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We're going to enjoy Gavin's career at RU...

I dont think the staff needs games to figure out that stuff.

If Gavin cant figure out ball man triangle and be able to track his man off the ball in practice it isnt magically happening in games

I see your point a bit with Davis and Woolfolk.

It isnt cut and dry. Not playing him could mean losing him. As a whiney irrational fan after a brutal loss i give us a 1% chance of dancing. Maybe he does need to see the ball go in and know he has a leash and maybe he plays more confidently on D

Problem I see he just looks so darn lost on D. A few passes and be has no idea where his man is.
if Gavin is not good enough to play at Rutgers, I would rather know that now, find out and if so we can make arrangements to free a spot up for next year
 
I said after 5 games Gavin was weak , skinny, actually looked nerdy to the nth degree. No fire inside and looks like the type of player who gets sand kicked in his face.
 
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I said after 5 games Gavin was weak , skinny, actually looked nerdy to the nth degree. No fire inside and looks like the type of player who gets sand kicked in his face.
Maybe if he played some more the rest of this year he could dispel that narrative and show he has different qualities? Just a thought, maybe we should find out. Not saying you’re wrong, he could be, but let’s get a better look at him on the court over these last 15 games or so.
 
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No one looked “nerdier” than Larry Bird or
Kareem with the googles, skyhook, etc. I’m not comparing them to Gavin but who cares what he looks like.

He’s 17-18 years old. Let the kid develop. Damn.
 
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I have no idea how Gavin put up 25 earlier this year and a big game against St Johns.
 
Rutgers doesn't do anything to set up its shooters. And Gavin is probably better suited in a zone defense. If he was my son, I'd definitely consider, if this is the right spot for him
I agree with you but how did he not know this coming into the program. We ran absolutely nothing for Spencer last year either. We miss him badly but he wasn’t a good fit here either. It’s just that he was the only shooter we had. Now we have none.
 
We are to going to
hate seeing him get 18 a game next year for another school I bet.
We played our best defenders tonight and gave up 86 points
It's not as simple as how many more points do we give up if Gavin plays 25 minutes a game .
How many more points do we score if he plays that many minutes ?
He has way more offensive potential then anyone on the current roster
It's not even close
Look at the shooting percentages of those who play
We are rediculously inefficient on offense
Gavin gets some confidence back and he will be back to scoring in double digits
He hasn’t done anything on offense either. This isn’t Pike sitting some great offensive threat because he only cares about defense. He’s been bad on both sides of the ball. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have potential but the best players now are the ones that should be on the court.
 
He should not play ahead of anyone who gives us a better chance to win. Right now he’s a freshman struggling in the B10, but he’s going to be a real good player. One thing I will say is that he needs to show some grit. His body language says California cool, and this ain’t California. Show some passion, some emotion, take a charge, grab a rebound, do something physical. Stop floating around out there and get into it.

That’s my biggest issue and makes you wonder what scouts are looking at. A guy unwilling to mix it up is rarely going to be a difference maker.
 
He hasn’t done anything on offense either. This isn’t Pike sitting some great offensive threat because he only cares about defense. He’s been bad on both sides of the ball. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have potential but the best players now are the ones that should be on the court.

Agreed!
The rotation is working great.
If we start messing with it we might start losing by 20+pts and giving up 85+ pts.
Can't let that happen.

Animated GIF
 
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This fanbase is smitten with stars. If he was a mid 3 star most of you would not be having these silly meltdowns. He needs time to develop, he has been lost on defense all year and its hurt his confidence on offense. He can shoot, yes but he struggles very much on defense, rebounding almost non existent and he's already average at best athletically and thin. He's learning how to play big time college basketball. He just needs to keep working and ignore all the idiot fans whose opinion doesn't matter. Needs to eat weights in the off-season also.

Those of you who can't grasp why Oscar took his minutes, I'll give you a hint. Because Oscar is better than him defensively and it's equal right now on the offense end. Watch the kid when he's in and you'll see why he's down to 8 minutes. I am rooting hard for him but some of you think because he was 4-5 stars he should be playing 20+ minutes.

Does Wally Judge ring a bell? Not every 5 star pans out, sorry for the truth serum....
 
Maybe if he played some more the rest of this year he could dispel that narrative and show he has different qualities? Just a thought, maybe we should find out. Not saying you’re wrong, he could be, but let’s get a better look at him on the court over these last 15 games or so.
Dude he is a true freshman. I was so lost my freshman year by mid-year I couldn't take 2 steps forward in football and questioned how the hell I was even good in high school. It hurts your ego and pride big time and I was a no star recruit. I can't imagine Gavin having an NIL agent, all this hype and just struggling. He needs to be tough and look in the mirror and just work through it. Physically he needs a lot of development.
 
This fanbase is smitten with stars. If he was a mid 3 star most of you would not be having these silly meltdowns. He needs time to develop, he has been lost on defense all year and its hurt his confidence on offense. He can shoot, yes but he struggles very much on defense, rebounding almost non existent and he's already average at best athletically and thin. He's learning how to play big time college basketball. He just needs to keep working and ignore all the idiot fans whose opinion doesn't matter. Needs to eat weights in the off-season also.

Those of you who can't grasp why Oscar took his minutes, I'll give you a hint. Because Oscar is better than him defensively and it's equal right now on the offense end. Watch the kid when he's in and you'll see why he's down to 8 minutes. I am rooting hard for him but some of you think because he was 4-5 stars he should be playing 20+ minutes.

Does Wally Judge ring a bell? Not every 5 star pans out, sorry for the truth serum....

Speak for others.
Stars has nothing to do with it for me.
Gavin, Davis, Chol, Simpson, Woolf - play them all.
Minimal minutes for A Williams, Hyatt, Oskar, Noah.

What's going to happen? Upset players who are gone anyway and lose?
Thats already happening.

The status quo isn't working this season.
Not sure why people are doubling down on it.
 
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He hasn’t done anything on offense either. This isn’t Pike sitting some great offensive threat because he only cares about defense. He’s been bad on both sides of the ball. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have potential but the best players now are the ones that should be on the court.
Agree with what you’re saying. But can we stop pretending that Oskar, (the guy playing in front of Gavin off the bench and getting more minutes than him) is playing any better on both sides of the ball? Come on now….this is crazy. Oskar is somehow held in such high regard all of a sudden? No one cared when he left for Elon, one of the things he is capable of is shooting……HOWEVER, he has made 5, only 5, 5 total threes the whole year. For every good play he makes we all know that the inevitable two bad plays are likely to follow. Oskar’s a great guy, but come on now, what are we doing here? Griffiths has not been good, but we’re talking about minimal differences in how good Griffiths has been vs. Oskar. I don’t want Griffiths starting, I just want him playing the same number or more minutes than Oskar, that’s it.
 
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if Gavin is not good enough to play at Rutgers, I would rather know that now, find out and if so we can make arrangements to free a spot up for next year
At what price?

Plus if he is going to be playable next year what he does in the offseason is very inportant.
 
Agree with what you’re saying. But can we stop pretending that Oskar, (the guy playing in front of Gavin off the bench and getting more minutes than him) is playing any better on both sides of the ball? Come on now….this is crazy. Oskar is somehow held in such high regard all of a sudden? No one cared when he left for Elon, one of the things he is capable of is shooting……HOWEVER, he has made 5, only 5, 5 total threes the whole year. For every good play he makes we all know that the inevitable two bad plays are likely to follow. Oskar’s a great guy, but come on now, what are we doing here? Griffiths has not been good, but we’re talking about minimal differences in how good Griffiths has been vs. Oskar. I don’t want Griffiths starting, I just want him playing the same number or more minutes than Oskar, that’s it.
Oskar is many times better on D. Oskar is a poor defensive player though.
 
Ontersti
This fanbase is smitten with stars. If he was a mid 3 star most of you would not be having these silly meltdowns. He needs time to develop, he has been lost on defense all year and its hurt his confidence on offense. He can shoot, yes but he struggles very much on defense, rebounding almost non existent and he's already average at best athletically and thin. He's learning how to play big time college basketball. He just needs to keep working and ignore all the idiot fans whose opinion doesn't matter. Needs to eat weights in the off-season also.

Those of you who can't grasp why Oscar took his minutes, I'll give you a hint. Because Oscar is better than him defensively and it's equal right now on the offense end. Watch the kid when he's in and you'll see why he's down to 8 minutes. I am rooting hard for him but some of you think because he was 4-5 stars he should be playing 20+ minutes.

Does Wally Judge ring a bell? Not every 5 star pans out, sorry for the truth serum....

See this is funny because everyone has favorites — it just happens that Gavin’s the most highly rated so it’s easy to cast aside people who think he should play more as star chasers.

Our other players are woefully inefficient players and we’re getting smoked every time we leave the state of NJ. We have nothing to lose by playing the kid as Pike plays everyone else even thought the results for them aren’t good.
 
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Kid is a freshman and needs 15 pounds of muscle. He will get many more good looks next year. He should be better suited for the B10 with more muscle and experience.
 
Speak for others.
Stars has nothing to do with it for me.
Gavin, Davis, Chol, Simpson, Woolf - play them all.
Minimal minutes for A Williams, Hyatt, Oskar, Noah.

What's going to happen? Upset players who are gone anyway and lose?
Thats already happening.

The status quo isn't working this season.
Not sure why people are doubling down on it.
Sorry, but Chol is worse defensively than Gavin. Practice is wherr development happens. If a player isnt proficient in prwctice it isnt happening in a game.
 
This fanbase is smitten with stars. If he was a mid 3 star most of you would not be having these silly meltdowns. He needs time to develop, he has been lost on defense all year and its hurt his confidence on offense. He can shoot, yes but he struggles very much on defense, rebounding almost non existent and he's already average at best athletically and thin. He's learning how to play big time college basketball. He just needs to keep working and ignore all the idiot fans whose opinion doesn't matter. Needs to eat weights in the off-season also.

Those of you who can't grasp why Oscar took his minutes, I'll give you a hint. Because Oscar is better than him defensively and it's equal right now on the offense end. Watch the kid when he's in and you'll see why he's down to 8 minutes. I am rooting hard for him but some of you think because he was 4-5 stars he should be playing 20+ minutes.

Does Wally Judge ring a bell? Not every 5 star pans out, sorry for the truth serum....
Palmquist blows. He's throwing the rock up backwards over his head on 3-1 fast breaks. What are you watching? His D is not good either.
 
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Speak for others.
Stars has nothing to do with it for me.
Gavin, Davis, Chol, Simpson, Woolf - play them all.
Minimal minutes for A Williams, Hyatt, Oskar, Noah.

What's going to happen? Upset players who are gone anyway and lose?
Thats already happening.

The status quo isn't working this season.
Not sure why people are doubling down on it.
That's not how this works. This isn't a video game. The players who are performing best play. Not sure why this is so hard to understand.
 
No not over the top just blatantly honest. Tell me exactly what he has done after 17 games? Now I do realize lately GG’s minutes have been limited partly because of lack of D and inability to get out of his own way. I also said I think he can shoot but needs others to set him up in spots. The problem is people are blind not to see we are failing this player or we are a victim to all the high school hype. Which is it?
 
Agree with what you’re saying. But can we stop pretending that Oskar, (the guy playing in front of Gavin off the bench and getting more minutes than him) is playing any better on both sides of the ball? Come on now….this is crazy. Oskar is somehow held in such high regard all of a sudden? No one cared when he left for Elon, one of the things he is capable of is shooting……HOWEVER, he has made 5, only 5, 5 total threes the whole year. For every good play he makes we all know that the inevitable two bad plays are likely to follow. Oskar’s a great guy, but come on now, what are we doing here? Griffiths has not been good, but we’re talking about minimal differences in how good Griffiths has been vs. Oskar. I don’t want Griffiths starting, I just want him playing the same number or more minutes than Oskar, that’s it.
Then let him out play Oscar defensively and offensively the next few games. Why is this so hard for some of you to comprehend? Watch him and don't let your eyes leave him when Gavin is in and you will see what happens on defense. Score, score, score, score, score.
 
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Ontersti

See this is funny because everyone has favorites — it just happens that Gavin’s the most highly rated so it’s easy to cast aside people who think he should play more as star chasers.

Our other players are woefully inefficient players and we’re getting smoked every time we leave the state of NJ. We have nothing to lose by playing the kid as Pike plays everyone else even thought the results for them aren’t good.
Actually we have points to lose. Which is what happens usually. You can tell who has been actually watching the kid when he is in and who has not. He played decent vs Nebraska. That was his best game in a month. Illinois was a step back but they're an excellent team.
 
Gavin needs 10 weeks of weight training, followed by 2 weeks at tough man camp in the off-season.

Then have him workout on the court by dribbling the ball from one baseline to the other against 4 guys at staggered positions all the way up the court, and when he gets to the other end he must find a way to get a shot at the rim against Cliff.

Then have him do box-out drills against Wolf with guys taking shots from all over the paint and arc area. Then and only then should he be allowed to take 3-pointers in practice, and once he’s fully exhausted, put him at the foul line for three shots. Then repeat these toughness drills until he shows some toughness and initiative.

Kid needs a Drill Sargent.
 
That's not how this works. This isn't a video game. The players who are performing best play. Not sure why this is so hard to understand.

"Best" is a relative term.
Who gave up the 24-5 run to put the game away? Our "best" doesn't seem to be much better than our "worst".
 
Palmquist blows. He's throwing the rock up backwards over his head on 3-1 fast breaks. What are you watching? His D is not good either.
Then what does that say about Gavin who is getting less minutes? Think about it. Or do me a favor and just watch Gavin like he is your family member. Don't let your eyes leave him when he is in and you'll start to see his issues.

God I hate that you guys are making me bash this kid. I am rooting hard for him but all of you who think you know better than Pike just make me smh. Throw his HS rankings out the window. No one cares about that now.
 
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Gavin needs 10 weeks of weight training, followed by 2 weeks at tough man camp in the off-season.

Then have him workout on the court by dribbling the ball from one baseline to the other against 4 guys at staggered positions all the way up the court, and when he gets to the other end he must find a way to get a shot at the rim against Cliff.

Then have him do box-out drills against Wolf with guys taking shots from all over the paint and arc area. Then and only then should he be allowed to take 3-pointers in practice, and once he’s fully exhausted, put him at the foul line for three shots. Then repeat these toughness drills until he shows some toughness and initiative.

Kid needs a Drill Sargent.
Be careful some on here will tell you that you’re not being fair. These guys are on scholarships and NIL or am I thinking of another team’s players.
 
Agreed!
The rotation is working great.
If we start messing with it we might start losing by 20+pts and giving up 85+ pts.
Can't let that happen.

Animated GIF
This is “backup QB can’t be worse level bullshit”. Pike knows who his best players are and he’s playing them. The fact that we don’t have any players capable of beating Illinois is a separate issue
 
We just don’t have the cohesiveness of a team capable of producing a winning streak in the BIG
 
Agree with what you’re saying. But can we stop pretending that Oskar, (the guy playing in front of Gavin off the bench and getting more minutes than him) is playing any better on both sides of the ball? Come on now….this is crazy. Oskar is somehow held in such high regard all of a sudden? No one cared when he left for Elon, one of the things he is capable of is shooting……HOWEVER, he has made 5, only 5, 5 total threes the whole year. For every good play he makes we all know that the inevitable two bad plays are likely to follow. Oskar’s a great guy, but come on now, what are we doing here? Griffiths has not been good, but we’re talking about minimal differences in how good Griffiths has been vs. Oskar. I don’t want Griffiths starting, I just want him playing the same number or more minutes than Oskar, that’s it.
Oskar isn’t held in “high regard”. The fact that Oskar has earned minutes on this team says more about the rest of the team than it does about Oskar.
 
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Then what does that say about Gavin who is getting less minutes? Think about it. Or do me a favor and just watch Gavin like he is your family member. Don't let your eyes leave him when he is in and you'll start to see his issues.

God I hate that you guys are making me bash this kid. I am rooting hard for him but all of you who think you know better than Pike just make me smh. Throw his HS rankings out the window. No one cares about that now.
I honestly think some posters here are unaware that the basketball team has practices and that the coaches are at said practices.
 
This is “backup QB can’t be worse level bullshit”. Pike knows who his best players are and he’s playing them. The fact that we don’t have any players capable of beating Illinois is a separate issue

No. It's "the starting QB is graduating and we are 2-7. Whats the worst that happens if the backup gets playing time and gets a headstart on next year? It's either earlier development or more evidence that changes need to be made."

It's not like we're tinkering with the lineup for a Top 5 Big Ten team.
 
No. It's "the starting QB is graduating and we are 2-7. Whats the worst that happens if the backup gets playing time and gets a headstart on next year? It's either earlier development or more evidence that changes need to be made."

It's not like we're tinkering with the lineup for a Top 5 Big Ten team.
I basically disagree with this whole mentality and I think Pike should be trying his best to win the games in front of him.
 
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Wow. Bob, that's harsh, particularly on our own guy.
Read my earlier reply… sometimes you hurt the one you love. He’s on scholarship - Probably NiL… people here have said before this player is not ready for this type of play. If that’s too tough and offends some fans time to face reality. Playing too nice will not help Gavin improve on the court nor help this team win games.
 
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