half court defense remain good with guys like McConnell and Mag and Miller locking down opposing wings? Will our half court offense IMPROVE because Cliff is an outside threat in the screen and roll game, and because the spacing and passing is better without iso/ballhogs JY and Mathis on the team?
6. Will our free throw shooting improve like we all hope? The departures of Myles and Mathis, who will be replaced by players who should be better on FTs, should improve our FT percentage. Let’s see if that actually pans out.
7. Can we exceed expectations? Most prognosticators have picked us around 8th in the B1G, but is that’s because outsiders overemphasize the losses of Myles, JY and Mathis, and under emphasize the gains of Hyatt, Jones, Mag and Agee? If everything pans out the way we hope, we could be in the top 4 conversation in the B1G.
Lots to wonder and watch, but whatever the answers end up being, I suspect it’s going to be one of the most exciting seasons on the Banks in a long while.
LFG!!!!!
1. Will Geo and Harper round back into form and have the sort of “senioritis” that usually leads good teams to magical runs? They’re both over their injuries, and I think everyone is anticipating Ron shooting 40% and just becoming an all around go-to guy and future NBA player, and Geo shooting >35% and cementing his place as one of the all time leaders in Rutgers sports, like the Brian Leonard of men’s basketball.
2. Is Cliff the real deal? We’ve heard a lot about him in the off-season. He played with the Nigerian men’s national team, he packed on good muscle while still beating everybody in wind sprints, he’s shooting well from the outside now, he “dominated” Villanova, he made the most improvement of anyone, he’s the hardest working big man Pike has ever had, and so on. How much is hype, and how much is real? This is the most intriguing storyline of all.
3. Can Agee and Reiber provide a credible force in the paint behind Cliff? Pike says Agee is the most accomplished offensive threat he’s ever had at the 4/5 spot, and says Reiber is one of the team’s best athletes. A lot of our success will hinge on Cliff becoming what he’s been hyped up to be, but also Agee and Reiber giving good backup minutes.
4. How will the newcomers fare? There’s so much intrigue about whether Hyatt can become this year’s Yeboah, and whether the reported offensive game of Jaden Jones is just hype, or is it real? There’s also intrigue about whether Jalen Miller and Mawot Mag are really the lockdown defenders that we’ve heard about. Can’t wait to find out about all of this.
5. Will we miss Myles, Mathis and JY? They provided unique skill sets, with Myles being an elite rebounder, post defender, and shot blocker, and JY being a cat quick elite on-ball defender and penetrator, and Mathis being a very good defender and open court player. There’s probably nobody on the current roster that provides the same skill sets of Myles and JY to their level, but how will Pike adjust the game strategy to account for their loss? Will we become an elite rebounding team again just by everybody crashing the boards like in past years? Will we become an elite defense with superior length all across the lineup and a burgeoning shot blocker in Cliff to defend the rim? Can our half court defense remain good with guys like McConnell and Mag and Miller locking down opposing wings? Will our half court offense IMPROVE because Cliff is an outside threat in the screen and roll game, and because the spacing and passing is better without iso/ballhogs JY and Mathis on the team?
6. Will our free throw shooting improve like we all hope? The departures of Myles and Mathis, who will be replaced by players who should be better on FTs, should improve our FT percentage. Let’s see if that actually pans out.
7. Can we exceed expectations? Most prognosticators have picked us around 8th in the B1G, but is that’s because outsiders overemphasize the losses of Myles, JY and Mathis, and under emphasize the gains of Hyatt, Jones, Mag and Agee? If everything pans out the way we hope, we could be in the top 4 conversation in the B1G.
Lots to wonder and watch, but whatever the answers end up being, I suspect it’s going to be one of the most exciting seasons on the Banks in a long while.
LFG!!!!!
