Thoughts after Morgan State

[bac2therac]

First of all, Rutgers now has 7 wins, they had only 7 wins all of last season. They had only won 7 of their last 47 games, now Rutgers has won 7 of their last 8 games. Thats an incredible turnaround for the program given the losing culture under Jordan and the complete hopelessness. Pikiell has brought hope to the program and the fanbase. So above any criticisms that must be said or concerns going forward, you have to acknowledge where we were and where we are at now. Recruiting is where Pikiell will turn the program around. This particular team is not going to the NCAA tourney this year or next. It can perhaps be a NIT team next season. This year is all about getting better, improving the perception and trying to show recruits that RU can win and can win with a coaching staff like Pikiell has assembled.

I keep finding myself saying that this team is flawed. They just are not good shooters. Thats not going to change. They will not win games with shooting. They will win some games with hard work, heart, and energy. Last night was probably the worst overall effort of the season across the board. It raises red flags for those hoping for 6-8 Big 10 victories because it shows how limited we are when the 100% effort for 40 minutes isn't there. Sanders, Laurent and Johnson need to step up their game. Yes they arent great shooters but they really are getting in a funk. Going forward RU will need alot more production and consistency from them to pull out conference victories. Younger guys like Thiam and Sa have shown promise but its clear they are aways off from being difference makers. For now the older more experienced guys need to show the way. Mike Williams is doing an impressive job stepping things up, but he needs help.

There are alot of things that need to be cleaned up before conference play. Morgan State was a bad team with one shooter that got hot but RU somehow allowed them to be in the game earlier and then struggled somewhat to put them away. At first I was disappointed with the team but then realized that they still are learning how to win and how to put teams away. Its a young team, I am going to cut them some slack for not lowering the hammer last night. I think the strong start recordwise raised expectations a bit on what to expect. These games will not always be crisp and sharp. Last night was an example. Still RU dug down and went on a couple runs when they needed to. Improving on this is what I look for in 3 upcoming games that I think are potentially dangerous although on paper RU should be favored to win them all. FDU, Stony Brook and Fordham are all not particularly good but they are solid enough given what we have seen to give RU trouble. These 3 games to me are where I will be measuring progress of the players and coaching staff and should give a good indication of whether we are ready to take it to the next level to go from beating the dregs of college basketball to beating the likes of Penn State and Northwestern when conference season begins.

 

[higgins3]

I agree-lots to clean up.

Pace of play stands out most. Too much was forced.

Their first three games were the best, but I have a feeling they pull it together. I said the same to my brother, that was a really poor performance by RU. Give a little credit to Morgan state for being crafty on drives, but we were also playing like 5th graders inside.

I would like to see more plays ran for Gettys, pick and rolls, pick and pops. He has a smooth stroke. 7 and 7 and very efficient.

Piekiell still trying to get Thiam as much time as possible. Our guard play right now is pretty poor, and the guys MUST go back to basics of shooting. Basics of taking the right shot, in the right place.

Still a lot of basketball to be played. That was the loudest I have heard the RAC. I sit all the way at the top, and the student section was roaring.

Build it and they will come...RAC might become a student destination

 

[mikefla]

Most 1st year coaches need to get a pass because they dont win MANY games, if any
our last coach was NOT in his 1st year and won only 7 games ALL year..despite a cupcake OOC sched

Pikiell is winning the easy ones,,,,because he has altered his ultimate game plan to fit who we have
he doesnt even have HIS guys in place yet

we are what we are
-a first year team
-under a first year coach

enjoy whatever success he is having

 

[biazza38]

I'll take the win. I didn't get to watch, but I would have loved a 20 point win.

In other news, Iowa lost to Nebraska Omaha. That makes me appreciate the Hartford win even more.

 

[Dpgru]

I agree with the OP's assessment and yes we did not play well, but we won. That on itself is an improvement. This team is flawed on the offensive end and against quality competition it will show up more often than not. But if there was one thing that bothered me about this game it was the tech fouls. We got of to a slow start. Took a lead at half time and then in the second half we came out and took control and opened a double digit lead. It was exactly the point in the game where a good team puts the lesser team away. Instead, we get caught up in something, double techs, then CJ does something, another tech, fouls shots get made, the ball goes back to Morgan St. And before you know it the spread is down to 7. Why, against a team of that quality, are we getting tech fouls. That isn't a talent issue, it is maturity. Remember, Sanders had an issue with a tech the other night. When we do get into a winnable game we can't get caught up in issues that lead to techs and lose control of a game.

 

[RU MAN]

First of all, Rutgers now has 7 wins, they had only 7 wins all of last season. They had only won 7 of their last 47 games, now Rutgers has won 7 of their last 8 games. Thats an incredible turnaround for the program given the losing culture under Jordan and the complete hopelessness. Pikiell has brought hope to the program and the fanbase. So above any criticisms that must be said or concerns going forward, you have to acknowledge where we were and where we are at now. Recruiting is where Pikiell will turn the program around. This particular team is not going to the NCAA tourney this year or next. It can perhaps be a NIT team next season. This year is all about getting better, improving the perception and trying to show recruits that RU can win and can win with a coaching staff like Pikiell has assembled.

I keep finding myself saying that this team is flawed. They just are not good shooters. Thats not going to change. They will not win games with shooting. They will win some games with hard work, heart, and energy. Last night was probably the worst overall effort of the season across the board. It raises red flags for those hoping for 6-8 Big 10 victories because it shows how limited we are when the 100% effort for 40 minutes isn't there. Sanders, Laurent and Johnson need to step up their game. Yes they arent great shooters but they really are getting in a funk. Going forward RU will need alot more production and consistency from them to pull out conference victories. Younger guys like Thiam and Sa have shown promise but its clear they are aways off from being difference makers. For now the older more experienced guys need to show the way. Mike Williams is doing an impressive job stepping things up, but he needs help.

There are alot of things that need to be cleaned up before conference play. Morgan State was a bad team with one shooter that got hot but RU somehow allowed them to be in the game earlier and then struggled somewhat to put them away. At first I was disappointed with the team but then realized that they still are learning how to win and how to put teams away. Its a young team, I am going to cut them some slack for not lowering the hammer last night. I think the strong start recordwise raised expectations a bit on what to expect. These games will not always be crisp and sharp. Last night was an example. Still RU dug down and went on a couple runs when they needed to. Improving on this is what I look for in 3 upcoming games that I think are potentially dangerous although on paper RU should be favored to win them all. FDU, Stony Brook and Fordham are all not particularly good but they are solid enough given what we have seen to give RU trouble. These 3 games to me are where I will be measuring progress of the players and coaching staff and should give a good indication of whether we are ready to take it to the next level to go from beating the dregs of college basketball to beating the likes of Penn State and Northwestern when conference season begins.

Bac, very insightful post. The only thing I would add is that I think part of the reason why we were rather flat yesterday is because as SP stated "We only had one day of practice and didn't know that much about this team..." I would agree that we're a young team, an inexperienced team that's getting used to playing together and winning together, you're bound to have games like this where the shooting is way off. Still, there's no doubt that we desperately need outside shooting going forward. We need more from Thiam and Laurent (is he in the doghouse with SP?) It was good however, to see Freeman get back to form after being underwhelming against a very good and athletic Miami team. It was also good to see CJ play so well as he should against inferior teams. But we need more consistency from the outside. I still think Nigel and Corey are better suited for dribble and drive, but also jump shots inside the arc. That IMO is where both guards need to be able to drill their jump shots.

As we know the real test will be in the B1G schedule. I'm still hopeful we will win at least five possibly six B1G games with most of those wins coming at home in front of a very supportive and raucous crowd. If somehow SP and team could win 16 games this season, it will be huge for the program going forward. That's because SP not only can sell the program NOW, but also show potential recruits the reality of our new $100+ million dollar facility that's going to open in two years. SP and staff know how much we need jump shooters.

 

[RUMBA-JK]

This obviously is not a year where Pikiell & the coach staff have begun the season with a highly finished product - or a team fully in sync with exquisitely polished skills - Nope - this is - in many ways a truck load of unfinished raw material - with various vital pieces still missing. It is great that games are being won - but this year, the actual wins are of less importance than building the winning attitude, being in every game, learning a coherent game plan - having key players emerge & step into critical roles.
This year there may be games where a win might be able to be picked up against an over matched opponent by brute force & Pikiell & Co. might make everyone crazy & run the risk of a close loss because they push the team to play with refined technique & to "follow the plan".
Wins will still be significant this year - but incrementally improving every game may well be the most important factor for the long term.

 

[RUEd]

I'll take the win. I didn't get to watch, but I would have loved a 20 point win.

In other news, Iowa lost to Nebraska Omaha. That makes me appreciate the Hartford win even more.

FDU gave Ohio St a battle so we need to be careful

 

[richthedentist]

One thing Pikell said when he was interviewed on the radio is that he had no time to prepare for Morgan State and it was a defense they hadn't seen all year. He also has said it numerous times that he knows we do not have shooters and it is what it is but he also in his post game comments always talks about halftime adjustments which I don't think we have ever made any adjustments. We will probably steal 2-3 games where if the crowd shows up at the RAC and we have a couple of hot shooting games.

 

[RUJMM78]

The progress seen this season is that Rutgers is defeating all the out of conference opponents that they are supposed to defeat which obviously increases the win total.The shooting woes isn't a surprise because it has been going on for many seasons.Nobody knows the number of league wins this season but each one will probably be a grind out effort with poor shooting by both teams.

 

[bac2therac]

I agree with the OP's assessment and yes we did not play well, but we won. That on itself is an improvement. This team is flawed on the offensive end and against quality competition it will show up more often than not. But if there was one thing that bothered me about this game it was the tech fouls. We got of to a slow start. Took a lead at half time and then in the second half we came out and took control and opened a double digit lead. It was exactly the point in the game where a good team puts the lesser team away. Instead, we get caught up in something, double techs, then CJ does something, another tech, fouls shots get made, the ball goes back to Morgan St. And before you know it the spread is down to 7. Why, against a team of that quality, are we getting tech fouls. That isn't a talent issue, it is maturity. Remember, Sanders had an issue with a tech the other night. When we do get into a winnable game we can't get caught up in issues that lead to techs and lose control of a game.

great point about those technicals which actually put Morgan State back into the game, the lead went from like 15 to 7. Not good decision making and you are correct, no reason for two of them in a game against an overmatched opponent. Thats about 4 of these on the year, have to clean it up

 

[ColonelRutgers]

That T against Gettys was absolute horsebleep by that official. I'm not blaming Gettys for that at all. Even worse than the bs T against Sanders a few games ago. No clue about the other one yesterday but these officials need to chill out.

 

[RU-ROCS]

The progress seen this season is that Rutgers is defeating all the out of conference opponents that they are supposed to defeat which obviously increases the win total.The shooting woes isn't a surprise because it has been going on for many seasons.Nobody knows the number of league wins this season but each one will probably be a grind out effort with poor shooting by both teams.

As I've pointed out in other threads we pretty much did that last year too, but the schedule was harder earlier. We did not lose to a team with a Sagarin rating higher than 300 last year. We were 5-0 against those teams. This year all of our wins (except DePaul) are against teams in that same 300-plus range. The proof of our improvement will be in games against Fordham, SHU and the Big10.

 

[Dpgru]

That T against Gettys was absolute horsebleep by that official. I'm not blaming Gettys for that at all. Even worse than the bs T against Sanders a few games ago. No clue about the other one yesterday but these officials need to chill out.

In the post game CJ said he didn't know what he did and coach said he was not told. Replay showed no interaction between CJ and anyone else so the ref either heard him say something inappropriate or thought he said something inappropriate. If this were the only time it happened it would be meaningless but we have received several techs this season thus far and that has to be cleaned up. Look how we went from 15 to 7 in a heartbeat. Can't afford it.

 

[80RU]

As I've pointed out in other threads we pretty much did that last year too, but the schedule was harder earlier. We did not lose to a team with a Sagarin rating higher than 300 last year. We were 5-0 against those teams. This year all of our wins (except DePaul) are against teams in that same 300-plus range. The proof of our improvement will be in games against Fordham, SHU and the Big10.

This is a good analysis. Our shooting has actually fallen off a bit– – our percentages now against a very easy pre-conference schedule are a bit below last year's totals including the league schedule and a tougher out of the league schedule. So we have to conclude that we have regressed in that department. The rebounding is obviously a huge plus and exceeds even what I expected given the superior depth and size of this year's team. But the jury is still out on to what extent it will be maintained. Anything less than six or seven more wins than last year would have to be considered very disappointing considering the added depth and size. The bottom line is really that based on the information you provided, the jury is still out. I am hoping for a big improvement, (15-16 wins or so) but we just don't have much of an idea what we will get yet.

 

[Dpgru]

As I've pointed out in other threads we pretty much did that last year too, but the schedule was harder earlier. We did not lose to a team with a Sagarin rating higher than 300 last year. We were 5-0 against those teams. This year all of our wins (except DePaul) are against teams in that same 300-plus range. The proof of our improvement will be in games against Fordham, SHU and the Big10.

Drexel is also below 300 (currently at 230 something by sagarin). Central conn is above 300 but FDU, Stonybrook, Fordham, and obviously SHU are all below or well below the 300 range. So you are correct, we will learn more from our final 4 OOC games than we did from the first half. One big difference however is we have already demonstrated we can compete with teams as high as Miami whereas last year most of those games were not just foregone conclusion losses but blowout losse.

 

[knights1212]

We are shooting 3's worse than last season. We should be better as Johnson was advertised as an excellent 3 point shooter. Hopefully he can start hitting some. Corey hit I think 31% last year but he rarely shot from the top of the key. He usually shot from the right or left of the key. I think he is having a tough time running the point from the top of the key. Mike Williams is hitting shots at a higher percentage. Issa needs to start hitting again from 3. If guys relax I would hope we can get to about 33% which would be fine.

 

[willisneverrana43]

Johnson was advertised as an excellent 3 point shooter. . . .

By whom?

 

[KnightsofChrome]

This team will win if everyone(EVERYONE) puts in the effort at both boards, and on Defense. They MUST look at free throw's, as potential winning points, and not as the continuation of a foul. They can't shoot three pointers. Learn to shoot the 10-12 footer first! Too often they pass up that shot to throw the ball out to the three point line. Why!? Shoot the 10 footer! Do this every game and they will surprise many people. Still, we are on the right track.

 

[RU-ROCS]

By whom?

Johnson shot 34% from 3 his soph year at KSU. On RU, that counts as "excellent."

 

[willisneverrana43]

And 27% the year before with more shots. You see what you want to see.

I'm sure his shooting percentage this year will improve. It's too low to be real. But there was nothing much beyond hopefulness to slot him in as a reliable 3-point shooter.

And, to my original point, I don't recall any "advertising" of him that way, at least other than fan hopes on this board. He seems talented in other ways and a good guard, but not so much shooting.

 

[bac2therac]

And 27% the year before with more shots. You see what you want to see.

I'm sure his shooting percentage this year will improve. It's too low to be real. But there was nothing much beyond hopefulness to slot him in as a reliable 3-point shooter.

And, to my original point, I don't recall any "advertising" of him that way, at least other than fan hopes on this board. He seems talented in other ways and a good guard, but not so much shooting.

Eddie Jordan and his most adamant supporter said Johnson was the second coming of Magic Johnson. Nigel is a solid player no doubt but he isnt a game changer for the program, he is a solid cog in the rebuilding wheel

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

A few thoughts....

I think the team is regressing short term. It is a combination of some fatigue and the new coach honeymoon ending and the embedded poor way things were done in the past. I still think a lot of it is part of the 3 steps forward and 2 steps backward progress. It will be very interesting how Pikiell handles upper classmen not giving enough effort and not executing on the defensive end.

I think the freshmen have limited offensive games in 2016-17, but are giving the effort, are better off ball defenders, and seem to show a high basketball IQ. I think they need to play despite being liabilities offensively (I am taking about Issa and Eugene).

Despite poor relative results in my mind over the past 5 games I think we will do OK in the B1G. A few things to keep in mind....
1. We will go from a team that our opponent looks forward to beating to an easy team on the schedule
2. Student section and weaker home B1G opponents can help us get 3-5 home victories
3. We won't keep shooting this bad...I am a reversion to the mean guy. the mean is still VERY POOR, but reversion to that mean is large.
4. We will see man to man defense 90+% of the time. Trust me on this one. Very few B1G team is going to adjust their way of playing for Rutgers. In addition, why let the variability of an outside shot dictate a game. Only teams that play some zone could use it against us. Combine playing zone and point #1 and then all of a sudden DREB becomes an issue for our opponent,

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Eddie Jordan and his most adamant supporter said Johnson was the second coming of Magic Johnson. Nigel is a solid player no doubt but he isnt a game changer for the program, he is a solid cog in the rebuilding wheel

They were wrong, Nigel hasn't grown.

 

[willisneverrana43]

Eddie Jordan and his most adamant supporter said Johnson was the second coming of Magic Johnson. Nigel is a solid player no doubt but he isnt a game changer for the program, he is a solid cog in the rebuilding wheel

True. I remember that. But I also thought that, except for maybe a few, everyone saw that for what it was.

 

[RutgHoops]

They were wrong, Nigel hasn't grown.

As a player or size wise? He is a better player now than he was at K State in my opinion.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

As a player or size wise? He is a better player now than he was at K State in my opinion.

Magic was 6'9''!!!!! that's what i meant.

I think he gets an incomplete grade so far. There is no doubt his skill set is oriented to playing against man defense. I do think he is our best on ball defender right now.

 

[RutgHoops]

Magic was 6'9''!!!!! that's what i meant.

I think he gets an incomplete grade so far. There is no doubt his skill set is oriented to playing against man defense. I do think he is our best on ball defender right now.

I'd argue Sa is our best on ball defender. But he and Nigel are 1 and 2.

 

[goru7]

Eddie Jordan and his most adamant supporter said Johnson was the second coming of Magic Johnson. Nigel is a solid player no doubt but he isnt a game changer for the program, he is a solid cog in the rebuilding wheel

What was said, was that Nigel was just as good if not better than Corey. Keep your facts straight since you usually play loose with them. So far it is clear he is the better defender than Corey, his jump shot although not connecting as well as we would have hoped for % wise, is better than Corey, and his rebounding and hops are equal to or better than Corey . Corey is still the better point guard and probably a better finisher. However, the point that was made last year is that having Corey and Nigel will make us a lot better as compared to Corey and DANIELS . Hopefully you can at least agree with one of these points and be happy instead of trying to throw a cheap shot at someone when you cannot even recall what was said accurately.

 

[jellyman]

Several comments on the shooting, only:

1) We are still talking about a small sample size here. Johnson has just 28 attempts ... he is shooting 21%, but if he were shooting 32% he would have just 9 3-pointers, rather than 6 3-pointers: Not a material difference, though it would be 1 additional point per game. Sander is the same: Just 15 3-point attempts this year (1 made) ... if the next game he hits 3 of 4, he goes to 4 for 19 ... if over the next 3 games he goes 5 for 7, let's say, he goes to 6-22 ... still not great, but 27%. My point is these are still very small samples. There WILL be a game where RU goes something like 9-22 from 3 ... it would seem inevitable. And RU might upset some team, if that is the right game.

2) Nigel Johnson is shooting 21% from 3 - that would not seem likely to last. There is no reason he should not be at least a 30-32% 3-point shooter. That is not great, but no worse than RU's top 3-point shooters from last season. But right now he IS worse.

3) Williams has improved, though still a small sample size, to 37% 3-point FG, from 31.5% from last year.

4) Sanders WILL hit some 3's at some point: He is not going to keep shooting 7% ... he shot 31.5% last year.

5) Thiam is shooting a reasonable 33% from 3 - no reason to presume that will either go up, or down a lot. But he WILL have games where he goes 0-4, or 1-5 or so ... and other games where he hits 3-4 or 3-5. Live with it.

Overall, RU is hitting 27% f its 3's, versus last season hitting 32% ... RU is missing Grier, RU's best 3-point shooter from last season (40%). But I would still expect RU to approach 32% to 33% for the season, in the end. That is not great, but better than it is now. TO DATE, a 32% 3-point FG shooting would have meant 7 additional 3-pointers over 8 games, or 21 additional points (2.7 points per game more). A 33% 3-point FG would have meant another 1.5 3's beyond a 32% 3-point shooting ... or just over 3 points per game more than RU's current scoring.

In SOME games that difference could make a large difference. For example, against Hartford, RU shot 33% from 3, and won by just 2 points ... shooting JUST 33% from 3 versus RU's season average of 27% WAS the difference between a win and a loss (27% would have been 1 less 3-pointer, and a loss).

Just adding some perspective on shooting.

 

[higgins3]

Several comments on the shooting, only:

1) We are still talking about a small sample size here. Johnson has just 28 attempts ... he is shooting 21%, but if he were shooting 32% he would have just 9 3-pointers, rather than 6 3-pointers: Not a material difference, though it would be 1 additional point per game. Sander is the same: Just 15 3-point attempts this year (1 made) ... if the next game he hits 3 of 4, he goes to 4 for 19 ... if over the next 3 games he goes 5 for 7, let's say, he goes to 6-22 ... still not great, but 27%. My point is these are still very small samples. There WILL be a game where RU goes something like 9-22 from 3 ... it would seem inevitable. And RU might upset some team, if that is the right game.

2) Nigel Johnson is shooting 21% from 3 - that would not seem likely to last. There is no reason he should not be at least a 30-32% 3-point shooter. That is not great, but no worse than RU's top 3-point shooters from last season. But right now he IS worse.

3) Williams has improved, though still a small sample size, to 37% 3-point FG, from 31.5% from last year.

4) Sanders WILL hit some 3's at some point: He is not going to keep shooting 7% ... he shot 31.5% last year.

5) Thiam is shooting a reasonable 33% from 3 - no reason to presume that will either go up, or down a lot. But he WILL have games where he goes 0-4, or 1-5 or so ... and other games where he hits 3-4 or 3-5. Live with it.

Overall, RU is hitting 27% f its 3's, versus last season hitting 32% ... RU is missing Grier, RU's best 3-point shooter from last season (40%). But I would still expect RU to approach 32% to 33% for the season, in the end. That is not great, but better than it is now. TO DATE, a 32% 3-point FG shooting would have meant 7 additional 3-pointers over 8 games, or 21 additional points (2.7 points per game more). A 33% 3-point FG would have meant another 1.5 3's beyond a 32% 3-point shooting ... or just over 3 points per game more than RU's current scoring.

In SOME games that difference could make a large difference. For example, against Hartford, RU shot 33% from 3, and won by just 2 points ... shooting JUST 33% from 3 versus RU's season average of 27% WAS the difference between a win and a loss (27% would have been 1 less 3-pointer, and a loss).

Just adding some perspective on shooting.

Sanders will hit some 3's, but with our opponents getting A LOT better, why would this number increase?

Nonetheless, I am undecided on the 3pt shot so far. I think Pikiell understands we are not a great shooting team at the moment. He would be smart in telling the guys to drive and draw fouls. Driving is a higher percentage shot, and getting opponents fouls is a smart move.

We will see what happens. Does anyone have evidence that you have to be a great 3pt shooting team to be a really good team?Its important, but is it everything?I am not sure.

For right now, keep driving. Get better looks for threes. I'd like to see Gettys in some more P and R situations. I do not mind this offense though. Concepts seem easy to grasp for players, which is the most important thing.

 

[Rutgers Rah]

In the post game CJ said he didn't know what he did and coach said he was not told. Replay showed no interaction between CJ and anyone else so the ref either heard him say something inappropriate or thought he said something inappropriate. If this were the only time it happened it would be meaningless but we have received several techs this season thus far and that has to be cleaned up. Look how we went from 15 to 7 in a heartbeat. Can't afford it.

I was standing first row in the student section and he said something along the lines of "get that s*** out of here". Just your classic trash talk, was bs call by the ref. Even the Morgan State kids didn't understand the foul

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I was standing first row in the student section and he said something along the lines of "get that s*** out of here". Just your classic trash talk, was bs call by the ref. Even the Morgan State kids didn't understand the foul

Which deserves a T.

 

[SleepingGiantIsAwake]

Gettys got a T for taunting. I saw it and agreed with the call. No need to get stupid and get a T.

 

[bac2therac]

What was said, was that Nigel was just as good if not better than Corey. Keep your facts straight since you usually play loose with them. So far it is clear he is the better defender than Corey, his jump shot although not connecting as well as we would have hoped for % wise, is better than Corey, and his rebounding and hops are equal to or better than Corey . Corey is still the better point guard and probably a better finisher. However, the point that was made last year is that having Corey and Nigel will make us a lot better as compared to Corey and DANIELS . Hopefully you can at least agree with one of these points and be happy instead of trying to throw a cheap shot at someone when you cannot even recall what was said accurately.

I dont think Johnson is better than Corey, Corey is actually finally being coached to do something more than he was last year to make the team better. While he has struggled at this new role throught the first 8 games, I will still say he is the better player. I never doubted that Johnson was going to add something to the team, of course much of the arguments last year was bogged down in guys like you with your convoluted arguments on why Jordan needed to come back...that was over the top, as was Jordan's comments about Magic, maybe it wasnt his supporters was said but they were buying into some dramatic upgrade from last year to this, one even said they were the best backcourt in the Big 10 so while Johnson is a key component that helps, thats all right now.

 

[RutgHoops]

I dont think Johnson is better than Corey, Corey is actually finally being coached ....

Could have stopped right there. Four high schools in four years and Eddie last year. Not a knock on EJ (well, maybe a little bit), but this kid is finally getting developmental coaching. If he takes to the coaching he has a chance to be really good. If he doesn't he'll be Seagears.

Corey leads the team in minutes thus far for a reason. And Nigel has been much better than I thought he'd be. I'm a fan.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Corey leads the team in minutes thus far for a reason. .

Exactly...not by a little, a lot.

In my mind (and Pikiell) he is the only constant. All other players minutes are variable.

 

[goru7]

I dont think Johnson is better than Corey, Corey is actually finally being coached to do something more than he was last year to make the team better. While he has struggled at this new role throught the first 8 games, I will still say he is the better player. I never doubted that Johnson was going to add something to the team, of course much of the arguments last year was bogged down in guys like you with your convoluted arguments on why Jordan needed to come back...that was over the top, as was Jordan's comments about Magic, maybe it wasnt his supporters was said but they were buying into some dramatic upgrade from last year to this, one even said they were the best backcourt in the Big 10 so while Johnson is a key component that helps, thats all right now.

If you cannot see how Nigel is a tremendous upgrade from Daniels, which in turn makes our backcourt one of the best in the conference, I cannot help you and your eyes. You also said that having Nigel and Deshawn back along with Doorson made little difference to you. Actually it makes quite a difference. Pikiell has done a great job demanding defense and rebounding and in fact coaching. He also has at his disposal a full 10 guys, Big and small, and is not caught in too many mismatches . Bringing in CJ and Candido are great additions and contributors but without the core Eddie guys, Corey, Mike, Nigel ! Deshawn , Shaquille and Issa , coach would not have the flexibility he has now.
Let's get this out of the way once and for all, Eddie was a lousy college coach, with his NBA style and failure to listen or hire good assistants and constantly coach the kids. He assumed they could just do things at this level , which was so wrong. But he did not have a fair fight last year when the team got hurt and depleted. Coach Pikiell is an experienced head college coach with a great staff, who are being paid more than was ever paid before, that coaches and teaches and demands good performances. His substitution patters are seamless something Eddie had a hard time with.
Overall, it is a tremendous upgrade with Coach Pikiell and the better fit.
Now everyone including you and I as long time basketball fans and long time season ticket holders should be thrilled with this team and our new coach and his staff. This whole team is going to compete this year despite the fact that all the Big 10 teams have gotten better this year and there are no gimme games period..The best thing is that the whole team except CJ is back next year to make an NCAA run with senior leadership , which we have not had around here in a long time . Maybe even better the recruiting this Coach and this staff will be doing for 2018 could finally get us the talent we have craved if a winning product with great potential is being displayed every night . So stop with your references to what Eddie did or did not do and make your points without throwing a dig in at every opportunity. That should not be so difficult .

 

[bac2therac]

I never said he wasn't an upgrade from Daniels....also I never said they would'nt make a difference..the whole discussion last year was infected with you incessant crying to keep Jordan

 

[rubaseball78]

And where a ways away from having one of the best backcourt a in the Big 10.