Use eight, rotate seven ,play six, trust five

[NightKnight]

At Stoney Brook, Pikes pretty much used the traditional 7 or 8 guy rotation. As Pat Riley used to say, "Use eight, rotate seven, play six, trust five." At RU Pikes has gone with a larger rotation. It has worked but it boggles my basketball mind to give generous play time to an 8th or 9th best player.
Wanna have a happy team: Give everybody minutes.
Wanna have a happy team: Start seniors.
Wanna have a happy team: Give new guys a short leash.
Wanna win: Use eight, rotate seven, play six, trust five.
Play the best 5. Get them gelling in the Nov. Work on project players in practice plus spare minutes and garbage time.

RU should not be in the business of giving minutes to Mags, Palmquist, Reiber. We've got to find out about Hyatt, Jones, Miller and Agee. Realistically two of those four guys should be in the 8 getting use. Of Mag, Palmquist, Reiber, Hyatt, Jones, Miller, Agee there might be 3 guys that should see regular minutes. I'm hoping two will break through and be starters or play 20+ mpg.
Of the currently trusted 5 -Omoruyi, Harper, Baker, McConnell, Mulcahy- I don't really have that much trust in McConnell and Mulcahy. Mag, Hyatt, Jones and Miller should be following them into the cafeteria and trying to eat there lunch. There will be jealousy and hard feelings. That's part of the team dynamic. In the end, winning is what counts.

Amped for the start of this season!

 

[MLBash93]

Geo, Caleb. Mulchahy, Harper, Cliff - he trust those 5.

Hyatt, Agee. Jones - will obviosuly all play.

Reiber - I am higher on him than most, he will hopefully be a good player in short spurts.

Mag - I didn't see it with him last year, seemed like a deer in headlights, but heard good stuff.

Palmquist - If he can't shoot this year he won't see the floor and will be gone by next season.

Miller - he will play when needed but most likely doesn't see much time consistenly this year.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

We aren't in the position to know right now the answer to the question. I doubt even Pikiell knows at this point.

Trusting players is different than putting the best lineup on the floor. He may trust Paul or Caleb, but could realize we are at our best when we get more out of their spots on the floor.

The best clue that this team has improved would be to see new guys take minutes away from players on the team last year (assuming no injuries).

 

[Scarlet Shack]

NO!!!!

Use 10 and keeps guys fresher for February and March

Really like to see minutes for Geo , Ron, Paul, Caleb limited to 27 per game ...and 25 for cliff

We have a lot of talent on the bench ...let’s use that talent to keep our team fresh and not worn in February and March !!!

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

We are doomed if Ron and Geo are playing 35MPG

1. They won’t be fresh at then end of the year
2. It tells me the drop off of play from them to bench is high.

 

[RUtrumpet92_rivals498139]

Some of the report practices suggest Miller and Mag are very strong on defense. That gives either a chance to break into meaningful minutes.

Reiber will have to compete with Agee for minutes backing up Cliff.

I think we will see 10 guys used on a regular basis against the weaker non-conference foes. Rotation will evolve and tighten up later in the year as needed.

 

[MLBash93]

NO!!!!

Use 10 and keeps guys fresher for February and March

Really like to see minutes for Geo , Ron, Paul, Caleb limited to 27 per game ...and 25 for cliff

We have a lot of talent on the bench ...let’s use that talent to keep our team fresh and not worn in February and March !!!

He will use 10 guys in November and Decemeber but when March rolls around that will turn into 8 (maybe 9)

 

[hoquat63]

At Court Club last night he said he would like to go 10 deep. Whether that happens remains to be seen.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

I would think his philosophy, with a much more talent (and deeper) bench, than at Stony Brook, his philosophy is a TAD different Mag and Reiber will DEFINITELY be getting minutes early through the OOC slate. Zero question IMHO.

 

[zebnatto]

Of last year’s frosh:

Cliff—starter and big minutes;
Mag—think he’s hard-nosed and aggressive; nice if he can earn ten per game;
Oskar—hopefully gets significant mins in early games; gets further minutes if he makes shots, see no upside if he doesn’t ;
Dean—game seems too fast and physical for him, haven’t seen the positives others have.
Miller—pure guess, I’ll take five mins of good D and no-harm offense.

 

[RUChoppin]

At the NBA level, Riley's perspective makes more sense - because you generally don't play incomplete or developing players at that level, and have "finished" products.

At the NCAA level, though, it doesn't hold as true. There are more guys who are in situationally or to get certain matches, or are needed to protect against foul trouble, or who need minutes to develop so they can take on larger roles in the next year, etc.

You really need to have 8 guys that you can lean on as a rotation, with a couple more that are able to step in during times of need.

 

[RUby RED]

I think people are really sleeping on Mag. Not saying he ever grows into a great scorer but I think the length/athleticism, hustle, and defense are there for him to make an impact on a Pike team. I see 8-12 mins a game for him. Reiber/Palm I’m more skeptical about playing a big role on this years team

 

[RUChoppin]

Of last year’s frosh:

Cliff—starter and big minutes;
Mag—think he’s hard-nosed and aggressive; nice if he can earn ten per game;
Oskar—hopefully gets significant mins in early games; gets further minutes if he makes shots, see no upside if he doesn’t ;
Dean—game seems too fast and physical for him, haven’t seen the positives others have.
Miller—pure guess, I’ll take five mins of good D and no-harm offense.

Reiber was a freshman big. The game is almost always too fast and physical for freshman bigs outside the Top 50-100.

And Miller wasn't a frosh last year - did you mean Jones?

 

[NBKnight]

At Stoney Brook, Pikes pretty much used the traditional 7 or 8 guy rotation. As Pat Riley used to say, "Use eight, rotate seven, play six, trust five." At RU Pikes has gone with a larger rotation. It has worked but it boggles my basketball mind to give generous play time to an 8th or 9th best player.
Wanna have a happy team: Give everybody minutes.
Wanna have a happy team: Start seniors.
Wanna have a happy team: Give new guys a short leash.
Wanna win: Use eight, rotate seven, play six, trust five.
Play the best 5. Get them gelling in the Nov. Work on project players in practice plus spare minutes and garbage time.

RU should not be in the business of giving minutes to Mags, Palmquist, Reiber. We've got to find out about Hyatt, Jones, Miller and Agee. Realistically two of those four guys should be in the 8 getting use. Of Mag, Palmquist, Reiber, Hyatt, Jones, Miller, Agee there might be 3 guys that should see regular minutes. I'm hoping two will break through and be starters or play 20+ mpg.
Of the currently trusted 5 -Omoruyi, Harper, Baker, McConnell, Mulcahy- I don't really have that much trust in McConnell and Mulcahy. Mag, Hyatt, Jones and Miller should be following them into the cafeteria and trying to eat there lunch. There will be jealousy and hard feelings. That's part of the team dynamic. In the end, winning is what counts.

Amped for the start of this season!

Doesn’t the staff have to find out about Mags, Palmquist and Reiber? With the Covid season and limited OOC schedule they really did not get a chance.
I think we will see a lot of guys play early, the rotation will get tighter in January.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

The size of our rotation will equal the size of players that can compete at a B1G level.

I dont know if Mag, Oskar, Jalen or Dean can compete. If they can they will be in the rotation. Defense will get players on the court and offense will keep them on it.

 

[Knights 1212]

I can tell you Jones has been hitting his outside shot and Miller is hitting his shot when he takes it and he and Mag are terrific on defense. Agee is also playing tough D on Cliff. I cannot wait for the season.

 

[YoucancallmeRay]

Just for fun. When we're playing Illinois and we're in man, who guards Curbelo? My first thoughts are Geo and then Caleb, but it's a matchup problem. Miller seems to be the best physical match, but he's just a frosh.

 

[MLBash93]

Just for fun. When we're playing Illinois and we're in man, who guards Curbelo? My first thoughts are Geo and then Caleb, but it's a matchup problem. Miller seems to be the best physical match, but he's just a frosh.

Prob Caleb. Neither have the footspeed but Caleb has the extra length

 

[Anon1751594821]

Playing time will be hard to come by(there are only 200 minutes each game) and Coach will play the ones that make us the best team, especially integrating from the defensive side.(obviously) . That being said, we have so many interchangeable players that can play many positions, it might take some time to sort things out.

Nobody knows(including the coaches) yet how the young guys will perform this year. The jury is out. I know that we will probably have our deepest team in the last 30 years.

Best of Luck,
Groz

 

[RAC’emUp]

I can tell you Jones has been hitting his outside shot and Miller is hitting his shot when he takes it and he and Mag are terrific on defense. Agee is also playing tough D on Cliff. I cannot wait for the season.

Tonight in the call in for season ticket holders Pike said they have to double team Cliff in practice.

 

[littlenis5]

I think people are really sleeping on Mag. Not saying he ever grows into a great scorer but I think the length/athleticism, hustle, and defense are there for him to make an impact on a Pike team. I see 8-12 mins a game for him. Reiber/Palm I’m more skeptical about playing a big role on this years team

A lot of people on here miss the signs of a good, young, developing player. The people missing with Mag are the same who thought Eugene wasn’t a player, except this makes less sense as Mag was fairly good every time he got on the floor. If not for seniority and probably an already tense locker room, I think he would’ve taken Montez’ minutes by February last year.

People also need to remember that our 8th guy doesn’t need to be a star this season. He’s going to play tough D, rebound, and fill the gaps the way McConnell has done in the past.

 

[RUHouston]

I think it's almost, not definite, but almost categorically unfair to judge any of last year's Frosh given the circumstances of the season.

Without a non-conference slate where they can get their collective feet wet how can we really judge a player as if nothing else was going on?

Mag got hurt but showed some flashes on Defense. Reiber wasn't hideous, either. Now Oskar, I think it's too early to truly condemn him as "he either starts shooting or is gone" without giving him a chance.

And now we have a real OOC schedule again so I think it prudent to use last year as a mulligan for them and base judgement on this year's performances.

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

NO!!!!

Use 10 and keeps guys fresher for February and March

Really like to see minutes for Geo , Ron, Paul, Caleb limited to 27 per game ...and 25 for cliff

We have a lot of talent on the bench ...let’s use that talent to keep our team fresh and not worn in February and March !!!

The fresh narrative ive found dumb. 30 games over 4 months for 20 years olds aint much. They average 7-8 games a month haha

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

Just for fun. When we're playing Illinois and we're in man, who guards Curbelo? My first thoughts are Geo and then Caleb, but it's a matchup problem. Miller seems to be the best physical match, but he's just a frosh.

Illinois is such a bad matchup for us. Kofi has like 80 pounds on cliff and we dont have a guard to keep up with curbelo

 

[MLBash93]

Illinois is such a bad matchup for us. Kofi has like 80 pounds on cliff and we dont have a guard to keep up with curbelo

It's only about 40lbs but yea I too worry about Kofi more than Curbelo. But I have a feeling that Illinois is going to be one of two types of teams this year.

they play to their strengths and dominate every aspect of the games they play and go like 28-4, or they beat them selves consistently and end up a disappointing like 23-9 (disappointing to their expectations)

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Take a look at Illinois's length (or lack thereof)

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Tonight in the call in for season ticket holders Pike said they have to double team Cliff in practice.

I am now worried about Agee defensively.

 

[RUHouston]

Illinois is such a bad matchup for us. Kofi has like 80 pounds on cliff and we dont have a guard to keep up with curbelo

I don't remember Kofi being especially fleet of foot so maybe it's the other way around? After all, multiple sources speak of Cliff being the first one finishing sprints.

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

I don't remember Kofi being especially fleet of foot so maybe it's the other way around? After all, multiple sources speak of Cliff being the first one finishing sprints.

Dont need to be a sprinter when youre 7’0 300 and maul people

 

[kcg88]

Dont need to be a sprinter when youre 7’0 300 and maul people

If Cliff can bring Kofi away from the basket and run pick-and-roll then we might have something. Loyola did that with Krutwig. But skill-wise Krutwig was probably second to maybe only Garza in terms of big men in the country last season.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

The players to be worried about is the 3rd and 4th options banging the 3 like it is a layup. That’s who beats you.

 

[kapyoche]

You have to play all since they all have the Portal App on their smart phones. Today a coach is only as good as how good he is in keeping this destructive app off the players' smart phones.

 

[YoucancallmeRay]

I don't remember Kofi being especially fleet of foot so maybe it's the other way around? After all, multiple sources speak of Cliff being the first one finishing sprints.

I kind of agree with your thinking here. I think Cliff is quick enough to front Kofi (even if they reverse the ball) and then our weakside help has to play for the lob over Cliff. Cliff can't play behind him, that's for sure. And pressure the passer, of course.

 

[RAC’emUp]

I am now worried about Agee defensively.

Pike won’t give us anything negative so you have to read between the lines to get there.

 

[RUtrumpet92_rivals498139]

Mag got hurt but showed some flashes on Defense.

I was thinking Mag was going to develop into a very strong player for us, but the injury and lack of a full nonconference schedule pushed that back. I think we will be happy with what he brings to the table.

 

[zebnatto]

Reiber was a freshman big. The game is almost always too fast and physical for freshman bigs outside the Top 50-100.

And Miller wasn't a frosh last year - did you mean Jones?

I’ll stick w my impression of Dean. Miller, yes, I know. Just threw him in. Jones? From all indication outstanding talent, just hope expectations don’t make him press.

 

[RU-ROCS]

I think people are really sleeping on Mag. Not saying he ever grows into a great scorer but I think the length/athleticism, hustle, and defense are there for him to make an impact on a Pike team. I see 8-12 mins a game for him. Reiber/Palm I’m more skeptical about playing a big role on this years team

I agree about Mag.

 

[cubuffsdoug_rivals]

Dont need to be a sprinter when youre 7’0 300 and maul people

Wonder if the B1G will start calling the call like other refs during March Madness? If that happens, Kofi isn't as big of a factor.

 

[Scarlet Shack]

The fresh narrative ive found dumb. 30 games over 4 months for 20 years olds aint much. They average 7-8 games a month haha

If you want your guys to play all our defense and effort ...it’s pretty hard to do it for more than 28 mph . Guys who play 35 “pace themselves “....and I’ll argue if you have a good player on the bench ...they will give more than the good player in minutes 28-35

Save it ...then shorten the bench in March if it’s in our best interest

 

[RUChoppin]

I’ll stick w my impression of Dean. Miller, yes, I know. Just threw him in. Jones? From all indication outstanding talent, just hope expectations don’t make him press.

Not saying he will pan out, but other than Omoruyi, who was our last freshman center who didn't take a red shirt and looked good against top competition?

Probably Echenique, but he was a national top 50 player, I think. Biruta, maybe?