Last Night

Rutgers

I had an opportunity to watch Rutgers play basketball on SNY last night. Thought I was going to be in Albany so I had my TIVO tape the game as well because a friend of mine who scouts for an NBA team had shared some stuff with me and he was not wrong from what I saw lol. Here are a few observations. I hope everyone realizes I call it as I see it!!

Most folks have read the great comments applauding what they saw on other boards. I agree RU did a good job winning against a team they were supposed to beat. But here are some concerns;

I applaud Fred Hill Jr. for his teaching, patience, understanding, and coaching. He never embarrasses players during games and is always teaching. This is the reason I could never be a college coach. I would not have the patience plus I am just not a good coach lolol. I personally would have slapped the heck out of both Jeron Griffin and Mike Coburn!!

Am I the only one watching Jeron play almost selfish basketball? Someone must be whispering in his ear to shoot the ball. Yes he had decent stats but why is he shooting so much? It looks so ridiculous to say the least. Someone please help that young man!

Mike Coburn seems to play at one speed. He also is a turnover machine. I know he has great potential and comes from a very good HS Program where he ran the show for 4 years. But he is also taking way too many shots for a playmaker. He must be rooming with last years version of Courtney Nelson. He is so out of control its almost funny. But again I understand he is only a freshmen.

A win is a win. We all agree with that. I just think RU looks so much better when they follow the directives from the bench. But FHJ is great for these kids because he is sooooo patient and naturing. Any recruit visiting will be impressed with this. At time the Guards would just run up the court and shoot. It was like they were playing summer ball in the Rucker League!

Also thought it was way too much dependence on the 3 ball. This type of ball could hurt you down the road.

Defensively a few guys including JR Inman still need to play better defense. Seemed guys were saving energy to play offense. Did someone say Matador D?

JR, Chandler, and the big fella are 3/5 of whats needed to be very competitive in the BE. An Improved Farmer playing as a PG gives them 4/5 of whats needed. The problem is the last 1/5 needed. RU needs a 5th starter who accepts his role better. Does not have to be the most talented player, just the one who helps make everyone around him better by his effort and production!

I also feel Chandler will be the PG of the future after Farmer graduates and start in the BC with Rosario. That will e some back court!! Coburn will be the back-up. This is only based on what I have seen thus far.

The big fella NEVER TOUCHES THE BALL yet he continues to play so hard. Its a good thing he was not born in the USA lolol. If he was he would be bitching and upset. For now he just runs and competes. But this guy could be special. Stevie Wonder can see this.


West Virginia

All I can say is they looked to be a very good team. Bobby Huggins has them playing very well. I am just eager to see what the graduation percentage will be under him lol. I also heard the announcers say Bobby was a honor graduate of WVU!!! That's impressive.

West Virginia also seems to be a program on the rise despite losing a great coach in Baeline. They have the resources and now have that national type coach who will get players by any means necessary, hook or crook!! A better version of Gale Catlett is in Morgantown.

Syracuse vs Virginia

Did anyone notice the difference in atmosphere from game to game on TV last night? I love to do this when multiple games are on. Go station to station to compare crowd support and energy level. I also look at attendance figures on box scores. Silly Me lol.

My Early Top HS Player Report

Look for this report very soon. I have my list but just need to see a few more guys when the NJ season gets going. But I will surprise you with how I rank some kids.

Seton Hall Watch

6 more wins to go to reach my 7 in a row number. I honestly feel The Hall will exceed expectations this season. Just a gut feeling I have. The big thing about being good, is being consistent and beating those you are supposed to beat. As I said before this will always happen when YOU HAVE GOOD GUARD PLAY!!! Very rarely will you lose to teams from lessor conferences when the guards on your team show up AND COMPETE!! Big guys can play average but the guards will always make a difference. Guards will also keep you in games against teams with better talent.