Not adding a center?
- Thread starter FinalFourOrBust_rivals142702
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Got it - so you don’t actually know anything other than that Cliff was emotional on senior night - like the 8,000 or so of us who were also there.
Ya know, some of us, when leaving jobs for more money have enough respect for our former employers to not make it a bidding war.
Also, entirely possible that Cliff wanted a change and wanted to see if another coach could address the deficiencies in his game and get him to the next level. Could also be a trial run before fully living on his own before what is at minimum a many year career in Europe - the family he’s been living with since his arrival is still a few miles away. Could be a desire for a change. Could be fit. Could be a desire to be a concern about being focal point of the offense - it’s Ace and Dylan’s show next year. Could be just cause. Could be none of those. Cliffs his own man and a bright guy. Just be happy for him, and happy and grateful we had him, and he’ll always be a Knight first.
We’re top 2-3 in the B1G according to every early poll and gambling odds. And that was before Coleman hit the portal.
Big O will destroy expectations. Alabama will be crying in their mint juleps they didn't sign Big O.
I have to guess they are assuming we get a big man because that makes no sense otherwise, with virtually no front court. Also, other B1G teams have gotten some pretty good portal commitments since Hawkins announced.
Can you post a link to Trilly's comments regarding RU not going after a center? I Could not find on X.
The better question is - what available center will make us better or is a better option than the 2 we already have on the roster. Aside from Ugonna, is there anyone in the portal who looks better than Lathan?
Think Pike needs to add another defensive presence in the middle (at a minimum as a contingency). Og could be that guy -but its a big risk as he was raw last season and who knows if he will be foul prone or not. Lathan is a freshman - so also a risk, especially on D. Some here are looking for a Stretch 5 on offense - but I think the team will have enough offensive firepower. Concern for me is rim protection.
Also - still curious that no one has provided a link to Trilly's comments.
Not if sliding Martini over to the 5 would give us a better chance to win. Agee, for example, could not help us. At least, if it turns out he could then we are in trouble.
It doesn’t even have to be a center..it could be a PF. A rim protector would be great but minimally we need someone who can be physical and rebound and is at least somewhat skilled otherwise. We almost have zero rebounding right now and we play in probably the most physical league in the country. Lathan is a freshman and big freshmen almost never live up to expectations early. Ogbole gives up way too much in almost every aspect of the game expect being large and fouls constantly. That’s our rebounding right now.
Ogbole is can defend. He’s not soft. The issue is the foul situation.
I just don't think it's a good idea to go into a full big ten season with 2.5 bigs (Martini counts as .5), and all of them being some version of a question mark coming in. We were damn lucky we didn't get an injury from Cliff last year. And now we replace Cliff with an untested freshman and a 6'7" guy that played in the Ivy. It's unquestionably a lot of risk. Lots of upside, and lots of risk. And one injury away from being in a tough situation. Two injuries away from disaster...and that's even with assuming all 3 of them pan out.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it would be ideal. What I’m saying is that a kid like Agee who can’t rebound or defend would not help us. We’d be better off in that case with Martini who can step out and hit a shot at least. The only way we will consider not bringing in someone is if all we can get is that type of player, in which case, I don’t think it would help much if at all.
I could not agree with you more but apparently it seems more important to stockpile guards and small forwards in the hopes that one of them pans out. We are going to have a lot of problems with big front courts even if we secure a big.
I wonder how much an Agee type could get in this market. At a minimum we need another 5 fouls, so we’ll get someone.
The more I look into it, Josh Gray wouldn’t be a terrible option. He put up better numbers in conference play last season with more minutes. Pike has a relationship there already.
The more I look into it, Josh Gray wouldn’t be a terrible option. He put up better numbers in conference play last season with more minutes. Pike has a relationship there already.
Exactly. We need to think about the scholarship impacts for the next few seasons. I’d rather see what we have in Lathan than have a scholly tied up in another Agee who rarely sees the court. Rather see Martini slide to the 5 than just get a big who doesn’t contribute.
I don't think it's one vs. the other in a 1 for 1. I like the players we brought in. And I'd be shocked if Pike didn't make the most of these players by running a high tempo O and intense pressure D scheme that takes advantage of our depth. I was just saying I still think we need to bring in a big if we can, even if it's not a tier 1 guy. And we have a ship open and some NIL to do so.
If you are fouling all the time you are not playing good defense . . .
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Rutgers knew in March Cliff wasn't coming back and its still uncertain who will playing the center position.Lots of names mentioned from the transfer portal but they quickly choose another school.I like the freshmen Somerville but there needs to be a experienced center to share playing time.
I heard a rumor the real reason Cliff didn't come back was because Sommerville didn't want him here and wouldn't commit unless Pike gave Cliff the boot.
I heard that Cliff confronted Pike with the fact that "Rutgers doesn't run an offense" and demanded that Pike start running an offense. Pike refused to run an offense and so Cliff left.I heard a rumor the real reason Cliff didn't come back was because Sommerville didn't want him here and wouldn't commit unless Pike gave Cliff the boot.
Dylan definitely visited Duke at some point but Trilly predicted Harper to RU in the summer
Trilly had Dylan Kansas bound. He has good information, but if you need multiple predictions to get it right, you lose points.
It's a subscription based Discord channel so you need to sign up and pay monthly to get the information.
This is just a lie. He never predicted Dylan to Kansas. Why are you people like this? Lol so weird.
Officially predicted Dylan to Rutgers on Aug. 4, 2023:
People are weird.
Martini pickup getting more important, his toughness a benefit, his height is what it is.
Of course it becomes more important when you fail to get a big man from the portal.
Didn't like the vibes around portal recruiting. At least the staff started early this year but when they struck out with Alocco and Amari Williams and then jadon Jones it seemed all bad. The three transfers coming in as of now look solid though so that's a plus. Didn't realize Derdack was injured , hope he's in good form by the time the season comes around. Don't want another Fernandes situation early on.
Just hope that ogbole, Somerville or preferably both are ready to go. Looks like the coaches are looking at a 7 footer from Serbia. Another project that is raw like ogbole last year. Have to get Ace in the weight room as the team might need him to bang down low and rebound more than I expected.
Just hope that ogbole, Somerville or preferably both are ready to go. Looks like the coaches are looking at a 7 footer from Serbia. Another project that is raw like ogbole last year. Have to get Ace in the weight room as the team might need him to bang down low and rebound more than I expected.
TBH its pretty confusing - not sure it was failure or a conscious decision as I read in the Ogbole thread that RU stopped recruiting a big man based on demands from Lathan.