We (the posters) are better...

[RUsojo]

That’s what is frustrating. I’m sure I speak for most the basketball posters here. We can all walk to the nearest court and hit 80% from the FT line. We all know where on the court we get our own buckets and what moves we have to get them. We all know how to play help defense without over committing. We all can knock down the open looks in our range at a pretty good clip.

It’s hard to watch the next level (for me; I’m sure some of you played D1 and better) of basketball and see these guys struggle to do the basics you’ve done your entire life.

But it’s ok. There’s an identity. And there are young players on the roster who have a future. And there are talented guys on the way who will fit in this culture and excel.

 

[RUChow]

Listened to tonight's game. As great a job as Pikiel has been doing there are some things not to like. Not being able to get the ball in bounds with two chances against Stony Brook after using timeouts each time, not getting a shot off tonight with 14 seconds left after a time out, not taking the last shot of the half tonight with 20 seconds left, and just brutal foul shooting which looked to be at least somewhat fixed in the SHU game. Some of our guys don't seem to know what is a good shot for them either. We keep getting the ball down low to Freeman when he is matched up with someone bigger than him and it usually leads to a blocked or forced shot. The guy's got great heart but Carter can't get here soon enough. And Geo doesn't shoot near enough IMO. He needs to take at least 15 shots a game. We need to run stuff just to get him looks and a lot of it. A big concern is that both Stony Brook and Hartford seemed to get great looks inside at will.

 

[RUJMM78]

Scholarship players for a power conference team should have the skillset to defeat Stony Brook and Hartford at the RAC.Rutgers fans have watched many basketball games and know a well played game versus what was seen in the last two games.There needs to be accountability on the players and the coaching staff after these dismal performances.Failure to do so will only perpetuate the status quo which shows 11 straight losing seasons under different coaching staffs.Winning really matters if fans expect higher level talent to come and stay at Rutgers.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

But it’s ok. There’s an identity. And there are young players on the roster who have a future. And there are talented guys on the way who will fit in this culture and excel.

I am sorry, but watching the past 2 games I can't share your thoughts. I will always argue it isn't far to judge a new coach hired when he was on the 1st 2 classes. Having said that I am having trouble seeing the future. If kiss Harper Mathis and juco PF aren't real good Pikiell is going to have real long odds.

 

[RUsojo]

I am sorry, but watching the past 2 games I can't share your thoughts. I will always argue it isn't far to judge a new coach hired when he was on the 1st 2 classes. Having said that I am having trouble seeing the future. If kiss Harper Mathis and juco PF aren't real good Pikiell is going to have real long odds.

Those guys bring much more to work with than Williams Freeman Doorson Sa. There’s no question.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Those guys bring much more to work with than Williams Freeman Doorson Sa. There’s no question.

Who?

 

[BigRnj]

That’s what is frustrating. I’m sure I speak for most the basketball posters here. We can all walk to the nearest court and hit 80% from the FT line. We all know where on the court we get our own buckets and what moves we have to get them. We all know how to play help defense without over committing. We all can knock down the open looks in our range at a pretty good clip.

It’s hard to watch the next level (for me; I’m sure some of you played D1 and better) of basketball and see these guys struggle to do the basics you’ve done your entire life.

But it’s ok. There’s an identity. And there are young players on the roster who have a future. And there are talented guys on the way who will fit in this culture and excel.

Yo, pot is not legal yet. There are only 3 NBA teams that shoot above 80% from the FT line (and only 5 of 351 D1 teams), yet you claim you're sure any random poster can top that. Stop, credibility is hard to gain and easy to lose.

Rutgers is #337 on a list of 351 collegiate teams, so yeah we're terrible from the line. If you want that to drop to #351 let's have our posters shoot instead. We already know our posters are tops at coaching too.

 

[bac2therac]

in fairness to Pike we knew it was going to be a long slog up. I was thinking 5-6 years. He was handed a horrible RU perception in recruiting and handed some players that have limited talent or not necessarily all in....so Baker is very promising. Thiam and Eugene did improve perhaps not how we want or need to win. Doucoure young but there is something there with him. I think you are speeding up timelines too much. The 2018 class looks solid enough but I agree that the 2019 must be very strong. I have seen enough of Pike's coaching to know what he is doing, however even he is hitting the wall trying to squeeze as much out of this team than they have. Its really a limited team ceiling wise. He has done a solid job generally. With better players next year and yes these guys should be better than some of these others.

 

[higgins3]

Have any if us played d1? We are fans. Lol I don't understand the post.

 

[higgins3]

Who?

Look at 2018 players. Any of them have higher potentials than a lot of our seniors. The program beat a top fifteen team, stayed within five of two very good teams. The team has limitations, but I am still confident of the future.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Higgins,

Who?

 

[higgins3]

Baker, omoyuti, thiam, docoure, kiss, Mathis, Carter, Johnson,. Harper Jr? Many of these are equal to upgrades to kids on the roster right now. The program loses two games, and fans are in huge disarray. This portion of the country is the easiest to ride high, and then say burn it to the ground quicker than anything I have seen.

 

[higgins3]

Higgins,

Who?

Are you not knowing of any if the players or do you not see them as having potential? Shaq Carter is a good player. Different than Freeman.Kiss replaces Williams. I don't want to knock players, but how much versatility and talent do sa and Doorson consistently produce? I must watch a different game.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

the 4 that play now I don't see it. Pieces of the bench, but nothing more.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Are you not knowing of any if the players or do you not see them as having potential? Shaq Carter is a good player. Different than Freeman.Kiss replaces Williams. I don't want to knock players, but how much versatility and talent do sa and Doorson consistently produce? I must watch a different game.

You are hoping Carter is a better player than Freeman. It is a hope

What have you seen of Duocore? Again it is hope.

Our best 3 players right now are Williams Sanders and Freeman.

 

[higgins3]

You are hoping Carter is a better player than Freeman. It is a hope

What have you seen of Duocore? Again it is hope.

Our best 3 players right now are Williams Sanders and Freeman.

Consistently with motor and talent? That can be quickly debated. Freeman was a juco who has flaws. Carter is on one of the best juco teams in the country and has been a double double. Docoure is a freshman.

 

[bac2therac]

well college hoops is always hope, every team thinks they are bringing in better..point is its not like we have high talent now

 

[higgins3]

Williams is better than Baker? Lol. Where? Omoyuri isn't close to the production for a sophomore to Freeman as a senior? I agree about Sanders. The other two are highly debatable when looking at their games as a whole piece. Omoyuri, Sanders, and Baker were three key pieces to almost every good win this season ,lol.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

It's still JUCO. Don't expect Carter to be better than Freeman. Be skeptical with all JUCOs. They are JUCOs for a reason. If Carter was a can't miss he wouldn't be at RU.

 

[higgins3]

The pro

well college hoops is always hope, every team thinks they are bringing in better..point is its not like we have high talent now

The program has had two wtf losses. The week before you wrote a widely optimistic post. I am not heavily worried.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Williams is better than Baker? Lol. Where? Omoyuri isn't close to the production for a sophomore to Freeman as a senior? I agree about Sanders. The other two are highly debatable when looking at their games as a whole piece. Omoyuri, Sanders, and Baker were three key pieces to almost every good win this season ,lol.

Williams is better than Baker, by a lot. For the life of me I don't know why Pikiell has him playing 22 minutes and coming off the bench.

Baker isn't as good as you think/hope he is.

 

[higgins3]

It's still JUCO. Don't expect Carter to be better than Freeman. Be skeptical with all JUCOs. They are JUCOs for a reason. If Carter was a can't miss he wouldn't be at RU.

I see production of a kid who knows his role, his shots, and wants to be here very badly.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Pikiell tonight was shockingly bad. One loss is bad. Hartford is beyond bad. These 2 games changes the narrative to me.

 

[higgins3]

Williams is better than Baker, by a lot. For the life of me I don't know why Pikiell has him playing 22 minutes and coming off the bench.

Baker isn't as good as you think/hope he is.

. Lol I don't know what to say.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I see production of a kid who knows his role, his shots, and wants to be here very badly.

That is what you want to see or hoping to see

 

[higgins3]

That is what you want to see or hoping to see

I have watched games of efsu,it is the numbers. Just reporting them.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

. Lol I don't know what to say.

Baker was like a dead man walking today. No emotion. 2 points in 35 minutes as a starting 2 guard. Poor handle, below average D, not a good outside shooter, but has a good mid range game.

Playing default minutes. Take the top 100 teams in college basketball. Doubt he starts on more than 1 or 2.

He has value in a program and is only a freshman, but people are really overvaluing him as a basketball player. We do that with all our freshman.

 

[higgins3]

Lol

Baker was like a dead man walking today. No emotion. 2 points in 35 minutes as a starting 2 guard. Poor handle, below average D, not a good outside shooter, but has a good mid range game.

Playing default minutes. Take the top 100 teams in college basketball. Doubt he starts on more than 1 or 2.

He has value in a program and is only a freshman, but people are really overvaluing him as a basketball player. We do that with all our freshman.

Many games this year Baker was the best player in a Rutgers Jersey. I am having trouble seeing the games where Williams was a blow away player. Didnt Baker just get best freshman in the big. Let's stick to the facts and numbers,man.

 

[bac2therac]

Baker was like a dead man walking today. No emotion. 2 points in 35 minutes as a starting 2 guard. Poor handle, below average D, not a good outside shooter, but has a good mid range game.

Playing default minutes. Take the top 100 teams in college basketball. Doubt he starts on more than 1 or 2.

He has value in a program and is only a freshman, but people are really overvaluing him as a basketball player. We do that with all our freshman.

Baker had a bad game...he is a freshman..it happens, he has been playing too many minutes I do agree. Williams cannot shoot, Baker brings more to the table even at this point. I think you are being too hard on him comparing him to a senior

 

[higgins3]

Sorry Fig, I spent my summers in the northeast. I appreciate the kid from NH.

He is better than Williams in nearly every category. It is indisputable.That is why Pikiell is playing him, and Williams 22 minutes a game. Baker shooting. 345 from three, and Mike Williams less .215

It's a brutal comparison.

 

[Scarlet Shack]

Greene and Higgins

The answer lies somewhere in between

Truth is ....and you are talking to the guy who predicted a 10 seed for this season....it requires the seniors (and Corey ) to get seniorits ...and make their damn shots

Truth is....it isn’t happening.

The guys Eddie left ...plus a couple of guys that transferred (Laurent, foreman)
all had skills but truly had one common denomonator...could not shoot at a high percentage

This team right now is a 20 win team if it could drain its shots. We get good enough looks...we just don’t make them

Baker and doucoure shoe that ability. They both are getting minutes on a rebuild that they would not be getting on an established program but it doesn’t mean they won’t be good

Let’s not damn the future. It’s not certain but the pieces we are adding next year are another step in the right direction.

 

[RUsojo]

Yo, pot is not legal yet. There are only 3 NBA teams that shoot above 80% from the FT line (and only 5 of 351 D1 teams), yet you claim you're sure any random poster can top that. Stop, credibility is hard to gain and easy to lose.

Rutgers is #337 on a list of 351 collegiate teams, so yeah we're terrible from the line. If you want that to drop to #351 let's have our posters shoot instead. We already know our posters are tops at coaching too.

1. I think your underestimating the background of a lot of people on here. We ball.

2. My apologies regarding FT %. I'm not trying to say I expect the team to shoot 80% like I can. Merely trying to convey that my frustration, and I think a lot of others on the board that you don't know, comes from having some game but not being huge or not having a 35in vert. There are plenty of decent players on the street who can shoot it yet the higher level can't do it - mostly because at D1 measurable come first. Basketball skills vs athletic debate.

 

[RUsojo]

Who?

Johnson, Baker, Doucore, Omoruyi, Thiam, Kiss, Mathis, Carter, Harper Jr. They all have better combinations of frames and raw skills to develop than Williams, Freeman, Doorson, and Sa. I'm pretty sure everyone can see that. Of course Williams and Freeman (and Sanders) have most of the production as the three oldest and most experienced players. But take the 9 kids I mentioned, a 2019 class that worst case will be same level as the current freshman class, and keep developing them each in the program for 3,4,5 years and I'm sure you can see reasons to believe it will be a more competitive team than what we put out the last two seasons. How good? That I won't pretend to be able to tell you.

 

[AshCatchEm]

You are hoping Carter is a better player than Freeman. It is a hope

What have you seen of Duocore? Again it is hope.

Our best 3 players right now are Williams Sanders and Freeman.

and i doubt we really miss any of the 3 when they leave. sanders will be back. where is he gonna go? we have a bunch of guys who cant shoot.

 

[kcg88]

I am 100% certain that Pike could walk into the College Ave gym on a random weeknight and find two players that would produce more than Bullock and Mensah have.

 

[littlenis5]

Between shooting free throws and replacing scholarship players with “two guys from the gym,” people here don’t seem to get how high level college basketball is and the pressures that come with it. I’m in the group who can hit 8/10 in the park. But my percentage certainly goes down in games when there’s some pressure, and that’s with zero fans watching and no real stakes. Free throw shooting is so mental. André Drummond has allegedly been Good in practice for the last three years but below 50% in games. He finally made the leap this season after using virtual reality to simulate the pressures of a game environment, something he’s worked with for a while before seeing results. It’s not as simple as getting in the gym and practicing for these guys.

 

[RUJMM78]

Rutgers has now played Stony Brook and Hartford two straight seasons and the record is 3-1 favoring Rutgers.The realty,however,is that the four games were evenly matched with the opponents leading for major portions of both games.Rutgers didn't display a talent advantage in any of those games which should be a warning alarm as to how Rutgers will perform in the remaining B1G games.Bottom tier B1G talent results in embarrassing losses at home to Stony Brook and Hartford.

Rutgers can't hide the woeful shooting and that will be painfully shown in future road games in front of hostile crowds.The performance at the center position has regressed along with subpar performances from Eugene and Baker.Where will the points come from should be the over riding question moving forward.

 

[KnightTerrors]

That’s what is frustrating. I’m sure I speak for most the basketball posters here. We can all walk to the nearest court and hit 80% from the FT line. We all know where on the court we get our own buckets and what moves we have to get them. We all know how to play help defense without over committing. We all can knock down the open looks in our range at a pretty good clip.

It’s hard to watch the next level (for me; I’m sure some of you played D1 and better) of basketball and see these guys struggle to do the basics you’ve done your entire life.

But it’s ok. There’s an identity. And there are young players on the roster who have a future. And there are talented guys on the way who will fit in this culture and excel.

We the posters arent playing against D-1 opponents, fatigued from a game, and shooting in front of 5k people.

I’m sorry but if you honestly think your jump shots in the driveway make the average poster here eligible for d1 ball you’re crazy. The best player you’ve played with in local pickup games wouldn’t sniff the floor in any big ten game. Not for a minute.

 

[RUsojo]

We the posters arent playing against D-1 opponents, fatigued from a game, and shooting in front of 5k people.

I’m sorry but if you honestly think your jump shots in the driveway make the average poster here eligible for d1 ball you’re crazy. The best player you’ve played with in local pickup games wouldn’t sniff the floor in any big ten game. Not for a minute.

We’ll first of all I’ve played with guys who have played FOR RUTGERS and the A10. Some of you don’t realize how silly you sound when you make comments like this. I thought it was common knowledge that a lot of this board has a basketball “background”. Why else would we put ourselves through watching sh*t basketball instead the 100s or other programs and organizations that put out a better product? But I digress...

I never said my jumper would make me eligible for D1 ball. Do you even read threads? I do know I can make an open shot in my range with consistency no matter the platform. Heck I’ve done it on the RAC floor. I also know that I would not consistently over commit on defense the way Corey does when he tries to dig down to the block or goes to close out a 3 and recklessly jumps in the air. FTs? Yeah not even going to go there. Knowing where on the court I am an efficiently offensives player and where I am not - yeah that’s not difficult. Yet we have some guys continue to waste possessions with attempts that they have not proven to hit for multiple years.

These are all skills that you don’t need D1 measurable to accomplish. I think that’s the point.

 

[KnightTerrors]

We’ll first of all I’ve played with guys who have played FOR RUTGERS and the A10. Some of you don’t realize how silly you sound when you make comments like this. I thought it was common knowledge that a lot of this board has a basketball “background”. Why else would we put ourselves through watching sh*t basketball instead the 100s or other programs and organizations that put out a better product? But I digress...

I never said my jumper would make me eligible for D1 ball. Do you even read threads? I do know I can make an open shot in my range with consistency no matter the platform. Heck I’ve done it on the RAC floor. I also know that I would not consistently over commit on defense the way Corey does when he tries to dig down to the block or goes to close out a 3 and recklessly jumps in the air. FTs? Yeah not even going to go there. Knowing where on the court I am an efficiently offensives player and where I am not - yeah that’s not difficult. Yet we have some guys continue to waste possessions with attempts that they have not proven to hit for multiple years.

These are all skills that you don’t need D1 measurable to accomplish. I think that’s the point.

I re read your post and still am not following. I like you sojo. You’re a good poster and I don’t want to argue. Maybe my brain is just clouded with frustration from these last two games!

Wish you (and every other loyal son here) a happy and healthy new year!!