Negative posters

[bowlgoal]

I’m not blind to what’s happening, but the constant negative posts are not going to help. We lost 3 games by a possession and there’s been poor play but also a lot of bad luck. Good programs and good fans fight through adversity.

Just something to consider. If you think you are pissed about losing, think about the kids and the coaches. Whether or not we go to post season this year, we need to stay positive. Pikiell is single handily responsible for turning this program around and he did it in 4 years. I know all about the recruiting situation. I’ve been a fan since 1989 so there have been some tough spots for this program.

Get to the JMAC tomorrow and help create that raucous home court advantage and let’s do our part. Forget the record. Let’s start a new winning streak and show these guys we believe in them.

 

[Eagleton95.99]

Unfortunately that is the nature of message boards, and frankly social media in general. Anonymity and distance enable some people to indulge their inner assh@!es. The good news is that most people know to take it with a grain of salt. Wankers gonna wank.

 

[superfan01]

People are looking at the poor recruiting and what's ahead in terms of player developement. The future doesn't look bright. It's more then 3 close losses and you know that

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

If you want fans to stop being negative.. have the team start doing positive things and winning.

The very idea that fans on a discussion board have to act like they are part of a propaganda machine for a coaching staff and players is a ridiculous ask.

 

[Eagleton95.99]

I'm pretty depressed. It's just a matter of degree. Calling for Pike's head etc. Multiple threads. It's too much. But I realize that many people don't have much self control.

 

[superfan01]

Also I'll add pike set super high expectations with the "best team ever" and " Cliff and Agee are my best 5 by far" comments.
pike drove up high expectations. People bot season tickets on that hype and now are pissed

 

[bowlgoal]

The portal can help us next year if we can right the ship. Cliff, Jaden, Hyatt, Mag, hopefully Jalen (if he can play) ….and Simmons coming next year. That’s 6 players that can be the nucleus.

I think you’ll see some kids hit the portal to create additional room for scholarships and then you focus on 2023 and 2024 kids. Other schools have done it. It can be done here at Rutgers.

Forget the recruiting issue for now and focus on getting wins. We have to have something to sell to portal kids and we must develop the talent we have in order to do that.

 

[bowlgoal]

Also I'll add pike set super high expectations with the "best team ever" and " Cliff and Agee are my best 5 by far" comments.
pike drove up high expectations. People bot season tickets on that hype and now are pissed

I know. Big mistake. He didn’t realize how badly we would miss JY and Myles!

 

[toby83]

Hey at least we have a coach that shows up!

 

[RUInsanityToo]

I’m not blind to what’s happening, but the constant negative posts are not going to help. We lost 3 games by a possession and there’s been poor play but also a lot of bad luck. Good programs and good fans fight through adversity.

Just something to consider. If you think you are pissed about losing, think about the kids and the coaches. Whether or not we go to post season this year, we need to stay positive. Pikiell is single handily responsible for turning this program around and he did it in 4 years. I know all about the recruiting situation. I’ve been a fan since 1989 so there have been some tough spots for this program.

Get to the JMAC tomorrow and help create that raucous home court advantage and let’s do our part. Forget the record. Let’s start a new winning streak and show these guys we believe in them.

Its difficult to be positive given fan expectations which were set by the last 2 years. That being said, I get your point. The over the top histrionics on this board by a group of posters is not helpful. It would be great if we could discuss things as fans in a rationale way, but unfortunately the reality is that message boards these days seem to thrive with more extreme and divisive posts..

 

[SirScarlet]

If you want fans to stop being negative.. have the team start doing positive things and winning.

The very idea that fans on a discussion board have to act like they are part of a propaganda machine for a coaching staff and players is a ridiculous ask.

I agree with you...BUT these same negative posters were saying the same **** when we were winning and going to 2 straight tournaments

Hence the description Negative Posters...lol

 

[mildone_rivals]

Also I'll add pike set super high expectations with the "best team ever" and " Cliff and Agee are my best 5 by far" comments.
pike drove up high expectations. People bot season tickets on that hype and now are pissed

You're right. Pike should've said "we're gonna really suck this season, so whatever you do, don't buy season tickets".

 

[mildone_rivals]

Its difficult to be positive given fan expectations which were set by the last 2 years. That being said, I get your point. The over the top histrionics on this board by a group of posters is not helpful. It would be great if we could discuss things as fans in a rationale way, but unfortunately the reality is that message boards these days seem to thrive with more extreme and divisive posts..

Exactly.

The football board can get a little toxic at times, but the b-ball board is just ridiculous right now. Almost unreadable.

It's not like RU MBB fans are used to being a top 25 team every season. Yet our fans are acting like struggling and/or having a down year is totally unacceptable. The sense of fan entitlement is off the charts at the moment.

And the justifications for behaving like spoiled children? Because things aren't going well, that makes it okay to whine and cry and insult the players and coaches? Seriously?

Everyone is disappointed. Being disappointed isn't a valid excuse for throwing an online temper tantrum like a three year-old.

 

[winfield102]

What bad luck has there been? I don't think there was anything lucky in the game winner hit by UMASS. We beat a team ranked in the 300's in OT and we lost to a team ranked in the 300's.

I'd be happy to be positive. Rationally speaking, what is there to be positive about? We have been very consistent in the first 6 games. I'm stunned at what I've witnessed so far this year.

If the OP can only say "don't be negative", with zero reasoning behind his statement, isn't he the least rational?

 

[mildone_rivals]

What bad luck has there been? I don't think there was anything lucky in the game winner hit by UMASS. We beat a team ranked in the 300's in OT and we lost to a team ranked in the 300's.

I'd be happy to be positive. Rationally speaking, what is there to be positive about? We have been very consistent in the first 6 games. I'm stunned at what I've witnessed so far this year.

If the OP can only say "don't be negative", with zero reasoning behind his statement, isn't he the least rational?

There's a big difference between not being positive and people doing the online equivalent of throwing themselves to the floor to have a temper tantrum.

I'm not feeling very positive about the situation, either. But I'm not insulting the players and/or coaches or issuing dire predictions of doom. Doing that sort of stuff is just so incredibly childish.

 

[cm_13]

There's a big difference between not being positive and people doing the online equivalent of throwing themselves to the floor to have a temper tantrum.

I'm not feeling very positive about the situation, either. But I'm not insulting the players and/or coaches or issuing dire predictions of doom. Doing that sort of stuff is just so incredibly childish.

Right. It’s not people being down on the team and coach that’s making this board hard to read, it’s the tone and type of things people are posting here.

For example, the round table thread about Geo’s injury had multiple people making jokes about his injury. That just isn’t cool.

 

[mildone_rivals]

Right. It’s not people being down on the team and coach that’s making this board hard to read, it’s the tone and type of things people are posting here.

For example, the round table thread about Geo’s injury had multiple people making jokes about his injury. That just isn’t cool.

Only rotten and totally self-absorbed fans would be joking about injuries to their own players that way.

 

[RU Husky]

The eyes don’t lie.

 

[MLBash93]

I think where the frustration comes from is the fact that the from 2018-2020 this team was a team that just kept grinding its way to higher and higher heights. Heights most fans here have not seen, or if they have it was 30 years ago.

With many intergral parts returning and praise throughout the offseason people at least expected this team to be a middle of the big ten team, maybe as high as 7 but as low as 10 in the conference.

Through 6 games we have seen nothing but bad basketball.

Game 1 - OT win vs Lehigh
Game 2 - Down 9 early to Merrimack
Game 3 - Tough win against NJIT
Game 4 - Loss to Depaul - okay we didn't play awful here refs screwed us
Game 5 - abysmal loss to 0-4 Lafayette - we should have won by 20.
Game 6 - blows 17 point lead to UMass.

If the last two games don't end on RU losing by buzzer beaters and we are 5-1 this board would be a complete 180. Would they be ecstatic? No but they would be like "alright its early, but we are showing signs of life" that being said it hasn't gone that way and we are in freefall.

 

[mildone_rivals]

The eyes don’t lie.

Well... actually, human visual perception and cognition are very easily fooled. So the eyes actually lie all the time.

 

[mildone_rivals]

I think where the frustration comes from is the fact that the from 2018-2020 this team was a team that just kept grinding its way to higher and higher heights. Heights most fans here have not seen, or if they have it was 30 years ago.

With many intergral parts returning and praise throughout the offseason people at least expected this team to be a middle of the big ten team, maybe as high as 7 but as low as 10 in the conference.

Through 6 games we have seen nothing but bad basketball.

Game 1 - OT win vs Lehigh
Game 2 - Down 9 early to Merrimack
Game 3 - Tough win against NJIT
Game 4 - Loss to Depaul - okay we didn't play awful here refs screwed us
Game 5 - abysmal loss to 0-4 Lafayette - we should have won by 20.
Game 6 - blows 17 point lead to UMass.

If the last two games don't end on RU losing by buzzer beaters and we are 5-1 this board would be a complete 180. Would they be ecstatic? No but they would be like "alright its early, but we are showing signs of life" that being said it hasn't gone that way and we are in freefall.

Fans have every right to be disappointed. I don't think anybody is arguing otherwise.

It's how that disappointment is expressed that's the problem. One could be forgiven for thinking that this forum has a lot of participants who are third grade aged crystal meth addicts.

 

[MLBash93]

Fans have every right to be disappointed. I don't think anybody is arguing otherwise.

It's how that disappointment is expressed that's the problem. One could be forgiven for thinking that this forum has a lot of participants who are third grade aged crystal meth addicts.

That is fair, that being said I do think some people on this board are a little too soft and look at things with scarlet colored glasses.

You are allowed to say "player x isn't good enough to be at this level" or "player y is just awful right now". You are not allowed to say things over that.

But time and time again I see person A say something like I listed above and then followed by some poster calling that person something and it goes back and forth.

You can criticize within reason and when people get combative this is the result we get

 

[DHajekRC84]

You're right. Pike should've said "we're gonna really suck this season, so whatever you do, don't buy season tickets".

Oh come on. That's such an extreme opposite of what was said.

 

[ancienthooper]

There's way too much sanity in this thread, which is why it's bound to take a turn. As Eagleton said "Wankers gonna wank."

It's not the simple negativity, which is part and parcel of every fan board. But as several have mentioned, it's the over-the-top thrashing and toxicity that's hard to stomach. Everybody is super-invested, so when the performance is subpar it's highly disappointing and frustrating. But holy crap, nobody's been irreparably damaged.

 

[DHajekRC84]

I think where the frustration comes from is the fact that the from 2018-2020 this team was a team that just kept grinding its way to higher and higher heights. Heights most fans here have not seen, or if they have it was 30 years ago.

With many intergral parts returning and praise throughout the offseason people at least expected this team to be a middle of the big ten team, maybe as high as 7 but as low as 10 in the conference.

Through 6 games we have seen nothing but bad basketball.

Game 1 - OT win vs Lehigh
Game 2 - Down 9 early to Merrimack
Game 3 - Tough win against NJIT
Game 4 - Loss to Depaul - okay we didn't play awful here refs screwed us
Game 5 - abysmal loss to 0-4 Lafayette - we should have won by 20.
Game 6 - blows 17 point lead to UMass.

If the last two games don't end on RU losing by buzzer beaters and we are 5-1 this board would be a complete 180. Would they be ecstatic? No but they would be like "alright its early, but we are showing signs of life" that being said it hasn't gone that way and we are in freefall.

I'm not gonna defend some of the extreme posts and polls and I don't have premium. But the play and coaching has been terrible. 6 - 0 should be the record given the who's, what's, and where's. If so we'd all feel lucky and better. But the concern and disappointment would still be justified.

 

[mildone_rivals]

That is fair, that being said I do think some people on this board are a little too soft and look at things with scarlet colored glasses.

You are allowed to say "player x isn't good enough to be at this level" or "player y is just awful right now". You are not allowed to say things over that.

But time and time again I see person A say something like I listed above and then followed by some poster calling that person something and it goes back and forth.

You can criticize within reason and when people get combative this is the result we get

We're fans. It doesn't matter at all how soft or hard we are, at least not insofar as how the team performs. If we were players or coaches, that'd obviously be very different. I'm pretty sure they're all unhappy with how things are going right now, especially the coaches and older players.

Anyway, it's NJ and we're going to argue about this stuff. Which is fine. It'd just be nice to have the arguments and expressed disappointment be at more of an eighth grade level than the current third grade level is all I'm saying.

 

[superfan01]

You're right. Pike should've said "we're gonna really suck this season, so whatever you do, don't buy season tickets".

Yawn. You know exactly what he said. Last year he didn't make these comments. This was the first year he really talked up the team.

the bottom line is he lost some goodwill with the fanbase.

 

[mildone_rivals]

Oh come on. That's such an extreme opposite of what was said.

I just find it funny when people get mad at coaches for their coach-speak.

But the coach lied to us.



I wonder how many people only bought season tickets because Pike said it was the best team he's coached. I would NEVER buy season tickets for any sport or any team based on the coach's preseason statements. Because coach-speak.

Anyway, I highly doubt Pike expected to be shooting as miserably as we're shooting right now. And if we were shooting at a reasonable percentage, we'd probably have at least a couple more wins right now. Still wouldn't be pretty because of defensive woes and poor play on offense in general. But winning is a better place to build from than losing.

Besides, Pike might well have felt very positive about the team ahead of the season. He may still be very positive. Because, if you think about it, what's the value in the coach being negative about the situation publicly or in front of the players? Should he be saying the season's over, like some fans? Should he be telling the players they suck, like some fans?

Of course not. Not a very motivational coaching approach for most college kids I know.

 

[mildone_rivals]

Yawn. You know exactly what he said. Last year he didn't make these comments. This was the first year he really talked up the team.

the bottom line is he lost some goodwill with the fanbase.

Nope, I don't actually know (or care) exactly what he said prior to the season. If the trend continues downward for another couple seasons, he'll get replaced. If he reverses things, he won't.

Winning and losing is what affects the good will column. When losing, fans always find a dozen trivial things about which to hate a coach. When winning, fans forget all that and heap adoration on the coach. All a bunch of bipolar silliness, IMO.

Wins and losses are what matters. Everything else (like what Pike said ahead of the season, or how Flood scribbled notes during games, or how Ash scowled a lot) is mostly just petty and meaningless noise to me.

 

[BKIn118]

I was among the RU faithful sitting in the stands up in Amherst Saturday. It sucked to lose that way.

I expected that the team would be MUCH better than we've shown thusfar.

I'm never gonna trash our guys and staff like many here though. If you think that they aren't trying to figure this out, you are broken inside.

As a fan, you can certainly be disappointed with what is on the court right now. It's how you present that displeasure that many find disgusting and puzzling considering what heights the program has gone to recently.

Despite the NCAA tourney appearance"s", Pike is still very much building this program. We gotta have his back right now!

 

[zappaa]

You're right. Pike should've said "we're gonna really suck this season, so whatever you do, don't buy season tickets".

Dumb observation Mildy

 

[mildone_rivals]

I was among the RU faithful sitting in the stands up in Amherst Saturday. It sucked to lose that way.

I expected that the team would be MUCH better than we've shown thusfar.

I'm never gonna trash our guys and staff like many here though. If you think that they aren't trying to figure this out, you are broken inside.

As a fan, you can certainly be disappointed with what is on the court right now. It's how you present that displeasure that many find disgusting and puzzling considering what heights the program has gone to recently.

Despite the NCAA tourney appearance"s", Pike is still very much building this program. We gotta have his back right now!

Well said.

I'm disappointed. I could vent and complain nonstop and insult the players and coaches. But that would only make me feel miserable. Wouldn't help anything or anybody.

Instead, I'd rather focus on whatever positives there are, hope for improvement, and be happy and hopeful. Life's too short to waste it being miserable.

 

[mildone_rivals]

Dumb observation Mildy

Sarcasm detector broken? Or just don't appreciate the sarcasm?

 

[AZBlues]

I definitely understand people being frustrated because we're playing poorly, although I prefer not to trash individual players. But as a fan sometimes you just get tired of feeling like a donkey who's chasing the proverbial carrot dangling on a string in front of you.. There've been many important games over the years in football and basketball with high hopes of winning and a lot riding on the outcomes, and we ended up disappointed... Maybe that can make some fans a little less tolerant than would normally be expected in the midst of another apparent setback.

And the current hoops disappointment this year is coming off the unbelievable last 4 minutes against Houston in the tournament last year.. Had we not choked away that game in embarrassing fashion on a national stage, things might be different now. Not just different in the way some of the fans are tolerating the beginning of this season so far, but maybe even in the roster and recruiting. For those of us who've been fans through the occasional periods of the past when media stories sometimes referred to RU as the laughing stock of college sports, every new letdown may be a little more frustrating, and it also might be a little easier to prematurely jump to an assumption of "Here we go again", and make us more prone to view those unexpected negative performances in ways that might not necessarily seem the most optimistic... JMO, and not intended to necessarily condone the negativity, but maybe to explain some of it.

 

[superfan01]

Nope, I don't actually know (or care) exactly what he said prior to the season. If the trend continues downward for another couple seasons, he'll get replaced. If he reverses things, he won't.

Winning and losing is what affects the good will column. When losing, fans always find a dozen trivial things about which to hate a coach. When winning, fans forget all that and heap adoration on the coach. All a bunch of bipolar silliness, IMO.

Wins and losses are what matters. Everything else (like what Pike said ahead of the season, or how Flood scribbled notes during games, or how Ash scowled a lot) is mostly just petty and meaningless noise to me.

Ok. Well the team has lost to 3 terrible opponents in a row. What do you want people to say

 

[superfan01]

I was among the RU faithful sitting in the stands up in Amherst Saturday. It sucked to lose that way.

I expected that the team would be MUCH better than we've shown thusfar.

I'm never gonna trash our guys and staff like many here though. If you think that they aren't trying to figure this out, you are broken inside.

As a fan, you can certainly be disappointed with what is on the court right now. It's how you present that displeasure that many find disgusting and puzzling considering what heights the program has gone to recently.

Despite the NCAA tourney appearance"s", Pike is still very much building this program. We gotta have his back right now!

Well when you ask people to pony up 100mm plus to pay for new facilities and tell them you have an amazing team they are going to act this way when the team plays as one of the worst in all of college basketball. And you know that

 

[mildone_rivals]

Ok. Well the team has lost to 3 terrible opponents in a row. What do you want people to say

Doesn’t matter what I want. People should do whatever they want.

I mean, sure it’d be nice if people expressed their disappointment like adults. You know: “that was disappointing” or “that game sucked”. As opposed to childish pouting such as: “geo sucks, harper sucks, the team sucks, pike sucks, this team doesn’t care“.

But if people don’t mind coming across like spoiled children throwing a hissy fit, because “telling it like it is” is such a good thing, who am I to object? I’m not telling people how to behave.

I’m just telling it like it is by accurately describing their behavior.

 

[RUInsanityToo]

⁰we

Well when you ask people to pony up 100mm plus to pay for new facilities and tell them you have an amazing team they are going to act this way when the team plays as one of the worst in all of college basketball. And you know that

How much of that $100 M do you think the biggest 3rd Grade type whiners in this board donated?

 

[mildone_rivals]

Well when you ask people to pony up 100mm plus to pay for new facilities and tell them you have an amazing team they are going to act this way when the team plays as one of the worst in all of college basketball. And you know that

So, because the school wants to improve it’s facilities and is seeking donations in support of that goal, it’s perfectly okay for purported adults to repeatedly behave like spoiled children who cannot handle disappointment?

How is a lack of civility in discourse going to improve this situation?

 

[cRURah]

99 percent of the criticism has been directed at the coaching. How can anyone argue that it isn't warranted?