This team is fun. Enjoy the ride.
- Thread starter R1766U
- Start date
Although I've mostly enjoyed the Pike era greatly - I also think a change of pace is fun and can be exciting as well as something to look forward to rather than lament the risks. I get a kick out of driving a new, faster, slicker and sportier rental even if its only rented for a short time and I know that I'll eventually return to the comfort of my own lived-in older model with 150K on the odometer.
This season will still have its ups and downs as nothing is ever perfect. But as a fan - I'm throwing caution to the wind this season - for something that I've never experienced for RU Basketball in my fandom in terms of incoming talent. I've got my scarlet colored glasses on and going to enjoy a ride in the new 5 month leased Ferrari....potential flat tires from road hazards be damned!
I respect that......I want to win 1st. Honestly there are probably 2 or 3 preseasons that i was more optimstic than i am right now. In addition, I am not any more excited for this year than any other. In fact the opposite may be true.
You like riding the fast new Ferarri, but I like driving in a car I know. For me part of the fun is watching players over 4 (5 is too much!) years and every season having a few new faces sprinkled in to the players I have rooted for over the past few seasons. This year we are renting 2 guys that are here because the NBA won't let them in. Let's hope Pikiell can be both a great NASCAR (analogy ?) driver and a F1 driver.
I also like(ed) the idea of watching guys develop over a multi-year process. It's the same even in professional sports - for instance always more fun in baseball following and rooting for a guy who comes up through the farm system and stays for a long time.
However I've moved forward as the current reality we are dealing with looks more and more like 1-2 year propositions at most. Longer term development types will tend to depart for playing time on mids. High profile/ranked guys will look to get to the NBA faster and failing that will flow towards the NIL Bag of Cash. You may get a few middle-type solid performers who stay 2-3 seasons. Perhaps we are looking at them right now (i.e. Grant or Dorch). Og may stay for a 3rd as well. Guessing that JMike may look to transition with Ace leaving and not sure if Lathan will stick around - but we'll see.
I think once the RAC gets renovated and they do a reseting of season ticket seating I could see myself leaving college basketball. It is a combination of what you say above and the game FOR ME changing for the worse (3 point dominant and just less flow) .
i am already a bit disillusioned right now with the state of where college basketball is headed not to mention our debacle in the football conference. Its a whole bunch of things that this school will never be good at it...thats $$$, Overall we are a small fanbase without much of a national brand with little history of winning in any sport. That is not going away. Being in the Big 10 has helped but just as we were benefitting the rug has been pulled out from under us so that model is outdated
I have no intention of watching players get hundreds of thousands and jumping ship every year. I am already considering dropping the football season tix because duh I can always go to games if I want for cheaper and dont have to pay for 2 games against nobodies where the excitement factor is zero.
I have no intention of watching players get hundreds of thousands and jumping ship every year. I am already considering dropping the football season tix because duh I can always go to games if I want for cheaper and dont have to pay for 2 games against nobodies where the excitement factor is zero.
Enjoy this year to the fullest Bac
You've earned it - been a fan for many years and season ticket holder
I realize that as you post a lot about your feelings towards the the changing of the game.
I've actually become much more inclined and interested in Basketball since I coached my kids in Travel and CYO. I was never a good player but always been a fan....however more recently I've sought to gain a deeper understanding through reading, watching and listening (podcasts etc). I'm not anchored to the old ways of basketball but I do see how people can be frustrated watching a team hoist up 60 3's in a game. That being said, my interest and enjoyment is tied to the teams I root for more than the sanctity of keeping the game a certain way. So right now hope springs eternal for both RU and my Knicks. I'm all in this season!!
For me, some of the fun will come from the supporting cast around our two star players.
Hayes is the real deal as a shooter and he also has good instincts in the paint and a high motor — very easy to root for.
Martini’s intensity will be fun, watching him mix it up, hustle for loose balls and rebounds, and to knock down treys and FTs.
Derkack brings a level of competitiveness that is much needed, especially on defense.
Lathan, Grant and Dortch will have a chance to show us something in the early OOC games, and Lathan in particular appears to be a legit scorer who will have to figure out the defensive end.
Our returning players, Ogbole and JMike, seem improved, so hopefully we get a more refined version of them this year. And JWill I’m sure will bring an all-around great presence and leadership.
Lastly, we’ve yet to be treated to what Acuff can do. He’ll be a scorer for sure, and if he can hold his own on defense, he’ll be a fan favorite too.
Hayes is the real deal as a shooter and he also has good instincts in the paint and a high motor — very easy to root for.
Martini’s intensity will be fun, watching him mix it up, hustle for loose balls and rebounds, and to knock down treys and FTs.
Derkack brings a level of competitiveness that is much needed, especially on defense.
Lathan, Grant and Dortch will have a chance to show us something in the early OOC games, and Lathan in particular appears to be a legit scorer who will have to figure out the defensive end.
Our returning players, Ogbole and JMike, seem improved, so hopefully we get a more refined version of them this year. And JWill I’m sure will bring an all-around great presence and leadership.
Lastly, we’ve yet to be treated to what Acuff can do. He’ll be a scorer for sure, and if he can hold his own on defense, he’ll be a fan favorite too.
I don’t always agree wall the tinkering they do with the college game, but I can say that adding a shot clock was arguably one of the best changes that was made to the game. Another great change was limiting jump balls to only the start of the game. So rather than being nostalgic for an earlier flawed game, I do appreciate some of the changes that have been made. As for hope springs eternal, starting the season with hope for a deep run in what is arguably the most exciting postseason in all of sports is something that I hope won’t change. This in particular, there is a lot of reason for optimism!
Thanks for summary.
Agree with posters who want student section moved closer to baseline. Viewers at home can barely see the cheerleaders and students.
If Rutgers wants to add more premium seating, shrink the courtside sponsor signage (Prudential at St. John's game) and scorers tables and move the team benches toward the baselines, then add seats in the space create. MSG recently did this, adding approximately 20 seats to the sideline. MSG has maxed out baseline seats for years; I used to sit in them right next to visitors' bench.
If the players for our team keep changing at the rate it has been I will definitely lose some interest. Getting to know and follow the developing players is a big part of being a fan.
Winning would make up for that loss. But we'd have to win.
One reason to enjoy this year though is that a big part of the excitement is that it comes from NJ's second family of basketball (after the Hurleys) and their loyalty to RU. It won't be like this every year. But for me Dylan and Ace are more a part of this program than your typical NIL rentals.
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These are obviously fixable things. We expect freshman to get worked on D and learn fast. Let's see what the team is like Jan-March.
funny...my kid decided to play hockey so i went the opposite way. hockey is now my favorite sport (baseball close 2nd). I was all in hoops most of my life
When the RAC first opened, the seats behind the teams were bleachers without backs like the current student section. As a student back then I appreciated those seats were available to students. That changed when Rutgers decided to add more “premium” seats for paying season ticket holders. I can’t imagine how pissed season ticket holders will be if those seats are taken away, especially if they have paid for those seats for decades. Fans in those seats are probably also donating to the University and to NIL. No way do I see Rutgers going back and giving those seats to students. Is it fair that when I was a student those seats were for students, but now they aren’t. Probably not any more unfair than back then instate tuition was only $300 a semester and that I could pay for college by working over the summer.
I’m not into the day to day as many of you on this board are so I feel I can give a less biased assessment on this year’s edition.
As a player and former HS coach I’ve always been a “defense first” guy and I’m well aware of the breakdowns vs SJU. I’m also confident in the DNA of Pike’s program which consists of defense and grit and he has the gravitas to get the guys he needs to buy into their roles. But there is no substitute for consistent, reliable scoring talent and that’s what we have in Ace and Harper. Yes, I was disappointed with Ace’s lack of weakside help a couple of times vs SJ. That needs to be cleaned up. But I’m also confident the days of 4-8- minute FG droughts which have plagued us for years are gone.
As for lack of a defensive post presence, I’ll admit I’m ignorant to the landscape of the league’s big men offensive capability outside of Edey finally moving on. Will we miss Cliff as a rim protecter/shot blocker? Absolutely. But I was never high on his ability to body up and bang with the leagues better offensive players down on the blocks. I felt Myles was way better than Cliff in that regard. So while I’m not as upset about him moving on, it will be interesting to see if we have bigs ready to rise to the occasion.
It will be a fun season. How far we advance comes down to how well this team improves on the little things as the season moves on. Do I think we challenge for a regular season B1G title? No I don’t. Long, cold winter on the road in the B1G will test even the freshmen studs’ mettle. But if they “get it” and gel by Big Ten tourney time watch out. Could be an exciting March.
As a player and former HS coach I’ve always been a “defense first” guy and I’m well aware of the breakdowns vs SJU. I’m also confident in the DNA of Pike’s program which consists of defense and grit and he has the gravitas to get the guys he needs to buy into their roles. But there is no substitute for consistent, reliable scoring talent and that’s what we have in Ace and Harper. Yes, I was disappointed with Ace’s lack of weakside help a couple of times vs SJ. That needs to be cleaned up. But I’m also confident the days of 4-8- minute FG droughts which have plagued us for years are gone.
As for lack of a defensive post presence, I’ll admit I’m ignorant to the landscape of the league’s big men offensive capability outside of Edey finally moving on. Will we miss Cliff as a rim protecter/shot blocker? Absolutely. But I was never high on his ability to body up and bang with the leagues better offensive players down on the blocks. I felt Myles was way better than Cliff in that regard. So while I’m not as upset about him moving on, it will be interesting to see if we have bigs ready to rise to the occasion.
It will be a fun season. How far we advance comes down to how well this team improves on the little things as the season moves on. Do I think we challenge for a regular season B1G title? No I don’t. Long, cold winter on the road in the B1G will test even the freshmen studs’ mettle. But if they “get it” and gel by Big Ten tourney time watch out. Could be an exciting March.
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