We will never get another blue chip recruit

[RUsojo]

that makes everything more confusing and troubling

It’s not confusing. People need to understand this. There are 3 parts to Ace/Dylan.

1. We only got recruits at the level of Ace and Dylan because they have direct family connections to program and staff.

2. Pike building a respectable program fostered an opportunity to land them.

3. NIL as a rule allowed us to provide the indirect dollar support (even though less to offer than blue bloods) that three years ago would’ve made 1 and 2 irrelevant as Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, etc would’ve provided this indirect dollar support “against the rules” and we would not have, meaning the value of Rutgers value proposition would not be in same realm as other offers.

As recruiting goes, Dylan and Ace are outliers. Amazing that we have them. But when thinking about the context of Rutgers basketball going forward, they should not really be in equation of future outlook of recruiting.

 

[biazza38]

It’s not confusing. People need to understand this. There are 3 parts to Ace/Dylan.

1. We only got recruits at the level of Ace and Dylan because they have direct family connections to program and staff.

2. Pike building a respectable program fostered an opportunity to land them.

3. NIL as a rule allowed us to provide the indirect dollar support (even though less to offer than blue bloods) that three years ago would’ve made 1 and 2 irrelevant as Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, etc would’ve provided this indirect dollar support “against the rules” and we would not have, meaning the value of Rutgers value proposition would not be in same realm as other offers.

As recruiting goes, Dylan and Ace are outliers. Amazing that we have them. But when thinking about the context of Rutgers basketball going forward, they should not really be in equation of future outlook of recruiting.

I have no clue what everyone is talking about here. I was specifically talking about the portal and how we couldn’t afford Cliff (which we couldn’t). And then for some reason people start bringing up Ace/Dylan/Lathan. Not sure why. They are not portal players
Yea, Dylan and Ace were one offs.
But that doesn’t mean we should be scraping for the poverty pile in the portal

 

[fluoxetine]

I have no clue what everyone is talking about here. I was specifically talking about the portal and how we couldn’t afford Cliff (which we couldn’t). And then for some reason people start bringing up Ace/Dylan/Lathan. Not sure why. They are not portal players
Yea, Dylan and Ace were one offs.
But that doesn’t mean we should be scraping for the poverty pile in the portal

Because there is one pool of money.

 

[biazza38]

Because there is one pool of money.

clearly not
There were outside forces with Bailey and Harper

 

[fluoxetine]

clearly not
There were outside forces with Bailey and Harper

Yes, I'm not talking about that. There is one pool of Rutgers money. Is there actually any evidence that Bailey and Harper are not getting any of it in addition to the outside money?

 

[biazza38]

Yes, I'm not talking about that. There is one pool of Rutgers money. Is there actually any evidence that Bailey and Harper are not getting any of it in addition to the outside money?

I didn’t say they didn’t get any from RU.
This has totally steered away from my original talking point and this has gone in circles

 

[RUGiddy777]

clearly not
There were outside forces with Bailey and Harper

I think there were outside donors who tagged money specifically for those two.

 

[hinson32]

Why is it that we have enough NIL to be reasonably competitive in a sport with 85 man rosters but can’t find enough to get a few basketball players for one year?

Schiano v

I have no clue what everyone is talking about here. I was specifically talking about the portal and how we couldn’t afford Cliff (which we couldn’t). And then for some reason people start bringing up Ace/Dylan/Lathan. Not sure why. They are not portal players
Yea, Dylan and Ace were one offs.
But that doesn’t mean we should be scraping for the poverty pile in the portal

Cliff was leaving no matter what. Bama was not his top NIL offer. It wasn't just about the money.

 

[fluoxetine]

people start bringing up Ace/Dylan/Lathan. Not sure why. They are not portal players
Yea, Dylan and Ace were one offs.
But that doesn’t mean we should be scraping for the poverty pile in the portal

I didn’t say they didn’t get any from RU.
This has totally steered away from my original talking point and this has gone in circles

Those players also compete for the one pool of money. The fact that they are not portal players is irrelevant; any money they get is money we can't use for portal players.

 

[biazza38]

Those players also compete for the one pool of money. The fact that they are not portal players is irrelevant; any money they get is money we can't use for portal players.

Go reread my posts from the second page.
My entire gripe has to do with our inability to build around Bailey and Harper. For some odd reason someone brought those two into the mix and went off on a tangent. We’re talking about two different things here

 

[fluoxetine]

Go reread my posts from the second page.
My entire gripe has to do with our inability to build around Bailey and Harper. For some odd reason someone brought those two into the mix and went off on a tangent. We’re talking about two different things here

We aren't talking about two different things. People are saying we can't build around Bailey and Harper because we spent all our money on Bailey and Harper. I don't know if that's true but I haven't seen anything that shows it isn't true.

 

[biazza38]

We aren't talking about two different things. People are saying we can't build around Bailey and Harper because we spent all our money on Bailey and Harper. I don't know if that's true but I haven't seen anything that shows it isn't true.

It’s not a money issue. It’s a player evaluation issue. We obviously can’t afford the 7 figure centers in the portal, but we’re not some community college. There were a ton of players in the portal. It’s starts with at the very least identifying who is athletic enough to even be on the same court as our competition. So while some people want to point to the opinion that we spent all of our money on those guys (which isn’t true) we flat out can’t identify players in the portal. I tried explaining that to them but then a million other things got tossed around.
I appreciate you understanding where I’m coming from

 

[King of S]

That was sort of the point. We don’t understand or know all that’s going on behind the scenes, all of the other coaches reaching out, NIL demands, players values/interests/preferences, etc.

Plain and simple - it’s a shit show.

 

[fluoxetine]

It’s not a money issue. It’s a player evaluation issue. We obviously can’t afford the 7 figure centers in the portal, but we’re not some community college. There were a ton of players in the portal. It’s starts with at the very least identifying who is athletic enough to even be on the same court as our competition. So while some people want to point to the opinion that we spent all of our money on those guys (which isn’t true) we flat out can’t identify players in the portal. I tried explaining that to them but then a million other things got tossed around.
I appreciate you understanding where I’m coming from

It can kind of be both right? If we had the available NIL funds that other schools have we could just pick up players that already have track records against power conference competition. Instead we are left to infer what scoring 26 points at EMU or being the Merrimack defensive player of the year will mean when there is a step up in competition. For sure I don’t think it is impossible to find and evaluate players like that, and for sure we did well for example with Spencer and Yeboah from lower levels. But there is a lot more uncertainty and you will have misses.

 

[czxqa]

Even if we clean things up and play well I don’t think people are truly understanding just how bad he blew it. To not surround them with B1G players, to not have a rim protector, to not have a cohesive offense. It’s terrible. It shouldn’t be difficult to go into the portal and find a few guys who can actually play at this level.

That's not Pike's fault. He got the best players he could afford on the NIL budget he was given. Pitino couldn't get quality players if everyone else was paying double.

 

[biazza38]

That's not Pike's fault. He got the best players he could afford on the NIL budget he was given. Pitino couldn't get quality players if everyone else was paying double.

I’ve said this before and I will say it again. Pike and Schiano are working with the same resources. Schiano is able to find guys every year who can contribute and impact the game at a B1G level. Pike should be able to do the same. I’m not asking him to sign a 7 figure center. I know we can’t afford that. But we’re not Seton Hall over here. Coach for sure has enough resources that at a bare minimum be able find players who are at least athletic enough to belong on the same court as our opponent.

 

[RUGiddy777]

14th, 14th, T-10th, T-5th, T-6th, T-4th, T-9th, T-12th. One tournament win. If's don't win you anything.

You’re not even being rational at this point. Are you seriously holding Pike accountable for the first few seasons after taking over a dumpster fire. Now you’re just being absurd. His first season wasn’t even with guys he recruited and he still gave us some moments in the B1G tournament.

Before Pike got here. 14th, 14th. And that doesn’t even reflect how far away from 13th we were. 3 B1G wins in 2 seasons. It’s truly remarkable how easily people forget how ****ing terrible we were.

And I’ve already addressed the 22-23 season. We were 8-3 in the conference and cruising before the ACL tear.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

Not freaking out yet but I'm as frustrated as anyone and here are my thoughts:

- it was ALWAYS going to be difficult to get 9 guys, 9 NEW guys, into the rotation feeling comfortable on both O and D and, for the 4 transfers, into different roles. Not an excuse BUT it's definitely showing ESPECIALLY on D (more later)....shortening the bench seemed to work well last night. I think we'll see more "opponent specific" bench rotations this season. Good stuff!

- we're probably 1 win short of where most expected right now (obviously K State was a disaster) STILL GONNA HAVE TO STEAL 1 ON THE ROAD to make up for K-State

- I'm 100% certain we were looking ahead to Vegas the entire Merimack game and 1st half of Kennisaw. Team definitely played as if their heads were already there. Sitting in the front row you see A LOT that you don't see on TV let alone sitting in the 200's or 300's. TO A MAN there was a different look on our faces last night from opening tip until final whistle EVEN THROUGH the stressful final minutes. I am now 100000% CONVINCED this team had "Vegas Fever" for both Merrimack and Kennesaw State.

- at the Merrimack game I was sitting in Row A. Martini looked completely out of it and different than he had the 1st 3 games (and against SJU). Seemed like more of the same at KSU and then in Vegas. Not sure if he had the flu at some point, or a minor injury, but throwing up airballs, dropping passes, etc etc and just didn't look like the same guy we saw earlier or last year for Princeton I get him not playing last night, bad matchup and we needed to shorten the bench, BUT I still think there was possibly something (physically or mentally) not right the previous 6 games

- Ace can't drive to the hole and that is likely not going to change in B1G play. Just doesn't have the muscle, BUT, I think he realizes this which is why he settles for mid-range jumpers a lot (and his form, most of the time, is so smooth....) ACE FIGURED OUT A WAY TO GET HIS POINTS LAST NIGHT and stepped up in a B1G WAY!!! If we get THAT Ace, night-in-and-night-out....WATCH OUT!!!

- we still struggle on fast breaks and in-bounds plays BOTH WAYS ....I just don't get it STILL A MAJOR PROBLEM

- we still struggle coming out of TO's way too often ....AND FOR THE 2ND HALF

- the D. I think - THINK - we need to "strip it down." I think the D we play might be too much for so many new faces. Lots of guys look lost and out of position at times. Just like we did for football during the bye week between SC and Minny. Maybe a 3/4 press, from opening tip, dropping back into a zone BECAUSE WE CAN'T DEFEND THE PAIN and sure as hell are struggling on the boards off our opponent's missed shots. TOO MANY 2nd chance opps and points. I THINK WE SAW A LITTLE OF THIS....and it worked early (pressing) BUT PSU quickly figured it out and that dude can handle the ball and break a press very, very well....still too many easy points in the paint though specifically in the 2nd half

- for the 1st time this year I saw Dylan look, let's say, "mopey" on Saturday. The double-triple teams got to him, no doubt, BUT he's got to see it coming, realize someone - or 2 "someones" - are going to be OPEN and find that person quicker. It'll come and I'm sure they're working on it the last couple of days. Saw some bad "looks" on faces for about 5-seconds out there, as PSU was making their run, but JWill pointed to a couple of guys, said something, and that was that!

- I think Somerville is afraid to get physical. Afraid to foul. My hope is that as Ogbole's game improves on O - and it is - BOTH will get more physical on D (and hitting the O boards) AS THEY REALIZE they have 10 fouls to commit between the 2 of them. GET TOUGH BOYS IT'S THE BIG TEN!!! IT'S OKAY TO FOUL GUYS IN THE PAINT IF YOU MAKE SURE THEY DON'T SCORE....YOU HAVE 10 FOULS TO GIVE BETWEEN THE 2 OF YOU....As Olivia Newton-John said "LET'S GET PHYSICAL" boys!!!

.- the coaching. I'm not ready to bash Pikes just yet, BUT....there was some serious "head scratchers" the other day and have been, with the rotations and sub patters, but he and the staff are ALSO feeling things out here so I'm not gonna freak out just yet, BUT: I'd say coaching went from a big fat "F" on Saturday to a solid B+ last night.

1) Ace had 6 consecutive BRUTAL touches in the home stretch of the 1st half and doesn't get pulled....THEN he hits 3 mid-range jumpers in a row, starting the 2nd half, and he pulls him??!!! AGAIN....if he plays like this night-in-and-night-out....WATCH OUT BIG TEN!!!

2) We cut the lead to 6 (maybe around 11 minutes I forget..). Somerville gets the ball top of the key.- THIS TIME with rooms to get to the basket IIRC - and take a 3???!!! They come right down, Royal hits a layup, gets fouled, completes the 3-point play and they're up 9 again. GAME OVER. Don't think Somerville sits until the 8-minutes TO??? TALK ABOUT "CUTTING LEADS"....PSU cut an 18-point lead down to 3 WITHOUT calling a single timeout while doing so IIRC (they eventually called 2 very late after calling 2 in the 1st half). hate to say it but I was very impressed with their coaching last night.

3) we were keeping up with them early, hitting 3's, and 2 of their starters go to the bench with foul trouble for the rest of the half then PIKES starts to slow things down on O....WHY????

....just some head-scratching stuff IMHO.

Anyway...we need to win tomorrow....for a few reasons:

- can't be 5-5 with this schedule to date WE AREN'T
- WE MUST GET THE RAC BACK as a HCA...this has NOT been the case, in B1G play, the last 2 seasons. Get a quick start, get the RAC ROCKIN', and keep it that way!!! THAT WAS A START....At times ONE of the LOUDEST games I've heard at THE RAC in a very, very long time. It would've been "ear-splitting" time had we come out and built that lead over 20 in the 2nd BUT we'll get there!!!
- mentally it'll do wonders for this team, they def need it in the worst way DONE!!!
- oh and it's Penn State....**** THEM!!!....Like I was saying....**** YOU, PENN STATE!!!

Okay.....my responses to my response in BOLD above!!! BTW - sitting with my uncle in my pop's seat, while still waiting for him to wake up post-kidney removal surgery while we were at the game, got A LOT more stressful as PSU was chipping the lead down ESPECIALLY with each missed FT or turnover!!!! Luckily the surgery went well and, other than being weak (completely expected), he should be home by the weekend! A HUGE THANK YOU to all who offered thoughts/prayers/insight either on my RT post (re: the Illinois game and my outburt(s), PM here, calls, emails, texts or in person last night. We truly R a family....sometimes we all forget it....but "the love" is not lost on this guy!!!!

CONCLUSION: we learned how to hold on and get a huge "W" at home. We got THE RAC, BACK! Now....SHU....it's time to get up early and then PRESS THE PEDAL TO THE METAL and STOMP ON THEIR ****ING THROATS!!!!!

 

[hinson32]

I’ve said this before and I will say it again. Pike and Schiano are working with the same resources. Schiano is able to find guys every year who can contribute and impact the game at a B1G level. Pike should be able to do the same. I’m not asking him to sign a 7 figure center. I know we can’t afford that. But we’re not Seton Hall over here. Coach for sure has enough resources that at a bare minimum be able find players who are at least athletic enough to belong on the same court as our opponent.

Not really the same pool. Schiano is much better than Pike and obtaining NIL $$

 

[Salvi's Headband]

You’re not even being rational at this point. Are you seriously holding Pike accountable for the first few seasons after taking over a dumpster fire. Now you’re just being absurd. His first season wasn’t even with guys he recruited and he still gave us some moments in the B1G tournament.

Before Pike got here. 14th, 14th. And that doesn’t even reflect how far away from 13th we were. 3 B1G wins in 2 seasons. It’s truly remarkable how easily people forget how ****ing terrible we were.

And I’ve already addressed the 22-23 season. We were 8-3 in the conference and cruising before the ACL tear.

The last hear of Jordan we had one big ten win and it was because half of Minnesotas team was suspended for a sex scandal