Portal Targets
- Thread starter MCKnight
- Start date
I'm am 100% sure that the coaching staff and GM are focused on the front court. What makes you think they are not? Just because reporting hasn't named names?
100%. The Center position will be incredibly expensive. I think we all need to lower our expectations on the level of player Rutgers is going to get. My guess is there will be 50-75 schools with higher budgets. If they all spend big on a center, that doesn’t leave a lot of options.
I’m not saying they are not looking at front court players. I am highly concerned that there’s any focus on recruiting small guards right now. Unless they know more of our guys are entering the portal which would explain it but if we’re keeping even 2 of TF, J Mike and Lino we should not be shopping 6-3 and under low major guards right now at all.
Dercack was all conference player of year when he was at Merrimack right? and he was taller than the Kennedy kid and the guard from Marist. These names are not clear upgrades over the guys we could retain from our own roster. It worries me that they are on our radar, even as back ups. Unless more than one guard is planning to leave, we won’t need back up guards.
I agree, but just because we have only heard about a few guards doesn’t mean they are not focused on the front court. We all know they will have to spend a lot on the front court. Don’t know what level of player that will bring and we have no idea what the final roster will look like.
Again - I didn’t say this means we’re not focusing on the frontcourt. I’m questioning / concerned about any emphasis period on another small guard at this stage unless more than one of the 3 current on our roster are leaving. One thing once we have 8-9 players locked across all 5 positions and we decide to look for an extra guard. Then fine. But we currently have 4 guards from last years team not in the portal and another frosh guard lined up - plus Buchanan, who is really a bigger guard. So basically we have 6 potential backcourt players and one frontcourt player (Ware).
I guess what I’m trying to say is, we have no idea which players (especially the guards) are staying. Maybe Mark and Powers are still deciding. If one or both leaves, Rutgers will need a guard big time.
If Powers is leaving, then we definitely shouldn’t be looking at small guards. The only way it makes any sense is if both J Mike and Lino leave.
I hear you. But my point is reporting is not necessarily what’s going on behind the scenes. Coaches, players and agents all have an agenda and release info to the press to serve those agendas.
Given pikes poor track record with transfers , it is not surprising how things are going so far, even though it is early. It will be a miracle if he recruits any players that can actually compete in the B10. Next year will probably be another awful year unless his recruiting improves dramatically, and it does not look like that is going to happen.
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Wouldn’t it be great if Pike could find a Leroy Blyden out of high school?! The kid ended up at Toledo which leads me to believe he didn’t get the attention he should have in the recruiting cycle.
Admittedly - I’ve never seen him play. On paper, seems like a guard version of Dylan Grant who wouldn’t fill a clear need on our roster but would likely cost us seven figures because he scored double digits on a high major. Not tall. Not a good perimeter shooter. Has never, in 3 years of college playing shot 40% from the field. Was Xavier even better than us? 15 wins playing in a weaker conference.
Yeah no thanks on him. He doesn't do anything well. Low % from 3, midrange, and at the rim. I wouldn't mind him off the bench but, like you said, you probably have to pay starter prices.
I can’t imagine he’s being recruited as a back up. We can’t possibly have the money for that. I’m worried that he’s being recruited as our back up plan for Tariq in case Brandin leaves and he follows him.
No they definitely can't pay seven figures for a backup I'm just saying if he wants to come for around $500K, which probably fits the budget for a top backup, then maybe I consider it. But that won't happen.
I'm beginning to think that most of the guard targets are being brought in just in case one or more of the current ones leave. And it was confirmed that Knight isn't going to UNC so sounds like him and Tariq are staying. They have to replace Grant and Zrno's minutes but most of the guards we're hearing about are shorter CGs/PGs.
According to the podcast Richie indicated basically nobody we targeted so far has any real interest in coming here
Nobody desirable is going to have “interest” in coming to play for RU right now at anything close to FMV. I don’t know what part of this some have failed to understand for months. We need make a couple front court players offers they can’t refuse. We’re not the only team in this predicament. But it is in fact our reality. 3M might seem like “overpaying” for a center but there might not actually be anyone better than Ogbole who is willing to come play center at Rutgers for 2M or less.
I’m actually surprised we even have targets. Usually it’s just midmajor players who know the assistant coaches, whoever is originally from Colonia, some unknown in the Albanian B League, or whoever is left after the dust settles.
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Khaman Maker Center 7’2” from Depaul, and St John’s. barely played last 2 years. Looks like a longer Baye Fall 2.0 has interest from following schools Loyola Marymount, San Jose st, Radford, Elon, Utah St, Utah Tech and Pepperdine.
says a lot that RU is shopping with these schools. Sad
says a lot that RU is shopping with these schools. Sad
It was such a mistake to give pike another year. Everyone knows he is a lame duck coach. What center or forward that has starter potential in the big ten would come here for less money than he could get at a better program and to play for a lame duck?This was so predictable.
I had to laugh at this, it’s so true, you nailed it. Albanian B League
. I think you stole Pike’s portal recruiting playbook from the APC. Why do we always have to go after only either A) dudes in the portal that we recruited earlier when they were in high school; B) Guys from Jersey; C) Guys that personally know the coaching staff. I get that these things create common threads, but can we ever branch out, widen the horizons, cast the net a little wider, get out the comfort zone and try something a little different in the portal?!?!?! Same M.O. every time for Pike.If Pike is not quietly securing his forward and center behind the scenes this is another epic failure. Al can’t blame it on NIL if we throw an unknown Euro 7 footer a bunch of money because the music stopped in the game of musical chairs and there’s nobody good enough left to throw it at who has NCAA experience. Going to Europe will very clearly mean all we could get were guys known not to be good enough so instead we searched for guys nobody has heard of.
it’s not NIL - it’s the fact that we were shopping first for PGs which we can’t land either. You can’t go “jack of all trades” shopping in the damn portal candy store style unless you have unlimited funds.
Folks said be patient and the seats are already being filled
there are still SOME bigs left worth the money let’s hope he can land a couple or else
worst scenario imaginable is pike gets all this money and ends up just not spending it …
there are still SOME bigs left worth the money let’s hope he can land a couple or else
worst scenario imaginable is pike gets all this money and ends up just not spending it …
I think the best thing to do is wait until the team is fully constructed to criticize. Remember what's reported is not gospel and things change from day to day...Brandin Knight is a good guy but I find it hard to believe he would pass up an opportunity to coach at UNC if Rutgers portal recruiting was looking as bad as you guys say. Lol. Wants to go down with the ship? I remember people were worried he's leave and take Francis with him to Pittsburgh, people said it was confirmed that lino Mark was transferring.. situations change so maybe they land some portal targets we don't know about .
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Richie had said we were under on what Mighty wanted $ wise. I have a feeling the team is out in search of 5 $1M guys instead of ensuring a strong two or three guys.
He didn't pass up an opportunity, he'd have had to be offered the job.
Of course you are right, but this would be a boring place if we all were just sitting here with nothing to say waiting until June when the roster has been built to speak.
Edit - Thought I was posting in the round table. Don't want to be bleeding out information - sorry!
WHo said he was offered the job???
Right now it seems like we are focused only on retention of a team that was abysmal last year...half our budget will be used on that and now we are left looking for players just to fill out a team rather than any superstars which would eat the remainder of the budget.
I am expecting much of the same next year and what a waste of NIL Fundraising for this...
No - rolling it for a future year wouldn’t be worst but Pike’s not stupid. That won’t happen. He’ll give the money to a collection of unknown Euros before not using it.
This is a really good cautionary tale for ANY portal player- you see those stats for a player on a big ten team- that looks pretty solid, he must be a solid piece. If you watched all season you know he disappeared at times, etc. any portal player is a wildcard in that regard.