are we going to see Baker coming off the bench next season? I think he may be starting at the beginning of the season, but I just think the talent on the team is going to surpass him by middle of the year.
Serious question
- Thread starter ouchmyknee
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Caleb is playing well but the question isn't Baker to me, it's Eugene. He's battling but isn't able to stick jumpers and relies on guile and up and unders. If the potential for a Massoud type getting freed up were to happen, that's the spot that needs scoring, given the amount of touches he gets per half..
Wait is the OP projecting guys who not played a minute of ball at RU already bumping starters from the lineup
If i had a dollar for everytime i saw this posted the past 20 years
If i had a dollar for everytime i saw this posted the past 20 years
Bac, fair point, but you have to agree that Geo is playing like crap
He is and deserves criticism. Poor play last two games....but nothing like throwing a player under the bus for players that have not played a minute for Rutgers
Thank God Pikiell is the coach
Thank God Pikiell is the coach
Rutgers might even had a winnings season if these newcomers actually could score.
No. Baker will start as long as he is enrolled at Rutgers. He is the face of the program and will only be better when the Calvary next year arrives.
Like last year when I said Harper would pass Issa by during the season and start and people were calling for Harper to redshirt?
This narrative that a freshman can't or won't play well as a freshman is just dumb. All of our true freshman are contributing major minutes and 2 of them are starting for us.
The "he hasn't played a minute of college ball" argument is lazy and not backed by facts. Just look at the team this year.
Like Peter Kiss..like Nigel Johnson..i can go on
I trust Pike knows the importance of Geo
I don’t think so.
I thin the question is whether McConnell starts over Baker next year. The thought has occurred to me as well. Heck, I wonder if he should start over Baker in the B1G tourney.
Eugene averages almost 14 and 8. I don’t think his starting spot is in jeopardy but he could easily avg. almost 20 if he stuck some jumpers.
His knee problems are also causing him to pretty much strictly rely on the up and under move. If you watch his feet it’s really impacting the way he plants his foot as well as his explosiveness.
Mulcahey and Young will both be better than Kiss and Nigel. No doubt
Baker fails to score vs penn st and has a rough game vs Indiana and all hell breaks loose. There’s no reason not to start him as a junior next season, he’s given ru so much in some games. If he’s that bad make the younger kids work to start over him. But in the end, it’s like pike said, it’s not really who starts it’s who finishes the game.
It's not a foregone conclusion that someone who's never played a college game or currently on the team is going to replace him. There is the possibility that he could get better. Certainly that's more of a possibility now than it has been in a long time at RU.
Let’s see what McConnell looks like as a 2 guard playing 27 minutes and being guarded by the best or 2nd best defender.
I have been saying for a long time people were overrating baker. Having said that I think Baker the 2 guard is better than Caleb the 2 guard.
As far as the need for a point guard. Baker is our guy. I am assuming Mulcahy is not the guy Day 1. Would love to be wrong.
I have been saying for a long time people were overrating baker. Having said that I think Baker the 2 guard is better than Caleb the 2 guard.
As far as the need for a point guard. Baker is our guy. I am assuming Mulcahy is not the guy Day 1. Would love to be wrong.
To me this will be determined next year. I think almost all agree neither one is a PG.
I think McConnell has a higher ceiling overall but Baker has been playing a position all year that isn’t his true position and he played it pretty well...so it’ll come down to how much McConnell progresses year over year vs. how well Baker does back at his natural position. Teams have been figuring out Baker at PG and he doesn’t match up well sometimes.
Either way it will be exciting to watch kids battle for minutes. Most people thought McConnell didn’t belong on a BIG10 court earlier this season (for good reason) and he went on to show a ton of growth this past month and really came on.
If Young/Mulcahy can man the PG position which is a big IF (I don’t think Young is a true PG and Mulcahy will be a true frosh) then it wouldn’t be crazy to think McConnell could be starting over Baker by end of year.
No one is saying it's a foregone conclusion. It's very likely Geo does start. The point is he hasn't played well enough to be a lock of a starter all year no doubt about it type player earning 30+ minutes a night. I'd say most likely scenario is that he starts but his minutes are cut slightly. I believe Geo would be more effective playing more like 26-28 min range
Ehhh we don’t have a true PG on the roster which is why it might seem complicated. Don’t think either one is a PG.
we don’t have a “true pg” on the roster. We haven’t had one in over a decade.
Do we have a player on the roster that we can win with at PG?
Do we have a player on the roster that we can win with at PG?
This is honestly a pointless discussion because...
Mulcahy is 6'6", can pass but no history of being a shooter and lacks the burst to get past his defender and finish in traffic or has not shown enough IMO at the HS or AAU levels to be counted on to defend....
Baker isn't quick or fast, so he's easier to defend on the wings, vs him having the ball at the top of the key....he's also better in a 24 to 28 minutes vs 34 to 35 minutes.
Young is the fastest and quickest guard by a lot, but he's more scoring guard than lead guard.
McConnell is really a wing that could handle the ball, but not a full time solution.
Mathis can guard people, but appears to have hit the physical wall like most frosh do at this time of the season.
None of these items are relevant involving who starts. There's enough high caliber minutes there for everyone.
The larger question is who is capable of guarding people defensively. And whomever guards with the most consistency, is likely to start.
Defending people is a real concern. Maybe it's the end of a long season, freshman wall and wear and tear, but RU lacks bench production that can defend. We need more than scoring, someone who can guard at the 4 position and at the 5 position as well.
Mulcahy is 6'6", can pass but no history of being a shooter and lacks the burst to get past his defender and finish in traffic or has not shown enough IMO at the HS or AAU levels to be counted on to defend....
Baker isn't quick or fast, so he's easier to defend on the wings, vs him having the ball at the top of the key....he's also better in a 24 to 28 minutes vs 34 to 35 minutes.
Young is the fastest and quickest guard by a lot, but he's more scoring guard than lead guard.
McConnell is really a wing that could handle the ball, but not a full time solution.
Mathis can guard people, but appears to have hit the physical wall like most frosh do at this time of the season.
None of these items are relevant involving who starts. There's enough high caliber minutes there for everyone.
The larger question is who is capable of guarding people defensively. And whomever guards with the most consistency, is likely to start.
Defending people is a real concern. Maybe it's the end of a long season, freshman wall and wear and tear, but RU lacks bench production that can defend. We need more than scoring, someone who can guard at the 4 position and at the 5 position as well.
I haven't really seen much evidence that Geo plays better at the 2 instead of the 1 position. Was it the Indiana or Purdue game in the B-10 tournament last year where this became fashionable? Caleb has had more success hitting open looks and driving to the basket. With the right PG, he could be an option as one of our spot up shooters next year.
Geo's play the last two game is all my fault. During the Iowa game, I said to my wife that this was the first year, this late in the season (at least that I can remember) that the subject of young players hitting the wall hasn't come up on the boards or from the announcers. Then we play PSU and IU. First half of the former, we stink, then make a furious comeback. No such comeback against IU. I think a lot of it is fatigue.
I agree with Hawk that Mathis has hit the wall. I think he was the first to succumb and that it's also gotten to Geo. The others maybe to a lesser degree. Geo's only a sophomore but has had a TON of responsibility on his shoulders this year as the team leader and in not playing his more natural position. Plus he had a lot of defensive pressure on him all year. I'm giving Geo a pass for the last few games, will hope for some magic in the tournament and then have to trust that Pike & Co will figure it out for next year.
I agree with Hawk that Mathis has hit the wall. I think he was the first to succumb and that it's also gotten to Geo. The others maybe to a lesser degree. Geo's only a sophomore but has had a TON of responsibility on his shoulders this year as the team leader and in not playing his more natural position. Plus he had a lot of defensive pressure on him all year. I'm giving Geo a pass for the last few games, will hope for some magic in the tournament and then have to trust that Pike & Co will figure it out for next year.