That team is a horror show. Every fundamental of the game eludes these players. Cam left because Pike doesn't hold people accountable. He is soft and gets nothing out of his players. Fire him already and hire someone who demands excellence and teaches the game the right way. One example, Tariq should have sat that whole game. He gives minimal effort and was a complete disaster. I would not be surprised if they lose the rest of their games.
Pike is a loser...and a bad one
- Thread starter RUdepressed
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Loser was this program before Pike arrived but don‘t know if he can adapt to this new version of college basketball.
He should get one more season with a full NIL budget and if RU is not competing with every team it plays, Pike and staff will need to go.
GO RU
He should get one more season with a full NIL budget and if RU is not competing with every team it plays, Pike and staff will need to go.
GO RU
SHU one of his worst ever coaching efforts for sure.
it was unwatchable for me. the whole season so far after the early OOC games has been that. have totally lost interest in the program right now just like I did the women a few years back. very sad.
The start of the last game was on a whole different level for me. It was like we didn’t scout SHU at all. Watch 5 minutes of them and you know their focus is on ball pressure. Francis is a converted PG based on his size - he’s not a natural PG. We start him only with 4 non ball handlers? Then we don’t adjust at all after two straight pocket picks. We allow the same thing to happen 4 straight times. How???
Look - playing Francis with another PG might create size problems for us and Francis hasn’t done that well against better competition anyway so he might see less and less time if that continues, but he should never have been in that situation in the first place and certainly not for 4 straight offensive possessions. Horrible coaching.
I know it’s not true but almost like pike and staff are asking to be fired to collect their buyout
I do whole heartedly believe even the most well coached pikiell team would probably still be sitting here with the same record because even a well schemed and prepared team still requires talent to put the ball in the hoop and stop the other team and this roster is by far his least talented
You may be right about the second part, but it’s really besides the point. There’s still a difference between losing games by eventually running out of steam vs. being uncompetitive from the opening tip, and we didn’t have to spot an 11-0 run in the first few minutes of the game. There’s no defense of it. Any one thing you could defend there’s a strong counter for his next move. The starting line up made no sense to me - but look, even if we go with - he was teaching J Mike a lesson or whatever, and Lino is a frosh and really seemed to break out for the first time in this game (I’m not sure it’d be fair to say he should’ve started at point), so fine. Then even after the first pick pocket, let’s say he thought, ok - just a fluke. Same thing happens. Bad but… After the second pick pocket??? How is Francis still walking the ball up alone waiting to be greeted by the same on ball defender? Like seriously - how could that have happened two more straight times before a substitution or even sending someone else to screen or receive a pass? How?
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He will get one more season and will have a much higher NIL budget; I don't believe there is an actual number for quote a full NIL budget but he will have a much higher budget and if does nothing with that then he is gone!!
As much as I’ve been a huge Pike fan before this season, there is NO EXCUSE for the AAU style offense we run. It’s just simply awful, easy to defend, and look if we had an elite defense then maybe ok, but we aren’t good at a single thing
This is all true and yet it pales in comparison to his handling of the SHU pressure at the start of the last game.
This is probably the first time I’ve thought this season could/should really be his last.
Im still here - but it can’t be a season full of these and I’m not sure it won’t be.
there is more than enough evidence to suggest its not worth wasting another year on the small chance of lightning in a bottle
The guy couldnt win with two lottery picks, he’s a disgrace.
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He made his living building teams based on defense with a roster he recruited and developed. You could give him unlimited NIL and he would still need those players for three years to be competitive. That environment of keeping the same players no longer exists. He already proved he couldn’t win with two lottery picks. This year, he can’t even figure out rotations or which of his hand-picked mid-major players to play. He made JMike the captain and now he hardly even plays him. Not sure I’ve seen a coach so over his head than he is right now. Another year, and the fan base will shrink even further.
I wanted him gone 4 years ago but I do believe unfortunately he will be given another year simply because it’s the smart AD move. Give yourself time to continue and raise money.
Allow the lame duck coach stay until you can attract a bigger name name hire with the NIL you raise.
The scary part is with an increased budget who does Pike spend the money on. I would not pay any of the guys on the current roster . Ok Mark, Zrno, powers, maybe Grant but nothing significant. I would offer them minutes at best.
Pikes to loyal so the budget will get wasted
It’s sad that there is not one power 5/4 team that would want our basketball or football coach. They literally would have no offers yet Hobbs gave them insane extensions
He lost me with how he filled out last year's roster.
Needed D stoppers, not supplemental O.
Me too… I’ve never seen anything quite like that start before in any televised sporting event. I know we were a) almost certainly going to lose anyway and b) the team isn’t going anywhere this year anyway so those first 4-5 possessions of the game aren’t getting much noise.
But from a coaching blunder perspective, I don’t recall anything close. And yes, that includes icing the kicker which sucked too with way bigger consequences, but was one isolated spur of the moment decision not 4-5 consecutive failures without any adjustment. I can’t believe Pike’s not taking more slack for it frankly.
I still wouldn’t fire him midseason because I don’t think it would make things better and Pike’s done some good things for the program. So technically - I view it as the remainder of this year should be his audition for whether he deserves another chance. There is no way he should be retained a year if less than 12 wins. The debacle at the start of SHU may have moved my needle to 13. Either feat looks more and more doubtful by the day.
All of that is fine and good as long as your not putting on coaching displays like the first few minutes of SHU. This is being glossed over way too much. Just because we suck does not lessen his responsibility to prepare the talent he does have as best as possible to compete. That was an epic failure. As one poster alluded, almost as if he was crying out to be fired. If we see more of that, keeping him around will be viewed as an embarrassment to the program. It was really really bad on so many different levels. Even for Francis. He put a kid whose not a natural PG in a position to fail on national stage to that extent. Francis has been struggling anyway, but that specific failure is entirely on Pike. A combo guard needs help in the backcourt with pressure. Maybe Francis would be buried on the depth chart anyway but it’s on you coach that the kids confidence completely shattered. A career 80% FT shooter goes 1-4 from the line in that game after that. Think it’s a coincidence???
I love pike, and will always love him for what he did here, but it’s time for something new
it’s beyond stale. It’s starting to look and feel rotten
it’s beyond stale. It’s starting to look and feel rotten
Same thing happened last year against Princeton. They put Martini in high pick and roll against the PG who scored 4 straight. Pike calls time out: sends the same roster back out and Princeton proceeded to run it again 2 more times before Pike finally subbed.
Pike is a Def asst not a head coach. Terrible x and 0. No offense. Terrible talent evaluation. It’s been bad and it’s over but will probably be here 1 more year unfortunately while Zinn builds up our resources and
We don’t disagree but the failures in big games, the roster he constructed last year and this year all cry out to be fired.
Let’s be clear he should have been gone 3 years ago.
The smart AD move is take him back it’s not your contract or hire. Force out 2 assists and bring in offensive and talent evaluation guys. Raise more money and then make a big hire.
It could get so bad you don’t have that luxury
Yeah the way I see it he needs to a) sprinkle in some wins so we’re not talked about Ash level nationally and b) never again put on a coaching display like those first couple SHU minutes.
On B - perspective is needed. We had pages and pages calling for Greg’s head immediately when he gave up midway through the Oregon game and played to prevent injuries. This was leaps and bounds worse than that. It can’t be overstated how bad the coaching was to prepare for the game and then adjust to the failed prep.