Don’t know how many here managed to get there, but as usual a good time. Got to see some drills and a short scrimmage. Pike introduced all the guys. Group photo on the court after with fans and players. Both Caleb and Paul very gracious afterwards taking photos with fans. Other may have also done same, but didn’t see who else was doing photos.
Today’s Open Practice
- Thread starter hoquat63
- Start date
My son was there and said Chol and Cam looked good (also mentioned Oskar never missed a foul shot). Said Miller did practice, Reiber still hurt. Enjoyed Pike’s comments and got some pics with a few players. Very cool for the fans who were there.
I couldn’t make it. Was at Mets game last night and don’t have stamina anymore for these lack of sleep nights. Thanks for the update and would like to hear other updates if fans can share. Thanks.
My buddy was there with his young kids. Got pictures with Caleb and Paul which he was super excited about.
He said Woolfolk and Spencer really impressed him
He said Woolfolk and Spencer really impressed him
This is what I want to hear! Not so much the kids with the photos, although that is awesome. But your last sentence…
Texting with him now... said Woolfolk went after Cliff almost every time he got the ball and almost always got the bucketm very soft touch.
Chol he said looked good, but thought he traveled a lot in the post.
Chol he said looked good, but thought he traveled a lot in the post.
Woolfolk scoring on Cliff is nice to hear as any offense Woolfolk brings as a true freshman backup big is gravy
A little disappointing to hear that he was scoring seemingly easily against Cliff in his 3rd season
A little disappointing to hear that he was scoring seemingly easily against Cliff in his 3rd season
He’ll work on that - meaning Chol. Wasn’t even expecting the guy to be here so anything he can give us in his first year would be great. As for Cliff, I get it and wish the D was better in year three, but the wingspan and blocks will continue to be there.
Of the new players I was most impressed with Spencer,Chol. and Simpson because of their ability to make shots off the dribble.I think this seasons team will have bench scoring which was lacking last year.Reiber was working with a trainer doing exercises and running on the side line and looked like he will be returning to practice within a weeks time.Pikiell showed once again that he is a outstanding head coach and a great spokesman for Rutgers University.
Okay, I’m officially pumped for the season now with this JMM post!
I was there. I’m biased because I went to Lenape but I think Simpson has a very high upside. Fast forward Miller and Simpson to where they’ll be in 2 years (doesn’t work that way, I know) and this would be a top 20 team.
Some thoughts on the players
Antonio Chol- Has pretty good length and athleticism. Stroke looks pretty good from 3. In the mini scrimmage made a couple tough contested shots. Looks like a steal of a pickup and will be a contributor.
Woolfork- Pretty good athlete who looks like he can bang in the paint in the B1G this year. Was impressed with his footwork. Was going right at Cliff and had 2 nice finishes near the rim. Definitely will be able give some spot minutes as a freshman.
Simpson- Looked very quick. Was running backup point. He looked very solid and will be in the rotation.
Jaylin Miller- I believe Pike said it was his first practice back from injury. I thought his form on his shot was a lot smoother than last year. Made a decent number of corner threes during practice. If he can become a threat to score, will help him see some minutes.
Spencer- I think he only missed two free throws and there was a gasp from the crowd on his first free throw miss. Will help space the floor
Antonio Chol- Has pretty good length and athleticism. Stroke looks pretty good from 3. In the mini scrimmage made a couple tough contested shots. Looks like a steal of a pickup and will be a contributor.
Woolfork- Pretty good athlete who looks like he can bang in the paint in the B1G this year. Was impressed with his footwork. Was going right at Cliff and had 2 nice finishes near the rim. Definitely will be able give some spot minutes as a freshman.
Simpson- Looked very quick. Was running backup point. He looked very solid and will be in the rotation.
Jaylin Miller- I believe Pike said it was his first practice back from injury. I thought his form on his shot was a lot smoother than last year. Made a decent number of corner threes during practice. If he can become a threat to score, will help him see some minutes.
Spencer- I think he only missed two free throws and there was a gasp from the crowd on his first free throw miss. Will help space the floor
Thank you to everyone who was able to make it and post observations. Can’t wait for the season to start!
Caleb made a couple of threes and was playing good d as always. Looked like he was taking more of a leadership role this year.
Paul was running the point on offense and was distributing
I was there. Pike of course is great.
-Mag clearly starting.
-Cliff was a monster last year. This years he looks TERRIFYING. As Pike said during breakfast , he’s freakishly athletic and“Enjoy him”. (If he had to add another sentence, would it have been “because he probably won’t be around after this year”?)
-I was impressed with Spencer the way he warms up and didn’t miss free throws but tbh not during team time. Others posted opposite above. I’m glad for that. I think he’ll grow during the course of the season and I’m thankful he has 2 years of eligibility remaining. I’m rooting hard for him to truly be that consistent sharp shooter we’ve mostly lacked.
Everybody looked good. Excited for this team and will be tough to score on our starting 5.
-Mag clearly starting.
-Cliff was a monster last year. This years he looks TERRIFYING. As Pike said during breakfast , he’s freakishly athletic and“Enjoy him”. (If he had to add another sentence, would it have been “because he probably won’t be around after this year”?)
-I was impressed with Spencer the way he warms up and didn’t miss free throws but tbh not during team time. Others posted opposite above. I’m glad for that. I think he’ll grow during the course of the season and I’m thankful he has 2 years of eligibility remaining. I’m rooting hard for him to truly be that consistent sharp shooter we’ve mostly lacked.
Everybody looked good. Excited for this team and will be tough to score on our starting 5.
Woofolk is a pleasant surprise. There wasn’t much film out on him and being a football player mainly, we all kinda just assumed he was super raw. I certainly didn’t think he’d see the floor this year.
Similar observations. As Pike has commented, Simpson is very athletic and smooth. I have a feeling he may become quite an impact player over time. Team appears to be quite deep. Lots of height and length. Looks like Mag and Spencer will be starters along with the big three… not that it matters much.
Was great to see the practice. So well run by the coaches, team managers, etc. Had a photo taken with Cliff.
Many dismissed Woolfolk bc he wasn't highly rated instead of watching his tape and trusting Pike. He showed good passing and finishing around the rim and soft hands on film.
My initial expectations were just for him to come in and be a big body to bang play D and rebound, but early reports seem very positive. He may be able to finish around the rim fairly effectively. I'm excited to see what he brings. Any offensively ability as a freshman is gravy
I really love the trio of Cliff Dean and Woolfolk. They are all very different skill sets. It gives Pike a ton of options
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At one point, Paul had to launch a highly-contested 3-pointer a split second before the shot clock buzzer went off. The attempt was nowhere close to going in. He was pissed. He ripped off his headband, threw it on the floor, and yelled out the F-bomb.
I'm not sure if he was mad at missing the shot or was mad for not getting teammates in the proper spots to get a good look.
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Woolfolk showed he has a nice touch around the rim, which is more often than not something a big man has or doesn't. You really can't teach it. He showed it in videos I watched and it was great to see him display it this morning.
Simpson has a different gear than everyone else on the court. At times, though, his body was going faster than he could dribble. Jacob Young struggled with this at times.
Interesting note... this was the first time the newcomers practiced on the RAC floor. Pikiell said he loves the practice facility, but it's important that the team spends time together on the court where they play their real games.
Simpson has a different gear than everyone else on the court. At times, though, his body was going faster than he could dribble. Jacob Young struggled with this at times.
Interesting note... this was the first time the newcomers practiced on the RAC floor. Pikiell said he loves the practice facility, but it's important that the team spends time together on the court where they play their real games.
Dean didn’t participate in any of the team stuff but he was working with a trainer(?) doing various exercises and was also running back and forth. No obvious sign of foot or leg issue so hopefully will be ready to go soon.
Wonder if Pike found his Jameel Warney again in Woolfolk. He loves those types of players.
This is great news, soft touch is a knack you can’t teach or defend….it’s completely natural and innate.
Think Rashod Kent and Eugene before he left.
A little contradictory.
"Scoring seemingly easily against Cliff" OR, "two nice finishes near the rim".
Woolfolk surprised me. Looks like he will play a lot as Cliffs back up. That could free up Reiber to play the 4 but obviously he’s not healthy yet. Chol is good. It’s going to take him time to adjust to Pikes defense but the kid is going to be a very good stretch 4 or maybe a 3 too. Fans are going to love Spencer. He may not wow you but he is very solid. The team looks 10 deep. Going to be a battle for mins.
Sorry some of this will be repetitive but here are my notes and observations from the practice in no specific order:
- Five guys wore red jerseys everyone else black and it looks like those are your starting five: Cliff, Paul, Caleb, Spencer, and Mag. Makes sense - I think Hyatt instead of Mag might be a better option. Mag can do amazing things at times but he still looks very out of control much of the time as well. Let's see what happens. Also, when Pike intro'd each player at the end he said that Hyatt is a great sixth man who is clutch and hit the biggest free throws last year against Indiana, so I guess that solidifies the starters.
- During free throw practice, Spencer never missed until he was over 20 in a row, and in fact, he didn't even hit the rim! He is a marksman - his made shots hit nothing but net. I did notice during the scrimmage that they weren't able to run plays to get him open looks at 3's though.
- Cliff is JACKED. Pike joked that he has 3% body fat just like him. Seriously though I think he will go off this year and be a pro next year. He's a leader too but a quiet one. You can just see the other players look to him to see what he's doing or how he's reacting. His personality really came through afterward on the court - everyone wanted a picture with him and he obliged all with a big infectious smile.
- Pike spoke proudly that none of our players entered the portal. He remarked that it's so easy to just log in and put your name down but it says a lot about our guys that they're bought in, want to be here, and want to build something special. Overall, Pike's comments were great, he talked about each kid in a personal way. Like Cliff is a Dean's List student, Paul already graduated, Hyatt is in grad school, often remarked about "quality young man from a great family." Hard not to love this team. Afterward on the court, the players could not be more gracious, polite, and accommodating. I spoke to Simpson for a minute and he was really nice, ended the conversation with "Thank you for coming." That's Pike influence.
- Simpson looks smooth with a nice stroke but probably a year away from being a major contributor. Pike corrected him during a scrimmage and said something like "remember you're the fastest guy out there now so you've got to be more aware of where your guys are." Needs to hit the weight room for B1G play but like what I saw.
- Woolfolk is a grown *** man - freshman or not, He's solid and wasn't afraid to go hard at Cliff on both ends of the court during the scrimmage. Good to see him as a backup. He'll get minutes, especially if Cliff gets in foul trouble.
- Chol is LONG. 6-9 with a wingspan. Very athletic for sure but raw - game needs some refinement and he also needs to be introduced to the weight room.
- Dean did not participate. He was under the close supervision of a trainer doing light sprints, bike, and other PT-like exercises the entire time. During intro's Pike said he's coming back from an injury so we didn't see him play today but he'll be fine. He didn't look to be hampered doing his PT.
- Caleb is Caleb, really glad he's back. Pike said he's reigning B1G DPoY and he'll be NDPoY this year. On the floor at the end standing next to him I was surprised he is a lot bigger than he looks. He's every part of 6-7 and very lean and muscular.
- Paul is Paul. Very VERY vocal on the floor. You can see why he pisses off opposing players LOL. More of the same from him - our floor general.
- Oscar - what can be said? I think we've seen all we're going to see there.
- Pike called Mag his medical miracle, said his teeth are all good.
- I think Jalen is more of what we saw - lockdown high energy defender. Pike was joking with him that he is the best looking guy on the team with the best hair. Pike also mentioned this was his first practice back from an injury.
- You can see that Coach B Knight is ready soon to be a head coach. He ran a lot and stopped things to teach and correct things when they weren't being executed well. Pike gave the staff props for all staying with the program because he said they're a great group.
Nice practice reports.
It's just practice but Woolfolk was the guy that so many guys on this board (experts) slammed as an example of bad Pikiell recruiting. Those threads are still available to read if anyone wants a good laugh.
It's just practice but Woolfolk was the guy that so many guys on this board (experts) slammed as an example of bad Pikiell recruiting. Those threads are still available to read if anyone wants a good laugh.
Listen it’s only practice so let’s see what happens when the lights are on. But he looked solid and I would develop him as a backup from the get go rather than give Oscar backup 5 duties like last year. And he already looks more skilled with better height and body than Ralphie Boy.
Glad to hear Woolfolk gave Cliff all he could handle, and I’m sure Cliff appreciates it too. You need someone capable of challenging you in practice. It’s the only way to keep improving on the court.
The other thing is how much is going against Cliff every day in practice accelerating his development?
Exactly. Works both ways. Definitely get some good vibes from Woolfolk.
Thankyou for the reports. Much appreciated. I don’t remember if there was an open practice last year. If so, I’d be interested in a comparison. It will be interesting to watch the response of this group. Pikes teams seem to play best with a chip in their shoulder. They’re now garnering a lot of positive attention
It was at The Barn last season...
https://rutgers.forums.rivals.com/threads/october-10–open-practice-to-rfund-members.224752/
Woolfolk must be athletic to earn football scholarship offers, too. It's great to hear that he may be ready to contribute backup minutes at the 5 in his first season. Certainly that would allow the possible Dean/Cliff pairing on the floor at times, which could be a matchup challenge for opponents - especially if Cliff really has added more range to his offense.
Cliff going against a stronger more physical big in Woolfolk should help him. Dean is more of a finesse smaller 5