Strickland to Wisconsin.

[BigEastPhil]

Maybe Strickland felt his game and that of Geo are too similar and Geo should and will have the leverage. Also don't know for sure but I believe Wisconsin recruited him sooner and maybe harder and hence felt loyalties towards that which I respect and hope it's the same with us with Mulcahy.

Not going to win every recruiting battle......that's life......move on

 

[AshCatchEm]

True but we really lucked out that he was pushed out. Right now probably 90% of the 2018 class is committed so we are looking at the 10% left. I would rather punt and look at the whole field in 2019.

It really just depends what's out there..eugene was a late 4 year commitment. That worked out well.

 

[78CollegeAve]

Based on 247 and his offer sheets he has the following offers: SHU, St. Peters, SBrook, Niagara, St Joes, Quini, Umass, Hofstra, BUffalo, St Bonnie and EKU.

Doubt the SHU offer is commitable at this point and Bonnies seem to have the edge along with EKU

Not a point.

 

[soundcrib]

Maybe Matt should’ve stayed...

 

[Rutgers81]

Excuse my frustration but this is f'd up. Your comments are valid. What else do we need to do...jeez.

This kid made a safe pick. He was not up for the challenge. Coach wanted him to be a leader. Maybe he doesn't see himself that way.... a backup point guard is easy and safe. Being asked to lead a team with a losing history is not safe. It takes a special kid. Mike, Corey, Geo .... all special. I wish Kai well. He made his pick. Now we move on.

 

[DHajekRC84]

This question misses the point. There are states such as Alabama, Kansas, Missouri and dozens of others that are home to many white supremacists , KKK members and assorted other riffraff, and all of them attract black athletes to their universities. Why? Because Madison is not representative of the rest of Wisconsin no more than Lawrence or Tuscaloosa represent Kansas or Alabama. All of these college towns are usually bastions of progressive politics and diversity and create comfortable environments for all. The athlete is not choosing to live in Wisconsin or Kansas but to spend four years in an an environment that embraces

diverse cultures and liberal values. In that respect, Madison, Wisconsin is every bit a progressive
environment as New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Not even close though. I did a quick search and the diversity index for RU NB was like top 10 on the scale used ( .71) and you had to scroll forever to get down to wisky at .3.

Kids living in fla. And going to wisky is not the same as kids growing up in bama and going to bama.

There is something more to understand and I would just like to. PSU can do a white out just by having students show up....yet seems to be a dream for athletes of color.

Colorblind? If so I tip my cap. But I am not buying that just yet.

 

[BOGDANOVICH]

​

Not even close though. I did a quick search and the diversity index for RU NB was like top 10 on the scale used ( .71) and you had to scroll forever to get down to wisky at .3.

Kids living in fla. And going to wisky is not the same as kids growing up in bama and going to bama.

There is something more to understand and I would just like to. PSU can do a white out just by having students show up....yet seems to be a dream for athletes of color.

Colorblind? If so I tip my cap. But I am not buying that just yet.

 

[BOGDANOVICH]

I am not arguing that Wisconsin is more diverse than New Jersey. They are not. My point is that a place like Madison is different from the rest of Wisconsin in that it becomes an oasis of tolerance, racial harmony
and progressive politics and inclusion that make it very attractive for all multicultural students and athletes. As a state, New Jersey is more diverse and more liberal than Wisconsin, but Madison is not like the rest of Wisconsin.The college community there is at the forefront of liberal political activism.

 

[jonS]

I am not arguing that Wisconsin is more diverse than New Jersey. They are not. My point is that a place like Madison is different from the rest of Wisconsin in that it becomes an oasis of tolerance, racial harmony
and progressive politics and inclusion that make it very attractive for all multicultural students and athletes. As a state, New Jersey is more diverse and more liberal than Wisconsin, but Madison is not like the rest of Wisconsin.The college community there is at the forefront of liberal political activism.

My sister went to Wisconsin. Madison is a lovely city and state capital, Lake Mendota is beautiful , the campus is very nice and Wisconsin is a very fine academic school. So what's not to like when you include a great college atmosphere and an established fine basketball tradition?

 

[TDIrish27]

Smokey's Steak House------as good as you'll get anywhere. :):):)

 

[DHajekRC84]

need this..

 

[MV9000]

@1984 now theres some visual perspective and a dose of reality. RAC needs a major facelift. I love the render youve posted.

 

[higgins3]

I have decided I would rather Strickland commit and Sanders leave. Oh well. Doesn't always turn out the way you want.

Sanders back and fourth and attention to individual stats just make that decision for me. Strickland would have been a clean freshman slate.

Onto the next!

 

[jonS]

@1984 now theres some visual perspective and a dose of reality. RAC needs a major facelift. I love the render youve posted.

Absolutely true--there is nothing attractive about the RAC. It's dull looking , almost somber from the outside. It needs a major facelift or better yet, Rutgers building downtown arena in NB.

 

[TODDB33]

Absolutely true--there is nothing attractive about the RAC. It's dull looking , almost somber from the outside. It needs a major facelift or better yet, Rutgers building downtown arena in NB.

Yeah that would be great with all the parking area available. And would be east to get to. YEAh RIGHT. Money spent on new place could make RAC become a first class areana

 

[KevH]

need this..

When I looked at the first 2 pics, the first word that came to mind was OUCH.

 

[KevH]

Yeah that would be great with all the parking area available. And would be east to get to. YEAh RIGHT. Money spent on new place could make RAC become a first class areana

It surprises me how many people still bring up the downtown NB arena idea. I just don't see how it's doable, or even practical. How many cities do you know whose main streets only have one lane going each direction? It helps to have the train station there but, let's face it, more than half the fans are going to drive. For traffic and parking reasons alone, this idea's a non-starter. Pour those funds into a RAC remake.

 

[MadRU]

Building the practice facility right next to the RAC, looks like a sports complex to me.

 

[BIGRUBIGDBIGredmachine]

Ryan Connors just wrote an article that Tai will most likely be the backup to Brad Davison. Davison has 3 more years to play so who knows if Strickland will ever start. I really think he made a mistake. So much for him and his dad loving Karl Hobbs and all of our other coaches who were all point guards. I feel so bad for all of the visits our coaches made to Tampa to see him. I guess loyalty meant nothing in this case. We certainly let him know how badly we wanted him. He would have had major minutes at RU.

The more splinters Strickland picks the better. After riding the pines in Wisky for 2 years he can transfer down to UCF. #10thMan

 

[Degaz-RU]

Guys

I said this in the fall...and I’ll repeat

I wanted Mac

I wanted Strickland

But there is an undercurrent that people know that the guy the staff wants is mulchay ...REALLY wants and this is an influence to a 2018 PG when Baker is 2017 and mulchay is clear plan A, B, and C for 2019...

Do not under estimate this

Now, maybe the staff needs to be a little bit more key on who they think their plan A players ...maybe not. It worked for Mathis

If it works for Paul mulchay, then we aren’t crying about Mac or Strickland in two years

Risk, reward ...that’s why coaches get paid the big bucks

I dunno, Shack, do you really think a guy who we've only been recruiting for a couple of months is aware that we're "all in" on Mulcahy? And even if he WAS aware, would that really impact his decision? I mean, to outside observers, Mulcahy is a run of the mill 3-star combo guard, not some blue chip 4-star PG.

I just don't know how much influence it would have that we MIGHT land a guy NEXT YEAR who can play PG.

 

[soundcrib]

It surprises me how many people still bring up the downtown NB arena idea. I just don't see how it's doable, or even practical. How many cities do you know whose main streets only have one lane going each direction? It helps to have the train station there but, let's face it, more than half the fans are going to drive. For traffic and parking reasons alone, this idea's a non-starter. Pour those funds into a RAC remake.

Sears site. Redevelop and make it similar to the Somerset Patriots site with business, restaurants, and retail. The Johnson & Johnson Center.

I would agree though that the downtown arena dream died as soon as The Hub plans were decided.

 

[sct1111]

Sears site. Redevelop and make it similar to the Somerset Patriots site with business, restaurants, and retail. The Johnson & Johnson Center.

I would agree though that the downtown arena dream died as soon as The Hub plans were decided.

They're building a practice facility right next to the RAC on Livingston. Why in God's name would they put an arena on Cook?

The RAC needs a major facelift and it should be a priority.

 

[jerzeyguy]

Was hoping the exciting B10 run and early playing time would sway him our way

 

[Russ Wood]

Ryan Connors just wrote an article that Tai will most likely be the backup to Brad Davison. Davison has 3 more years to play so who knows if Strickland will ever start. I really think he made a mistake. So much for him and his dad loving Karl Hobbs and all of our other coaches who were all point guards. I feel so bad for all of the visits our coaches made to Tampa to see him. I guess loyalty meant nothing in this case. We certainly let him know how badly we wanted him. He would have had major minutes at RU.

Davison is more combo than point guard. He was forced to play on ball when point guard point guard D'Mitirk Trice missed most of the season with a leg injury.

The prevailing thought in Wisconsin is that Strickland will backup Trice and Davison will slide over a spot.

 

[ScarletArmor]

need this..

Well, when you compare it like that...

 

[KevH]

Sears site. Redevelop and make it similar to the Somerset Patriots site with business, restaurants, and retail. The Johnson & Johnson Center.

I would agree though that the downtown arena dream died as soon as The Hub plans were decided.

I think that Sears site is the only option even remotely possible in New Brunswick (See what I did there?), but having it nestled between route 18 and route 1 is a mixed blessing. Having direct access to route 1 is a plus, but that area can be brutal at the wrong time of day... especially if getting there via route 18. Still, it would be the best New Brunswick option I think. I know there's parking there already, but is it enough? Build a parking deck?

Then, the other issue, as implied by my pun, is it's as far away from the coming practice facility and the other sports facilities as it could be.

 

[BoxStater]

I am not arguing that Wisconsin is more diverse than New Jersey. They are not. My point is that a place like Madison is different from the rest of Wisconsin in that it becomes an oasis of tolerance, racial harmony
and progressive politics and inclusion that make it very attractive for all multicultural students and athletes. As a state, New Jersey is more diverse and more liberal than Wisconsin, but Madison is not like the rest of Wisconsin.The college community there is at the forefront of liberal political activism.

Yeah, and diversity demographics can be very deceiving as a Black male that has both attended undergrad at a Midwest school with Demographics comparable to Wisconsin & hung out in Madison before.

One key on campuses that aren’t as diverse is that the students of color can be more family like and inclusive because of their lower numbers.

It was a culture shock moving to NYC where initially it felt like every Black person had to differentiate themselves from being African-American.

And another thing is that some of these school like Wisconsin may also spend more money on retaining students of color in general via well staffed programs. Norman, Oklahoma comes to mind. No way I’d ever live there.

Where as I see a lot of tribalism on the east coast, IMO.

 

[SteveVA2]

I spent 10 years in Madison as a senior administrator after I retired from the federal government. It is one of the great college towns in the country. Other than the damn cold I miss it.

 

[shields]

Wisconsin is still damn cold.

 

[King of S]

Absolutely true--there is nothing attractive about the RAC. It's dull looking , almost somber from the outside. It needs a major facelift or better yet, Rutgers building downtown arena in NB.

Downtown arena? With whose money??

 

[jonS]

Downtown arena? With whose money??

State could issue bonds ; federal funds; fund drive , etc. Your new governor recently announced that he wanted to upgrade New Brunswick into an innovation center. Where there's a will politicians seem able to find the money....

 

[RUfanEst89]

Yeah, and diversity demographics can be very deceiving as a Black male that has both attended undergrad at a Midwest school with Demographics comparable to Wisconsin & hung out in Madison before.

One key on campuses that aren’t as diverse is that the students of color can be more family like and inclusive because of their lower numbers.

It was a culture shock moving to NYC where initially it felt like every Black person had to differentiate themselves from being African-American.

And another thing is that some of these school like Wisconsin may also spend more money on retaining students of color in general via well staffed programs. Norman, Oklahoma comes to mind. No way I’d ever live there.

Where as I see a lot of tribalism on the east coast, IMO.

Do you mean differentiate like Nigerian, Jamaican as opposed to African-American? Just wondering? If so from what I recall at Rutgers we did have different organizations/clubs for people of color, but we still associated with one another. Now maybe NYC is a little different, but not in my working environment.

 

[urbanecane]

It stinks to lose to a B10 foe, but I don't think this is earth shattering news. Tai is in the 300's on 24/7 and not on the Rivals 150. Wisconsin, RU and Minnesota all seemed to jump in last minute. If Pikiell was on this guy early like Geo Baker I would be more annoyed.

 

[TDIrish27]

No offer from Miami , FSU or Florida FWIW.

 

[kcg88]

No offer from Miami , FSU or Florida FWIW.

The issue is that we don't really have a great plan B for 2018 so far as I can tell.

 

[BoxStater]

Do you mean differentiate like Nigerian, Jamaican as opposed to African-American? Just wondering? If so from what I recall at Rutgers we did have different organizations/clubs for people of color, but we still associated with one another. Now maybe NYC is a little different, but not in my working environment.

Of course, I don’t know that experience with undergrads in NYC, but the question was why would a black male attend a school like Wisconsin which is close to 80% white versus Rutgers which is significantly more diverse overall.

And there is a lot of political science research showing that the more diverse communities are the more segregated they become.

https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/world/americas/05iht-diversity.1.6986248.html

 

[RUfanEst89]

I am not arguing that Wisconsin is more diverse than New Jersey. They are not. My point is that a place like Madison is different from the rest of Wisconsin in that it becomes an oasis of tolerance, racial harmony
and progressive politics and inclusion that make it very attractive for all multicultural students and athletes. As a state, New Jersey is more diverse and more liberal than Wisconsin, but Madison is not like the rest of Wisconsin.The college community there is at the forefront of liberal political activism.

Agree that we maybe put to much thought into off-campus/out of town life with kids.

Of course, I don’t know that experience with undergrads in NYC, but the question was why would a black male attend a school like Wisconsin which is close to 80% white versus Rutgers which is significantly more diverse overall.

And there is a lot of political science research showing that the more diverse communities are the more segregated they become.

https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/05/world/americas/05iht-diversity.1.6986248.html

Agreed. Also feel it depends on where the recruit grew up/went to school.

 

[Russ Wood]

No offer from Miami , FSU or Florida FWIW.

Lots of schools slept on Strickland.

Florida targeted five-stars Devon Dotson and Andrew Nembhard for PG and landed Nembhard.
FSU landed a combo guard named Devin something (I literally can't remember his name) plus has Trent Forrest coming back.
Miami could have used Tai because Lykes will be a sophomore but Newton graduates. I don't think they have anyone committed in 2018 but the FBI might have something to do with that

 

[RU76]

Completely gut/demolish the RAC. Play home games in The Barn, Newark, Princeton, wherever, while rebuilding the RAC the way it should have been constructed from the beginning.

 

[RUJMM78]

Building the practice facility right next to the RAC, looks like a sports complex to me.

When the practice facility is far more attractive than the RAC ,its a perception problem because fans spending money on entertainment don't go to the practice facility.Rutgers is competing against schools with the whole package of practice facility and arena which makes recruiting more difficult.Bottom tier sports programs either keep up with the competition or face the consequences of falling revenues and losing teams.