Would be a huge upset if he does not come to Rutgers. Would seem clear that Rutgers will get at a minimum one of Hammond,Spencer and Dawes.My own theory is that the Big Ten affiliation is more helpful with portal than high school kids,who recently have chosen Nova,UConn , Georgetown,DePaul and of course the trump card of Duke over everyone.
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No inside info but it seems to me that he's plan B to Hammond.
Not sure who is plan A bit Rutgers is DEFINITELY getting one of the 3 very soon.
For me Hammond is plan A, bc he can shoot and has more ability to create off the dribble which this roster really needs.
Give me both though. Spencer spacing the floor and having a legit sniper making the RAC erupt when he drills a few 3's
Based on how the visits were set up, it appears that Spencer was plan A. That could be a strategic decision but they wanted Spencer in first to try and close the deal. Maybe the they had both players rated similarly and thought Spencer was more interested.
To me Spencer replaces enough of the lost scoring if Caleb comes back. Say Spencer adds 10-13 ppg, Pike will find 15-17 more points from the current players. I’m expecting Paul to have a full season with a larger offensive roll. Cliff will have a much bigger roll and add more for Hyatt, Mag, Reiber and Simpson. I would like to add a 4-5 from the portal to be a rebound contributor.
my starting line up today would be…
Paul
Spencer
Caleb
Mag
Cliff
bench rotation
Hyatt
Reiber
Simpson
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It is exciting to me that we broke the ice and added Spencer. Now we must use the momentum to add another big man and probably another guy who can really shoot the ball who might be able to play some forward as well. I still am hoping we can add Ryan Young from Northwestern as he is a big guy and is from New Jersey. If Cliff leaves he can start the following year as he and Spencer both have two years to play.
There is no dribble and drive capability in this line up. We need some more quickness and ability to break down a defense
I agree that dribble penetration is lacking but Caleb and Mag have that ability and Simpson will too. The offense will look different. The challenge is that Pike is going to start Paul and Caleb if he on the team. That leaves one more guard spot. Spencer filled it. Simpson will be the next guy off the bench and he should be ready to contribute like Geo did year one. If he isn’t, then it’s a different story. If Caleb doesn’t come back, yes fill that spot with someone who can penetrate and pass/shoot.
My guess is we have zero shot with Ryan Young. He is going somewhere to play starter minutes or be the 6th man for a NC competitor.
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There’s no way Mag starts over Reiber at the 4. Reiber is much better and more versatile. We will get a backup center in Portal
Mag??! What in the world has he shown you he can dribble drive with efficiency??? I’ll wait…
The team had a difficult time scoring 65 points with Baker,Harper and McConnell because of the lack of bench scoring .The notion that the lost 28 points are coming from the current roster and freshmen recruits is wishful thinking.Another double digit scorer from the transfer portal is needed especially in the front court if McConnelll doesn't return.
well, he's young and clearly developing. I know it's a different part of his game, but look how his shot has developed.
I bet we see a much more improved drive/slash capability from Mag.
will he remove the need for us to recruit the position...no...but this is part of a Pike program...he develops guys, and I can totally see Mag getting much better in this area.
I don’t see Reiber starting at the 4. He may play some 4 but teams go small a lot and Reiber can’t guard faster smaller players.
He’s a slasher and rebounder. When Mag plays the 4 (which he will) he can take bigger guys off the dribble very easily.
Assume for a minute that Caleb comes back. What do you do then? Forget points for a minute because new players will get the shots that Geo and Ron took. Paul, Cliff, Caleb and Spencer are locked in as starters. Mag or Hyatt probably fill the last starting 4 spot. Reiber off the bench at the 5/4 and Simpson/Miller at guards. Oscar is the last guy who can earn playing time. That’s 9 players, not including Oscar. Maybe Pike looks for a 4 but my guess is he thinks Mag, Hyatt And Reiber can rotate in that spot. There isn’t a lot of room.
Right now the key piece is Caleb returning, and again if Caleb returns he is going to take shots and work/improve his offense game, that is the reason for him to return, tune/ refine the offensive side of his game and play injury free for another year. This would be a win win for both him and the team. Plus he already fits in and is an immediate positive impact
I think Hyatt starts at the 4. Mag 3/4
Lack of dribble drive and creativity is a concern on offense. Foot speed on defense with Cam and Paul
You really are pounding the drum on Dean starting at the 4. Until we hear any type of news that he is even being considered there, it cannot be the assumption. Especially if we dont land another 5 in the portal. If we don't, Dean is 100% playing the backup 5
We really need McConnel back. It seems the more time passes, the more likely it becomes. Pikiell gets McConnel back, then you can say by retaining Cliff and adding Spencer, he had a successful transfer portal interaction. I guess Jones has until May 1 to decide whether or not to enter the portal.
I really want Reiber at the 4 also. He's got a higher ceiling than Hyatt and if he's simply a backup 5 he'll be playing 10 minutes a game. He needs a bigger role next year and he can do it. At a minimum he should be playing 20 min between the 4/5 next season.
I’d put Mag 50% and Hyatt 50% for that starting 4 but who knows. Both guys will play there for sure and mix in at the 3.
We haven't seen Simpson play yet ...and if Caleb comes back he does seem to possess a mid- short range jumper game (when on).
MO
I don't mind Dean getting some minutes at the 4, but it's very very unlikely he starts or is primarily the 4 barring injuries
I think Hyatt at the 4 bc he's thicker and a good rebounder. Mag is a lot quicker and more bouncy to play on the perimeter. Plus he gets banged up and injured a lot so not sure the 4 is best for him physically
If Caleb comes back and we don't add another player I'd put my money on Mag winning the battle at the 4.
Neither is starting at the 4 over Hyatt but I'm not convinced Hyatt is the starter either if a good stretch 4 is available in the portal.
Reiber is Cliff's primary backup 5 and Woolfolk after that if needed this season. Finding a "good backup 5" in the portal is like finding a unicorn. They tried that with Agee and it didn't workout well. And with Cliff playing 30-35 minutes a night already how many quality "backup" 5's want to sit on the bench all game long?
I’ve been wrong before but the only ways I see us “adding” a stretch 4 at this point are as follows:
1) RHJ decides to return (obviously he’d get his spot back at the 4 instantly). Very unlikely.
2) A highly touted 4-5 star incoming frosh (high school kid) who committed to a school that lost their coach decommits and Pike lands them.
3) One of our returning stretch 4s (Mag, Hyatt or Oskar) suddenly enter the portal.
If we were seriously in the market for a stretch 4 from the portal, we’d have heard some names by this point IMO.
In theory there could be a few names that pop up on the portal that are borderline rotation players at a power school that might just fit here.
I'm skeptical. Where does adding this year's version of Hyatt get us? Agree with @PSAL_Hoops that something else would have to happen.
To your point.....is David Skogman or David Shriver and upgrade over a guy like Palmquist? Probably not.
That's my point. If we were going to add a 30 minute guy at that spot we'd already be involved with a bunch of them. If we're looking for a 15 minute guy then we're not going to find one better than Hyatt.