An absolute disgrace watching the carelessness of ball protection tonight. And how we didn’t pound the ball inside all night or defend against Palmer or try to get Palmer into foul trouble was also quite disturbing. Eugene and Myles should hang their heads high. Both played very well.
Give Mulcahy the keys now to run the show
- Thread starter BigEastPhil
- Start date
Watson had 3 fouls like 20 seconds into the half and never got another one.
Doubtful.
We won 7 games in B1G with Baker as point guard. If Mulcahy was a sure thing at point guard he would have been recruited as a PG by other schools AND he would have played it on his AAU team.
Baker needs to be in better shape/condition. He needs to play 28-30 MPG. Paul should at least provide valuable minutes as backup PG
Our inability to get minutes from a backup PG this year has a lot to do with Baker breaking down down the stretch.
We won 7 games in B1G with Baker as point guard. If Mulcahy was a sure thing at point guard he would have been recruited as a PG by other schools AND he would have played it on his AAU team.
Baker needs to be in better shape/condition. He needs to play 28-30 MPG. Paul should at least provide valuable minutes as backup PG
Our inability to get minutes from a backup PG this year has a lot to do with Baker breaking down down the stretch.
I don't care about how many schools are recruiting Mulcahy or other players. The kid from Murray State will be a top 5 pick in the Lottery and what schools recruited him? I don't formulate judgments on recruiting prowess as it's irrelevant as schools just like the Pro's recruit athletes rather than kids who just understand how to play the game. Sometimes IQ (which Mulcahy has) dwarfs athletic abilities.
Bottom line is that Baker and Caleb are not legitimate PG's..plain and simple. If they were, Coaching Staff would not have put all their eggs into Mulcahy.
Yes I agree Baker should play 28-30 Minutes per game (and did probably breakdown due to playing too many minutes).
Mulchay will be running the show next year at some point - probably by the mid point in the season. He's a PG plain and simple - a position that this current squad lacks.
Not in the eyes of coaches that we are trying to get our program to their level.
He could be the starting PG of the future. If he is others were wrong.
Knowing where we are on the food chain the staff had to get him.
We agree to disagree. I'l bet you a pretzel and a beer (if available next year at the RAC) that by 1/15/20 (probably sooner)- that Mulcahy will be the starting PG or the PG playing the vital minutes. I think it was also Josh Newman who about 6 weeks ago tweeted that Mulcahy is the best PG in NJ - HS or College. I love Baker and I have always supported him but he's not a PG. I think he plays better off the ball but regardless next year we'll be much better given we'll have several guys on the floor or on the squad that can play the position.
Mulcahy is not the answer to getting fewer turnovers. He'll get our guys good looks but he's also going to commit his fair share of TOs.
I really doubt that Mulcahy will get eaten alive in the Big 10. I have seen him many times and he is much better than any PG that we have. He is tall and is pretty strong. He should be fine.
They are good friends with the assistants as well, he was just never coming here. Great kid btw. Wish him well at UNLV. Glad his brother is doing well at Temple. Those two kids would have helped us. Gym RATS, zero body fat, can run forever, fast, great D, can get to the rim ...
I agree! And expressed that many many times. just not in the cards. I'm happy with the way Paul played D vs him and the kids from Rainey. He is a better defender than people give him credit for and I think he will help us next year.
Phil....you are the man....but the expectations are wildly out of whack.
How many minutes will Mulcahy play when he's not close to Jacob Young's ability,.speed, quickness and ability as a scorer??
The B1G almost always has guards that are specifically designed and recruited to disrupt and make life difficult for opponents guards. RUs success most of the B1G was triggered by Mathis being up in Palmer's face at the RAC and chasing Bohannon from Iowa and countless others.
Mulcahy is a unique player which is his value, but he can play just as well off the ball as on the ball. There's no magic wand for a faster, quicker, stronger player shutting down a Baker...if Baker can at least be a shooting threat, why do you believe Mulcahy will be faster than Baker (or Caleb) ???
Do you think he easily gets around the defensive players like Cassius Winston and others like Watson on Nebraska??
The worse thing we can do is get bent out of shape on Geo Baker....i like Baker a lot BUT i posted multiple times prior to the season that his production and numbers would be slightly worse, without Corey Sanders being the focus of team's gameplans.
Mulcahy will play and contribute in a Caleb role, where he plays 16 to 20 minutes and gets his feet wet. But to place unrealistic expectations on Mulcahy isn't fair and as much as I like Paul, he's going to need to be in the gym all summer working on his shot, to contribute in crunch time.
I respect the guards around the B1G and who can defend. Baker was overexposed and overtaxed with the high minutes. Baker will benefit without the workload attempting to carry the offense. Let Young and the other freshmen take the next steps as sophomores and let Mulcahy have the proper time to acclimate to this level of play. It's a huge jump of play.....people are asking way too much out of Mulcahy because Geo is the only carryover beyond Eugene from last year, who can score.
How many minutes will Mulcahy play when he's not close to Jacob Young's ability,.speed, quickness and ability as a scorer??
The B1G almost always has guards that are specifically designed and recruited to disrupt and make life difficult for opponents guards. RUs success most of the B1G was triggered by Mathis being up in Palmer's face at the RAC and chasing Bohannon from Iowa and countless others.
Mulcahy is a unique player which is his value, but he can play just as well off the ball as on the ball. There's no magic wand for a faster, quicker, stronger player shutting down a Baker...if Baker can at least be a shooting threat, why do you believe Mulcahy will be faster than Baker (or Caleb) ???
Do you think he easily gets around the defensive players like Cassius Winston and others like Watson on Nebraska??
The worse thing we can do is get bent out of shape on Geo Baker....i like Baker a lot BUT i posted multiple times prior to the season that his production and numbers would be slightly worse, without Corey Sanders being the focus of team's gameplans.
Mulcahy will play and contribute in a Caleb role, where he plays 16 to 20 minutes and gets his feet wet. But to place unrealistic expectations on Mulcahy isn't fair and as much as I like Paul, he's going to need to be in the gym all summer working on his shot, to contribute in crunch time.
I respect the guards around the B1G and who can defend. Baker was overexposed and overtaxed with the high minutes. Baker will benefit without the workload attempting to carry the offense. Let Young and the other freshmen take the next steps as sophomores and let Mulcahy have the proper time to acclimate to this level of play. It's a huge jump of play.....people are asking way too much out of Mulcahy because Geo is the only carryover beyond Eugene from last year, who can score.
I will end this post with 4 comments / quotes that all need to ingest and evaluate as we await the 2019/20 season:
1. Per Steve Pikiell tonight: I am excited to start next year with a recruit who I consider to be the best passer in the country. See Jerry Carino APP Article from tonight / Thurs 3/14 edition.
2. Per Jay Young at the most recent Court Club Meeting: Mulcahy will need to earn his role but I expect him to be playing vital minutes next year.
3. Per Josh Newman 1-2 months ago: Paul Mulcahy is the best PG in New Jersey - High School or College.
4. Per Steve Pikiell tonight: Geo is not a PG. He played out of position the entire year and I am very proud of him. Again see Carino's APP Article from tonight.
Connect the dots per the above and unless Mulcahy falls flat on his face, he will be running the show as PG next year at some point.
1. Per Steve Pikiell tonight: I am excited to start next year with a recruit who I consider to be the best passer in the country. See Jerry Carino APP Article from tonight / Thurs 3/14 edition.
2. Per Jay Young at the most recent Court Club Meeting: Mulcahy will need to earn his role but I expect him to be playing vital minutes next year.
3. Per Josh Newman 1-2 months ago: Paul Mulcahy is the best PG in New Jersey - High School or College.
4. Per Steve Pikiell tonight: Geo is not a PG. He played out of position the entire year and I am very proud of him. Again see Carino's APP Article from tonight.
Connect the dots per the above and unless Mulcahy falls flat on his face, he will be running the show as PG next year at some point.
You still have to prove it on the court. HS ball is not the B1G. The level of defensive intensity will be far far greater.
I like Mulcahy, but, nothing is a sure thing. Let's just wait until he faces college competition.
Pikiell F’d up big time on Mensah and that blunder has destroyed Baker’s game. Hopefully, the damage is temporary. Looking forward to seeing what the staff can find on the grad transfer market with Thiam’s spot. Sure would be nice to find a kid who can shoot ... and make ... 3s.
Mathis and Harper starting and Caleb playing significant minutes off the bench all as true freshman... We don't have a true PG.... but Paul can't play he's still in HS bla bla bla and Harper should red shirt. This isn't football. Freshman come in and play right away especially when they fill a role missing on the roster.
unless you are an elite level PG, that is a recipe for disaster in a big conference. Finally got this program stabilized, and a good team together, you cannot throw the keys to an unproven PG. If he grows into it, fantastic. But out of the gate, most 1st years make freshman mistakes, most hit a bit of a wall deep in the season and most can't shoulder the responsibility for a full season.
Freshmen = turnovers
Freshmen PGs = even higher likelihood to be turnover prone
I would not be expecting Mulchay to come in and just control games for us. I think we'll see flashes early if he's really special but it won't be consistent. You hope for improvement throughout the year while dealing with the growing pains. Just like we saw on our 4 freshmen this year.
Freshmen PGs = even higher likelihood to be turnover prone
I would not be expecting Mulchay to come in and just control games for us. I think we'll see flashes early if he's really special but it won't be consistent. You hope for improvement throughout the year while dealing with the growing pains. Just like we saw on our 4 freshmen this year.
They had six scholarship players 6. We absolutely should have just kept going at them off the dribble. Became tough when we started screwing up and turning ball over though. Sucks Such a great season ends with those last two games (Even the Penn St game if you want to throw that in)
To add....most nights GSB had the advantage positions 1 thru 5. They have skill at each position. Makes it a lot easier to be a PG.
Next year those same passing lanes won't be there. On average every player will have 2-6 inches more wingspan and considerable more quickness. There will be a major adjustment period.
Anybody actually think that maybe them having only 6 players hurt us offensively as we tried to penetrate more and as a result had charges and more than normal turnovers. Maybe we were to focused on getting them in foul trouble.
BE Phil,
I really want you to be right. If Mulcahy is the starting PG from Day 1 I will assume he has earned it. That would make us a much better team. Guys would be playing 25-27 minutes tops and there would be massive competition which would improve our defense.
I really want you to be right. If Mulcahy is the starting PG from Day 1 I will assume he has earned it. That would make us a much better team. Guys would be playing 25-27 minutes tops and there would be massive competition which would improve our defense.
UPDATE--Shields, Paul Mulcahy will be playing in the New Jersey All-Star Games on Saturday, March 16 at Rider University in Lawrenceville. Tickets are only $5 and there is plenty of parking, which I am guessing will be Free. Boys game is at Noon and the girls game is at 2:30.
Last edited:
UPDATE---Here are the team rosters---https://www.njsiaa.org/sites/default/files/document/All Star Basketball Roster.pdf
Last edited:
Like last year, and pretty much every year since Earl Duncan, GET a legit 4* PG. We cannot rely on a 3* incoming frosh or any of the combo G's on our current roster to be playmakers.
Easier said than done and still no guarantee of anything. Quinerly wouldn't have helped us.
We had like 3 charges. Early in the game we tried pounding it down low. You are right though.
The charges were on fast breaks, though, if I remember, not on penetration. We did a lot of weaving, and a lot of passing around the perimeter... we even did some short entry passes to the high post/midrange... but it was rare when we fed the ball inside, or someone tried to take their man off the dribble into the lane. Other than the one Baker clanged off of Carter's hands and one by Omoruyi to either Johnson or Doorson's feet, I don't remember any interior passes, either.
I don't think Mulcahy will be the starting PG from Day 1 to avoid putting too much pressure on the kid. Rather, Pike will gradually get PM's feet wet such as how he groomed Harper and Mathis into the lineup this year. It's my opinion that PM will be the starting PG and/or or the PG in the vital times of the game at the end - early into conference play next season (no later than by mid January). I see him playing 15-20 minutes a game in November / December and then up to the 23-27 minutes per game in the latter half of the season. Long term and for the future of the program, it's my opinion that Pike and Staff envision PM as the Floor Leader and PG of this squad.
You nailed it
Said this in a diffferent thread
Let’s assume we don’t play small ball and Eugene doesn’t play any minutes at the five ...and we have 40 minutes for Johnson (24 per game) and 16 to share with carter and doucoure
Pencil in 27 minutes At the four spot for Eugene...
That leaves 133 minutes per game for (in no particular order )
Baker
Young
Mulchay
Mathis
Harper
Macconnell
That 22 minutes per game ...for each of them ...assuming kiss doesn’t step up and crash the party
That just not going work...there isn’t enough minutes for 6 of them ...enough for 5 (26 per game)
Someone is going to be left out ...and have the role not be what they think it should be
Phil, Phil, Phil, I love your enthusiasm for Dear Old Rutgers. I hope I’m wrong (I really do), but I will be shocked if Mulcahy has anywhere near the speed, strength, and toughness to run the sow as a Frosh. I believe he will need to hit the weight room and work on his foot speed before we see his real potential. In the meantime keep smoking that good stuff, just remember it’s not legal yet