oh yeah I mean he’s saved their program. Could coach their forever if he wants to. WIll have to see how his system meshes with young talented offensive players. I would argue he had a couple of those in RHJ and Geo Baker and they still managed to be extremely mediocre at best on O, and both those guys kind of peaked as sophomores offensively. But if he can take the whole teams talent up a notch there could be that next level upside eventually
1 Like
He has absolutely helped Rutgers reach a level that probably felt impossible when he was hired.
Do this every year and eventually you will catch lightning in a bottle with a Frank Kaminksy or Mitch McGary or whatever and that’ll take things to a new level IMO.
4 Likes
It’s sort of unknowable but when you are Rutgers of six years ago don’t you need to choose an identity you can recruit to and fill it? The two way players in the B10 weren’t going to Rutgers, they were going to a half dozen other schools so he recruited a type of kid and built a team around it - I’m reminded of Beilein’s early years (but he did offense). Finally Beilein got to a point where two way players WERE available to him…is it possible Pikiell is hitting that point?
3 Likes
Look at Pikiell’s career. He’s a defense first and second guy. It’s absolutely apparently true he now has another level of talent available to him at Rutgers according to the ranking of the commits they have, the question will be if he can mold that with his defense first and second attitude.
That’s kind of exactly what I said up above? It takes catching the right combination of talent at the right time to reach another level (for Beilein that was Burke and then the '13 class).
I don’t know anything about Bailey, maybe he’s that guy, but you probably need a lot more.
Right now, Rutgers has not started playing two-way players at the very least. That’s okay and it is absolutely a fine way to build the program into a consistent NCAA Tournament team and top-half of the league team.
Just need something else to take it to another level. Cam Spencer has been awesome but he isn’t that.
1 Like
I do think there is a double standard. And that it contributes to perceptions, real or not, of unfairness. OTOH, I sometimes think, “Hey, let 'em have that heart attack that they’ve got coming.” Apoplexy isn’t great for your body or ticker.
There’s another (connected) conversation to have about Juwan’s demeanor. Seems like he’s settled in. I think that remaining a little muted contributes to his stature. He gets a fair amount of respect. That’s probably better than being tolerated because you’re a known Rumplestilskin, like Izzo is.
Mulcahy and Spencer are most likely back next year. Cliff is 50/50 and obviously that’s a big swing if he returns or not. I’m very excited about what Griffiths can provide on the wing. Can he be 95% of what Gradey Dick is for Kansas? He also seems more wired as a volume scorer in a way that Cam Spencer is not. But you’ll also go broke banking on freshman in the Big Ten so I’m trying to get carried away.
Mawot Mag is turning into a pretty good two-way guy. And Aundre Hyatt can come back for another year as well, though it also wouldn’t be a shock if he wants to go start somewhere instead of come off the bench again.
If Cliff does come back then Pikiell really needs to get a playmaking guard in the portal (well, that’s needed even if Cliff doesn’t return, but in that scenario getting a big man has to be the top portal priority). Derek Simpson is not making the in-season progression I expected. Our other incoming PG is basically a new version of him, a lowly recruited athletic dude who is probably going to take some time to figure out Big Ten basketball. And Jalen Miller belongs in the A-10. Pikiell took a big swing at Kyle Lofton late in the portal cycle who ended up at Florida. That’s what this year’s team is missing and that’s what next year’s team is looking like they’ll need. The portal always seems to be a buyer’s market for guards so I feel good about that.
Beyond next year a lot hinges on if Dylan Harper decides to go to Duke or not. Assuming Griffiths isn’t a one and done, that 2024-25 team could be excellent with two potential lottery picks plus another borderline five star in his sophomore year.
I do agree the long-term offensive upside is limited but that can change if Pikiell is able to recruit a different type of player. Mick Cronin has had two top-15 offenses at UCLA. He had zero top-30 offenses at Cincinnati.
3 Likes
No, probably not.
I will buy that a Dylan Harper team could be the one that makes the jump.
I have wanted to love Kyle Lofton for so long and this season has taught me that I was wrong!
4 Likes
Thats a great analogy. Jimmy’s and Joe’s can make up for a lot and Pikiell has never had the type of talent to work with that he has coming in. I don’t think a notch or two up is unrealistic.
1 Like
@kcg how did yall get Bailey? That’s so random. McEachern is in my neck of the woods and basically all their best guys go to the SEC. a top 10 guys from McEachern going to Rutgers is one of the strangest things I’ve seen
1 Like
Here’s what will be interesting as Rutgers starts getting better two-way players. If a top-50 kid like Kobe Bufkin or Jett Howard goes there and plays defense like they’ve shown in their freshmen years, is he letting them off the team bus? If you want those top-50 players, they have to play. But if they are terrible defensive players as freshmen, that fractures the entire system he’s running. I’m sure he would be better at teaching them defense than other coaches, but it takes time. Wisconsin is historically a really good defensive program and you don’t see a lot of freshmen play much for them. MSU is a good defensive program who does attract top-50 guys but we also know Izzo has no problem benching them and has been pretty up-and-down with his ability to recruit and leverage top-50 kids.
I think Syracuse is another possible example. They run a very, very specific system. At times they’ve brought in elite recruits, but it doesn’t always work. Sometimes programs, especially those based on defense, are at their best when they get good program guys rather than elite guys. Some of the best results at MSU were with old good college players that had no pro futures rather than elite pro guys.
Griffiths is #37 in the 247 Composite, the Kansas guy (hi filter) was #22. Same height, same body type. I don’t think it’s completely crazy they they end up as nearly the same guy. Even if he’s 85% of him that’s something Rutgers has never had. Griffiths numbers will probably be worse because he won’t have the same spacing but I think Rutgers’ offense has way way more to do with the players than the stuff they run.
Brandin Knight (associate head coach) is the godfather of Te’a Cooper. Her brother is Sharife Cooper, and her dad is Omar Cooper who played college ball in New Jersey and is the coach of Bailey’s AAU team.
We also took a commitment from 2023 guard JaMichael Davis who is AAU and now HS teammates with Bailey. That almost never matters but it might’ve here (and also for how Minnesota got their incoming 5* from California).
It seems like Bailey is rock solid to Rutgers but if Knight gets a high-major job offer he can’t turn down then maybe Bailey flips back to Auburn.
Ahh ok. I figured there had to be in an somewhere, more than just taking his nondescript teammate that’s a year older. Auburn got Cooper and Okoro from McEachern so would definitely figured Auburn would have been his choice. Impressive either way
1 Like
Pretty familiar with Griffiths since he was a U-M recruit and I have a hard time seeing him as a Gradey Dick level contributor as a true freshman. Dick has been projected as a lottery pick for a while and was ridiculously good in NIBC games last year.
1 Like
I haven’t watched Grady D*ck play very much and obviously every team would want a guy who can shoot and score like that. But if he plays terrible defense, will he get minutes? If he’s playing with lesser offensive players who can’t get him the ball, is he having the same success at Rutgers?
I’m eager to see it play out. I can’t fathom a good offensive player at Rutgers just like I can’t fathom a good defensive player at Iowa. But I like shaking up the status quo in the conference. I think the conference could be in store for a lot of shake-up when guys like Edey, TJD, Murray, Hunter/Jett, PIckett move on. Those five teams are built around those players so each school will be a lot different when they move on.
The best players on a team almost always play. Charles Matthews could never shoot but he still played for Beilein.
There are rare exceptions, but it isn’t like a coach isn’t going to play his best players.
1 Like
Part of it was that he had to do everything offensively but Ron Harper Jr. was not the dogged rebounder/defender that you’d expect from Pikiell and… yeah, he still rightfully played a ton.
2 Likes
I’m from Jersey; my mom taught at Rutgers for 20 years. I don’t think that Rutgers necessarily has to play the poor country cousin forever. This is kind of a cool article about the–alleged–rise of Jersey hoops, a piece from last year in the Times:
Notes some of the greats who hailed from Jersey (Shaq, Rick Barry). Mentions some of the North Jersey high schools producing players. Doesn’t note some of the demographics and economic undercurrents (poor people leaving NYC in droves, as lots of metro areas) thinning the ranks at inner city schools, even as the academies rise. A lot might hinge on whether a place like Rutgers becomes a destination or Jersey continues to feel like a place you get out of, as it sometimes did to me growing up. But now that Rutgers is going to start obtaining equal revenue from the B1G (as I think I’ve heard), and with NIL, I don’t see why Rutgers doesn’t get its share. I’m rooting for Pikiell.
3 Likes
Me too. Of the classic Big Ten rivals I have the least amount of dislike for Purdue, but as far as programs I’d actually like to see displace some of those classic rivals as contenders, Rutgers is at the top of the list. I need to get to the RAC to see it in action.
3 Likes
B1G opponent ranking - 2023:
I. Beloved Opponents
- Purdue
- Rutgers
II. Scrappy Underdogs I Can Get Behind
3. Northwestern
4. PSU
5. Nebraska
III. Iowa
6. Iowa
IV. Eh, Whatever
7. Minnesota
8. Maryland
9. (Team I can never remember the name of - eh, certainly not a rival or team worth taking seriously anyway)
V. Historic Hatred But Wearing Off
10. Indiana
VI. Hated Rivals
11. OSU
12. MSU
SEPARATED BY RIVER OF BILE
VII. Lovecraftian Horror
13. Wisconsin
9 Likes