First off great defensive player probably a great kid. Listening to the post game again Steve said he practiced great yesterday couldn't go today. Totally get major injury, however this is twice he has said this in post game. Either there should be load management in practice for him. Save him for the games or Steve is skeptical of the I can't go. If I remember correctly there was plenty of speculation he was almost out the door this summer. There are others here who knows way more but I'm just reading between the lines.
Time to move on from Mag
- Thread starter HatterChat
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He’s done. Whatever we get the rest of the season, is gravy. Next year, new team, new era. Thanks, Mag. Great kid. Move on indeed.
If he wants to be here next year, fine. However, hopefully Pike has learned from the past that he can’t trust what players say anymore since these are “professional” athletes. He better be scouring the portal for his replacement.
It’s definitely a weird situation . He’ll probably be in Georgia Tech next year.
Plenty coming in. Maybe Chol steps up to be solid D guy.
I was thinking the same thing about managing his workload. Two times Pike has spoken how he’s practiced great and then he’s a no go for the game……..meanwhile I am thinking why is he having great practices……we need him in games, not practices. I love Mag and want him here next year, best for his health that he sit and get right until he is able to play, or practice for that matter.
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…….and we know this how?!?!? Or maybe he is having issues from the major injury to his knee? Sometimes the simplest explanation is the best.
He’s 12 months from an ACL I think you’re all being pretty harsh here
Do not know how you even conjured up a thought , considering you must have have forgotten he is coming off ACL surgery about 1 year ago. Most medical people will tell you that you can functional in 1 year but back to almost normal by the second year. You title thread is ‘embarrassingly bad. Mag will be a big part of next year’s team. You just have not seen his ability because of injury. So give the kid a break. It is the nice and correct thing to do.
Except it’s his other knee, so there’s that….
Could very well be, just odd how he is great according to Pike in practice then game time there is an unforeseen scratch.
Haven’t heard Pike describe things going down this way previously
Fair enough, you’re saying Pike’s comments might indicate more is going on with him? Could be, I don’t think so, but who knows. I do think Mag is a possibility to leave if last summer’s rumors were true about him possibly leaving.
Knee soreness in the opposite knee is common after a major injury. It's a better sign that it's his opposite knee than the one he injured
It is a strange situation. If he needs to rest his sore knee, then he should be skipping practice the day before games in order to be able to play in the game. No one cares if he has a great practice then doesn't play
If this is Mag's decision, it's somewhat understandable due to his injury history wanting to be cautious. If it's the medical staff's decision, they need to due a better job coordinating with Pike and Mag to make sure he is available to play
For all we know, it could just be bad luck where it flares up then he misses a game but he feels good and wants to practice and then it happens again
Mag would be the perfect glue piece next season to play defense, add experience, do the dirty work with the offensive talent coming in to do the scoring
Chol isn't even playing now in blowout garbage time if you haven't noticed. That is a giant flashing neon sign that he won't be back
wtf…..
Kids originally knew is banged up from surgery and probably forced too much pressure on the other knee due to the workload he puts in and makes the decision to sit out for his health
Now we shit on him? 🤦🏻♂️
Kids originally knew is banged up from surgery and probably forced too much pressure on the other knee due to the workload he puts in and makes the decision to sit out for his health
Now we shit on him? 🤦🏻♂️
Ok then on pike and training staff if he's practicing great practice yesterday. Save for games then.
It's simple he can't play sh
Buddy anyone remember when he was half out the door this summer. Kid plays hard that's not a question what is, was this handled right first off. Pike cannot say he's killing it yesterday best practice then he's out next day. That is so silly if he's practicing day before if this an issue. It's twice now. Thanks for the orthopedics in the crowd not doubting how long or hard rehab is. If he's not right shut him down now. The way Pike is handling it is odd all I'm saying
Good post.. Also, having had a previously torn ACL in one knee increases Mag’s chances of tearing the ACL in the other knee… If Mag is having chronic knee pain he needs to be really careful, especially since the way he plays the game puts tremendous stress on the knee joints.
And between his injuries while playing at Prolific Prep and his injuries at Rutgers, he’s proven that he’s tough and isn’t afraid to sacrifice his body for the game.. The guy’s literally had his mouth and jaw destroyed on multiple occasions while trying to draw an offensive foul, so I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt if he feels he needs to sit out due to his current injury. Hopefully the current problem will resolve soon, and/or the team will figure out the best way to handle it.
This is a disgusting thread. Questioning a player’s injury is totally unacceptable
Pike did mention at one point that Austin is going through the same thing and he’s missed a bunch of games too.
Thank you for posting exactly what I came in here to post
Yes which is not totally uncommon with leg injuries, your other leg over compensates. Especially the level he plays defense, it does not surprise me in the least.
Remember in October and November when the coach said Chol was the best three point shooter on the team.
I don't know what's up with Mag, but this is spot on when it comes to injuries.
The Mag injuries have been ongoing all season.His not playing against Purdue wouldn't have changed the result.Purdue has a 7'4'' center and other players that can make 3 pointers.Rutgers man to man defense couldn't guard all the positions .On offense Rutgers scored 68 points which is around their norm but far less which is needed to defeat Purdue on their home court.
Move on?!?!
Mag is as important as any kid coming in next year. I think Pike needs to do everything he can to ensure he is back.
I am not sure what some of you watch but if you think that two stud freshman are going to come in and take the college basketball world to task without a strong supporting task you are going to be greatly disappointed
We need Mag. Badly.
Mag is as important as any kid coming in next year. I think Pike needs to do everything he can to ensure he is back.
I am not sure what some of you watch but if you think that two stud freshman are going to come in and take the college basketball world to task without a strong supporting task you are going to be greatly disappointed
We need Mag. Badly.
The thread isn't necessary to generate unknown items. All I know is Pike is extremely loyal and protects his players but he's kinda not doing that in this instance.....here's why.
Different situation, different person and different player. If we rewind just a year ago, Caleb McConnell who had multiple surgeries and a back issue, had a back issue and flare up during warm-up at a game at Wisconsin.....he was running around loosening up with a back brace to try and get it loose enough, so he could gut it out and play. He absolutely couldn't, which anyone with back issues can attest to how painful that can be and prevent anyone from just doing normal things, forget about running, jumping and taking charges from 225 LB players, driving to the hoop.
Pike's press conferences were totally different, he clearly explained Caleb being a warrior and attempting to play through it for his teammates and how bad he wanted to play. Keep in mind, Caleb has a knee scope that prevented him from starting the season.
This Mag thing is NOT the same situation.....the player is actually practicing and I didn't attend the Northwestern game live, but was told Mag was warming up with the team and less than 10 to 15 minutes before tip, could not play.
We fast forward to Minnesota, same situation, he practices the days before the game and pregame, he does play and now 4 to 5 days later, the same thing happens again.
Irregardless of whether Mag is 75%, 85% healthy or whatever it may be, the item of not playing any minutes, is somewhat concerning. If he could provide RU with 10 to 15 minutes, it could make a difference, but we're not even getting that at this point.
In either case, the original poster should not be speculating on Georgia Tech/Karl Hobbs etc....these are already known items that many, including myself can easily "guess" about.
The reality is, we have to reduce minutes and expectations for Mag the rest of season and as a starter for next year. He's simply not reliable enough to count on. The fact that he's not able to provide any minutes off the bench, to me, is a red flag. No one is holding him accountable or asking him to play 28 to 29 minutes, but to practice and then not play any minutes, doesn't add up to me.
Different situation, different person and different player. If we rewind just a year ago, Caleb McConnell who had multiple surgeries and a back issue, had a back issue and flare up during warm-up at a game at Wisconsin.....he was running around loosening up with a back brace to try and get it loose enough, so he could gut it out and play. He absolutely couldn't, which anyone with back issues can attest to how painful that can be and prevent anyone from just doing normal things, forget about running, jumping and taking charges from 225 LB players, driving to the hoop.
Pike's press conferences were totally different, he clearly explained Caleb being a warrior and attempting to play through it for his teammates and how bad he wanted to play. Keep in mind, Caleb has a knee scope that prevented him from starting the season.
This Mag thing is NOT the same situation.....the player is actually practicing and I didn't attend the Northwestern game live, but was told Mag was warming up with the team and less than 10 to 15 minutes before tip, could not play.
We fast forward to Minnesota, same situation, he practices the days before the game and pregame, he does play and now 4 to 5 days later, the same thing happens again.
Irregardless of whether Mag is 75%, 85% healthy or whatever it may be, the item of not playing any minutes, is somewhat concerning. If he could provide RU with 10 to 15 minutes, it could make a difference, but we're not even getting that at this point.
In either case, the original poster should not be speculating on Georgia Tech/Karl Hobbs etc....these are already known items that many, including myself can easily "guess" about.
The reality is, we have to reduce minutes and expectations for Mag the rest of season and as a starter for next year. He's simply not reliable enough to count on. The fact that he's not able to provide any minutes off the bench, to me, is a red flag. No one is holding him accountable or asking him to play 28 to 29 minutes, but to practice and then not play any minutes, doesn't add up to me.
I understand why I don’t come here anymore seeing this thread
You left out that Pike came off as frustrated by Caleb's "slow" return beginning of last year too. He seems to have zero patience for injuries in general.
As others have said, to imply that Mag could be playing, but just isn't, is totally unfair given everything he's fought through during his career here. Pretty disgusted at some of the posts on here to be honest.
Now if you want to talk about a better way to manage it going forward, e.g., no more practice, that's another thing.
This. We absolutely want him back next season.
There has been a disconnect all season between him and Pike about his availability. I don't know what that's about but the two of them need to fix it and get on the same page next season.
Hopefully, somehow, they get on the same page by the end of this season or, at the very least, EARLY in this upcoming off season. Hopefully, the dragging on of eligibility/availability issues for possibly-returning players (whether the reason(s) are NIL, chronic injuries, etc.) will not happen again for a second straight year. Part of this year's problems seem to stem directly from last off season "misunderstandings". Hopefully, Coach can navigate this season endgame and the off season deftly. There is no Coach or program at Rutgers I wish the best for more than MBB. Go Pike! Go Mag (please come along to finish this ride!)! GO RU!
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