The sky is not falling

[ouchmyknee]

I posted this in the Nigel thread but thought it would be useful on its own.

I like Nigel, but the reality is that he was an undersized SG on a team with too many undersized SGs. It might hurt a little next season, but I don't know how much. I've heard that the staff has had a plan for the roster since day one and this loss allows them to plug in a player that better fits their vision. FWIW, based on a recent recruiting update I've heard from a buddy, RU will have more options for incoming players than we've had in many many years, which is a testament to the work this staff has been putting in. Expect a player to be plugged in that is a little different than what we typically see here. I think we'll see someone more in line with the type of high-iq players a lot of the good mid-majors seem to have, which will do us well IMO.

Coach knows the team has weaknesses and he's going to recruit to fill roles, even if it means not recruiting the stud players that we all want.

 

[RUJMM78]

I posted this in the Nigel thread but thought it would be useful on its own.

I like Nigel, but the reality is that he was an undersized SG on a team with too many undersized SGs. It might hurt a little next season, but I don't know how much. I've heard that the staff has had a plan for the roster since day one and this loss allows them to plug in a player that better fits their vision. FWIW, based on a recent recruiting update I've heard from a buddy, RU will have more options for incoming players than we've had in many many years, which is a testament to the work this staff has been putting in. Expect a player to be plugged in that is a little different than what we typically see here. I think we'll see someone more in line with the type of high-iq players a lot of the good mid-majors seem to have, which will do us well IMO.

Coach knows the team has weaknesses and he's going to recruit to fill roles, even if it means not recruiting the stud players that we all want.

The weakness of the team is scoring .High IQ players sounds good but what does it really mean for a team that lacks shooters?

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

There are a LOT of local recruits that are talented, but there are much more that are capable of playing within a team environment....there has to be something that separates what it will take as a piece to turn a program around vs overwhelming talent.

As much as the staff has to recruit and try and convince any one player to come to RU, you are better off with 5 CJ Gettys type of kids on your roster to rebuild than 5 more talented and me-first kids on your roster.

That doesn't mean the staff will get every recruit as a perfect fit, but a couple of "make the extra pass" players, or Mike Williams "dive for the loose ball/rebound" players are what's needed. Gettys and Williams are arguably the 4th and 5th most talented players from last years team, but are 1st in team oriented items.

The staff will get this team improved for next year and really more importantly, for 2018-2019 and 2020....

 

[SirScarlet]

The weakness of the team is scoring .High IQ players sounds good but what does it really mean for a team that lacks shooters?

Even with the limited scoring this team could have won four more games - as currently constituted - if we shot free throws better. My only point is that yes we need scorers but some different type of players would not be the end of the world either. That is if you believe - like I do - that next year is not the turnaround year, but another positive year along the process.

 

[Chanticleer108]

While it does hurt to loose NJ, as he made some strides scoring towards the end of the season and picked up some of the others slack, there were quite a bit WTF moments with him. One thing I noticed watching even the top NJ HS teams was that there was little to no concern for turnovers by the players (and there were a lot of them). To me, bone-headed plays and reckless, uncontrolled dribbling (and leaving his feet without a plan) was a problem that I saw with NJ. The basketball needs to be taken care of. I don't mean to beat up on the guy (and he wasn't the only one), but those types of moments are what leads to games getting out of reach. Every possession counts.

I might take some flak for this, but watch the team with Dadika handling the point. Yes, he is not a scorer. But when he handled the setup, the team LOOKED like it was running an offense. It was much smoother, quicker passes, etc. I saw a bit too much improvisation with some of our players, that frankly were just not capable against better talent. IMO, Mike Williams started to realize this about 75% of the way through the season. He played to his strengths, (rebounding, toughness) and it helped quite a bit. Freeman too; once he realized he was a SF, he was much better offensively against better competition. If you watch any of the top BIG teams, their offenses are smooth and quick. even against top defenses, this leads to players out of position and with adequate to good shooters, the open shot is made.

He will be missed as a talent, but I think with a true PG that can score, and more talented PF and C, we will be in good shape with this coaching staff.

 

[ScarletLongIsland]

Purge and replace with better pieces

 

[FELONIOUSMONK]

Actually a piece if it fell on my neighbor today and he was wearing an RU sweatshirt..Very spooky.

 

[Mr Magoo]

I posted this in the Nigel thread but thought it would be useful on its own.

I like Nigel, but the reality is that he was an undersized SG on a team with too many undersized SGs. It might hurt a little next season, but I don't know how much. I've heard that the staff has had a plan for the roster since day one and this loss allows them to plug in a player that better fits their vision. FWIW, based on a recent recruiting update I've heard from a buddy, RU will have more options for incoming players than we've had in many many years, which is a testament to the work this staff has been putting in. Expect a player to be plugged in that is a little different than what we typically see here. I think we'll see someone more in line with the type of high-iq players a lot of the good mid-majors seem to have, which will do us well IMO.

Coach knows the team has weaknesses and he's going to recruit to fill roles, even if it means not recruiting the stud players that we all want.

Really not that big of a deal. He only had one more year and "give or take" a couple of wins, I'd expect a season similar to this past one with or without him.

 

[albanyknight]

More than any coach who has come to the Banks including Greg Schiano and Chris Ash, I have the most confidence in Steve Pikiell to do what it takes to get us to the dance.

 

[seels2662]

I said this in another thread as well, taking a step backwards was going to happen no matter what, we need to start rebuilding this season and next season so we can come out of it as a post season contender.

 

[AshCatchEm]

I'm glad Nigel is gone..He was hurting our team