Starters

[RUChoppin]

I can name dozens of college players who made HUGE jumps between Sophomore and Junior year. Just last year Mikal Bridges went from the Soph 6th man on Nova who averaged under 10 ppg, to a legit POY candidate as a Junior who became a top ten NBA pick averaging almost 18 ppg.

Bridges big change was his shooting technique. He shot .299 from three as a freshman, then .393 as a sophomore, then .435 as a junior... all while taking progressively more shots as he got more comfortable with his new shooting mechanics.

Most guys who make huge jumps between years, though, do it with a big jump in minutes per game, too

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I can name dozens of college players who made HUGE jumps between Sophomore and Junior year. Just last year Mikal Bridges went from the Soph 6th man on Nova who averaged under 10 ppg, to a legit POY candidate as a Junior who became a top ten NBA pick averaging almost 18 ppg.

Show me huge jumps on a team like Rutgers where playing time early is a necessity and not a luxury. Mikal Bridges on RU starts his sophomore year and averages 15PPG.

 

[RutgHoops]

Show me huge jumps on a team like Rutgers where playing time early is a necessity and not a luxury. Mikal Bridges on RU starts his sophomore year and averages 15PPG.

Douby went 12.5/15.1/25.4 his three years at RU.I personally believe Quincy made a HUGE jump in his game between Soph and Junior year. From a nice college player to a 1st round pick is a pretty significant jump.

Lamizana was much better as a Junior than Soph (yes, I understand he was a prop 48 frosh). Shields was significantly better as a Junior. Jack made a huge jump also as a Junior. That's off the top of my head. No one got better under Fred Hill so I couldn't think of anyone from that era/error.

 

[RUChoppin]

Douby's a good example - but also one where he didn't start playing basketball until his junior year of HS, and was still learning the game when he got to RU.

Lamizana made some modest scoring gains from soph to junior year (2.8 more points per game on 1.1 more minutes of playing time).

Jack is an example of a big gain coming along with a big increase in minutes. He went from 5.7 points in 18.3 min (4 starts) to 14.3 pts in 29.3 min (32 starts).

Shields saw 3.6 more ppg, but also 4.4 more minutes per game. His points per 40 only went up by 1.2

 

[RUChoppin]

If Thiam saw the percent increases in points and minutes that each of these players saw between their sophomore and junior years, after seeing 7.0 pts in 29.0 min as a sophomore, this is what his line would look like

Douby's path: 11.8 pts, 31.0 min
Lamizana's path: 8.8 pts, 30.1 min
Jack's path: 17.6 pts, 46.7 min
Shield's path: 9.1 pts, 33.5 min

None of them get him to 14 pts in the ~28-32 min he's likely to see, so he'd have to out-improve all four of those guys to get there.

Realistically, I think he can get closer to 10 ppg this year in the same minutes he played last year by being a bit more aggressive. Doubling his output in the same number of minutes would be a massive leap forward.

 

[littlenis5]

People are underestimating the style of play changes that will likely occur with Corey gone. I’d bet there’s more inside out action and drive and kick leading to good shots for Issa and everyone. Combine that with offseason work and gained confidence, I think he will make a leap as well. I also expect 4 ppg from him from those plays we saw in the tourney where he runs hard to the post and just goes over his man.

 

[Scangg]

If Thiam doesn't show improvement he could be the one who is most effected by all the influx of new talent. To me he's a wild card. I could see a big jump but I could also see him taking a smaller role. I just don't think he has that killer mindset offensively. He seems too timid and willing to take a backseat. I'm worried that's just his personality

 

[dkostus]

I want to see Thiam score more as well... there was a game last year where he actually got aggressive and nailed two 3's off of moves. He missed his next and went away...

But his defense is so valuable on the perimeter I'm not sure he will lose many minutes either way. It might not show up in steals or blocks, but watch him against MSU last year and you'll see he managed to take Miles Bridges out of the game for like the first 15 minutes. Then he took a breather and Eugene was on Bridges and the guy started going off. Not even a knock on Eugene... that's what that guy does to most

Hopefully we have a much more balanced team around him. I think we'll actually have a lot of scorers off the bench for once, just young ones

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

If Thiam doesn't show improvement he could be the one who is most effected by all the influx of new talent. To me he's a wild card. I could see a big jump but I could also see him taking a smaller role. I just don't think he has that killer mindset offensively. He seems too timid and willing to take a backseat. I'm worried that's just his personality

You nailed it. The biggest issue is he is not aggressive. I have no doubt that he can do. But, he passes up too many open looks and opportunities to score.

 

[RUChoppin]

If Thiam could get off 3-4 more shots per game in his same minutes, he'd probably average just around 10-11 ppg, which would be a nice step up from soph to junior year. If he had a 28 min, 10.5 pts, 6 rbs line that'd be a nice improvement year over year.

I'd also like to see Omoruyi at around 13 pts, 9 rbs this year in about 28 min. He averaged 21.7 min last year with 7.9 pts/5.0 rebounds - moving into a starting spot without Freeman on the floor, I'd expect his minutes to go up and his rebounding, too.

 

[MadRU]

With the possibility of more depth this year I am not sure minutes will be going up that much if any.

 

[zebnatto]

Issa should really be a match up nightmare.

 

[RUChoppin]

With the possibility of more depth this year I am not sure minutes will be going up that much if any.

I'd expect Omoruyi's to go up a bit. Last year Freeman saw 25.4 min and Omoruyi saw 21.7 - with Omoruyi spending some of his time at the center spot. Next year Freeman's 25.4 minutes at the PF spot are up for grabs, with Carter coming in to compete for them. I'd think Omoruyi starts to see more of Freeman's minutes (26ish) and Carter sees time split between backup PF and C, similar to what Omoruyi saw last year.

I'm not expecting him to get 30, though.

With more minutes and overall improvement - and a vacuum left by Freeman - I'd expect him to be a bigger contributor next year.

 

[MadRU]

I'd expect Omoruyi's to go up a bit. Last year Freeman saw 25.4 min and Omoruyi saw 21.7 - with Omoruyi spending some of his time at the center spot. Next year Freeman's 25.4 minutes at the PF spot are up for grabs, with Carter coming in to compete for them. I'd think Omoruyi starts to see more of Freeman's minutes (26ish) and Carter sees time split between backup PF and C, similar to what Omoruyi saw last year.

I'm not expecting him to get 30, though.

With more minutes and overall improvement - and a vacuum left by Freeman - I'd expect him to be a bigger contributor next year.

Just waiting to see the style we play this year. A faster pace would lend itself to more rotation.

We will have bigs (4&5) - Doorson, Douchore, Carter, EO, and Myles Johnson. If we play small other potentially get added.

That is my most anticipated aspect to this season, the style we play post Corey, Freeman, and Williams.

 

[RUChoppin]

Just waiting to see the style we play this year. A faster pace would lend itself to more rotation.

We will have bigs (4&5) - Doorson, Douchore, Carter, EO, and Myles Johnson. If we play small other potentially get added.

That is my most anticipated aspect to this season, the style we play post Corey, Freeman, and Williams.

Agree, but the most valuable players will float to the top. It's good to play at a faster pace and spell guys who need a rest - but you still want to go with your most valuable players as much as possible. I think Omoruyi and Baker will be two keys to this team this year, and we're going to want them on the floor as much as possible, in whatever capacity.

If EO can go 28 minutes at 100% effort without getting in foul trouble, then he should do that if he's going to be more valuable than the next guy in.

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

Just waiting to see the style we play this year. A faster pace would lend itself to more rotation.

We will have bigs (4&5) - Doorson, Douchore, Carter, EO, and Myles Johnson. If we play small other potentially get added.

That is my most anticipated aspect to this season, the style we play post Corey, Freeman, and Williams.

That's the big unknown. This is just about a full roster. How will the style of play change in Year 3 ?

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

You nailed it. The biggest issue is he is not aggressive. I have no doubt that he can do. But, he passes up too many open looks and opportunities to score.

My theory/hope/wish is that Issa comes out of his shell now that 2 guys that needed/wanted ball in their hands are no longer on the team.

Totally different team and different chemistry without 3 guys who are gone.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Agree, but the most valuable players will float to the top. It's good to play at a faster pace and spell guys who need a rest - but you still want to go with your most valuable players as much as possible. I think Omoruyi and Baker will be two keys to this team this year, and we're going to want them on the floor as much as possible, in whatever capacity.

If EO can go 28 minutes at 100% effort without getting in foul trouble, then he should do that if he's going to be more valuable than the next guy in.

My hope is that we are at our best with Eugene playing 20-25 minutes.

 

[MadRU]

Agree, but the most valuable players will float to the top. It's good to play at a faster pace and spell guys who need a rest - but you still want to go with your most valuable players as much as possible. I think Omoruyi and Baker will be two keys to this team this year, and we're going to want them on the floor as much as possible, in whatever capacity.

If EO can go 28 minutes at 100% effort without getting in foul trouble, then he should do that if he's going to be more valuable than the next guy in.

Agree mostly, EO and Geo will probably be our top players, but I am really interested to see if Caleb McConnell can give Geo enough rest to keep him fresh, to me this is one of the keys to the season.

Also can Duke make a similar leap to EO last season, and will Myles be a legit big. Those three are keys if we want to take another step forward.

 

[MadRU]

That's the big unknown. This is just about a full roster. How will the style of play change in Year 3 ?

Agree, it has to with Corey no longer here

 

[zebnatto]

I think Geo will have the ball in his hands at the end of the shot clock and that he will do very well.

 

[Degaz-RU]

I'd also like to see Omoruyi at around 13 pts, 9 rbs this year in about 28 min. He averaged 21.7 min last year with 7.9 pts/5.0 rebounds - moving into a starting spot without Freeman on the floor, I'd expect his minutes to go up and his rebounding, too.

Unless Eugene has developed a 10-15-foot jumper this year, I can't see him averaging 13 ppg. To average 13 ppg requires numerous games scoring in the 20s, to balance out the 8 point games, but without a jumper, Eugene will be limited to points around the rim, either post moves or putbacks. And I just don't see 13 ppg on just post moves and putbacks, because he is an undersized PF who has had some difficulty scoring against taller bigs.

But, based on the improvement we saw from Eugene from year 1 to year 2, I wouldn't put it past him to have developed a little jumper over the past eight months. So we shall see....

 

[kcg88]

Didn't one of the coaches say (I think someone posted it here, so this is third-hand) that Eugene was again the most improved player in the program this offseason? I hope that means he's adding a reliable jump shot.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I think Geo will have the ball in his hands at the end of the shot clock and that he will do very well.

The book will be out that he won't get to the paint and he will use his very effective step back shot.....maybe he takes his game to the next level and gets the quickness off the dribble to get in to the paint.

 

[zebnatto]

The book will be out that he won't get to the paint and he will use his very effective step back shot.....maybe he takes his game to the next level and gets the quickness off the dribble to get in to the paint.

Quickness and aggressiveness. Don’t want to see high floaters off the glass especially w/left. Tall and long go at the hoop and throw it down or get fouled (put on your ass) in trying.

 

[higgins3]

If Thiam doesn't show improvement he could be the one who is most effected by all the influx of new talent. To me he's a wild card. I could see a big jump but I could also see him taking a smaller role. I just don't think he has that killer mindset offensively. He seems too timid and willing to take a backseat. I'm worried that's just his personality

A lot goes into this. I will say, players talk all the time how they turn a switch on the court, and turn it off when they get off the court. With Thiam, he just has to focus on using his skills and taking opportunities for forty minutes.

 

[higgins3]

I could see Eugene Omoyuri being a ten and ten player. The kid could simply dominate some games.

Baker and Omoyuri have set a standard as far as how much time needs to be in the gym in order to improve in a market where everyone else is also working their games.

Baker has added another five- ten pounds. He will be able to drive a lot more this year and take the contact.

 

[zebnatto]

I could see Eugene Omoyuri being a ten and ten player. The kid could simply dominate some games.

Baker and Omoyuri have set a standard as far as how much time needs to be in the gym in order to improve in a market where everyone else is also working their games.

Baker has added another five- ten pounds. He will be able to drive a lot more this year and take the contact.

Think ten boards is a bit of an over-reach. But you can get to 20 with 12+8.

 

[RUChoppin]

Unless Eugene has developed a 10-15-foot jumper this year, I can't see him averaging 13 ppg. To average 13 ppg requires numerous games scoring in the 20s, to balance out the 8 point games, but without a jumper, Eugene will be limited to points around the rim, either post moves or putbacks. And I just don't see 13 ppg on just post moves and putbacks, because he is an undersized PF who has had some difficulty scoring against taller bigs.

But, based on the improvement we saw from Eugene from year 1 to year 2, I wouldn't put it past him to have developed a little jumper over the past eight months. So we shall see....

If he shows no improvement at all in points-per-minute played, and his minutes go up to 25, it'd bring him to about 9 ppg. This bears out over his last 7 games after returning from injury, where he was scoring 8.8 ppg in 24.6 min. If his minutes went up to 28 along that same rate of scoring, it'd bring him to 10.2 ppg.

But he was also spending a fair amount of time at the 5 last year, rather than the 4, which matched him up against taller defenders. As the starting PF this year, I think he'll have more opportunity.

13 ppg is probably a stretch, but I'd like to see him at least in the 11-12 range.

 

[BigLou]

Unless Eugene has developed a 10-15-foot jumper this year, I can't see him averaging 13 ppg. To average 13 ppg requires numerous games scoring in the 20s, to balance out the 8 point games, but without a jumper, Eugene will be limited to points around the rim, either post moves or putbacks. And I just don't see 13 ppg on just post moves and putbacks, because he is an undersized PF who has had some difficulty scoring against taller bigs.

But, based on the improvement we saw from Eugene from year 1 to year 2, I wouldn't put it past him to have developed a little jumper over the past eight months. So we shall see....

Freeman averaged 11 with no outside shot and a terrible put back %. Eugene is much better at scoring underneath than Freeman so I expect more points based on a higher shooting % than Free,,am. I'll go with 12 ppg.

Starters: Geo, Mathis, Thiam, Eugene and Doucoure.

 

[higgins3]

Think ten boards is a bit of an over-reach. But you can get to 20 with 12+8.

No doubt. It may be too high. As far as developing different shots goes, it is easy to hear about a kid hitting threes in a practice by himself. Omoyuri's free throw does not scream shooter. I would not put it past the kid to improve, though.

 

[MadRU]

No doubt. It may be too high. As far as developing different shots goes, it is easy to hear about a kid hitting threes in a practice by himself. Omoyuri's free throw does not scream shooter. I would not put it past the kid to improve, though.

I was gonna say EO has lost points at the foul line, he has to improve to 60+, but he does have decent form. Freeman made up more points there shooting a better pct.

 

[RUsojo]

What do we know?
-The best defender will start (Eugene)
-The best rebounder will start (who knows)
-Pike has shown huge interest in getting taller guards/wings onto the floor more.

Knowing that:

1-3 Geo/Mathis/Thiam/Kiss
4 Eugene
5 Best rebounder

 

[higgins3]

On campus for a walk and 16 handles last night and passed by what seemed to be Geo Baker and Caleb McConnell on the way to the RAC at 9:30 pm on a Friday night.

I would not be surprised for some of these kids to make it to the next level. They really seem to want the improvement.

 

[rutgersron]

All I know is that this is the most excited I have been about RU basketball since Waters and early Rice. This team, no matter who starts, is going to be fun to watch. Love the depth and we know Pike likes to play up tempo and sub a lot. I know the freshman will make mistakes but should be battle tested by mid season. GO RU!

 

[higgins3]

On campus today and walked past Eugene Omoyuri. I wished him a good season and he was very appreciative.

Also saw Geo Baker who seems to be as tall as marketed.

I also wished Harper Jr and Mathis healthy freshman seasons and they said thanks. Mathis looks very ready to play, and Harper Jr has noticeably lost some weight.

The biggest strength is Mathis and Kiss.

Rutgers basketball will not finish 14 this year. I will place a 16 handles bet of any kind on it.

 

[HeavenUniv.]

Higgins,if you could have one of next year's class on this year's team,who would you pick? Doesn't have to be the best player,just who do we need the most this year?

 

[higgins3]

Higgins,if you could have one of next year's class on this year's team,who would you pick? Doesn't have to be the best player,just who do we need the most this year?

Well Mulcahy is the only commit, correct? I don't think the team needs any more guards, so Mulcahy or Young are not needed right now for this years team.

The guards situation is probably going to play itself out next year like any other team.

Caleb McConnell has similar skillsets to Mulcahy.

I am very excited for McConnell. Has hit DEEP shots in HS albeit having not the purest release. Still, if you can make people guard you two feet from 3 pt line, that will help spacing a lot. Nice family as well.