I am stunned to say the least. But looking at the track record this new RU Coach has I have to admit its pretty impressive. However, I just thought this was an opportunity to hire that high level and high profile person who could be the pied piper leading many area 4 and 5 star rated recruits to Rutgers. But this guy worked at UConn so he understands how to get it done hook or crook! I am sure he understands the main streets and back allys of recruitment. He also understands Defense wins games! But I stand by this: Kevin Boyle would have been outstanding! I would be surprised to see any improvement before the 2019 season and only if they have a facility improvement plan in place with actual work taking place. Again the new coach might turn out to be exceptional. Remember Jim Calhoun arrived at UConn from small Northeastern. But than again Big John Thompson arrived at Georgetown from a DC area HS! Staff is very important!! So are facilities especially now! The Big is a big-time conference and nothing to sneeze about. Good luck to him but still surprised and stunned not because of a lack of ability to succeed because he is great on paper. But because I expected a more household name to get the position. With patience he just might turn it around at RU!
WOW!!!!!!
- Thread starter LFBall
- Start date
Calhoun was interviewed a lot yesterday. He agrees with you on the first, not the second.
Also, Zags had an article with lots of quotes from NJ HS and AAU coaches, and there were a number of quotes about RU being invisible in many places in NJ recruiting circles in the last 3 years, even longer. That obviously has to change. Calhoun said as much too, and it has to change in NY.
"He may turn it around at Rutgers" Words we have lived by for the past 25 years.
I'm with LFBall. Needed a dynamic guy from Jersey.
Look at The Stony Brook roster. It has Jersey kids on it and I think they out recruited Rutgers in Jersey for the past few years. I'm comfortable with Pikiell's knowledge of the area and its players. Can he coach? It seems like he can, but to me that is the bigger question.
Invisible, good word choice.
I saw a Rutgers assistant at a HS game in 2015 -- almost by chance.
Most coaches try to be visible at games, but this coach was watching the game while sitting in the concessions area. Looking through a glass window.
Granted, the kid he came to watch knew he was there and knew he was coming. It was just weird to see where he decided to watch the game from. It was as if he did not want anyone, other than the kid he came to watch, to know he was there.
Also I almost didn't realize he was a college coach. The red R on his shirt was pretty small. I just happened to notice it, probably because my name starts with the letter R.
Last night one person, with first hand knowledge, told me that Coach Jordan's staff did not like to go out on the road to recruit. Based on my one encounter, I believe him.
B Ball is much easier to turn around than football. Only takes a few top players to dominate a game. In 2 years he can have this team at a 500 record 3-4 in the Big Dance and knocking off some wins against B1G big boys.
I think we actualy have a better chance at winning a B!G title in B Ball vs Football.
I think we actualy have a better chance at winning a B!G title in B Ball vs Football.
The 70s are a little different than today and I'm not sure if Georgetown could hire a HC out of the HS ranks today and succeed. Thomson was a great HC for Georgetown in an era when a great HS HC might be able to move up to a college position and succeed , if it was at the right spot.
When John Thompson was hired out of the HS ranks Georgetown was playing as an Independent but he was a good coach from the beginning and nothing can take that away from him .
Boyle , even though a great HS HC, might find the going tougher at a school like Rutgers that needs so much and is in one of the best College MBB conferences.
When John Thompson was hired out of the HS ranks Georgetown was playing as an Independent but he was a good coach from the beginning and nothing can take that away from him .
Boyle , even though a great HS HC, might find the going tougher at a school like Rutgers that needs so much and is in one of the best College MBB conferences.
I love ya, man ... but really?
Where was that person? The highest profile person who even appeared to listen was Danny Hurley - who has yet to take ANY college team he was head coach of to the NCAA (though Pikiell has only done it once), nor has any of his teams even won their own conference I do not think, even in the regular season (though maybe once that happened). And I did not want Hurley. But Hurley is not what I would call a "high level and high profile" not a "household" name.
You mention Boyle, but frankly, that would have been awful at so many levels I cannot even articulate. Never even an assistant at the college level, a cheater while in high school, and frankly not well-liked in NJ. Though he would be a shark.
RU was not getting a so-called high profile name ... though RU did have money - and did raise the ante - to get a high profile name RU may have had to offer $3 million a year or more, for 6 years ... that was not going to happen. And even then, it was not a gimmie that a high profile name would leave their current job (which would likely be a better situation for them than RU).
I do wish I knew whether anything happened with Sendek - but we will never know now. Pikiell seems pretty good, all things considered.
Maybe he was tired of the food and antics going on at the concession stand at the RAC and he was testing their food. Where was this at? I never knew high schools BB had concession stands.
I saw Shoe and some other RU officials at Parx casino last year. Maybe checking out some Philly recruits.
We got as good as we were capable of getting. As long as the guy comes in, and busts his ass, along with the staff, ala Ash, really you can't ask for anything more. He's got four years to show us something. This really is an adverse situation, but I think we did alright. Now we have to get that practice facility built ASAP.
He wasn't eating anything when I saw him.
This game, was in remodeled HS gym and had a concessions area with seating for maybe 20 people. I was impressed.
This simply has got to end. Coaches need to be out every night watching games. Without that kind of passion, we will never succeed.
Under the circumstances, I think we did well.
While I think Hurley was the "splash hire", truth is, as many have said- in 6 years he has never been to the NCAA tourney.
I feel good that we actually have a REAL College Coach again. EJ was NOT that. SP has good pedigree with UConn and has proven to lead a program to consistent winning seasons. He isn't 35 years old, but at 47 he isn't old either.
Somewhere it was being questioned that we couldn't do better than an American East coach? Well...lots of success has come from there or leagues like it... Mike Brey (Delaware), Jay Wright (Hofstra), Mike Lonergan (Vermont), Coach K (Army), Jim Larranagga (George Mason) and I am sure a ton of others I cant think of right now.
While I think Hurley was the "splash hire", truth is, as many have said- in 6 years he has never been to the NCAA tourney.
I feel good that we actually have a REAL College Coach again. EJ was NOT that. SP has good pedigree with UConn and has proven to lead a program to consistent winning seasons. He isn't 35 years old, but at 47 he isn't old either.
Somewhere it was being questioned that we couldn't do better than an American East coach? Well...lots of success has come from there or leagues like it... Mike Brey (Delaware), Jay Wright (Hofstra), Mike Lonergan (Vermont), Coach K (Army), Jim Larranagga (George Mason) and I am sure a ton of others I cant think of right now.
This is incredible. Fred Hill Junior's term as HC is well documented but one thing about him (from everything that is written) is that when he was not coaching his own team he was at a HS gym either a) watching a team practice or b) watching teams play in games. Going on the road to recruit is probably 50% of the job!
Barron was an excellent coach and a decent recruiter . He could really have got it done here. He came real close I believe in 1997-1998, but end of February tough losses to Seton Hall and Georgetown game at home were heart breaking . I was very close to that team and Kevin was fantastic. He was a real good x and O coach, and his players really developed under him. Just the Rutgers curse that Kevin created his own downfall . Wondering if he would still be here after all these years.
OMG
So glad we didn't do that!
Hurley Sr. would be the only NJ guy I would have wanted...ten years ago.
You can spend 90 hours a week on the road recruiting....but if there is no financial shark-like support to back that effort up, it's not wasted effort, but as close to it as possible. I asked one AAU contact and he essentially said they like Steve and if he makes the "effort", then the results will happen.....kids didn't land at Stony Brook by accident, even at a small time school like that, you still need financial backing from alumni/donors and all corners to have an impact.
I'm shocked that we continue to see this false story-telling when it comes to basketball recruiting, as if showing up solves the problems....this isn't football and frankly, football is starting to look and feel like basketball recruiting on some levels......if it was just showing up, we wouldn't hear the stories about RU having a 9 to 12 month headstart on certain kids and being the first school to offer and then suddenly 3 or 4 other "bigger" schools offer and suddenly RU and other locals fall down on that recruits list of schools to choose from....local schools have been showing up for the last 10-15 years and pretty much have little to show for it, will one huge exception which doesn't warrant repeating that story again.
RU has the right Head Coach and working with slick Calhoun gives me hope that we'll grind and get in front of the kids we need to win. FWIW, Rice also had the connections necessary to generate the results needed a few years ago, except things went off the rails as we are all aware of. RU winning some games next year will generate some indications that things are changing...if the recruiting is supported properly, RU will be on it's way quickly.
I'm shocked that we continue to see this false story-telling when it comes to basketball recruiting, as if showing up solves the problems....this isn't football and frankly, football is starting to look and feel like basketball recruiting on some levels......if it was just showing up, we wouldn't hear the stories about RU having a 9 to 12 month headstart on certain kids and being the first school to offer and then suddenly 3 or 4 other "bigger" schools offer and suddenly RU and other locals fall down on that recruits list of schools to choose from....local schools have been showing up for the last 10-15 years and pretty much have little to show for it, will one huge exception which doesn't warrant repeating that story again.
RU has the right Head Coach and working with slick Calhoun gives me hope that we'll grind and get in front of the kids we need to win. FWIW, Rice also had the connections necessary to generate the results needed a few years ago, except things went off the rails as we are all aware of. RU winning some games next year will generate some indications that things are changing...if the recruiting is supported properly, RU will be on it's way quickly.
As others have said, who was this pied piper supposed to be? There wasn't a line of big-time candidates beating down the door, apparently.
2019? Really? I would expect significant improvement next year if (1) the roster holds together (or mostly together), (2) the injured players return and are able to perform at a reasonable level and, (3) the new coaching staff can actually, you know, coach! I'm not saying NCAA or even NIT necessarily, but I expect to see a well-coached team that wins the games it should win, and steals a game or few that it isn't expected to. Kind of like Rice's first year.
Translated Ru wont get recruits until it starts greasing the wheels with $$$$. Nice.
forget LF "halls " misguided loyalty to some NJ coaches and their "household " names--that is just homerism and the old guard facilitating RU to remain in back country--its akin to our primary season-- the establishment has screwed us and wants to do it again and again and can't understand why voters are fed up
You say we should have hired a high profile coach and your suggestion is a high school coach. Complete disconnect on that.
FHJ failed, but not because of effort
Mike Rice imploded
Eddie Jordan cashed pay checks
This "loyal son" nonsense needs to be put to rest.
Mike Rice imploded
Eddie Jordan cashed pay checks
This "loyal son" nonsense needs to be put to rest.
Since @LFBall seems to have some strong opinions about Rutgers situation, I'd like to ask a question of you. What is the going cost of obtaining a normal B1G type of player? I'm not talking one and done. I'm saying your normal 2-3 year starter. How much will that cost in real dollars to obtain such player?
I don't know why there are so many people who think bc he's from a small conference he can't be successful when so many coaches who have success at smaller schools get a shot at a big time program and do well
Hawk-
I'm glad to see a good night's sleep has made you a bit more optimistic. Pikiel is certainly no slam dunk hire, but if the stars align on the recruitment front, he may succeed where so many others have failed.
Don't confuse the two items....Hobbs didn't even acknowledge Sendek or others, which is a red flag for me and others that I communicate with as well....others have commented on how quickly the hire went down, which clearly means or shows he had a clear path in mind and wasn't going to deviate from that. As the job opened, there were more candidates interested than what was posted here, but the end result for me was the right result.....defensive oriented and focused coach etc....that doesn't mean I'm comfortable with how the process developed, despite the result potentially landing at the same place. If Pikiell doesn't turn the corner next year (.500 or better with a complete roster is my expectation), then it's going to be much more difficult to win in Year Two.
That doesn't mean Pikiell won't succeed, RU as a program, despite others disagreeing with me, is a potential great job and has more upside than any job in the region. It's just not been funded at all or properly and that also really had only one quality HC (Rice) in the last 3 hires.
Eddie did RU a favor, despite his coaching, he essentially restocked a roster with credible athletes, although not elite players across the board. I am excited to see what Pikiell does with the backcourt and size up front and what pieces are kept and added to this spring. This isn't a 7 win program and I would have felt more comfortable with a more experienced coach that has done this twice in Sendek. Hobbs didn't agree and it's his job to make RU successful, not mine. I wouldn't have taken his approach, but the end result at the end of the day is more than fine for me. Cluess would have been an epic disaster.
Regarding recruiting and my comments above, I'm not going to state again what is obvious to everyone in the recruiting circles....schools, sneaker affliations and coaches that are connected to players and families matter.....I don't make the rule, but others are asking for a "recruiting shark or someone connected to NJ", as if it's a popularity contest......you say you want the recruiting to have an upgrade, then stop the charade and join the rest of the B1G, ACC, Big East and whatever other programs do to attract and get talent to RU.
RU doesn't have that reputation like the rest of the free world does, in doing what's required to compete at this level. I'd rather not lie and simplify things by stating that showing up to HS events or AAU events is all it takes to get players at this level or even a smaller conference like the AAC or A-10. Not every player matters but in some cases it certainly does.
As long as RU levels the playing field, RU will be more than successful in growing the brand in both sports....I hear fans complaining about our football uniforms, helmets and other things that ultimately attract the players we want to play here.....I also see mindless things posted about why players received suspensions at RU as if it's a sign of fault of the player, when other schools wouldn't care one bit if a player skipped a class or had another discretion. Only at RU do we comment negatively about things that are on the surface irrelevant and ignore the obvious things necessary to compete.
There are a LOT of positives in place that can make RU successful....as an example, with AC at the RAC, every credible AAU event should be held there each and every summer.....there needs to be a showcase that shows we have eateries near the gym that can accommodate these events now, when before you had to cut over to Piscataway/South Plainfield near Stelton Avenue to have food....dorms are being built, money is pouring into RU left and right....there are a lot of positive changes you can show people, but you can't do that if you have AAU events at Kean, Philly or other places other than RU.
If you can showcase the school and add a practice facility with what will be in place for that 9th or 10th grader today, you have a shot at him when he graduates HS. Get Nike to revamp the uniforms and get some warmups, shoes that can be showcased to the AAU circuit like other schools do.
I'm glad that Hurley passed on the job after looking at what took place in the last week. He didn't show me the confidence necessary not once, but twice to take on the challenge or opportunity. Pikiell did and got a very handsome reward for doing so, with essentially no downside to his career. RU needs to hit the ground running in the next 90 days and if that happens, we'll hear about the difference being made, similar to what we are hearing with Ash, more importantly, Rick Mantz & Kenny Parker....
It's a home run job folks, people can downplay RU behind the scenes if they want to. Pikiell doesn't have a ton of hurdles like Rice and Eddie inherited, so I'm expecting more credible results in recruiting immediately and wins next year as well...just keep the roster intact and go from there. Remember, it's always easier to recruit when you are on an uptick or improving your wins and losses.
That doesn't mean Pikiell won't succeed, RU as a program, despite others disagreeing with me, is a potential great job and has more upside than any job in the region. It's just not been funded at all or properly and that also really had only one quality HC (Rice) in the last 3 hires.
Eddie did RU a favor, despite his coaching, he essentially restocked a roster with credible athletes, although not elite players across the board. I am excited to see what Pikiell does with the backcourt and size up front and what pieces are kept and added to this spring. This isn't a 7 win program and I would have felt more comfortable with a more experienced coach that has done this twice in Sendek. Hobbs didn't agree and it's his job to make RU successful, not mine. I wouldn't have taken his approach, but the end result at the end of the day is more than fine for me. Cluess would have been an epic disaster.
Regarding recruiting and my comments above, I'm not going to state again what is obvious to everyone in the recruiting circles....schools, sneaker affliations and coaches that are connected to players and families matter.....I don't make the rule, but others are asking for a "recruiting shark or someone connected to NJ", as if it's a popularity contest......you say you want the recruiting to have an upgrade, then stop the charade and join the rest of the B1G, ACC, Big East and whatever other programs do to attract and get talent to RU.
RU doesn't have that reputation like the rest of the free world does, in doing what's required to compete at this level. I'd rather not lie and simplify things by stating that showing up to HS events or AAU events is all it takes to get players at this level or even a smaller conference like the AAC or A-10. Not every player matters but in some cases it certainly does.
As long as RU levels the playing field, RU will be more than successful in growing the brand in both sports....I hear fans complaining about our football uniforms, helmets and other things that ultimately attract the players we want to play here.....I also see mindless things posted about why players received suspensions at RU as if it's a sign of fault of the player, when other schools wouldn't care one bit if a player skipped a class or had another discretion. Only at RU do we comment negatively about things that are on the surface irrelevant and ignore the obvious things necessary to compete.
There are a LOT of positives in place that can make RU successful....as an example, with AC at the RAC, every credible AAU event should be held there each and every summer.....there needs to be a showcase that shows we have eateries near the gym that can accommodate these events now, when before you had to cut over to Piscataway/South Plainfield near Stelton Avenue to have food....dorms are being built, money is pouring into RU left and right....there are a lot of positive changes you can show people, but you can't do that if you have AAU events at Kean, Philly or other places other than RU.
If you can showcase the school and add a practice facility with what will be in place for that 9th or 10th grader today, you have a shot at him when he graduates HS. Get Nike to revamp the uniforms and get some warmups, shoes that can be showcased to the AAU circuit like other schools do.
I'm glad that Hurley passed on the job after looking at what took place in the last week. He didn't show me the confidence necessary not once, but twice to take on the challenge or opportunity. Pikiell did and got a very handsome reward for doing so, with essentially no downside to his career. RU needs to hit the ground running in the next 90 days and if that happens, we'll hear about the difference being made, similar to what we are hearing with Ash, more importantly, Rick Mantz & Kenny Parker....
It's a home run job folks, people can downplay RU behind the scenes if they want to. Pikiell doesn't have a ton of hurdles like Rice and Eddie inherited, so I'm expecting more credible results in recruiting immediately and wins next year as well...just keep the roster intact and go from there. Remember, it's always easier to recruit when you are on an uptick or improving your wins and losses.
