Tai Strickland

Scarlet Blind_rivals

All-Conference
Aug 5, 2001
4,613
4,670
62
Watching his video, Tai plays exactly like his father, same form on jumpers and drives. I remember Rod with the Knicks, always hated when Knicks traded him away.
 

Russ Wood

Heisman
Oct 12, 2011
94,313
45,143
0
Tai has a chance. He is having a good season playing alongside a 2018 Ole Miss guard signee, for now at least, who draws double teams and will be all-star.

If I'm well enough I'll be at the District title game between St. Petersburg and Countryside on Friday night and will talk to Tai and Rod.
 

RUEd

All-Conference
Aug 14, 2001
3,422
1,956
113
Tai has a chance. He is having a good season playing alongside a 2018 Ole Miss guard signee, for now at least, who draws double teams and will be all-star.

If I'm well enough I'll be at the District title game between St. Petersburg and Countryside on Friday night and will talk to Tai and Rod.
Russ- will RU add a 2018 signee ?
 

ScarletLongIsland_rivals

All-Conference
Sep 1, 2015
2,258
3,033
66
Tai has a chance. He is having a good season playing alongside a 2018 Ole Miss guard signee, for now at least, who draws double teams and will be all-star.

If I'm well enough I'll be at the District title game between St. Petersburg and Countryside on Friday night and will talk to Tai and Rod.
Russ- will RU add a 2018 signee ?

I think it’s already been said that anywhere from 1-3 spots could open up for next year
 

higgins3

All-Conference
Dec 15, 2012
7,319
2,434
113
Strickland has a proper game.

He has nice composure while dribbling through traffic and keeps his head up.

I also saw it looks like he enjoys defense. Athleticism and hustle is there.

Good player. Good luck, Tai Strickland.
 
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kcg88

Heisman
Aug 11, 2017
10,862
17,230
0
Who was this confirmed by again? Just curious.

He said "could." There will never be anything official (or speculation from coaches) until it happens.

Bullock, Mensah, and Doorson would be the three that I assume he means. Bullock would be the most likely one IMO as Mensah/Doorson only have a year left. But Doorson has also been on campus for four years and depending on his academic could grad transfer and be immediately eligible at a level at which he could start (MAAC, NEC). Don't know if that's something that's attractive to him. Also if the coaching staff feels like they could land a grad transfer of their own they could apply some pressure to one of these three to have them leave.
 
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ColonelRutgers

All-American
Dec 15, 2003
7,103
9,293
113
He said "could." There will never be anything official (or speculation from coaches) until it happens.

Bullock, Mensah, and Doorson would be the three that I assume he means. Bullock would be the most likely one IMO as Mensah/Doorson only have a year left. But Doorson has also been on campus for four years and depending on his academic could grad transfer and be immediately eligible at a level at which he could start (MAAC, NEC). Don't know if that's something that's attractive to him. Also if the coaching staff feels like they could land a grad transfer of their own they could apply some pressure to one of these three to have them leave.
Definitely got the impression that Pikiell expects Doorson back based on discussion at tonight's Court Club meeting. Any thoughts that he might leave were probably just message board speculation in the first place based on the grad transfer option being available.
 

Russ Wood

Heisman
Oct 12, 2011
94,313
45,143
0
I spoke to Tai after his game Friday night and he said that Wisconsin and Rutgers are recruiting him hard. His HS coach expects some more offers to come in the coming weeks. Tai said that he likes how Rutgers lets its guards play. Tai said that Coach Pikiell told him that he would come down to see him play as soon as he could. If that's true then Coach Pikiell may be coming down to see him play on Thursday 2/22 in a Regional quarterfinal

As for the game Tai's team, St. Petersburg, lost 84-76. Tai had 12 first half points but had to sit most of the 2nd quarter after picking up his 2nd foul. Up to that point he was playing at a really high level. Hitting jumpers, getting to the rim at will rebounding, getting after it on defense, you name it he was doing it.

Sitting for so long he cooled off and got out of rhythm. After the game he told me it was his fault that he put himself in that position by reaching in (to get his 2nd foul and having to sit so long). He got going late in the game but by then it was too late to get a victory.

Rod Strickland was in LA for All-Star events but he was texting me for game updates
 

Degaz-RU

Heisman
Dec 19, 2002
22,349
26,643
88
We absolutely need Doorson next year, as we’re already losing Two of our bigs (Freeman and Sa). Shaq has been playing very good interior defense, which is very much needed in the B1G. I’m really interested to see if Shaq can become a consistent 6 and 6 guy next year at the C spot.

I like a “bigs” rotation next year of Omoruyi and Carter at the 4, and Doucoure, Doorson and Johnson at the 5.
 

higgins3

All-Conference
Dec 15, 2012
7,319
2,434
113
I spoke to Tai after his game Friday night and he said that Wisconsin and Rutgers are recruiting him hard. His HS coach expects some more offers to come in the coming weeks. Tai said that he likes how Rutgers lets its guards play. Tai said that Coach Pikiell told him that he would come down to see him play as soon as he could. If that's true then Coach Pikiell may be coming down to see him play on Thursday 2/22 in a Regional quarterfinal

As for the game Tai's team, St. Petersburg, lost 84-76. Tai had 12 first half points but had to sit most of the 2nd quarter after picking up his 2nd foul. Up to that point he was playing at a really high level. Hitting jumpers, getting to the rim at will rebounding, getting after it on defense, you name it he was doing it.

Sitting for so long he cooled off and got out of rhythm. After the game he told me it was his fault that he put himself in that position by reaching in (to get his 2nd foul and having to sit so long). He got going late in the game but by then it was too late to get a victory.

Rod Strickland was in LA for All-Star events but he was texting me for game updates

HIs game kind of reminds me of Sanders in the show boatey, confident, athletic sense. What do you think of his overall game, and assessment at the next level?

I think his brand of basketball is fun to watch.
 

Russ Wood

Heisman
Oct 12, 2011
94,313
45,143
0
HIs game kind of reminds me of Sanders in the show boatey, confident, athletic sense. What do you think of his overall game, and assessment at the next level?

I think his brand of basketball is fun to watch.
That's not Tai's game at all. He's a dribble penetration PG who looks to get others involved. His pull up game is very good and he's a reliable spot up shooter.

He's a MUCH more fundamentally sound player and has a higher basketball IQ than Sanders was/had at the same age, possibly even now.

He's pretty solid defensively too.

He'll be ready to contribute as a freshman
 

Scarlet Shack

Heisman
Feb 3, 2004
26,271
15,938
73
We absolutely need Doorson next year, as we’re already losing Two of our bigs (Freeman and Sa). Shaq has been playing very good interior defense, which is very much needed in the B1G. I’m really interested to see if Shaq can become a consistent 6 and 6 guy next year at the C spot.

I like a “bigs” rotation next year of Omoruyi and Carter at the 4, and Doucoure, Doorson and Johnson at the 5.[/QUOTE

Degaz

You have your bigs backward

Carter really is a low post player in this offense and a five

Doucoure is a better shooter from the outside and can put the ball on a deck

What I hope to see

Starters
Onamyuri -25 mpg-9 pts-6 reb
Carter-25 mpg-9 ppg -7 rpg

Doucoure -15 mpg-4 ppg and 4 rpg
Doorson/Johnson-15 mpg-4 ppg and 4

Getting 26 ppg in committee out of these rficr guys is possible and would be huge toward getting us regularly to score over 70 ppg
 
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NewJerseyHawk

Heisman
Jan 11, 2007
24,437
38,716
113
That's not Tai's game at all. He's a dribble penetration PG who looks to get others involved. His pull up game is very good and he's a reliable spot up shooter.

He's a MUCH more fundamentally sound player and has a higher basketball IQ than Sanders was/had at the same age, possibly even now.

He's pretty solid defensively too.

He'll be ready to contribute as a freshman

That's interesting, on the ability to contribute at this level, even if off the bench.
 

hoquat63

All-Conference
Mar 17, 2005
9,136
4,432
45
Definitely got the impression that Pikiell expects Doorson back based on discussion at tonight's Court Club meeting. Any thoughts that he might leave were probably just message board speculation in the first place based on the grad transfer option being available.
Yes he said Shaw has a girlfriend on gymnastics team and if she’s back so is Shaq
 

Russ Wood

Heisman
Oct 12, 2011
94,313
45,143
0
That's interesting, on the ability to contribute at this level, even if off the bench.
If you would ask me about Tai 12 months ago I would have said that he is a solid MM/MM+ prospect.

He really made some strides, development wise, during his Junior season at Tampa Catholic playing alongside Kevin Knox (Kentucky).

His recruitment had always been pretty quiet because the assumption was he was going to go to USF because that's where his father was an assistant coach. I really expected is recruitment to pick up last July when his father didn't get a job at another school by then.

When I saw him at the FGCU team camp I was really impressed with his floor game. Still, his recruitment remained quiet throughout the season until recently.
 

higgins3

All-Conference
Dec 15, 2012
7,319
2,434
113
That's not Tai's game at all. He's a dribble penetration PG who looks to get others involved. His pull up game is very good and he's a reliable spot up shooter.

He's a MUCH more fundamentally sound player and has a higher basketball IQ than Sanders was/had at the same age, possibly even now.

He's pretty solid defensively too.

He'll be ready to contribute as a freshman
I watched a video where he made the defender slip, and he pointed at the defender, lol. Sanders has the same ways in hs. He’s not athletic? Sanders wasn’t a dribble penetration guard at times in hs?Maybe I’ll post the video. Also, it was just one video so there’s important to note.
 
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RutHut_rivals

All-Conference
Aug 11, 2017
4,483
4,903
0
Encouraging to see a player like this still available and RU in the mix. Keep the updates coming.
 

Russ Wood

Heisman
Oct 12, 2011
94,313
45,143
0
I watched a video where he made the defender slip, and he pointed at the defender, lol. Sanders has the same ways in hs. He’s not athletic? Sanders wasn’t a dribble penetration guard at times in hs?Maybe I’ll post the video. Also, it was just one video so there’s important to note.
What I meant was Tai is not a showboat like Corey was in high school.

Corey would be on a fast-break and throw the ball underhanded at the backboard so that he could jump up catch the carom and dunk it. He was good for doing that at least once a game + other antics.

Tai is not that kind of kid. My guess is Tai pointed at that kid because he knew somebody was shooting video and was going to make a mixtape.

Sometimes kids do uncharacteristic stuff when they know somebody's making a mixtape.
 

Mr.Television

All-Conference
Jun 30, 2001
7,293
1,534
113
Harper, Sr and Rod Strickland play together?

Would be nice when the Stricklands visit that Harpers “just happen” to be on campus!
 

higgins3

All-Conference
Dec 15, 2012
7,319
2,434
113
What I meant was Tai is not a showboat like Corey was in high school.

Corey would be on a fast-break and throw the ball underhanded at the backboard so that he could jump up catch the carom and dunk it. He was good for doing that at least once a game + other antics.

Tai is not that kind of kid. My guess is Tai pointed at that kid because he knew somebody was shooting video and was going to make a mixtape.

Sometimes kids do uncharacteristic stuff when they know somebody's making a mixtape.

I understand now.

That is the generation. It's weird, but it is what it is.

How do you think Strickland would react to a Rutgers offer? Are their ties that would make him want to come here? Thanks for info,Russ.
 

Degaz-RU

Heisman
Dec 19, 2002
22,349
26,643
88

Shack:

I don’t think Doucoure is agile enough to play the 4. I know he can hit a jumper out to 15 feet, but he’s got bulk, and I think he needs to play the 5 and develop a low post game, as I didn’t particularly think he was very effective putting the ball on the floor.

I admit I hadn’t considered the possibility of Carter starting alongside Omoruyi as the two bigs. I had just assumed that Carter was initially tabbed as Freeman’s replacement at the 4, but that Eugene had simply played himself into the conversation as a possible starter at the 4 INSTEAD OF Carter. The question I would have is whether Carter has enough size to handle B1G centers.

Regardless, I think that Doorson and Johnson are true centers. It’s quite likely that Omoruyi, Carter and Doucoure will be the PRIMARY bigs (perhaps 65 of the 80 minutes).

But the other two guys are wild cards. We’ve heard a lot of good things about Johnson’s offensive game, but can he defend enough? And I’m really curious to see if Doorson can make a huge Kareem-Wright-like leap in his 5th year and become a real contributor on offense (he’s already a plus player on defense now).
 

Russ Wood

Heisman
Oct 12, 2011
94,313
45,143
0
I understand now.

That is the generation. It's weird, but it is what it is.

How do you think Strickland would react to a Rutgers offer? Are their ties that would make him want to come here? Thanks for info,Russ.
He likes what he has heard from Rutgers so far so an offer would excite him. Right now he seems focused mainly on Wisconsin and Rutgers despite some other HM programs checking in with him.

I don't know of any ties to the program.
 
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Bob Chaewsky_rivals

All-Conference
Dec 31, 2008
7,495
4,865
113
Much more of a PG than Sanders. Looks like he makes players around him better more than Sanders. Even Dadika, though not a scorer, made players around him better yesterday more than Sanders does. Looks to be a perfect fit. How tall is he?
 

Mr_Twister

All-American
Apr 1, 2004
15,684
5,819
0
He likes what he has heard from Rutgers so far so an offer would excite him. Right now he seems focused mainly on Wisconsin and Rutgers despite some other HM programs checking in with him.

I don't know of any ties to the program.
Does Rod Strickland, from his Knicks days, know former Rutgers assistant Jeff Van Gundy? Rod Strickland is also The Godfather (auto spell is capitalizing the previous two words) of Kyrie Irving who once sat next to me at the RAC rooting for a Rutgers backcourt player who was a North Carolina native (not Bishop Daniels) and friend of Irving.
 

higgins3

All-Conference
Dec 15, 2012
7,319
2,434
113
Much more of a PG than Sanders. Looks like he makes players around him better more than Sanders. Even Dadika, though not a scorer, made players around him better yesterday more than Sanders does. Looks to be a perfect fit. How tall is he?
About 6 1 or so. Well see what happens. We are best to not get hopes up until he gets offered. Lol.
 

Russ Wood

Heisman
Oct 12, 2011
94,313
45,143
0
Does Rod Strickland, from his Knicks days, know former Rutgers assistant Jeff Van Gundy? Rod Strickland is also The Godfather (auto spell is capitalizing the previous two words) of Kyrie Irving who once sat next to me at the RAC rooting for a Rutgers backcourt player who was a North Carolina native (not Bishop Daniels) and friend of Irving.
I dunno. My relationship with Coach Strick is only 4 years long. I've never thought of asking him about Jeff Van Gundy