The last 25 seconds (RHJ)

[Shelby65]

He hits the go-ahead three and preens to the crowd, oh so proud of himself. And yet guess who made no effort to close out his man on the wing on the game winning shot for Lafayette ? Bravo Ron. His hubris is as pathetic as his effort on defense.

Yes it's disappointing that some players couldn't throw a ball in the ocean from a boat. But at least they give 100%. Ron doesn't. Sit him for a game for all I care. Let him watch his teammates give their all. They ain't going to win many games anyway.

I heard boos and bitching at a certain other player. The criticism was directed at the wrong player.

 

[Mikemarc]

He hits the go-ahead three and preens to the crowd, oh so proud of himself. And yet guess who made no effort to close out his man on the wing on the game winning shot for Lafayette ? Bravo Ron. His hubris is as pathetic as his effort on defense.

Yes it's disappointing that some players couldn't throw a ball in the ocean from a boat. But at least they give 100%. Ron doesn't. Sit him for a game for all I care. Let him watch his teammates give their all. They ain't going to win many games anyway.

I heard boos and bitching at a certain other player. The criticism was directed at the wrong player.

Ron is my least favorite player on the team. So
Overrated

 

[rcube1994]

Before first game each season i ask myself if this is the year harper worked his tail off all summer and is in shape, and always disappointed to see he didn't put in the work. He's had a good career but could be so much better with the right attitude.

 

[Mr. Magoo1]

I also expected him to spend the summer getting into top shape for his last season...but it’s the same old Ron.

 

[RutgersClassof2004]

I just kinda get the feel that Ron and Geo have clocked out...were hoping to move on after last year but it didn't happen...now they are just lacing up to hopefully sell a few bucks worth of NIL gear and move on to the next chapter.

 

[jerzeyguy]

I thought Ron would look like Lamar Stevens by his senior yr. He still has that same fluffy body from freshman yr. Tells you how much he really wants it.

 

[RutgersClassof2004]

What I expect they will find though is that their years balling for Rutgers were some of best years of their entire lives. So it's sad to see them not really into it. Particularly Baker.

 

[bac2therac]

4-14 shooting night vs Lafayette aint good and thats 3-13 before he hit that last shot...another disappearing act by one of our stars...albeit his first this season unlike the other guy who has only showed up for one game

 

[RUBlackout]

The crazy part is I just read an article where it mentioned RHJ finally lifted for the first time in anticipation of the season. I was shocked this wouldn’t be a prerequisite every year.
Still one of my favorite players though

 

[RUissy1]

I just kinda get the feel that Ron and Geo have clocked out...were hoping to move on after last year but it didn't happen...now they are just lacing up to hopefully sell a few bucks worth of NIL gear and move on to the next chapter.

Said the same thing. Both seem disinterested. Really hard to watch this group so far this year. To me, Cliff and Paul are the only ones busting their assess out there. Hyatt had been playing well but he was terrible tonight too. Should've stuck with my 4 game package instead of pulling the trigger on season tix this year. I really got sucked in by all the hype.

 

[rcube1994]

The crazy part is I just read an article where it mentioned RHJ finally lifted for the first time in anticipation of the season. I was shocked this wouldn’t be a prerequisite every year.
Still one of my favorite players though

Very disappointing if true.

 

[FIJI'83]

WHY DOES HE WAIT TO THE END OF GAMES TO ATTEMPT TO SCORE? DID LAFAYETTE PLAY NBA LIKE LOCKDOWN DEFENSE THROUGHOUT THE GAME AGAINST OUR FUTURE NBA STAR?

 

[Caliknight]

That can’t be true. D1 players in every sport lift. It’s mandatory.

 

[fluoxetine]

That can’t be true. D1 players in every sport lift. It’s mandatory.

This. People are just making **** up now.

 

[Shelby65]

Cali...I am sure they get together to lift as a team....but do they all take it seriously and are coaches there to monitor ?

They are required to go to class too, but.... Do you follow ?

I'm not the one who claimed he hasn't lifted before....but...there's a lot of wiggle room between Serious lifting and No lifting and I would venture to guess Ron is closer to No.

 

[BigEastPhil]

Harper doesn't appear to be in shape again....you can see the belly fat.......was a non factor on the boards......only reason why he gets a sniff of the NBA is because of his father

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Harper doesn't appear to be in shape again....you can see the belly fat.......was a non factor on the boards......only reason why he gets a sniff of the NBA is because of his father

He was
1. Sick
2. Ridiculous winded
3. Not going to post

I am going with 1

He was so out of it. He takes possessions off (like almost everyone on the planet), but today was out of the ordinary for him.

 

[MCKnight]

Pike hinted in his presser that Ron is dealing with a bad back

 

[Fzacsattac]

I thought he was NBA bound after this year.

 

[Fzacsattac]

Pike hinted in his presser that Ron is dealing with a bad back

He has a bad back and Pike plays him…..…

 

[Shelby65]

protecting his player....if he has a bad back then he should not have been in the game on LC's last possession where they took advantage of his laziness.

has he had a bad back for four years? or was it bothering him during his 'look at me' dance 20 seconds earlier ?

 

[zappaa]

Harper doesn't appear to be in shape again....you can see the belly fat.......was a non factor on the boards......only reason why he gets a sniff of the NBA is because of his father

His dad ain’t helping him get on any roster, be assured of that.
Blame his soft body on genetics, he can’t transform himself into a hardbody

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

I see the snipers are out in full force... the comments here are ridiculous.....even if you squeezed out both wins vs DePaul and Lafayette, instead of taking shots at RHJ, why don't we hold everyone accountable....???

Harper is 21 years old, 3 or 4 year starter playing with a bunch of new pieces, who are simply over their skis right now.....why is that Ron's fault??

I am all for talking basketball, but asking RHJ with 4 double doubles, to have 30 double doubles to carry a program on his back, is sooo cliche with fans.....pick on the player because he can't carry a program on his back...?????.......Cliff is helping and playing hard, improving.....Baker is up and down and looks like he's waiting for a name opponent to show up.....

I think Hyatt has played solid, safe basketball, not perfect but good enough to be a player here....we have to call it what it is.....there are faults to be spread out in a lot of places, it looks misguided here a bit IMO.....

 

[toby83]

I thought Ron would look like Lamar Stevens by his senior yr. He still has that same fluffy body from freshman yr. Tells you how much he really wants it.

That's a great name of who we always wanted Ron to be. Stevens was a DOG. Intense and played with a chip on his shoulder. Demanded the ball at times, no moment was too big, whether he failed or not, he wanted the ball. Could play inside or out, a matchup nightmare.

 

[Salvi's Headband]

Not gonna get on Ron. He hit what should have been a game winning shot.

 

[cm_13]

Not gonna get on Ron. He hit what should have been a game winning shot.

Yea but he was happy about it so we should all make fun of him according to OP

 

[RUBOB72]

It appears as though there is a disconnect once again similar to the mid year losing streak which caused much concern on this very board in 2021. Only problem is we don’t have some pieces we were led to believe were in place . We have several players , who though not playing consistently are still on the court. Why?

 

[Chicago_Glenn]

That such BS. Sure he was a bit too happy after his three. But that game ending play had people running all over the place and it was clear on that series he was leaning in to protect the middle as Pike probably thought they were going to go inside to the big guy or drive to the basket for the high percentage shot since they only needed a two pointer to win. The first part of the play they did exactly that and got it to the center. The D held and they pushed it out. Not sure why Pike didn’t foul quickly at that point since we had a foul to give just to have them waste more time on setting up inbound.

As for Harper, yes his shooting percentage was not great (but was slightly better than the team’s). The offense scheme was more the problem. Have to question Pike. He had MCConnell up top and Harper down below in the second half when Geo was out. Lafayette coach just condensed the D, made Harper work for every shot underneath (where the majority of his missed shots where - some two or three misses at a time) while he let the others just bomb away knowing the percentages were in his favor given how awful we were shooting. And Pike never adjusted.

Tough to even go inside when they are collapsing the D because we can’t shoot outside. Gonna see more teams challenge us to beat them from the outside. If not hitting outside shots, need to win on the boards - defense leading to fast breaks and dunks before they can set up and getting second shots when we miss.

Unfortunately, as we hit the B1G, I just don’t see us winning the battle on the boards and that likely means doom unless Hyatt/Jones/Harper and Geo start hitting outside shots.

And while people like to attack Harper for his defense, they seem to miss some key defensive setups. They had Ron defending the 7 footer at the end of the second half because the guy was chewing up our center. Him and Hyatt played the best D on him. Cliff did not. And Reiber could do nothing. Got a foul and then got caught in a switch off and fouled on a three point shot.

Just some facts about Ron that seem to further refute this narrative. Aside from coming into the game as the leading scorer he is also the leading rebounder and most of them are defensive rebounds (by a lot) meaning he is playing both sides of the court.

Had 35 defensive rebounds going into the game, double anyone else. Is third in steals.

In the past three years he’s had more defensive rebounds (by a lot), more blocks (by alot) and even more steals (by a lot) than the often heralded “defensive” specialist Mulcahy. Yet many praise Mulcahy for his Defense (in defense for his bad offensive numbers) yet criticize Harper. Mulcahy had a good game last night but came into the game shooting 25%.

There is a lot of criticism to go around and Ron is not void of that criticism, but the stats don’t fit the constant narrative that he isn’t doing his part of defense. And if others can’t shoot and Pike continues to play him down low against bigger opponents his offensive stats are only going to get worse. That isn’t on Ron. That’s on Pike and the supporting players who aren’t playing their role.

 

[Mikemarc]

I just kinda get the feel that Ron and Geo have clocked out...were hoping to move on after last year but it didn't happen...now they are just lacing up to hopefully sell a few bucks worth of NIL gear and move on to the next chapter.

this exactly

 

[NickRU714]

I see the snipers are out in full force... the comments here are ridiculous.....even if you squeezed out both wins vs DePaul and Lafayette, instead of taking shots at RHJ, why don't we hold everyone accountable....???

Harper is 21 years old, 3 or 4 year starter playing with a bunch of new pieces, who are simply over their skis right now.....why is that Ron's fault??

I am all for talking basketball, but asking RHJ with 4 double doubles, to have 30 double doubles to carry a program on his back, is sooo cliche with fans.....pick on the player because he can't carry a program on his back...?????.......Cliff is helping and playing hard, improving.....Baker is up and down and looks like he's waiting for a name opponent to show up.....

I think Hyatt has played solid, safe basketball, not perfect but good enough to be a player here....we have to call it what it is.....there are faults to be spread out in a lot of places, it looks misguided here a bit IMO.....

My personal view is RHJ has been the #1 concern.

He's our best player, correct? As you said, Senior and 3/4 year starter. He should (must?) be the team leader.
Obviously 30 double doubles is unreasonable, but could he score over 20 points against the easiest part of our schedule?
He's shooting 44% from 2 (worst of his career) and 32% from 3.

Last year he was scoring 20+ in OOC and hitting 5/8 from 3 in multiple games.
People were worried he'd be a 1st rd pick.
As defenses ramped up, his scoring fell off and he finished with 14.9ppg.

It's reasonable to assume his current adequate 15.8ppg will come down over the course of 20 Big Ten games.
As the team leader, that isn't something that this team can afford.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/ron-harperjr-1.html

 

[RUsojo]

He hits the go-ahead three and preens to the crowd, oh so proud of himself. And yet guess who made no effort to close out his man on the wing on the game winning shot for Lafayette ? Bravo Ron. His hubris is as pathetic as his effort on defense.

Yes it's disappointing that some players couldn't throw a ball in the ocean from a boat. But at least they give 100%. Ron doesn't. Sit him for a game for all I care. Let him watch his teammates give their all. They ain't going to win many games anyway.

I heard boos and bitching at a certain other player. The criticism was directed at the wrong player.

He was
1. Sick
2. Ridiculous winded
3. Not going to post

I am going with 1

He was so out of it. He takes possessions off (like almost everyone on the planet), but today was out of the ordinary for him.

I see the snipers are out in full force... the comments here are ridiculous.....even if you squeezed out both wins vs DePaul and Lafayette, instead of taking shots at RHJ, why don't we hold everyone accountable....???

Harper is 21 years old, 3 or 4 year starter playing with a bunch of new pieces, who are simply over their skis right now.....why is that Ron's fault??

I am all for talking basketball, but asking RHJ with 4 double doubles, to have 30 double doubles to carry a program on his back, is sooo cliche with fans.....pick on the player because he can't carry a program on his back...?????.......Cliff is helping and playing hard, improving.....Baker is up and down and looks like he's waiting for a name opponent to show up.....

I think Hyatt has played solid, safe basketball, not perfect but good enough to be a player here....we have to call it what it is.....there are faults to be spread out in a lot of places, it looks misguided here a bit IMO.....

Tell me the last possession wasn’t Ron’s fault defensively and you should never post again. 4:15. Mag and cliff defended well, Ron over helps and loses his man (we over help way too much as a team). A 30 year poster should not be making the mistakes you are constantly making about this team and last years team.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

last possession was Ron's fault

 

[wheezer]

last possession was Ron's fault

yes, upon review he was too far off the fella who got the pass and took the shot... or so it seems

a couple of thoughts here:

when a game comes down to crunch time, if we are within 2 or small lead, I prefer to have Ron have the ball and try to take it to the hole, do something to either make the shot or draw a foul

our outside shooting is not to depend on late

yesterdays game,
with the 2 seconds left, I would have tried something different, something that worked decades ago, against us, I think it was George Washington

I would have put Cliff all the way down the court at the foul line and threw a high pass to him..... if the ball can get to him he would have the two seconds to dribble and slam....yes, a long shot, but better than a more than half court shot

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

yes, upon review he was too far off the fella who got the pass and took the shot... or so it seems

a couple of thoughts here:

when a game comes down to crunch time, if we are within 2 or small lead, I prefer to have Ron have the ball and try to take it to the hole, do something to either make the shot or draw a foul

our outside shooting is not to depend on late

yesterdays game,
with the 2 seconds left, I would have tried something different, something that worked decades ago, against us, I think it was George Washington

I would have put Cliff all the way down the court at the foul line and threw a high pass to him..... if the ball can get to him he would have the two seconds to dribble and slam....yes, a long shot, but better than a more than half court shot

I posted a separate thread with essentially those thoughts.

Yinka Dare RIP

 

[wheezer]

I posted a separate thread with essentially those thoughts.

Yinka Dare RIP

yes, saw your post after putting mine out there..... with 2 seconds you throw it down court to the big guy, and hope for the best.....even if they foul him as the ball arrives, he might make 2 foul shots....or, if he misses one still a bit of time for the rebound

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

yes, saw your post after putting mine out there..... with 2 seconds you throw it down court to the big guy, and hope for the best.....even if they foul him as the ball arrives, he might make 2 foul shots....or, if he misses one still a bit of time for the rebound

Looking for the Yinka Dare play on the internet and striking out

 

[G- RUnit]

Harper has to be in shape to dominate the put backs. Pike had a sound strategy to go inside against all these schools, Lafayette, Lehigh, NJIT, Merrimack. There is absolutely no reason why our All American candidate did not exploit and average over 20 per game with the shots from inside against these schools.. He must dominate the paint and go up strong.

We aren't winning if Ron isn't scoring. IMHO, this issue more than any other, is why we are significantly underperforming. Last few years Ron has been great in the OOC.

The double doubles and the rebounds are nice but how many of the defensive rebounds are really contested? Likewise, how many offensive rebounds are due to his own missed shots underneath? Yes, RHJ, after Cliff, has been our most consistent player, but an All American candidate has to be better than consistent, he has to be an All American candidate. The double double stuff has been fool's gold.

In any event, nobody is questioning his rebounding prowess, his problem with his defense is his not getting back, slow on fast breaks, in transition and when he isn't sitting underneath the basket.

His hustle, speed and effort seems to disappear at times when he is struggling scoring. The Fonseca article leads and highlights Harper's lazy pass to end the first half. (Is that a not so subtle message?). It sure looks like Harper's defense on the last play of the game may have cost us the game. Two bad plays in end game situations, this is when you want your All American candidate to rise to the top. Several commentators have suggested that he looks winded.

Like Coach protecting Harper with the bad back comment but if his back was so bad what's with the victory shimmy?

It's not all on Harper of course but he's the go to guy and scorer. Geo have to step up too. Mulcahy seems to be coming around. Cliff seems to be getting better and better and the future. Caleb has got to get untracked. Hyatt has been improving.

Still, firmly believe if Harper isn't scoring at a better and much more efficient rate, we aren't winning. Hope he gets in better shape. We need him.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

yes, saw your post after putting mine out there..... with 2 seconds you throw it down court to the big guy, and hope for the best.....even if they foul him as the ball arrives, he might make 2 foul shots....or, if he misses one still a bit of time for the rebound

assuming 45? is guarding Cliff a screen and a perfectly executed pass is "all" that you need

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Harper has to be in shape to dominate the put backs. Pike had a sound strategy to go inside against all these schools, Lafayette, Lehigh, NJIT, Merrimack. There is absolutely no reason why our All American candidate hasn't dominated and averaged over 20 a game with the shots from inside he has taken. He must dominate the paint and go up strong. We aren't winning if Ron isn't scoring. IMHO, this issue more than any other, is why we are significantly underperforming. Last few years Ron has been great in the OOC.

The double doubles and the rebounds are nice and but how many of the defensive rebounds are really contested? Yes, RHJ, after Cliff, has been our most consistent player but an All American candidate has to be better than be consistent, he has to be an All American candidate. The double double stuff has been fool's gold.

In any event, nobody is questioning his rebounding prowess, his problem with his defense is his not getting back, slow on fast breaks, in transition and when he isn't sitting underneath the basket.

His hustle, speed and effort seems to disappear at times when he is struggling scoring. The Fonseca article leads and highlights Harper's lazy pass pass to end the first half. (Is that a not so subtle message?). It sure looks like Harper's defense on the last play of the game may have cost us the game. Two bad plays in end game situations, this is when you want your All American candidate to rise to the top. Several commentators have suggested that he looks winded.

Like Coach protecting Harper with the bad back comment but if his back was so bad what's with the victory shimmy?

It's not all on Harper of course but he's the man. Geo have to step up too. Mulcahy seems to be coming around. Cliff seems to be getting better and better and the future. Caleb has got to get untracked. Hyatt has been improving.

Still, firmly believe if Harper isn't scoring at a better and much more efficient rate, we aren't winning. Hope he gets in better shape. We need him.

I can't agree with a post any more than this one. This perfectly sums up my thoughts. Right now this is the key to everything. F the rah rah leader.....we need a lead by example leader.

Last night was not the Ron we normally see. There was something very off about last night, but on the normal night (and especially last night) this is everything.

 

[wheezer]

I can't agree with a post any more than this one. This perfectly sums up my thoughts. Right now this is the key to everything. F the rah rah leader.....we need a lead by example leader.

Last night was not the Ron we normally see. There was something very off about last night, but on the normal night (and especially last night) this is everything.

we heard a bit about a bad back.... could be some of the problem