Still better off without Spencer & Mulcahy

[snowboarder]

Both guys are good players but they moved on and that's fine with me .
If we get guard play like we did against Howard, we won't miss either.
Noah and Simpson should def be the starters with Davis in first. I see Williams as the 4th guard. All 3 can shoot off the dribble and create for themselves which Cam and PM couldn't do.
If Simpson can become a consistent double digit scorer then we are better then we were last year for sure
Davis could be the recruiting steal of the year in the big ten

 

[RUChoppin]

If nothing else, it gives Griffiths/Davis more minutes to grow as freshman ahead of next season.

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

NJ.com has an article on Spencer today

 

[GRU23]

I mean, I think if we had this roster plus Paul and Cam we’d legitimately be thinking we’d have a shot at the B1G championship, but it’s okay, we will still have a decent season.

 

[rubjk]

People forget the chemistry issue we had last year. Chemistry is much better without one of them.

 

[S_Janowski]

We can be better without Paul.

Not sure how someone could say we are better without Spencer.

Also I think we need to pump the brakes a bit and wait for conference play to see what Williams or Davis are capable of handling and how much Simpson has developed/matured.

 

[NickRU714]

If nothing else, it gives Griffiths/Davis more minutes to grow as freshman ahead of next season.

We were never having a 13 man rotation.
Removing Paul/Cam makes the rotation more defined and easier to manage.
We are already going to run into "problems" with so many productive players already on the roster (good problem to have).

I've always suspected (just opinion - no actual idea) that part of their leaving was HC Pike making it clear they won't just fill the same role/minutes by default this year.
The talent on the team is rising so they would have to earn their roles.

They may have still earned them but it wasn't a guarantee.

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

People forget the chemistry issue we had last year. Chemistry is much better without one of them.

Paul

 

[bitnez]

We know what we were with Cam and Paul — an NIT team. We needed to improve the athleticism and speed of our play. Whether we accomplished that with the guys we have now will be answered in March.

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

We can be better without Paul.

Not sure how someone could say we are better without Spencer.

Also I think we need to pump the brakes a bit and wait for conference play to see what Williams or Davis are capable of handling and how much Simpson has developed/matured.

Cam is a sharpshooter. Who has replaced that sniper ability ?

 

[RUby RED]

People speculating that Pike told Cam he was in for a lesser role / lesser minutes are CRAZY lol. Cam was supposed to be the building block for the season at guard, with the additions of Fernandes / Griffiths adding more drive-and-kick / floor spacing ability respectively. No team in the country is running off a high-volume 40+% three-point shooter, no less one who led the team in scoring the prior year.

“Pike told him he’d get less minutes so he ran off to play 30 minutes a game for the reigning national champs” is an insane belief to hold

He left, he wanted to do his own thing, and Pike was forced to adapt. End of story

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

People speculating that Pike told Cam he was in for a lesser role / lesser minutes are CRAZY lol. Cam was supposed to be the building block for the season at guard, with the additions of Fernandes / Griffiths adding more drive-and-kick / floor spacing ability respectively. No team in the country is running off a high-volume 40+% three-point shooter, no less one who led the team in scoring the prior year.

“Pike told him he’d get less minutes so he ran off to play 30 minutes a game for the reigning national champs” is an insane belief to hold

He left, he wanted to do his own thing, and Pike was forced to adapt. End of story

 

[RUich]

Paul just took too much time bringing the ball down the court. Cannot believe he would be able to change that style. Great guy and I wish him the best at Washington.
Cam is another story. His current success with UCONN shows just how much of a game changer he is. I wish he had stayed.

 

[snowboarder]

No one needs to be replaced, this is a different team. Last years team got 30 pts per game from Cam, Paul and Caleb. Over the last 2 games , Hyatt, Noah, and Simpson have started at the 1.2&3 and they have scored 42 points a game. I picked the last two games only because Williams was not taking minutes away from anyone.
Noah is a proven commodity, he averaged 14 a game over the last two years playing in the A-10.
If this truly becomes a breakout year for Simpson, i doubt we even think about those other guys.
In addition to that, Davis is way to talented to sit and wait. Cam and Paul would have taken too many minutes from him.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

People speculating that Pike told Cam he was in for a lesser role / lesser minutes are CRAZY lol. Cam was supposed to be the building block for the season at guard, with the additions of Fernandes / Griffiths adding more drive-and-kick / floor spacing ability respectively. No team in the country is running off a high-volume 40+% three-point shooter, no less one who led the team in scoring the prior year.

“Pike told him he’d get less minutes so he ran off to play 30 minutes a game for the reigning national champs” is an insane belief to hold

He left, he wanted to do his own thing, and Pike was forced to adapt. End of story

Cam Spencer was not playing 30 minutes a game again and was not going to be the entire focus of the offense. He is not a #1, #2 or #3 option on any winning team, he's not good enough to be a leading player. We tried that and he's simply not good enough to warrant that stature on any Power 5 roster. Does that mean Spencer would not contribute, of course he would, but he's not worth the amount of money asked for, given the replacements in place.

The sharpshooting nonsense is all based on who else is on the court with a Spencer, so he's able to find shots. He is the 5th option on UConn when he's on the court. Which is the ideal place to be.....to cash in and also have a reduced workload and not be the primary focus of the opponents game plan. Any reasonable shooter that plays guard with a 7'1" post player (Clingan) and more talented players than Spencer (Newton, Karaban etc on UConn are better/more complete guards than Spencer), would do well. It's the perfect fit for Spencer, he doesn't have to do as much and can focus on finding spots and letting the playmakers around him work.

No one is confusing RUs current starting roster with UConn, they have a loaded roster. But the process of improving RU beyond 2023-24, required tough decisions, reduction in roles for some and elevation in role for others.

I would think that after watching a handful of RU games this year, that both things can be true.....Spencer on RU makes RU better in 2023......and Griffiths, Simpson and Davis getting important minutes and development is a net positive for 2023, 2024 and 2025.

I have 3 years to evaluate Simpsons development, potentially 4 years of JaMicheal Davis and I would guess a minimum of 3 to 4 years of star play of Gavin Griffiths......OR, do I worry about Spencer for 1 season??

Spencer was not worth what he was asking for at RU and blindsided Pike and his staff......and not only do fans blindly accept Spencer doing so, they actually continue to whine about it, when it was RU taking Spencer in as a transfer and him getting the experience and exposure at RU.

I will take my chances in 2024-25 and 2025-26, watching Griffiths, Simpson and Davis (And Ace Bailey etc). One year of Spencer blocking the production and growth of Gavin Griffiths is not worth it in the short or long term.

 

[RUTGERS95]

If nothing else, it gives Griffiths/Davis more minutes to grow as freshman ahead of next season.

Both guys are good players but they moved on and that's fine with me .
If we get guard play like we did against Howard, we won't miss either.
Noah and Simpson should def be the starters with Davis in first. I see Williams as the 4th guard. All 3 can shoot off the dribble and create for themselves which Cam and PM couldn't do.
If Simpson can become a consistent double digit scorer then we are better then we were last year for sure
Davis could be the recruiting steal of the year in the big ten

agree with both!!!!!!

 

[RUChoppin]

Cam Spencer was not playing 30 minutes a game again and was not going to be the entire focus of the offense. He is not a #1, #2 or #3 option on any winning team, he's not good enough to be a leading player. We tried that and he's simply not good enough to warrant that stature on any Power 5 roster. Does that mean Spencer would not contribute, of course he would, but he's not worth the amount of money asked for, given the replacements in place.

The sharpshooting nonsense is all based on who else is on the court with a Spencer, so he's able to find shots. He is the 5th option on UConn when he's on the court. Which is the ideal place to be.....to cash in and also have a reduced workload and not be the primary focus of the opponents game plan.

Another bizarre take. Not sure how the rest of the season will go, but through 4 games, Spencer has played the most minutes for UConn, and is tied for 2nd most shot attempts, and is 3rd in points scored per game. Not sure how you interpret that as being the "5th option".

Agree on other points - we'd have been better with him this year (in place of Austin Williams, who we got as a replacement after he transferred), but his departure opens up minutes for other players to develop (Griffiths/Davis).

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

This is nuts.

 

[bac2therac]

5 games in and people are making proclamations

 

[S_Janowski]

No one needs to be replaced, this is a different team. Last years team got 30 pts per game from Cam, Paul and Caleb. Over the last 2 games , Hyatt, Noah, and Simpson have started at the 1.2&3 and they have scored 42 points a game. I picked the last two games only because Williams was not taking minutes away from anyone.
Noah is a proven commodity, he averaged 14 a game over the last two years playing in the A-10.
If this truly becomes a breakout year for Simpson, i doubt we even think about those other guys.
In addition to that, Davis is way to talented to sit and wait. Cam and Paul would have taken too many minutes from him.

Bro you’re comparing a whole season of Cam, Paul and Caleb…to….

2 games from Hyatt, Noah and Simpson against Georgetown and Howard lol.

 

[JudgeSmails56]

I don’t really miss Paul, but Spencer was a big loss.

 

[bac2therac]

Cam Spencer was not playing 30 minutes a game again and was not going to be the entire focus of the offense. He is not a #1, #2 or #3 option on any winning team, he's not good enough to be a leading player. We tried that and he's simply not good enough to warrant that stature on any Power 5 roster. Does that mean Spencer would not contribute, of course he would, but he's not worth the amount of money asked for, given the replacements in place.

The sharpshooting nonsense is all based on who else is on the court with a Spencer, so he's able to find shots. He is the 5th option on UConn when he's on the court. Which is the ideal place to be.....to cash in and also have a reduced workload and not be the primary focus of the opponents game plan. Any reasonable shooter that plays guard with a 7'1" post player (Clingan) and more talented players than Spencer (Newton, Karaban etc on UConn are better/more complete guards than Spencer), would do well. It's the perfect fit for Spencer, he doesn't have to do as much and can focus on finding spots and letting the playmakers around him work.

No one is confusing RUs current starting roster with UConn, they have a loaded roster. But the process of improving RU beyond 2023-24, required tough decisions, reduction in roles for some and elevation in role for others.

I would think that after watching a handful of RU games this year, that both things can be true.....Spencer on RU makes RU better in 2023......and Griffiths, Simpson and Davis getting important minutes and development is a net positive for 2023, 2024 and 2025.

I have 3 years to evaluate Simpsons development, potentially 4 years of JaMicheal Davis and I would guess a minimum of 3 to 4 years of star play of Gavin Griffiths......OR, do I worry about Spencer for 1 season??

Spencer was not worth what he was asking for at RU and blindsided Pike and his staff......and not only do fans blindly accept Spencer doing so, they actually continue to whine about it, when it was RU taking Spencer in as a transfer and him getting the experience and exposure at RU.

I will take my chances in 2024-25 and 2025-26, watching Griffiths, Simpson and Davis (And Ace Bailey etc). One year of Spencer blocking the production and growth of Gavin Griffiths is not worth it in the short or long term.

Gavin would have had played plenty. J Mike Hyatt and Noah would have minutes eaten too

 

[RUTGERS95]

Another bizarre take. Not sure how the rest of the season will go, but through 4 games, Spencer has played the most minutes for UConn, and is tied for 2nd most shot attempts, and is 3rd in points scored per game. Not sure how you interpret that as being the "5th option".

Agree on other points - we'd have been better with him this year (in place of Austin Williams, who we got as a replacement after he transferred), but his departure opens up minutes for other players to develop (Griffiths/Davis).

saw that too and lest we forget, uconn is #3 right now

 

[fluoxetine]

Cam has been UConn's best player so far. That said

(1) It's four games
(2) He's been shooting 46.4% from three; he won't keep that up all year
(3) They've only played 1 real team.

It's probably a little early to evaluate.

 

[needmorecowbell]

I mean, I think if we had this roster plus Paul and Cam we’d legitimately be thinking we’d have a shot at the B1G championship, but it’s okay, we will still have a decent season.

This. I love the new guys and they will be very good but with Cam and Paul this team would be much better.

Edit… this thread makes no sense. 1) they are both starters and would play a lot if they were here and 2) they are not here so let’s stop obsessing over them.

 

[RUSCFORMERLYRULOU]

This. I love the new guys and they will be very good but with Cam and Paul this team would be much better.

Mr Jersey point guard was a pariah by all accounts. So wrong.

 

[Nycrusupporter]

Cam has been UConn's best player so far. That said

(1) It's four games
(2) He's been shooting 46.4% from three; he won't keep that up all year
(3) They've only played 1 real team.

It's probably a little early to evaluate.

Actually, while he has played great, he has been their 2nd best player. Tristen Newton has been playing out of this world to start the season. In addition to leading them in scoring and assists, as a point guard he has averaged over 8 rebounds a game.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Another bizarre take. Not sure how the rest of the season will go, but through 4 games, Spencer has played the most minutes for UConn, and is tied for 2nd most shot attempts, and is 3rd in points scored per game. Not sure how you interpret that as being the "5th option".

Agree on other points - we'd have been better with him this year (in place of Austin Williams, who we got as a replacement after he transferred), but his departure opens up minutes for other players to develop (Griffiths/Davis).

What I am saying makes 100% sense.....PPG is a part of what a defense has to defend, 1st, 2nd and 3rd and what shot attempts are open based on what the defense decides to try and stop 1st, 2nd or 3rd....if you can't understand that, not sure what to tell you, if you don't actually watch the games and just regurgitate stats.

It is the same silly nonsense about watching Cliff get single coverage and as soon as he gets the ball, a 2nd defender immediately comes to help, and then asking why Cliffs production is down or why his numbers aren't better.......well, duh, if you are doubled, it's his responsibility to PASS the ball, without turning it over, so a teammate thats open, can get the ball to shoot, drive and score.

OR

It is like saying "why did RU score 85 points vs Howard", without a barrage of 3 pointers.....well, maybe the press with better on the ball pressure, caused turnovers....maybe the turnovers were unforced and Howard was just sloppy OR maybe the stress levels of Simpson, Fernandes and Davis far exceeds as 3 players, what we tried to ask Mawot Mag to do last year, acting as a 1-man press.

There are things that are a result of how the team wants to play the game that dictates or tries to limit certain players from scoring and making others take shots. Spencer is not the 1st, 2nd or 3rd option on UConn, he benefits from the talent around him. It is not surprising whatsoever, that a player asked to do less or just shoot, and playing with more skilled talented players, would find open shots.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

This. I love the new guys and they will be very good but with Cam and Paul this team would be much better.

This is where you and others are 100% wrong. You only play 5 on the court at the same time and only 2 or 3 are guards. You would not get a 23 point performance from Simpson and 25 point game from Gavin Griffiths, if Mulcahy and Spencee are here. Same for Fernandes in his last 2 games and same for Davis vs Boston or his 1st half vs Georgetown.

There are only so many minutes or shot attempts during a 40 minute game. And I will repeat, you HAVE to develop some players that will be here in 2024-25.....less minutes for Davis, Simpson and Griffiths, makes 24-25 much more difficult to succeed. If we can actually understand there are items or factors beyond 1 season, we would all be better off.

 

[RUtix4me]

Been waiting for this thread, surprised it took so long. They move so do we.

 

[needmorecowbell]

This is where you and others are 100% wrong. You only play 5 on the court at the same time and only 2 or 3 are guards. You would not get a 23 point performance from Simpson and 25 point game from Gavin Griffiths, if Mulcahy and Spencee are here. Same for Fernandes in his last 2 games and same for Davis vs Boston or his 1st half vs Georgetown.

There are only so many minutes or shot attempts during a 40 minute game. And I will repeat, you HAVE to develop some players that will be here in 2024-25.....less minutes for Davis, Simpson and Griffiths, makes 24-25 much more difficult to succeed. If we can actually understand there are items or factors beyond 1 season, we would all be better off.

mental gymnastics. Like I said in my edit… they are not here. So let’s stop obsessing over them.

 

[DennisHajekRC84]

This. I love the new guys and they will be very good but with Cam and Paul this team would be much better.

Edit… this thread makes no sense. 1) they are both starters and would play a lot if they were here and 2) they are not here so let’s stop obsessing over them.

I will enjoy keeping an eye on them but I'm definitely now in #2 land. We have to root for OUR current team and if things continue to develop they will be entertaining to watch. Can't wait till Mag is back soon.

 

[LeapinLou]

Cam Spencer was not playing 30 minutes a game...He is not a #1, #2 or #3 option on any winning team...he's simply not good enough to warrant that stature on any Power 5 roster.

Through a handful of games, Cam is 2nd in scoring and minutes on last year's national champion. They have yet to lose. We are worse this year without him.

One year of Spencer blocking the production and growth of Gavin Griffiths is not worth it in the short or long term.

I agree with you on your conclusion.

 

[RUPete]

I don’t think we are necessarily better but it’s a moot point. They wanted to leave and the program did its best to address the holes. I guess these are the new Jacob Young threads.

 

[snowboarder]

Bro you’re comparing a whole season of Cam, Paul and Caleb…to….

2 games from Hyatt, Noah and Simpson against Georgetown and Howard lol.

I was just using it as an example of how easy it will be to get their points back.
Its a small sample of course but the points are not even close at 42-30.
My guess is that by the end of the year its Gavin , Derrick and Noah at the 1,2 and 3
I'm pretty confident that those three get more then 30 per game combined

 

[Mr Magoo]

We needed Cam and didn’t need Paul…until Cam left, then we needed Paul. Paul knew it and left anyway.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

mental gymnastics. Like I said in my edit… they are not here. So let’s stop obsessing over them.

I'm not obsessing, RU is going to be fine and better in 24-25 without both players in the way. It's the narrative that somehow RU is going to be worse without them, that's somewhat funny. The team didn't make the NCAAs and went to the NIT and some fans want to keep posting about either player.....what is the worse thing that can happen to RU this year, that we make the NIT again?? If that's the standard some fans have, not sure I agree with that.

And there are fans reluctant to understand facts or in full denial. There is the #1 reason why transfers occur in college sports.....there are some isolated others like a family situation or goal to be closer to home or follow an assistant coach who has left for another job. But the overwhelming time transfers occur is based primarily on PLAYING TIME or lack of starting or reduction in playing time.

If fans want to keep their heads in the sand and think transfers are 100% based on NIL, maybe once in awhile. OR maybe the players playing time would be reduced or other players incoming would cut into that playing time.

To not acknowledge Gavin Griffiths, Derek Simpson and bringing in Noah Fernandes as a transfer BEFORE either Spencer or Mulcahy decided to suddenly transfer, would be ignoring the facts. To say neither Spencer nor Mulcahy would have their minutes reduced, is illogical.

 

[snowboarder]

Through a handful of games, Cam is 2nd in scoring and minutes on last year's national champion. They have yet to lose. We are worse this year without him.

I agree with you on your conclusion.

Through a handful of games, Cam is 2nd in scoring and minutes on last year's national champion. They have yet to lose. We are worse this year without him.

The first 2 sentences have nothing to do with the third sentence and that's actually my point.
Cam's a good player and he will do well this year at UConn but we will be better if Derrick and Gavin both play to their potential.

 

[rubaseball78]

5 games in and people are making proclamations

Proclamations were being made at halftime of game 1.

 

[essexknight]

Actually, while he has played great, he has been their 2nd best player. Tristen Newton has been playing out of this world to start the season. In addition to leading them in scoring and assists, as a point guard he has averaged over 8 rebounds a game.

Newton and Karaban are both better and more important to UConn than Cam.

Cam is not the focal point of the offense there. Here he would be first or second option.

Guys like Simpson and Griffiths can take advantage of this opportunity for more shots and PT.