Jalen Miller

Duff366

All-Conference
Jan 6, 2006
7,927
1,559
0
Do you expect all 12 players to be playing? There are a ton of upperclassmen ahead of him. He will probably play in spots needed for his defense or due to injuries.
 
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ejgonz

All-Conference
Feb 2, 2003
3,137
2,399
112
Him not seeing any time yet leads me to think he might RS. We’ll see against NJIT.
 

zappaa

Heisman
Jul 27, 2001
75,015
91,811
103
Do you expect all 12 players to be playing? There are a ton of upperclassmen ahead of him. He will probably play in spots needed for his defense or due to injuries.
He’s a point guard Duff!
Our 5th year leader and face of the program, Geo Baker should be our point guard..the ball should be in his hands!
It should be his job to keep this offense in sync and run this offense through him
 
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Duff366

All-Conference
Jan 6, 2006
7,927
1,559
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Pike likes flexibility and experience. The three upperclassmen sharing PG can play multiple positions. If anyone is expecting Miller to all of a sudden be the backup PG, then they aren't taking into account the importance of team chemistry and how difficult the learning curve to be a PG in the Big Ten.

The way this board is, the first bucket for Miller we will have 10 threads on why he should start. Miller's first miss there'll be threads on why RU gave him a scholarship
 
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Mr_Twister

All-American
Apr 1, 2004
15,684
5,819
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Do you expect all 12 players to be playing? There are a ton of upperclassmen ahead of him. He will probably play in spots needed for his defense or due to injuries.
This explanation reads like something out of a Chip Hilton novel.
With the new transfer rules, NIL, and ease of movement for players, the days of grooming players and having them “wait their turn” are in our rear view mirror.
 

Duff366

All-Conference
Jan 6, 2006
7,927
1,559
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Yet some successful programs do exactly that.. have players wait their turn.
 

Knights 1212

All-American
Sep 9, 2003
27,558
8,491
113
He definitely can play tough defense. I think he and Simpson are the two point guards of the future. I hope he understands that. We will need both of them.
 

rutgersfan1766

All-Conference
Nov 29, 2005
2,626
2,924
113
Ok thanks just figured we'd have seen him by now even if it was just a few minutes. Glad to hear he is not injured.
 
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MLBash93

All-Conference
Jan 23, 2012
1,507
2,175
113
Some of you guys are just absolutely clueless. Him not playing isn't because he's a bad player. He's a freshman, as we saw last year not every freshman plays a ton. This is a sign of a good program. In years past we would count on freshman to be saviors of the program. He'll see time at some point but our upperclassmen need to play a bit better
 

MadRU

Heisman
Jul 26, 2001
38,258
19,540
98
When you are struggling to score 20 points in a half, perhaps a change of pace would have helped. Pike says Miller is a strong on ball defender. Our offense wasn’t working as it was, maybe a little speed would have changed something. Wouldn’t have hurt for a couple minute try.
 

rutgersfan1766

All-Conference
Nov 29, 2005
2,626
2,924
113
My question wasn't to bash the kid or the team. If you've seen any of my posts I've never done that yet the same posters always type whatever their heart desires even if it means bashing a kid they don't know or a team they allegedly love. My question was more of just wondering why he's not playing at all.

Thanks to those who found a way to hijack another thread.
 
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MLBash93

All-Conference
Jan 23, 2012
1,507
2,175
113
My question wasn't to bash the kid or the team. If you've seen any of my posts I've never done that yet the same posters always type whatever their heart desires even if it means bashing a kid they don't know or a team they allegedly love. My question was more of just wondering why he's not playing at all.

Thanks to those who found a way to hijack another thread.
So I have a question.

Hypothetically, if Caleb bricks every shot that he takes for the next three games, am I allowed to say "man this guy is an awful shooter" or because he plays for RU, I have to say "damn he is just struggling but I think he is such a great player"

You are allowed to criticze how guys play, I am sure the fans at Duke/Kentucky/Unc etc say much worse things when their mcdonalds all Americans sturggle.
 

Mr_Twister

All-American
Apr 1, 2004
15,684
5,819
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If he were better than the guys playing ahead of him he would be in there
Not sure what you are trying to say here … every substitution that is made, the player is not necessarily better than who they replace on the court. Basketball is a team sport. Are you saying he can’t help us at this point?
 

rutgersfan1766

All-Conference
Nov 29, 2005
2,626
2,924
113
So I have a question.

Hypothetically, if Caleb bricks every shot that he takes for the next three games, am I allowed to say "man this guy is an awful shooter" or because he plays for RU, I have to say "damn he is just struggling but I think he is such a great player"

You are allowed to criticze how guys play, I am sure the fans at Duke/Kentucky/Unc etc say much worse things when their mcdonalds all Americans sturggle.

This thread wasn't about that. I asked a simple question about why Miller wasn't playing. At least you outed yourself!! Great self awareness.
 

zappaa

Heisman
Jul 27, 2001
75,015
91,811
103
Pike likes flexibility and experience. The three upperclassmen sharing PG can play multiple positions. If anyone is expecting Miller to all of a sudden be the backup PG, then they aren't taking into account the importance of team chemistry and how difficult the learning curve to be a PG in the Big Ten.

The way this board is, the first bucket for Miller we will have 10 threads on why he shouldn't start. Miller's first miss there'll be threads on why RU gave him a scholarship
Or people have eyes and can see he’s in possession of the intangibles and tangibles needed to play PG at this level, or they see he doesn’t or isn’t ready.
Most of this board can see positives in failure if the positives are there.
 
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4theknights

Senior
Mar 9, 2012
729
752
73
It would appear that Jalen may be redshirting unless there is a urgent need to play him bc of significant injury or simply poor PG play. After first two games, I’m sure staff is weighing that need but likely giving Caleb/ Paul more time to settle in and play better. We are probably all hoping he doesn’t play waiting for him to play next year and then allowing Simpson to RS his first year. Rooting hard for Caleb/Paul to up their game!
 

zappaa

Heisman
Jul 27, 2001
75,015
91,811
103
It would appear that Jalen may be redshirting unless there is a urgent need to play him bc of significant injury or simply poor PG play. After first two games, I’m sure staff is weighing that need but likely giving Caleb/ Paul more time to settle in and play better. We are probably all hoping he doesn’t play waiting for him to play next year and then allowing Simpson to RS his first year. Rooting hard for Caleb/Paul to up their game!
Neither Caleb or Paul should be our point guard….ever.
If Geo needs a blow, I’d see if Miller could hold the fort down for a few minutes.
JMO.
 

NewJerseyHawk

Heisman
Jan 11, 2007
24,461
38,756
113
As much as fans are not really used to seeing bigger backcourt players.....Jaden Jones has guard skills....not lead or PG skills......Aundre Hyatt has guard shooting range from the perimeter and corners and has some ability off the dribble.

If you view Hyatt and Jones as guards who should play over other guards Caleb and Mulcahy, Miller is another guard....are there minutes there that make sense??

Baker. Mulcahy, Caleb, Hyatt, Jaden Jones....I am not placing Mag at a guard role, but last year it was

Baker, Jacob, Mathis, Caleb, Mulcahy and that was without Jaden and Mag in the mix like they plan to be this year.

A redshirt isn't out of the question IMO....

And for the record of crowded backcourts elsewhere, SHU is redshirting Ryan Conway....Conway was ultimately squeezed out of the rotation, once SHU added 2 transfers and kept Myles Cale as a 5th year "super senior".....
 

Mr_Twister

All-American
Apr 1, 2004
15,684
5,819
0
We are all probably victims of Kansas football beating Texas with the Jayhawks using their 3rd string QB. It’s hard to tell sometimes what you have until they get a real chance to contribute. It’s the Allen Iverson coaching corollary.
 

Greene Rice FIG

Heisman
Dec 30, 2005
40,437
23,613
0
People can sugarcoat this all they want. It is a bad sign that he has been a DNP. It doesn't mean he gets completely written off, but the probabilities that he will be a big factor for us has taken a hit. It by no means is zero. Players obviously progress at the different paces, but we know in early November he wasn't ready.
 
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MADHAT1

Heisman
Apr 1, 2003
31,468
16,292
113
Some times the transition from High School to the College game takes more time for some, even if they possess a lot of talent.
Jalen might be one of them and not ready to be put in close games just yet.
 

LeapinLou

All-American
Jul 24, 2001
13,181
6,875
113
Based on all the preseason talk about what a great defender he is, it was a reasonable question to ask. But I'd have no issue with using him strictly as a practice player this season and maintaining his eligibility for four more years. We'll see how it goes.
 

Mr_Twister

All-American
Apr 1, 2004
15,684
5,819
0
The redshirt angle — with transfer rules, we will be grooming players for other programs. These days, not a path for success for a college basketball program.
 
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RUChoppin

Heisman
Dec 1, 2006
19,270
13,695
0
I think @ColonelRutgers has a good angle on it.

The problem the first two games wasn't defense, it was offense. The talk in preseason about Miller was his defense - which makes me think that his defense is probably ahead of his offense right now. If he's still getting up to college game speed on offense, it would make sense why he wasn't inserted in either of the first two games - we needed offensive spark, not defensive spark.

Doesn't necessarily mean he won't play at all this season, but that's certainly possible, too.

This also plays into what @willisneverrana43 said - he wasn't good enough to help the team in these two games. If the team needed offense and that's not what he's giving right now, he just wasn't going to be the thing that tipped the scales. It's possible if our offense was doing well but we were getting gouged defensively that he may have seen the court. Or not.

Time will tell what his role will be this season.
 

Greene Rice FIG

Heisman
Dec 30, 2005
40,437
23,613
0
Going back to look at freshman guards and wings over Pike's years to see what type of PT they got from the beginning.....

All were part of the rotation from Day 1 with Geo getting 30+ minutes from Day 1
 

kcg88

Heisman
Aug 11, 2017
10,862
17,230
0
Said it with Agee and I'll say it with Miller, people need to stop talking themselves into every player Pikiell brings in.
 
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MLBash93

All-Conference
Jan 23, 2012
1,507
2,175
113
Sample size is small. Maybe there are more capable players than the past to compete with.
Yea that was what I was going to say, the Souf Mensah, Matt Bullock's of the world aren't that hard to beat out for playing time. We don't really have any sort of dead weight on the roster now, every guy that is on scholarship (with the exception of Luke Nathan) can come in and contribute.. Although im weary on Palmquist.
 

Degaz-RU

Heisman
Dec 19, 2002
22,376
26,677
88
Sample size is small. Maybe there are more capable players than the past to compete with.
It's not a fair comparison. In 2018-19, Harper, McConnell, Mathis, and Myles were literally the primary bench players at the beginning of the year, with Baker, Thiam and Kiss as the starting guards/wings. There was nobody else who COULD have played, so the four freshmen played out of dire necessity.

In contrast, this year, you not only have Baker, Harper, McConnell, and Mulcahy starting, but you also have Hyatt, Mag and Jaden Jones on the bench in front of Miller. Thus, in close games that we've played thus far where defense wasn't really our problem, there was no reason for Miller to play.

Four years ago, Miller would have played as a backup in our first two games. But now, I don't think we can draw ANY conclusions from Miller's DNPs in two tight games in November of 2021.