Tidbits from Court Club Meeting

[ColonelRutgers]

For those wondering...

Coach Pikiell was his usual entertaining self & took tons of questions:

1. Schedule stuff:
   • Gavitt Games (B1G-Big East Challenge), B1G-ACC Challenge
   • Road games @ UMass, Fordham, Seton Hall
   • 20 B1G Conference games
   • Coach not interested in playing Princeton or Monmouth
2. Showed really cool video of RWJ Barnabas APC showing renderings and various level floor plans. Impressive. Hopefully will be shared online at some point so we can dissect it with a fine tooth comb. (no connection from APC to RAC in renderings if anyone was wondering)
3. Talked about the 5 players joining the active squad next year - Johnson, Kiss, Mathis, Carter, and Harper
4. Lots of members interested in talking about officiating - long discussion which I won't get into

Mike Greengarten, Director of Marketing and Fan Experience:

1. Lifelong Rutgers fan & alum
2. Poor guy raked over coals over not enough free t-shirts launched into 200 level, volume of PA, and people wanting to sit in the courtside seats that are already bought and paid for by other season ticket holders! (Just having fun, wasn't really raked over the coals, but still, come on, folks)
3. Has tons of video on standby for pre-game. Accepting video recommendations for video board pre-game fun like Trololo Russian guy, Minnie Riperton, etc
4. Intro "castle" pregame video filmed in Paterson over Summer. (Called Lambert Castle according to my Google machine)

BK last official meeting as Prez. During one of the bleakest periods for Rutgers basketball over the course of the 6 years of his reign, the Court Club was the best thing the program had going for it. Big shoes to fill.

 

[Local Shill]

For those wondering...

Coach Pikiell was his usual entertaining self & took tons of questions:

1. Schedule stuff:
   • Gavitt Games (B1G-Big East Challenge), B1G-ACC Challenge
   • Road games @ UMass, Fordham, Seton Hall
   • 20 B1G Conference games
   • Coach not interested in playing Princeton or Monmouth
2. Showed really cool video of RWJ Barnabas APC showing renderings and various level floor plans. Impressive. Hopefully will be shared online at some point so we can dissect it with a fine tooth comb. (no connection from APC to RAC in renderings if anyone was wondering)
3. Talked about the 5 players joining the active squad next year - Johnson, Kiss, Mathis, Carter, and Harper
4. Lots of members interested in talking about officiating - long discussion which I won't get into

Mike Greengarten, Director of Marketing and Fan Experience:

1. Lifelong Rutgers fan & alum
2. Poor guy raked over coals over not enough free t-shirts launched into 200 level, volume of PA, and people wanting to sit in the courtside seats that are already bought and paid for by other season ticket holders! (Just having fun, wasn't really raked over the coals, but still, come on, folks)
3. Has tons of video on standby for pre-game. Accepting video recommendations for video board pre-game fun like Trololo Russian guy, Minnie Riperton, etc

BK last official meeting as Prez. During one of the bleakest periods for Rutgers basketball over the course of the 6 years of his reign, the Court Club was the best thing the program had going for it. Big shoes to fill.

Thanks for sharing. Any indication of possible home non-conference games?

Gavitt had better be at home since we’ve only been in the road (at St. John’s & DePaul).

 

[BigEastPhil]

Thanks for sharing. Any indication of possible home non-conference games?

Gavitt had better be at home since we’ve only been in the road (at St. John’s & DePaul).

Shill - nothing new on schedule for next year.

- 20 Big 10 Conference games
- At Seton Hall
- At Fordham (Coach said it's last game in series though I thought we had 5 game series with them. Maybe it was cancelled / changed due to playing in Fordham.
- At UMass
- AT ACC Team in ACC Challenge presumably
- Home vs Big East squad presumably in Gavitt Games Challenge.

I would presume balance of 5-6 games will be home games vs lower level teams.

 

[SkilletHead2]

For those wondering...

Coach Pikiell was his usual entertaining self & took tons of questions:

1. Schedule stuff:
   • Gavitt Games (B1G-Big East Challenge), B1G-ACC Challenge
   • Road games @ UMass, Fordham, Seton Hall
   • 20 B1G Conference games
   • Coach not interested in playing Princeton or Monmouth
2. Showed really cool video of RWJ Barnabas APC showing renderings and various level floor plans. Impressive. Hopefully will be shared online at some point so we can dissect it with a fine tooth comb. (no connection from APC to RAC in renderings if anyone was wondering)
3. Talked about the 5 players joining the active squad next year - Johnson, Kiss, Mathis, Carter, and Harper
4. Lots of members interested in talking about officiating - long discussion which I won't get into

Mike Greengarten, Director of Marketing and Fan Experience:

1. Lifelong Rutgers fan & alum
2. Poor guy raked over coals over not enough free t-shirts launched into 200 level, volume of PA, and people wanting to sit in the courtside seats that are already bought and paid for by other season ticket holders! (Just having fun, wasn't really raked over the coals, but still, come on, folks)
3. Has tons of video on standby for pre-game. Accepting video recommendations for video board pre-game fun like Trololo Russian guy, Minnie Riperton, etc
4. Intro "castle" pregame video filmed in Paterson over Summer. (Called Lambert Castle according to my Google machine)

BK last official meeting as Prez. During one of the bleakest periods for Rutgers basketball over the course of the 6 years of his reign, the Court Club was the best thing the program had going for it. Big shoes to fill.

"...dissect it with a fine tooth comb..."

Say Colonel, where did you study biology?

 

[ColonelRutgers]

"...dissect it with a fine tooth comb..."

Say Colonel, where did you study biology?

"Don't know much about biology."

 

[DennisHajekRC84]

For those wondering...

Coach Pikiell was his usual entertaining self & took tons of questions:

1. Schedule stuff:
   • Gavitt Games (B1G-Big East Challenge), B1G-ACC Challenge
   • Road games @ UMass, Fordham, Seton Hall
   • 20 B1G Conference games
   • Coach not interested in playing Princeton or Monmouth
2. Showed really cool video of RWJ Barnabas APC showing renderings and various level floor plans. Impressive. Hopefully will be shared online at some point so we can dissect it with a fine tooth comb. (no connection from APC to RAC in renderings if anyone was wondering)
3. Talked about the 5 players joining the active squad next year - Johnson, Kiss, Mathis, Carter, and Harper
4. Lots of members interested in talking about officiating - long discussion which I won't get into

Mike Greengarten, Director of Marketing and Fan Experience:

1. Lifelong Rutgers fan & alum
2. Poor guy raked over coals over not enough free t-shirts launched into 200 level, volume of PA, and people wanting to sit in the courtside seats that are already bought and paid for by other season ticket holders! (Just having fun, wasn't really raked over the coals, but still, come on, folks)
3. Has tons of video on standby for pre-game. Accepting video recommendations for video board pre-game fun like Trololo Russian guy, Minnie Riperton, etc
4. Intro "castle" pregame video filmed in Paterson over Summer. (Called Lambert Castle according to my Google machine)

BK last official meeting as Prez. During one of the bleakest periods for Rutgers basketball over the course of the 6 years of his reign, the Court Club was the best thing the program had going for it. Big shoes to fill.

Not fair..you got to give us a little something on #4..officiating..just a few crumbs at least

 

[Local Shill]

Would be nice to get Georgetown or Providence at home. Clearly won’t be Villanova and we already played St. John’s in the Gavitt Games.

 

[hbbsm713]

For those wondering...

Coach Pikiell was his usual entertaining self & took tons of questions:

1. Schedule stuff:
   • Gavitt Games (B1G-Big East Challenge), B1G-ACC Challenge
   • Road games @ UMass, Fordham, Seton Hall
   • 20 B1G Conference games
   • Coach not interested in playing Princeton or Monmouth
2. Showed really cool video of RWJ Barnabas APC showing renderings and various level floor plans. Impressive. Hopefully will be shared online at some point so we can dissect it with a fine tooth comb. (no connection from APC to RAC in renderings if anyone was wondering)
3. Talked about the 5 players joining the active squad next year - Johnson, Kiss, Mathis, Carter, and Harper
4. Lots of members interested in talking about officiating - long discussion which I won't get into

Mike Greengarten, Director of Marketing and Fan Experience:

1. Lifelong Rutgers fan & alum
2. Poor guy raked over coals over not enough free t-shirts launched into 200 level, volume of PA, and people wanting to sit in the courtside seats that are already bought and paid for by other season ticket holders! (Just having fun, wasn't really raked over the coals, but still, come on, folks)
3. Has tons of video on standby for pre-game. Accepting video recommendations for video board pre-game fun like Trololo Russian guy, Minnie Riperton, etc
4. Intro "castle" pregame video filmed in Paterson over Summer. (Called Lambert Castle according to my Google machine)

BK last official meeting as Prez. During one of the bleakest periods for Rutgers basketball over the course of the 6 years of his reign, the Court Club was the best thing the program had going for it. Big shoes to fill.

It may be asking a lot, but if you or someone else who was there could maybe give a summary of what Coach had to say about players joining the team next year, I’m sure we all would appreciate it. Curious what is expected from them as of right now.

 

[xkiesterx]

It may be asking a lot, but if you or someone else who was there could maybe give a summary of what Coach had to say about players joining the team next year, I’m sure we all would appreciate it. Curious what is expected from them as of right now.

Johnson- Has lost 27 pounds this year, is abusing people in practice and is ready to play now, didn't realize he'd make this much progress
Kiss- Good shooter, all around scorer
Shaq Carter- Low post scorer, plays on a JUCO team that has 13 D-1 players
Mathis- Best athlete we've had in a while, will score a lot, thinks he'll be the best rebounding guard in the B1G, will get to the hoop aggressively
Ron Harper- Can probably play multiple positions, including the 4, thinks he's still growing at 6'6", has a 7'2" wingspan, plays smart

 

[hbbsm713]

Johnson- Has lost 27 pounds this year, is abusing people in practice and is ready to play now, didn't realize he'd make this much progress
Kiss- Good shooter, all around scorer
Shaq Carter- Low post scorer, plays on a JUCO team that has 13 D-1 players
Mathis- Best athlete we've had in a while, will score a lot, thinks he'll be the best rebounding guard in the B1G, will get to the hoop aggressively
Ron Harper- Can probably play multiple positions, including the 4, thinks he's still growing at 6'6", has a 7'2" wingspan, plays smart

Awesome. Thank you.

 

[bac2therac]

Shill - nothing new on schedule for next year.

- 20 Big 10 Conference games
- At Seton Hall
- At Fordham (Coach said it's last game in series though I thought we had 5 game series with them. Maybe it was cancelled / changed due to playing in Fordham.
- At UMass
- AT ACC Team in ACC Challenge presumably
- Home vs Big East squad presumably in Gavitt Games Challenge.

I would presume balance of 5-6 games will be home games vs lower level teams.

I am loving the road games. Will be good to prepare the team

 

[Westcoast]

Well, if coach's view of the new guys turns out to be close to reality, we might be pretty good next year.

 

[Scarlet Jerry]

Wish we would play Princeton, though. I miss that series.

Scarlet Jerry

 

[RUONTHERISE]

A Princeton matchup would be good.

 

[Kbee3]

Johnson- Has lost 27 pounds this year, is abusing people in practice and is ready to play now, didn't realize he'd make this much progress
Kiss- Good shooter, all around scorer
Shaq Carter- Low post scorer, plays on a JUCO team that has 13 D-1 players
Mathis- Best athlete we've had in a while, will score a lot, thinks he'll be the best rebounding guard in the B1G, will get to the hoop aggressively
Ron Harper- Can probably play multiple positions, including the 4, thinks he's still growing at 6'6", has a 7'2" wingspan, plays smart

I've seen Harper more than enough to know that, absent a growth spurt, he's not a 4.

 

[shields]

Wish we played Princeton also.

 

[G- RUnit]

Will never understand not playing Princeton. Another different tempo team can only help you for tourney. Win looks good. A loss isn't bad. Usually a decent crowd and easy for RU fans to got to Jadwin. Short sighted.

 

[hoquat63]

Coach said that he didn’t want to play Princeton until they increased academics to be on a par with RU

 

[RUJMM78]

Coach said that he didn’t want to play Princeton until they increased academics to be on a par with RU

Pikiell had a lot of humorous comments but the Princeton quip was a classic .

 

[higgins3]

I've seen Harper more than enough to know that, absent a growth spurt, he's not a 4.

He rebounds well and it would be a small ball lineup for matchups that fit. How do you view the game after seeing him play?

 

[knights1212]

I don't think anyone expects him to be a 4. I think he will compete with Issa at the 3.

 

[kcg88]

Small-ball basketball is definitely in vogue right now. He could be a stretch 4 at times depending on how his shooting is.

 

[Crazed_RU]

A Princeton matchup would be good.

I feel like there is only downside to playing Princeton. We don’t want to battle for the same recruits, we beat them - yawn, we lose to them - here we go again. Why is it good for us ?

 

[kcg88]

I feel like there is only downside to playing Princeton. We don’t want to battle for the same recruits, we beat them - yawn, we lose to them - here we go again. Why is it good for us ?

What's the difference between playing Princeton or Hartford in that scenario then?

Side note, Hartford (8-4) is actually having a better year than Stony Brook (5-8) in the AE.

 

[G- RUnit]

I see it the other way. It’s only an upside. How is it possibly bad for us. It’s a good win if we beat them and never a bad loss. Save money. Decent crowds. No recruiting losses. Prepares us say you ever play a team with slow tempo like UVA, Cincy, in the Big Dance.

 

[RUJMM78]

No further explanation on Freeman benching.He mentioned assistant coaches would be worthy candidates for head coaching positions just like last season.Non committal on Sanders status for next season or any other possible player transfer.Most of the discussion was regarding referee calls/non calls especially regarding Sanders.Pikiell stated the team for next season would have more quality depth and scoring options .

 

[Scarlet Shack]

I've seen Harper more than enough to know that, absent a growth spurt, he's not a 4.

Think a high post Four. Having one of those (like a Hodgeson and lamizana) is something we have not had in forever

Maybe he isn’t it...but we really need one on the team to create mismatches for those teams who have four men that can’t move and defend out of the paint

 

[ScarletLongIsland]

Johnson- Has lost 27 pounds this year, is abusing people in practice and is ready to play now, didn't realize he'd make this much progress
Kiss- Good shooter, all around scorer

Fantastic news!!!

 

[RU-ROCS]

I feel like there is only downside to playing Princeton. We don’t want to battle for the same recruits, we beat them - yawn, we lose to them - here we go again. Why is it good for us ?

The flip side of that is that if we play a home and home against Princeton it gives us a much needed winnable road game in a relatively non-hostile environment. In recent years past a lot of RU fans made the trip to Jadwin and the PU students never really got revved up for the game like they do at a place like Monmouth or Stony Brook. So the game was almost like a neutral site. With the new NCAA criteria emphasizing the importance of road wins, that might be a reason to play the PU series.

 

[geurdsy]

For the record, it was me that initially asked about sitting in the leather seats. I never said that I wanted to sit in seats already bought and paid for by other season ticket holders. I did say that when I called and offered to pay $150 a seat for multiple seats/games in 2015-2016, I was told that Pat Hobbs controlled those seats and they were not for sale. But apparently they were for sale, and they are season tickets, which was news to me last night. After they mentioned this, I suggested that Court Club members be upgraded to the seats when the ticket office knows ahead of time that the season ticket holder was not going to go to the game and the seats would otherwise be empty. I think it would be a great perk that would increase CC membership, and it looks better on TV.

 

[RUChoppin]

Johnson- Has lost 27 pounds this year, is abusing people in practice and is ready to play now, didn't realize he'd make this much progress
Kiss- Good shooter, all around scorer
Shaq Carter- Low post scorer, plays on a JUCO team that has 13 D-1 players
Mathis- Best athlete we've had in a while, will score a lot, thinks he'll be the best rebounding guard in the B1G, will get to the hoop aggressively
Ron Harper- Can probably play multiple positions, including the 4, thinks he's still growing at 6'6", has a 7'2" wingspan, plays smart

Love hearing this. I know we've heard coaches talk big about players in the past (EJ's comment about Nigel Johnson being the best guard he'd ever seen comes to mind), but some great tidbits here.

Johnson has lost 27 pounds - awesome, objective bit of news. Sounds like he's taking well to the S&C regimen, so the RS year was valuable. I like hearing "abusing people in practice" - but that could be euphemistic. If he's really been having a lot of success against our current crop of bigs, that's good news for next year, though.

Harper seemingly confirmed to be 6-6, which is good. Would love to see him add another inch or so, if he's still growing. Big wingspan is also a great plus. About him playing the 4, I doubt that's in any plans as a primary - but being able to shift down if we go small allows great flexibility. It also might mean he has more post and back to the basket moves, which also adds a facet to the wing. Just hope he can shoot threes well, too.

Mathis as best rebounding guard? He hasn't had him in practice yet, but if he's thinking this already, that's a good sign. Really hope he can play alongside Sanders for a year - going against him in practice should be steel sharpening steel.

Kiss getting some praise as a shooter is good - hope he's less streaky next year than he was as a frosh at Quinnipiac.

 

[xkiesterx]

I don't think anyone expects him to be a 4. I think he will compete with Issa at the 3.

Coach sees it, and his is the most important perspective. He said "stretch 4" and he envisions Harper getting in better shape and definitely thinks he's still growing.

 

[ColonelRutgers]

Will never understand not playing Princeton. Another different tempo team can only help you for tourney. Win looks good. A loss isn't bad. Usually a decent crowd and easy for RU fans to got to Jadwin. Short sighted.

Agree. First of all, they don't really play a much different style than anyone else in college basketball these days so it wouldn't be a shock to prepare for like in the Pete Carril days or playing Army or Navy in football. And every other year you get credit for a road game in December that is literally right down the road. And if we're decent, it's like a home game anyway. No disruption or travelling during the busy Finals/Holiday season which is huge. If we're trying to build a postseason resume someday a a potential loss to Princeton wouldn't be great but they have enough of a reputation that basketball people would know what's up.

 

[higgins3]

Love hearing this. I know we've heard coaches talk big about players in the past (EJ's comment about Nigel Johnson being the best guard he'd ever seen comes to mind), but some great tidbits here.

Johnson has lost 27 pounds - awesome, objective bit of news. Sounds like he's taking well to the S&C regimen, so the RS year was valuable. I like hearing "abusing people in practice" - but that could be euphemistic. If he's really been having a lot of success against our current crop of bigs, that's good news for next year, though.

Harper seemingly confirmed to be 6-6, which is good. Would love to see him add another inch or so, if he's still growing. Big wingspan is also a great plus. About him playing the 4, I doubt that's in any plans as a primary - but being able to shift down if we go small allows great flexibility. It also might mean he has more post and back to the basket moves, which also adds a facet to the wing. Just hope he can shoot threes well, too.

Mathis as best rebounding guard? He hasn't had him in practice yet, but if he's thinking this already, that's a good sign. Really hope he can play alongside Sanders for a year - going against him in practice should be steel sharpening steel.

Kiss getting some praise as a shooter is good - hope he's less streaky next year than he was as a frosh at Quinnipiac.

Ej also said Jonathan Laurent was nba ready, lol. Lots of positive feedback from Pikiell. As far as athleticism, I don’t think anyone will top Sanders for quite some time.

 

[ColonelRutgers]

For the record, it was me that initially asked about sitting in the leather seats. I never said that I wanted to sit in seats already bought and paid for by other season ticket holders. I did say that when I called and offered to pay $150 a seat for multiple seats/games in 2015-2016, I was told that Pat Hobbs controlled those seats and they were not for sale. But apparently they were for sale, and they are season tickets, which was news to me last night. After they mentioned this, I suggested that Court Club members be upgraded to the seats when the ticket office knows ahead of time that the season ticket holder was not going to go to the game and the seats would otherwise be empty. I think it would be a great perk that would increase CC membership, and it looks better on TV.

I was having a little bit of fun. In my section (not floor seats) there used to be a couple of unoccupied seats for most games right next to me and I called the ticket office and asked if I could buy them for individual games and was told they were seats set aside by the AD (then Pernetti) and weren't for sale which is probably what the ticket office was trying to say. I'm sure that's the same deal with a portion of the cushy floor seats so Hobbs can schmooze potential donors and VIPs. Not you, but there were other people shouting out that if people didn't show up by a certain time that others should be moved into unoccupied floor seats. That's what I was referring to. The Marketing guy did say they've asked those ticketholders to let them know in advance if they aren't going to show so they can have others use the seats but beyond that, not much more they can do. If the TV cameras faced those seats and they were unoccupied that would probably become more of a concern.

 

[PiscatawayMike]

Showed really cool video of RWJ Barnabas APC showing renderings and various level floor plans. Impressive. Hopefully will be shared online at some point so we can dissect it with a fine tooth comb.

I thought this was one of the highlights of the meeting. The video was only recently completed and has been only shown to recruits so far. Members were fortunate to get a look at it. You could specifically see how areas of the entire facility are going to be laid out, including the parking deck.

At one point during the virtual video, there was a close up of the landscaping. The grass was long, out of control, and not pleasing to the eye. Pikiell said, "Someone needs to cut that grass." Hilarious! [laughing]

 

[ColonelRutgers]

I thought this was one of the highlights of the meeting. The video was only recently completed and has been only shown to recruits so far. Members were fortunate to get a look at it. You could specifically see how areas of the entire facility are going to be laid out, including the parking deck.

At one point during the virtual video, there was a close up of the landscaping. The grass was long, out of control, and not pleasing to the eye. Pikiell said, "Someone needs to cut that grass." Hilarious! [laughing]

I think they were supposed to be wildflowers in there but I had the same thought!

 

[xkiesterx]

Ej also said Jonathan Laurent was nba ready, lol. Lots of positive feedback from Pikiell. As far as athleticism, I don’t think anyone will top Sanders for quite some time.

EJ is not Pikiell. I think Steve is much more honest (and aware) in talent evaluations.

 

[RUPete]

Wish we would play Princeton, though. I miss that series.

Scarlet Jerry

Honestly, I thought I would miss that game, but I really do not. Hated playing them and we have our hands full in league every year. Let's start new traditions.

 

[higgins3]

EJ is not Pikiell. I think Steve is much more honest (and aware) in talent evaluations.

Of course. I was not trying to compare them. I know Pikiell mentioned Mathis athleticism. I still think Sanders is the most athletic player we will of seen at Rutgers for a long time.