With sanders leaving ..roster impsct and development and recruiting

[Scarlet Shack]

Guys

Let’s see what the effect it

First ...Baker is the point guard for the next four years. With sanders leaving, Baker is the point guard next year. We aren’t recruiting anyone to change that. With that time investment, That investment must now pay off down the line or we are not getting there. Even if we get Mulchay ....which is good news, since this allows us to grow him up right and throw him to the wolves if we get him.

Second...we need to find a 10 minute ...5th year or JUCO to back up Baker. James Beatty would be perfect....can we get two years from him

Third ....with Baker now at point and sanders gone, we need a shooting guard bad. With the emphasis on SHOOTING. I really see Mathis as the third guard in a three guard line up, slasher who can shoot some. Some dahthay in him (not as big or athletic, but smoother with the ball). We need a two. I can’t tell you how big it would be Hyatt. He lets kiss and thiam be his their more natural role players off the bench. If not, one is ticketed as a starter ...and probably playing more minutes than they should

Fourth ...Eugene and carter will get more touches to share the ball at the four and five spot. We need them to make up that productivity. Eugene got 8 ppg in 22 minutes. Can he extrapolate those numbers to get 11-12 a game in 28 mpg? Carter will get more touches then he would have if Corey was here and we must get points from the five spot that was non existent last year.

Bottom line is we need to add a two that contribute for the long term, a back up point guard for next year, and the other players need to step up as everyone’s touches will go up And we will need to be more balanced. We can’t get the same ineffectivity scoring from the 3 and 5 spot otherwise we just won’t score enough points to win games

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Mathis is your SG...Kiss is your SF until the roster is finalized...

We dont need a SG as much as another combo guard, where the JUCO ranks are loaded with....ideally another guard like Geo, that you can play with Geo moving off thr ball and this player not being pigeon-holed as a 2.

Mathis will be an upgrade over Williams, but i dont think we can be better than Mike overall in rebounding and defense.

The SF gap is enormous right now....hopeful that Hyatt or a shooting threat lands in that spot in 2018 or 2019.

We are replacing Souf and Bullock with productive capable players, so the roster will be better overall, once you have that SF spot truly filled.

 

[MadRU]

We need a point guard.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

I dont think its a PG as much as its a good guard....PG is an overrated position if the player isnt big enough to defend and cant shoot....Strickland would have been ideal, although i would always gamble on a CG with more length-height....

The B1G has some nice PGs....but a lot aren't a factor defensively...Iowa's Bohannon is a perfect PG....shoots the 3 at almost 35% & 90% from FT line....but cannot stay in front of anyone and gets torched most nights...(Sanders and Baker, specifically ate him alive at RAC).

Sanders defense was excellent most nights...have to look at what your "PG", is going to give up defensively vs looking at what he shoots or does on offense...

 

[higgins3]

The only name we’ve seen is Bandoo. I’d be okay with him playing here. Best bet is a grad transfer pg to bring some level of “I’ve been there” to this team. Geo is a shot maker, and we would benefit with him off the ball.

 

[higgins3]

I don’t see Baker as the pg for the next for years. That’s why you get to recruit every year, lol.

 

[RUJMM78]

Guys

Let’s see what the effect it

First ...Baker is the point guard for the next four years. With sanders leaving, Baker is the point guard next year. We aren’t recruiting anyone to change that. With that time investment, That investment must now pay off down the line or we are not getting there. Even if we get Mulchay ....which is good news, since this allows us to grow him up right and throw him to the wolves if we get him.

Second...we need to find a 10 minute ...5th year or JUCO to back up Baker. James Beatty would be perfect....can we get two years from him

Third ....with Baker now at point and sanders gone, we need a shooting guard bad. With the emphasis on SHOOTING. I really see Mathis as the third guard in a three guard line up, slasher who can shoot some. Some dahthay in him (not as big or athletic, but smoother with the ball). We need a two. I can’t tell you how big it would be Hyatt. He lets kiss and thiam be his their more natural role players off the bench. If not, one is ticketed as a starter ...and probably playing more minutes than they should

Fourth ...Eugene and carter will get more touches to share the ball at the four and five spot. We need them to make up that productivity. Eugene got 8 ppg in 22 minutes. Can he extrapolate those numbers to get 11-12 a game in 28 mpg? Carter will get more touches then he would have if Corey was here and we must get points from the five spot that was non existent last year.

Bottom line is we need to add a two that contribute for the long term, a back up point guard for next year, and the other players need to step up as everyone’s touches will go up And we will need to be more balanced. We can’t get the same ineffectivity scoring from the 3 and 5 spot otherwise we just won’t score enough points to win games

The last sentence in your message regarding the lack of scoring from the 3 and 5 spot is spot on.The lack of consistent offense from those positions makes it easier for opponents to double team the guards who have been the primary scorers.

 

[MadRU]

Virginia which many thought had the best defense around got dominated by a point guard who barely shot. He had them chasing him around and were two steps slow in recovering on open players.

Yes we need shooters but a fast penetrating high IQ point guard can do wonders.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

1. Can’t have 2 bigs on the floor at the same time and maximize offense. Need Harper and/or Issa as a 4th perimeter player

2. We now find out how right or wrong I was about the flow of the offense and that our 2 most talented players were not helping the offense on an average night.

3. Will we see a different Issa without those 2? I say yes.

I know some disagree...chemistry was really off last year. This year I am extremely confident will be excellent. Guys won’t be afraid to fail. It will be OK to not give the dribble hand off to the guard if you feel u can beat your guy off the dribble. 4 guys will rush to pick you up after you drew a charge.

 

[RUChoppin]

Right now, assuming none of the roster spots are filled (unlikely), the projected starters would be Baker, Mathis, Thiam, Omoruyi, and a platoon at center.

Sanders' role is replaced by Baker
Baker is replaced by Mathis
Williams is replaced by Kiss
Freeman is replaced by Omoruyi
Omoruyi is replaced by Carter
Sa is replaced by Johnson

Harper also gets added to the mix as one more body, but mostly we're at the same place we were last year from a depth perspective.

Our primary need right now is a guard who has strong ball handling skills, shoots at least 35% from three, and is able to play strong on-ball defense. Whether that's a PG or a combo guard doesn't really matter so much - they need to be able to bring the ball up against Big Ten pressure, they need to be a threat from outside, and they need to help limit opposing guards. At this point, I'd have to assume we'd be looking on the grad transfer market for this player.

Our secondary need is another SG/SF type player who can score from the perimeter - Hyatt would be a great get here. With the player described above, this would fill out our depth at the 1-3 spots with 7 players, and we already have 5 guys to rotate through the 4-5 spots.

The third player could really be at any position, but getting a high-ceiling big to learn for a year before contributing in 2019-20 would be valuable.

 

[rubaseball78]

Guys

Let’s see what the effect it

First ...Baker is the point guard for the next four years. With sanders leaving, Baker is the point guard next year. We aren’t recruiting anyone to change that. With that time investment, That investment must now pay off down the line or we are not getting there. Even if we get Mulchay ....which is good news, since this allows us to grow him up right and throw him to the wolves if we get him.

Second...we need to find a 10 minute ...5th year or JUCO to back up Baker. James Beatty would be perfect....can we get two years from him

Third ....with Baker now at point and sanders gone, we need a shooting guard bad. With the emphasis on SHOOTING. I really see Mathis as the third guard in a three guard line up, slasher who can shoot some. Some dahthay in him (not as big or athletic, but smoother with the ball). We need a two. I can’t tell you how big it would be Hyatt. He lets kiss and thiam be his their more natural role players off the bench. If not, one is ticketed as a starter ...and probably playing more minutes than they should

Fourth ...Eugene and carter will get more touches to share the ball at the four and five spot. We need them to make up that productivity. Eugene got 8 ppg in 22 minutes. Can he extrapolate those numbers to get 11-12 a game in 28 mpg? Carter will get more touches then he would have if Corey was here and we must get points from the five spot that was non existent last year.

Bottom line is we need to add a two that contribute for the long term, a back up point guard for next year, and the other players need to step up as everyone’s touches will go up And we will need to be more balanced. We can’t get the same ineffectivity scoring from the 3 and 5 spot otherwise we just won’t score enough points to win games

Baker has only 3 years left so can’t be point guard for next 4 years. Also very dependent who they recruit.

 

[Scarlet Blind]

Perfect scenario would be 2 grad transfers and a freshman, 2 guards and a wing, to keep balance in the class and 3 spots for next year's class.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

Virginia which many thought had the best defense around got dominated by a point guard who barely shot. He had them chasing him around and were two steps slow in recovering on open players.

Yes we need shooters but a fast penetrating high IQ point guard can do wonders.

That's not reality or anything close to it....while a nice story and it's a good memory, the Combo guard Lyles, was the actual player who dominated the game and had big time offers before committing to VCU...., the super-small PG hustled and made a couple of plays, but doesn't have the ability to play at a major level or more than 8 minutes a game.....he would be isolated and scored on every time down the court, and would not stop anybody in half court defense....

If that was reality, every Power 5 player would have that type of player on their roster.....there's a reason almost everyone doesn't....they can't defend at this level, which eliminates any positives he "might" be able to give on the offensive end....

And a typical tournament team (not elite) in Kansas State smothered him in the next game....10 points and 1 assist in 38 minutes....UVA is a slow footed defensive team, when they have to play man to man and rarely fell behind anyone most of the season....that was a perfect storm, you cannot have a sub 5-10 PG, unless he's built like a running back, has extensive shooting range and can play through contact (Screens, picks, getting fouled by bigger players, driving to the basket....The undersized guard you can get away with is an Zavier Simpson type of player at Michigan, at 6'0"....he's built like a truck and can defend, because he's quick, but even then, you have players that can shoot over him.

As talented as Sanders was at 6'2 and solid, there were many a drive to the basket, where there was a LOT of contact driving and he rarely got a foul called in his favor....You take a Combo Guard like Geo Baker who can shoot over a defender, can alter a shot from an opponent etc..

 

[jrh51]

I dont think its a PG as much as its a good guard....PG is an overrated position if the player isnt big enough to defend and cant shoot....Strickland would have been ideal, although i would always gamble on a CG with more length-height....

The B1G has some nice PGs....but a lot aren't a factor defensively...Iowa's Bohannon is a perfect PG....shoots the 3 at almost 35% & 90% from FT line....but cannot stay in front of anyone and gets torched most nights...(Sanders and Baker, specifically ate him alive at RAC).

Sanders defense was excellent most nights...have to look at what your "PG", is going to give up defensively vs looking at what he shoots or does on offense...

I would not go so far to call Jordan Bohannon "a perfect PG"...

 

[MadRU]

That's not reality or anything close to it....while a nice story and it's a good memory, the Combo guard Lyles, was the actual player who dominated the game and had big time offers before committing to VCU...., the super-small PG hustled and made a couple of plays, but doesn't have the ability to play at a major level or more than 8 minutes a game.....he would be isolated and scored on every time down the court, and would not stop anybody in half court defense....

If that was reality, every Power 5 player would have that type of player on their roster.....there's a reason almost everyone doesn't....they can't defend at this level, which eliminates any positives he "might" be able to give on the offensive end....

And a typical tournament team (not elite) in Kansas State smothered him in the next game....10 points and 1 assist in 38 minutes....UVA is a slow footed defensive team, when they have to play man to man and rarely fell behind anyone most of the season....that was a perfect storm, you cannot have a sub 5-10 PG, unless he's built like a running back, has extensive shooting range and can play through contact (Screens, picks, getting fouled by bigger players, driving to the basket....The undersized guard you can get away with is an Zavier Simpson type of player at Michigan, at 6'0"....he's built like a truck and can defend, because he's quick, but even then, you have players that can shoot over him.

As talented as Sanders was at 6'2 and solid, there were many a drive to the basket, where there was a LOT of contact driving and he rarely got a foul called in his favor....You take a Combo Guard like Geo Baker who can shoot over a defender, can alter a shot from an opponent etc..

I will disagree. Without that guard making Virginia chase him UMBC loses. Lyle hit shots but everyone else also got open looks because, well they were open because of the PG penetration.

It’s not a coincidence that we haven’t been to the NCAAs since Earl Duncan was our point guard, the last legit point we had, IMHO. And the PG doesn’t have to be small like the UMBC kid, I think Tai would have fit in well, good handle, high IQ, can breakdown the defense and affectively Penetrate.

 

[S_Janowski]

Really don't think Baker is our point guard for the next 3 years.

 

[seansherm]

1. Can’t have 2 bigs on the floor at the same time and maximize offense. Need Harper and/or Issa as a 4th perimeter player

2. We now find out how right or wrong I was about the flow of the offense and that our 2 most talented players were not helping the offense on an average night.

3. Will we see a different Issa without those 2? I say yes.

I know some disagree...chemistry was really off last year. This year I am extremely confident will be excellent. Guys won’t be afraid to fail. It will be OK to not give the dribble hand off to the guard if you feel u can beat your guy off the dribble. 4 guys will rush to pick you up after you drew a charge.

I don't know about the chemistry part, but am really looking forward to seeing Issa progress. Lately, we rarely get to develop guys with potential into juniors and seniors. I think he takes the next step, and becomes a consistent double digit guy along with his solid defense. He and Kiss could spread floor well together.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

I would not go so far to call Jordan Bohannon "a perfect PG"...

On one side of the floor he absolutely is.

On the other......

 

[RUChoppin]

Overall, I'm expecting more from our 5 returning players as they grow within Pike's system.

Baker: Had a great first year, and needs to build on it. Two things that stand out for me are a need to improve rebounding and to get better with dribble penetration. I'd imagine without Sanders demanding as many shots, he'll take more shots - but I hope his FG% goes up a touch at the same time.

Omoruyi: Showed a TON of improvement from freshman to sophomore year, and finished the year strong - even after what looked at first to be a gruesome injury. His final 8 games back from injury, he averaged 24.6 min, 8.8 pts (.509 FG%, .600 FT%), and 5.9 rbs. Hopefully with some more work in the offseason, he can get those numbers up a bit more... and can teach the rest of the team how to effectively draw an offensive foul.

Thiam: Also showed a ton of improvement from freshman year, and we saw him adding bits and pieces to his game as the season progressed. He's rounding into more of a complete player instead of just a "catch and shoot the three" guy. Still has a lot to work on, though - adding some more post play, using screens for threes, and just having more of a hunger to pull the trigger would go a long way.

Doucoure: Really was not able to adjust to the speed of the game, and couldn't stay out of foul trouble. Did well in the early going against less talented squads, but couldn't stay on the court long enough to get any sort of rhythm as the year went on. Needs to improve body control, put on some more muscle, and learn some more of the do's-and-don'ts of the low post. Curious if we see him at the 4 more this year, too - he has a decent 10-12 foot shot and could use his 6-9 size more to his advantage against a smaller PF instead of battling trees.

Doorson: Really came on more toward the end of the season, and rightfully earned a starting job. Hopefully he continues to stay healthy and progress and to be able to be a significant contributor as a 5th year player - but he really needs to improve offensively. He can flush the basketball at almost any time, but he's usually either not aggressive enough to do so or isn't getting the ball. Hoping for more out of him next year.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Really don't think Baker is our point guard for the next 3 years.

I hope we are wrong. There is a lot of work to be put in here. Maybe we overemphasize the need for a point guard. My fear is 2 fold.

1. What happens when a team presses us.
2. How would having the ball in his hands affect the other parts of his game and would he be able to play as many minutes with the added responsibility.

Marquis Webb as a freshman came in to a PG as a new position. However he wasn’t asked to score.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Baker s FG% has to improve.

Sanders defensive rebounding will really be missed and I am not sure if Baker can make up even half of what we lose here

 

[MadRU]

I hope we are wrong. There is a lot of work to be put in here. Maybe we overemphasize the need for a point guard. My fear is 2 fold.

1. What happens when a team presses us.
2. How would having the ball in his hands affect the other parts of his game and would he be able to play as many minutes with the added responsibility.

Marquis Webb as a freshman came in to a PG as a new position. However he wasn’t asked to score.

This^^^

In conference what were the games that shocked us most? The Illinois games, why? Because they played high pressure in your face defense against us, without a true PG we lost bad.

 

[jrh51]

On one side of the floor he absolutely is.

On the other......

Y'all understand the definition of "perfect," right?

 

[RUChoppin]

As for the new players, tons of question marks:

Kiss: Lots of positive talk about him in practice, and he's now a "third year" player as a RS Soph - with a year of starting experience and a year of development under this staff going against Sanders/Baker/Williams in practice. Last sit-out guard we had was Nigel Johnson... who was definitely better as a RS Jr than he was as a reserve freshman/sophomore at KState.

Johnson: Again, lots of positive talk from Pike. Like hearing that he regretted redshirting him because he felt he was game-ready by mid-season and was showing well in practice all year. Hopefully that gives him a leg up into next year if Pike felt he could have been a contributor down the stretch this year if not for the RS.

Carter: No idea what to really expect here, as we haven't heard much. Freeman was also a highly rated Juco, and did well here as an undersized PF. Carter isn't undersized - can he be a major contributor? Remains to be seen, but look forward to hearing reports out of practice and seeing him in scarlet.

Mathis/Harper: Again, no real idea what to expect as they try to transition their game to college. Will they go the Baker route or the Doucoure route? Going to need to rely heavily on Mathis, so really hope he can step up as a freshman. Again, looking forward to reports out of practice once they get here and to see them in scarlet.

 

[MadRU]

I believe the coach really wants to play a high pressure faster game but we just haven’t had the team depth to do this. With Corey gone we need a PG to balance positions out so depth is available at all positions.

 

[RUChoppin]

This^^^

In conference what were the games that shocked us most? The Illinois games, why? Because they played high pressure in your face defense against us, without a true PG we lost bad.

....and we were missing Williams, lost Sa early, and lost Omoruyi late in the first half. And Freeman fouled out after just 18 min. Doucoure played 17 min and committed 4 fouls without taking a shot. We ended up playing Mensah/Bullock/Dadika 32 min in this game - more than any other all year.

All of which resulted in us getting the 2nd fewest rebounds of the season (24... ahead of just the 23 we had @Purdue) and the most turnovers (25... 6 worse than any other game all year).

The struggles in that game were really compounded by our depth issues.

 

[dpwhite]

....and we were missing Williams, lost Sa early, and lost Omoruyi late in the first half. And Freeman fouled out after just 18 min. Doucoure played 17 min and committed 4 fouls without taking a shot. We ended up playing Mensah/Bullock/Dadika 32 min in this game - more than any other all year.

All of which resulted in us getting the 2nd fewest rebounds of the season (24... ahead of just the 23 we had @Purdue) and the most turnovers (25... 6 worse than any other game all year).

The struggles in that game were really compounded by our depth issues.

They harassed us at the RAC too. Pressure/Pack line defense was the worst match-up for this team because we relied on the ball being in Corey's hands so much. A team that moves the ball quicker and more efficiently and can hit the three is how you beat those kinds of teams.

 

[ColonelRutgers]

We are replacing Souf and Bullock with productive capable players, so the roster will be better overall, once you have that SF spot truly filled.

I must've missed it. Who are the productive capable players that are replacing Souf and Bullock? We've got three empty scholarships and it's March 30. I guess you are assuming that the staff is going to bring in productive capable players between now and September but I'm not sure why you're assuming that. This is the staff that brought those two guys in the first place. This past week has been a gut punch and a reality check. Rutgers is an incredibly hard place to recruit good basketball players and this staff of point guards hasn't figured out how to attract one yet.

 

[littlenis5]

1. Can’t have 2 bigs on the floor at the same time and maximize offense. Need Harper and/or Issa as a 4th perimeter player

2. We now find out how right or wrong I was about the flow of the offense and that our 2 most talented players were not helping the offense on an average night.

3. Will we see a different Issa without those 2? I say yes.

I know some disagree...chemistry was really off last year. This year I am extremely confident will be excellent. Guys won’t be afraid to fail. It will be OK to not give the dribble hand off to the guard if you feel u can beat your guy off the dribble. 4 guys will rush to pick you up after you drew a charge.

GR FIG - do you have a specific offensive set in mind you’d like to see? I think your concept of “small ball” with Eugene at the 5 could be interesting, and would like to see a flex offense to keep the offense moving.

 

[RUChoppin]

They harassed us at the RAC too. Pressure/Pack line defense was the worst match-up for this team because we relied on the ball being in Corey's hands so much. A team that moves the ball quicker and more efficiently and can hit the three is how you beat those kinds of teams.

We were much worse defensively than offensively that game, though. Not saying we would have won without the injuries, but the way that game unfolded was unlike any of our other games and really exposed our lack of depth.

Freeman and Doucoure were limited by quick fouls, and Sa went out very early after being raked through his eye. When Omoruyi went out with a knee injury with 4:10 left in the first half, it also clearly shook the team.

At that point, we were sunk defensively. Freeman/Doucoure already both had 3 fouls, Omoruyi/Sa were out, and Williams never suited up. The Illini scored 56 over the 18:18 after Omoruyi fell to the floor and Sanders raced away from the play toward our bench for a trainer (3.1 pts/min... a pace that would have allowed over 120 pts if it had gone on for a full game) to push it to 88-47.

Yes, it was a game that Sanders/Baker struggled... but the blowout was on the defensive end.

 

[dpwhite]

We were much worse defensively than offensively that game, though. Not saying we would have won without the injuries, but the way that game unfolded was unlike any of our other games and really exposed our lack of depth.

Freeman and Doucoure were limited by quick fouls, and Sa went out very early after being raked through his eye. When Omoruyi went out with a knee injury with 4:10 left in the first half, it also clearly shook the team.

At that point, we were sunk defensively. Freeman/Doucoure already both had 3 fouls, Omoruyi/Sa were out, and Williams never suited up. The Illini scored 56 over the 18:18 after Omoruyi fell to the floor and Sanders raced away from the play toward our bench for a trainer (3.1 pts/min... a pace that would have allowed over 120 pts if it had gone on for a full game) to push it to 88-47.

Yes, it was a game that Sanders/Baker struggled... but the blowout was on the defensive end.

Still talking about the game at the RAC.

 

[RUChoppin]

1. Can’t have 2 bigs on the floor at the same time and maximize offense. Need Harper and/or Issa as a 4th perimeter player

2. We now find out how right or wrong I was about the flow of the offense and that our 2 most talented players were not helping the offense on an average night.

3. Will we see a different Issa without those 2? I say yes.

I know some disagree...chemistry was really off last year. This year I am extremely confident will be excellent. Guys won’t be afraid to fail. It will be OK to not give the dribble hand off to the guard if you feel u can beat your guy off the dribble. 4 guys will rush to pick you up after you drew a charge.

If you're looking for Harper/Thiam to play the 4, and only have 1 big on the court at a time... then we desperately need to fill at least 2 of the 3 open scholarships with capable guards.

Limiting our bigs to just one on the floor at a time means putting 5 scholarships into just 40 min.... and having the remaining 5 scholarships cover the other 160 (at an average of 33 min/ea across Baker, Mathis, Kiss, Thiam, and Harper).

To play small ball, you need an abundance of good guards... and right now, that's where we have a shortage. If we can get 2 strong guard/wing players in these 3 scholarships, I could maybe see it... but even then, you'd expect the quintet of Omoruyi, Carter, Johnson, Doorson, and Doucoure to average just 4-5 min a game?

 

[PSUPOWER]

I believe the coach really wants to play a high pressure faster game but we just haven’t had the team depth to do this. With Corey gone we need a PG to balance positions out so depth is available at all positions.

Rutgers Basketball roster won't have the following Point Guards this season:

Jake Dadika
Souf Mensah
Corey Sanders
Tai Strickland(recently lost recruit)

Rutgers MUST add two Point Guards that can defend, handle the ball, pass and shoot for this season. They can be 6-10 like Ben Simmons, 6'9 like Magic Johnson or 5'10, but, they MUST be able to defend, handle the ball, pass and shoot.

Paul Mulcahy would be a nice player for Rutgers to add in the future, but, he is not guaranteed to sign with Rutgers and Rutgers needs to add TWO Point Guards for 2018-19 that they do not currently have.

 

[RU84]

That's not reality or anything close to it....while a nice story and it's a good memory, the Combo guard Lyles, was the actual player who dominated the game and had big time offers before committing to VCU...., the super-small PG hustled and made a couple of plays, but doesn't have the ability to play at a major level or more than 8 minutes a game.....he would be isolated and scored on every time down the court, and would not stop anybody in half court defense....

Good analysis

 

[RUChoppin]

Still talking about the game at the RAC.

Ah, sorry - that game had its own issues. Baker coming back from the flu and playing 21 min with 0 pts, 1 ast, 5 tov.... Dadika playing 25 min (!), Thiam getting just 7 min with 0 shots and 3 PFs, Freeman fouling out with just 22 min...

...and even then, it was a 3 pt game midway through the 2nd half.

Really need to fill at least 2 of the remaining 3 scholarships with capable players.... we can't find ourselves in the position of relying on walk-ons to carry the primary load at one of the guard spots. If Mathis gets the flu and another guard gets in foul trouble, we can't turn to Joey Downes to give us 25 min.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

I will disagree. Without that guard making Virginia chase him UMBC loses. Lyle hit shots but everyone else also got open looks because, well they were open because of the PG penetration.

It’s not a coincidence that we haven’t been to the NCAAs since Earl Duncan was our point guard, the last legit point we had, IMHO. And the PG doesn’t have to be small like the UMBC kid, I think Tai would have fit in well, good handle, high IQ, can breakdown the defense and affectively Penetrate.

Comparing Earl Duncan at 6'2-210 pounds to a small PG isnt obvious...Duncan also was armed with Mike Jones, who was also sturdy and countless other plus level.athletes....which is why you cannot just say a point guard...you need another two way guard...

 

[dpwhite]

Ah, sorry - that game had its own issues. Baker coming back from the flu and playing 21 min with 0 pts, 1 ast, 5 tov.... Dadika playing 25 min (!), Thiam getting just 7 min with 0 shots and 3 PFs, Freeman fouling out with just 22 min...

...and even then, it was a 3 pt game midway through the 2nd half.

Really need to fill at least 2 of the remaining 3 scholarships with capable players.... we can't find ourselves in the position of relying on walk-ons to carry the primary load at one of the guard spots. If Mathis gets the flu and another guard gets in foul trouble, we can't turn to Joey Downes to give us 25 min.

These three scholarships are key, I agree. Tai wouldn't have been a starter here, but he would have played a key role next year. If Pikiell can land a starter great--Aundre Hyatt to replace Corey for example? But he needs to at least replace Bullock and Mensah with guys he trusts on the court.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

I must've missed it. Who are the productive capable players that are replacing Souf and Bullock? We've got three empty scholarships and it's March 30. I guess you are assuming that the staff is going to bring in productive capable players between now and September but I'm not sure why you're assuming that. This is the staff that brought those two guys in the first place. This past week has been a gut punch and a reality check. Rutgers is an incredibly hard place to recruit good basketball players and this staff of point guards hasn't figured out how to attract one yet.

We heard the same woe is me last year on Gettys and Nigel/Laurent leaving....it was Eugene can't play, Doucoure isnt going to reclassify and Baker isnt going to play more than 20 minutes a game...

Can we at least assume that any guard landed will better than Souf and Bullock??

Can we also assume that Mathis and Kiss have some actual ability???

We saw Eugene improve, Thiam improve in small amounts...

There's 6 months to explain how RU was 317th or something nationally in 3 pointers made shooting....i am 1000% certain RU will be significantly better shooting from 3 next year than this year....

 

[LOU-RU85]

Rebounding will my biggest concern next year. We loose 3 of our best rebounders and unless our shooting percentage increasing substantially, this will have the biggest impact on the team next year. The offensive rebounding was one of the best in the country. Of course we were such a bad shooting team we had a lot more chances for offensive rebounds but that really did help quite a bit this year.

 

[PSUPOWER]

If you're looking for Harper/Thiam to play the 4, and only have 1 big on the court at a time... then we desperately need to fill at least 2 of the 3 open scholarships with capable guards.

Limiting our bigs to just one on the floor at a time means putting 5 scholarships into just 40 min.... and having the remaining 5 scholarships cover the other 160 (at an average of 33 min/ea across Baker, Mathis, Kiss, Thiam, and Harper).

To play small ball, you need an abundance of good guards... and right now, that's where we have a shortage. If we can get 2 strong guard/wing players in these 3 scholarships, I could maybe see it... but even then, you'd expect the quintet of Omoruyi, Carter, Johnson, Doorson, and Doucoure to average just 4-5 min a game?

Rutgers will have plenty of depth off the ball at Guard this season in Geo Baker, Montez Mathis, Peter Kiss and if necessary Ron Harper. Geo and Montez can certainly help handling the ball, but, open court ball handling isn't the main forte of those players at this juncture.