If I were coaching Caleb

[zappaa]

I’d tell him his length and ability to defend makes him a unique, valuable player.
Id explain to him your roll is to defend, get in passing lanes, create turnovers and rebound….First and foremost.

On offense I would coach him to get the ball out of his hands to a teammate as fast as possible, don’t even look to dribble unless you have to, don’t shoot the ball unless there’s a shot clock issue….you are the 5th option in the offense when you’re out there.
Know your roll!

 

[BillyC80]

I’d tell him his length and ability to defend makes him a unique, valuable player.
Id explain to him your roll is to defend, get in passing lanes, create turnovers and rebound….First and foremost.

On offense I would coach him to get the ball out of his hands to a teammate as fast as possible, don’t even look to dribble unless you have to, don’t shoot the ball unless there’s a shot clock issue….you are the 5th option in the offense when you’re out there.
Know your roll!

That’s like telling a great defensive shortstop hitting near the Mendoza line to not swing at any pitches, maybe you’ll earn a free pass.

 

[zappaa]

That’s like telling a great defensive shortstop hitting near the Mendoza line to not swing at any pitches, maybe you’ll earn a free pass.

You’ll never drive in as many as you let in…play defense

 

[biazza38]

The problem with that is Caleb SHOULD be an offensive player. Not sure why he hasn’t developed into own

 

[YoucancallmeRay]

I'd tell him make sure not to read anything on message boards or any fan advise and to keep shooting if you think you have a good shot. Your shots will fall.

 

[BillyC80]

You’ll never drive in as many as you let in…play defense

You’ll never hit any of the pitches you don’t swing at

 

[RU_DIO]

The problem with that is Caleb SHOULD be an offensive player. Not sure why he hasn’t developed into own

He Was a pretty good offensive player with his mid range game. I don't know what happened last year but his shot is terrible now. Pike needs to reign him in and limit Caleb to put backs and a few outside shots. He can't be shooting 10 times a game with the way his shot is now. Even at the line he looked bad even though he was a good free throw shooter in the past.

 

[zappaa]

I'd tell him make sure not to read anything on message boards or any fan advise and to keep shooting if you think you have a good shot. Your shots will fall.

Good one, thank God it is a message board and I’m far from being the coach….

 

[RUInsanityToo]

With the possible exception of Cliff & Agee - IMO no one on the floor should be passing up open shots as there is no Curry type shooter on this roster to get the ball to. Caleb has previously displayed an ability to hit mid-range shots. Might as well bench him if he is not going to shoot at all. Guessing this is mental as all of these guys need to work through this - confidence is key.

 

[zappaa]

With the possible exception of Cliff & Agee - IMO no one on the floor should be passing up open shots as there is no Curry type shooter on this roster to get the ball to. Caleb has previously displayed an ability to hit mid-range shots. Might as well bench him if he is not going to shoot at all. Guessing this is mental as all of these guys need to work through this - confidence is key.

If I told you we have a player who will score little to no points every game, but has the ability to be a disruptive, shutdown defensive player who can also rebound.
Would you deem that player valuable?

 

[BIGRUBIGDBIGredmachine]

He Was a pretty good offensive player with his mid range game. I don't know what happened last year but his shot is terrible now. Pike needs to reign him in and limit Caleb to put backs and a few outside shots. He can't be shooting 10 times a game with the way his shot is now. Even at the line he looked bad even though he was a good free throw shooter in the past.

Agree Pike needs to reign him in from any shots other than midrange, and limit his dribbling.

 

[4theknights]

I would just tell him to just “go play” and do all all the things that make him a valuable asset to the team.. when a few shots fall it’ll help his confidence. I went to the game the other night and watched replay of gameand when you look at the game again he does so many good things.
Defending #2, nose for rebounding and finding loose balls.
S

 

[RU_DIO]

I would just tell him to just “go play” and do all all the things that make him a valuable asset to the team.. when a few shots fall it’ll help his confidence. I went to the game the other night and watched replay of gameand when you look at the game again he does so many good things.
Defending #2, nose for rebounding and finding loose balls.
S

Yes, he does a lot of good things on the floor defensively and rebounds well. His intensity is awesome. But his shot is killing us, especially paired with Paul who has always been a bad offensive player.

 

[jrm75]

He should shoot, but not 3s; he has - or had - a good midrange game.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

……he’d be a 1st round pick in the annual Rutgers Basketball softball game.

 

[biazza38]

He Was a pretty good offensive player with his mid range game. I don't know what happened last year but his shot is terrible now. Pike needs to reign him in and limit Caleb to put backs and a few outside shots. He can't be shooting 10 times a game with the way his shot is now. Even at the line he looked bad even though he was a good free throw shooter in the past.

Agree with this. It looks like that injury affected him more than we thought it would

 

[Luvscarletknights]

Or perhaps the injury slowed his thought process. He seems to be playing too fast and rushing now.

 

[Mr_Twister]

A couple of easy lay ins and dunks would help his confidence and shooting percentage, but our guys are always content to more or less walk the ball up the court. Sprinting up the court and looking for a fast break bucket, even when our team has better size and athletic ability than the opponent, seems to be a no-no for us.

 

[RUInsanityToo]

If I told you we have a player who will score little to no points every game, but has the ability to be a disruptive, shutdown defensive player who can also rebound.
Would you deem that player valuable?

Yes - of course. We had that player (Myles) who's offense was totally predicated on others (Lobs, Putbacks, etc). But it also depends on who that player's potential replacement is. In the case of Myles - there was a significant drop-off compared to his back-up options. Same holds true for Cliff this year as well.

My issue was more with your recommendation would be that you have to consider who would potentially replace Caleb and what the drop-off would be on D vs. the upside on O for that replacement. If Pike is playing Caleb, I fully disagree that he should tell Caleb not to shoot. He has exhibited the capability and we are only 3 games into the season. Keep moving on offense, move the ball, set picks, follow shots, find the open man, shoot when open.

 

[richthedentist]

If I told you we have a player who will score little to no points every game, but has the ability to be a disruptive, shutdown defensive player who can also rebound.
Would you deem that player valuable?

yes!!

 

[RUby RED]

Good thing you’re not coaching Caleb

 

[RUHouston]

Whatever the issue(s) may or may not be with Caleb, I'm more than happy to let him work it/them out during non-conference play. Like we say in other sports, how is he in practice? Is this just an in-game thing? Is he prepping correctly, doing the right things? Is he a team player?

If the answers are yes, then let him work out the yips.

I trust Pike and the staff and I think the man has EARNED the right from the fanatics to give him the benefit of his experience.

Alas, this is a message board so I'm glad we're free to cuss and discuss.

 

[RUBlackout]

He should ONLY be looking for high percentage shots..midrange and in. Do not shoot the 3 unless WIDE open. He needs to raise his confidence back up. Additionally, he is not a very good transition player..too slow in driving and decision making..needs to get back out of his hands running the court

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

He should ONLY be looking for high percentage shots..midrange and in. Do not shoot the 3 unless WIDE open. He needs to raise his confidence back up. Additionally, he is not a very good transition player..too slow in driving and decision making..needs to get back out of his hands running the court

This is exactly why I am extremely worried about this team. This player you describe most be on the floor because of defense. Caleb is not a lock down defender, but he is the best, by far, that we have.

That puts a ton of pressure on Ron and Geo.

If we have any chance of being a .500 B1G team this needs to be sorted out. My fear is there really is nothing to sort out.

 

[mikebal9]

If I told you we have a player who will score little to no points every game, but has the ability to be a disruptive, shutdown defensive player who can also rebound.
Would you deem that player valuable?

You know who you're describing? Ben Simmons. Check in with Philly fans to see how well liked he is. Personally, I see a ton of value in doing things other than scoring. Others do not.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

shot selection

we have seen players who seem to decide to shoot because they haven't in awhile and it is their turn to shoot. I think Caleb seems to suffer a bit from this but it is not as bad as JY and Montez showed us.

Caleb has a nice jumper. And when he has a lane to drive he can do that too. It is the stuff in-between where he tries to create a shot out of nothing.. that is what he has to eliminate imho.

In fact, I would love to see the whole team working away from the ball to create open shots for themselves BEFORE they get the ball. It seems to be happening more this year.. but they have a ways to go. Abandoning the NBA-style ISO stuff will take some time and effort and discipline.

 

[ClassOf02v.2]

He should ONLY be looking for high percentage shots..midrange and in. Do not shoot the 3 unless WIDE open. He needs to raise his confidence back up. Additionally, he is not a very good transition player..too slow in driving and decision making..needs to get back out of his hands running the court

I agree. But the problem is he will be wide open from 3 very often until he proves to opposing teams he can knock down those shots. In the meantime, coaches & Caleb appear to be ok letting him try to shoot out of it. We'll see how long that lasts.

 

[RUich]

On any kind of team, you have the ones who are your offense and the ones who are your defense. Not too many are exceptional at both. I agree with the OP about limiting his shots. HIs role is to steal the ball, block shots and make the other guys make bad decisions. That is a very valuable player!
How many times have you heard it said that some players value does not show up in the stats?

 

[rudad02]

I’d tell him his length and ability to defend makes him a unique, valuable player.
Id explain to him your roll is to defend, get in passing lanes, create turnovers and rebound….First and foremost.

On offense I would coach him to get the ball out of his hands to a teammate as fast as possible, don’t even look to dribble unless you have to, don’t shoot the ball unless there’s a shot clock issue….you are the 5th option in the offense when you’re out there.
Know your roll!

Absolutely!!!

 

[RUsojo]

Caleb should just quite frankly be in the role people expect Mag to play. Call it there. Nothing else to do.

 

[MLBash93]

I’d tell him his length and ability to defend makes him a unique, valuable player.
Id explain to him your roll is to defend, get in passing lanes, create turnovers and rebound….First and foremost.

On offense I would coach him to get the ball out of his hands to a teammate as fast as possible, don’t even look to dribble unless you have to, don’t shoot the ball unless there’s a shot clock issue….you are the 5th option in the offense when you’re out there.
Know your roll!

Idk about his "roll" but maybe his role

 

[RUBlackout]

This is exactly why I am extremely worried about this team. This player you describe most be on the floor because of defense. Caleb is not a lock down defender, but he is the best, by far, that we have.

That puts a ton of pressure on Ron and Geo.

If we have any chance of being a .500 B1G team this needs to be sorted out. My fear is there really is nothing to sort out.

Well I think we are a much better team if Geo and RHJ look to score more. RHJ needs to stop
Settling for threes and take it to the basket—the guy has a knack for scoring and should be our go to. As for Geo, he needs to play more aggressive on offense like he was on Tuesday.—that it to the opponent and build his confidence as he gets streaky. He cannot afford to be tentative as this is where his games fades. He can create off the dribble also and we need to see more of that.
Focus on those two guys and it will open up things for everyone.

 

[RutgersRaRa]

Zap, I'd advise putting him in the batting cage to help him with hand-eye coordination, court awareness, anticipation and focus. Heck, get the whole team to batting practice for 15 minutes each day and they will see the court, the rim, the defense and their own teammates in space much more clearly.

 

[FrankZ_RU93]

Sadly, we don’t have a wealth of shooting options for him to defer to. I’m fine with him shooting - just needs to be smart shots.

 

[Caliknight]

The problem with that is Caleb SHOULD be an offensive player. Not sure why he hasn’t developed into own

He doesn't have the skills to be an offensive player. His handles are suspect, and he is a poor shooter. Certainly you can get better at those things, but he's starting from a very low place, comparatively against his peers. He's never going to get to the level of an offensive threat.

Zap is right. He's a defensive player. Nothing more. It's up to him to embrace that and make positive contributions, which is most certainly possible.