Using our personnel most effectively with this guard-dominated roster

[RUChoppin]

Assuming Doucoure can defend a specific player better than Harper or Yeboah.

Bigs pick up fouls. This is where we're tight on the roster - bodies to preserve our bigs against the whistle.

In our last regular season game, Doorson/Johnson/Carter had a combined 12 fouls in 42 game minutes. Two games before that, Johnson/Carter had 9 fouls across 29 game minutes. There will be minutes at the 5 spot because of foul trouble, and when Pike won't want to throw a 6-6 guy against a 6-11 guy for extended time.

Even if Doucoure just gets spot minutes, I still expect him to average 6+ min/game for the season. Without him, we have just 2 centers and 2 PFs (who also spend time at the SF spot) - and there's a lot of contact in the paint in the B1G. With Doucoure on the roster, we shouldn't be forced into a 2015-16 situation with DJ Foreman playing center and Laurent at PF. We have a third center, and I'm pretty sure he'll see time.

 

[RUInsanity]

Here are our post defender options:
6-10, 255 - Johnson
6-9, 245 - Carter
6-9, 245 - Doucoure
6-6, 235 - Yeboah
6-6, 230 - Harper

There will almost certainly be games when Doucoure doesn't see the floor, but also games where he sees 10+ min.

Too many look at height instead of wingspan. I'll take the shorter guy with superior core strength and a longer wingspan defending the paint as well as potentially being able to defend better on the perimeter.

 

[BellyFullOfWhiteDogCrap]

Bigs pick up fouls. This is where we're tight on the roster - bodies to preserve our bigs against the whistle.

In our last regular season game, Doorson/Johnson/Carter had a combined 12 fouls in 42 game minutes. Two games before that, Johnson/Carter had 9 fouls across 29 game minutes. There will be minutes at the 5 spot because of foul trouble, and when Pike won't want to throw a 6-6 guy against a 6-11 guy for extended time.

Even if Doucoure just gets spot minutes, I still expect him to average 6+ min/game for the season. Without him, we have just 2 centers and 2 PFs (who also spend time at the SF spot) - and there's a lot of contact in the paint in the B1G. With Doucoure on the roster, we shouldn't be forced into a 2015-16 situation with DJ Foreman playing center and Laurent at PF. We have a third center, and I'm pretty sure he'll see time.

Totally different situation from 15-16 as the talent pool is much deeper w our current roster.

 

[RUChoppin]

Too many look at height instead of wingspan. I'll take the shorter guy with superior core strength and a longer wingspan defending the paint as well as potentially being able to defend better on the perimeter.

Weight/mass is important, too. A guy like Rashod Kent at 6-6, 265 is a different sort of post presence than a guy like Caleb McConnell at 6-7, 190.

It's one of the reasons Doorson was an important piece for us last year - he could hold his ground against bigs trying to back him down, because he was 275.

 

[RUChoppin]

Totally different situation from 15-16 as the talent pool is much deeper w our current roster.

Agree - so I doubt we'll artificially make our pool shallower by leaving Doucoure out when our bigs pick up fouls.

 

[Eagleton96]

Some people seem to be assuming that we will easily be able to transition the offense to fit the new personnel. And the the growth in scoring will be more than the loss in defense and rebounding which was the previous strength of the team.

It's a complete overhaul. It will be fun to watch, but it's not a guarantee. And there will likely be growing pains.

Anyone care to comment on Pike's history with the new project style of offense and a smaller team?

 

[knight82]

College basketball is now a guard's game. It's not 1980 anymore

 

[kcg88]

Agree - so I doubt we'll artificially make our pool shallower by leaving Doucoure out when our bigs pick up fouls.

We can put Harper or Yeboah out there at the 4.

Texas Tech had Owens at 25 minutes, Odiase at 17 minutes, and nobody else above 6'6" getting more than 3 minutes (and that guy's 3 minutes a game, unsurprisingly, came in garbage time when TTU was way up)

Pikiell has used a lot of bench minutes in his time at Rutgers but in his last year at Stony Brook the Seawolves were 327th in the country in that category.

Guys aren't going to play by default. If Doucoure hasn't taken a step forward offensively then we're better off having Harper or Yeboah at the 4. The difference between them and Doucoure offensively is greater than the difference between Doucoure and them defensively.

 

[S.W.A.I.N]

It's very much not apples to oranges. Doorson got high-percentage looks, Doucoure didn't. That's a skill.

It’s also a function of Shaq having zero jumper. Which is fine. Different players, different skill sets, thus corresponding statistical differences.

 

[kcg88]

It’s also a function of Shaq having zero jumper. Which is fine. Different players, different skill sets, thus corresponding statistical differences.

It also makes one player valuable and the other player not valuable.

 

[RUChoppin]

We can put Harper or Yeboah out there at the 4.

Texas Tech had Owens at 25 minutes, Odiase at 17 minutes, and nobody else above 6'6" getting more than 3 minutes (and that guy's 3 minutes a game, unsurprisingly, came in garbage time when TTU was way up)

Pikiell has used a lot of bench minutes in his time at Rutgers but in his last year at Stony Brook the Seawolves were 327th in the country in that category.

Guys aren't going to play by default. If Doucoure hasn't taken a step forward offensively then we're better off having Harper or Yeboah at the 4. The difference between them and Doucoure offensively is greater than the difference between Doucoure and them defensively.

We're already planning on one or the other starting at the 4 - you can't be "depth" as the starter.

There are always examples out there of teams that did well without going deep in the frontcourt, and it's possible that we try to emulate Texas Tech next year. But Pikiell's past history doesn't lead me to think he's going to shorten the bench that much.

Pikiell's teams:
2018-19: 10 players at 14+ min (of 10 available)
2017-18: 9 at 12+ min (3 more at 6+)
2016-17: 9 at 12+ (2 more at 8+)
2015-16: 7 at 11+ (3 more at 8+)
2014-15: 8 at 11+ (4 more at 7+)
2013-14: 7 at 10+ (3 more at 8+, and 1 at 5.8)
2012-13: 9 at 12+ (2 more at 8+)
2011-12: 9 at 11+ (2 more at 7+)
2010-11: 11 at 11+ (1 more at 8+)
2009-10: 9 at 12+ (2 more at 8+)

Over the past 10 seasons, he's used at least 10 players at 6+ min in every season, and went 11 deep at 7+ min more often than not. With a roster as deep as ours is this season, I don't know if that tendency would suddenly change.

 

[scarlet_knight]

One point about Eugene that hasn’t been mentioned but will be missed is his ability to draw charges defensively. Had great instinct and fearlessness stepping in and drawing charges for us. Need our guys to step up and take that on. It’s sometimes more innate than a learned skill so tbd.

 

[S.W.A.I.N]

It also makes one player valuable and the other player not valuable.

Or less valuable more accurately...but thats a pretty binary way of evaluating talent.

 

[RUMassAlum]

One point about Eugene that hasn’t been mentioned but will be missed is his ability to draw charges defensively. Had great instinct and fearlessness stepping in and drawing charges for us. Need our guys to step up and take that on. It’s sometimes more innate than a learned skill so tbd.

Very true.

 

[FELONIOUSMONK]

He's gone. Thankfully only lose him for a year. I have this strange feeling that recruiting may ascend.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

One point about Eugene that hasn’t been mentioned but will be missed is his ability to draw charges defensively. Had great instinct and fearlessness stepping in and drawing charges for us. Need our guys to step up and take that on. It’s sometimes more innate than a learned skill so tbd.

its been mentioned many times

 

[Scangg]

its been mentioned many times

And also been debated whether or not that value was being overblown by some and EO relied on it too much at times which lead to

1. No call flops for easy buckets
2. Fouls + and 1 chances
3. Getting EO into foul trouble

EO was excellent at drawing charges though and it gets the fans and team going which also brings value

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

The same cons occur when blocking shots which is the alternative to taking charges.

 

[higgins3]

And also been debated whether or not that value was being overblown by some and EO relied on it too much at times which lead to

1. No call flops for easy buckets
2. Fouls + and 1 chances
3. Getting EO into foul trouble

EO was excellent at drawing charges though and it gets the fans and team going which also brings value

It is true. For every block there is a chance at a foul and for every charge there is also that chance. As EO career went on, his foul numbers only increased.

 

[RUChoppin]

It is true. For every block there is a chance at a foul and for every charge there is also that chance. As EO career went on, his foul numbers only increased.

His "per game" numbers went up every year because his min/game went up every year.

Fouls per 40 min, overall: 4.9, 4.0, 4.1
Fouls per 40, conference: 4.1, 4.4, 3.8

 

[ScarletR30]

One point about Eugene that hasn’t been mentioned but will be missed is his ability to draw charges defensively. Had great instinct and fearlessness stepping in and drawing charges for us. Need our guys to step up and take that on. It’s sometimes more innate than a learned skill so tbd.

As great as his charges were at times the sentiment the Eugene was a plus defender is incorrect. Often times charges that he tried to take and weren't called left him way out of position. While a grat rebounder, EO also struggled mightily with guys that would step out cause he often would get sucked into the paint and be late to close (probably because he was hunting charges). Great heart and a Great rebounder but his defense was just OK and moved towards sub par with injuries