I think we've bottomed out, and are poised to start our ascent. With Sanders, Freeman and the rest of the gang, I've got dreams off dancing in my head. It'll be nice to field a full team for once.
Feeling Good about Basketball
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Jordan has steered the program onto the right path. I'm looking forward to seeing the team grow this year.
Be very weary. This season is going to be ugly. Probably uglier than last year. Mack & Jack being gone is a huge void on a team which already struggled mightly. Also throw in we got a shocker beating Wisc to make people feel good. I think things get brighter in two years, especially if we can some studs to come in with Corey in the 2016 class.
I think you meant "wary," but "weary" would apply as well. As in, "we're all growing weary of lousy basketball seasons."
Too many of you guys are way too negative and have no faith or confidence at all. I think the team will be a bit better than last year. Time will tell.
I think RU will show improvement from last season.
Jack wasn't as effective as he should have been at the 4 and Mack despite doing his best on the O side had some D faults .
Not having a true 1 also hurt a bit and even using a freshman there this season might be an improvement .
Also the experience gained last year , by some of the freshmen and new players might help RU play better as a team
making this season show hope for future seasons.
I don't expect a winning season and think there will be some games that upset RU fans, but on the whole , this season will be one that RU MBB fans might start thinking : Jordan is building a winning program .
Jack wasn't as effective as he should have been at the 4 and Mack despite doing his best on the O side had some D faults .
Not having a true 1 also hurt a bit and even using a freshman there this season might be an improvement .
Also the experience gained last year , by some of the freshmen and new players might help RU play better as a team
making this season show hope for future seasons.
I don't expect a winning season and think there will be some games that upset RU fans, but on the whole , this season will be one that RU MBB fans might start thinking : Jordan is building a winning program .
You are aware of the programs success over the last 20 or so years, right? Just checking. This program should be grateful that ANYONE cares, honestly.
I feel good that Al feels good.
Other than that, nothing else to say that hasn't already been discussed ad infinitum for years.
Other than that, nothing else to say that hasn't already been discussed ad infinitum for years.
Im just not understanding how anyone can look at this team and see a worse situation than last year...
Mack is a HUGE loss. Undeniable. But by season's end he was toast, legs were jello. Not his fault, just the way it was.
Jack hurt more than helped in most games, and I say that with "peace and love" because I have a soft spot for him as I know the kid that he is off the court. Kone and the other losses aren't much to overcome from a team standpoint considering how the roster has been remade.
This season's team will be deeper, more athletic, more versatile and be virtually free of the stigma the program has carried around lately. The lone holdover from that time, Greg Lewis, has risen above it to become a true ambassador for the program.
Sure we will be young...but youth could serve EJ well as he teaches free of preconception to kids that respect and chose him as their coach.
Whether that means we win 12 games and are much more competitive, or win 15 or more...who knows? But you gotta keep your chin up on this season...we are still almost 2 months away from the opening practices
Mack is a HUGE loss. Undeniable. But by season's end he was toast, legs were jello. Not his fault, just the way it was.
Jack hurt more than helped in most games, and I say that with "peace and love" because I have a soft spot for him as I know the kid that he is off the court. Kone and the other losses aren't much to overcome from a team standpoint considering how the roster has been remade.
This season's team will be deeper, more athletic, more versatile and be virtually free of the stigma the program has carried around lately. The lone holdover from that time, Greg Lewis, has risen above it to become a true ambassador for the program.
Sure we will be young...but youth could serve EJ well as he teaches free of preconception to kids that respect and chose him as their coach.
Whether that means we win 12 games and are much more competitive, or win 15 or more...who knows? But you gotta keep your chin up on this season...we are still almost 2 months away from the opening practices
We have had many years where we watch knowing what the future might bring 1-2 years out. Every time there a coaching change there is a buzz about what possibilities there may be. Is this just another one of those years, or is this different? Only time will tell, but the pieces do seem to be fitting in nicely. Let's keep hoping that they continue to come.
Im with BK, thinking we will be better than last year for sure. Im excited to see the team in action.
Still hoping to get 1 more body to help this year, preferably a PG that can give us even a few minutes a night - so we can avoid a Miles like exhaustion with Sanders
Still hoping to get 1 more body to help this year, preferably a PG that can give us even a few minutes a night - so we can avoid a Miles like exhaustion with Sanders
My only point was to illustrate that no fan who is posting on a Rutgers basketball message board in August should be criticized for being too negative. And if they are negative, they have probably earned the right through years and years of losing.
I also don't consider it all that negative to think we will have a rough go this season, because we lost our two best players, both seniors, from a very rough season.
the key is to teach eddie's system and grow as a team this year. it will be vital that we do not have anyone transfer or get kicked off the team. otherwise, we will just be starting over fresh year after year.
I also feel this year's team will improve over last year. It may not be seen in the won/loss record but I believe it will be noticeable on the court. Just because there will be many new faces doesn't mean the skill level will be absent. EJ has recruited talented players-- it will be interesting to see if the style of on court play changes with these EJ recruits.
Best players gone, replaced by guesswork that new and young players will replace them and perform as well or even better. Seems easy, and in fact reasonable, to expect a worse overall performance.
Hope springs eternal in the offseason. Reality springs all over the place during the season.
But how did RU's best players preform last season?.
Mack gave his all and deserves to be considered a big loss.
The others underperformed and are very replaceable .
In my opinion, one of the signs that a team might be improving is:
the replacements have the talent to make the team win more games and be more competitive in losses
than the players they are replacing did..
Yeah, crappy team's best players are often not that good. That's how crappy happens. But what's left of the crappy team after its best players leave is even crappier. And after that you have guesswork on young players. You whole theory is based on guesswork that new players will immediately be better than Mack and Jack, etc. OK, good luck with that.
Not claiming new players will be automatically better, just denying they should be considered a downgrade just because they haven't played a game yet.
To be frank, that's a minor tweak. Now the whole theory rests on guesswork that new players will immediately be as good as our departing best players. I type these things and read the words and just wonder how any of these thoughts can spark controversy They're the most reasonable of statements.
Save a couple games Mack was terrible last year. Not his fault really just asked to do more than he was capable of. Sanders today is an upgrade. He is better defensively. He has a better handle and vision and he is better in transition. Mack is obviously a better shooter, but if you told me right now I had to pick between Mack or Sanders I would take Sanders.
Jack is a big loss but he was so inconsistent that our bigs can hopefully fill the gap.
Jack is a big loss but he was so inconsistent that our bigs can hopefully fill the gap.
Basketball is one sport , unlike football, where talented freshman can come in and contribute immediately. the key word is "talented". We shall see. I for one am reasonably optimistic that this crop of freshman will surprise.....
It's been a terrific off season. Not only do the recruits continually improve as time goes by, but some have already reached the level of being better than our outgoing best players. If this continues, RU may open the season in the top 25.
I've seen talented freshmen contribute to good teams as secondary players where they are surrounded by other good players and didn't have to carry the team on their shoulders. With the exception of Carmelo Anthony, I can't remember recently seeing any freshman come in and lead his team to success.
Another problem being that they often don't develop and sometimes even regress.
History has shown that impact freshmen at Rutgers have often transferred after 2 seasons which has resulted in a lack of continuity and just perpetuating the futility that head coaches have been unable to rectify.
Very true. We have never been able to build the veteran quality depth that you need to establish a successful program and let the younger players develop. We all know the reasons: transfers, academics in some cases, coaching implosions, etc.