You'd have fired Dawkins and Hoiberg both on this board 3 years ago if they were the Rutgers coach. Let's see what Pikes can do next year. If he messes it up, it'll be curtains for him.
Last edited:
Pike Really Has to Go...
- Thread starter RUdepressed
- Start date
Bro we have bottom level NIL. I am not saying Pike is a saint but is it that hard to grasp that we want to give him middle of the pack NIL and see how the chips fall next season.
I understand that. I just don't think we are going to like the results. And unfortunately we need to sit through it to get any real change.
You might be right but I tend to agree with the approach that its better to get these coaches on a level playing field with NIL than eat a 10-20M buyout and hire another guy who is just as financially hamstrung. Just doesn't make sense to do that, especially when you have coaches in both major sports who have proven that at least they're not over their heads.
This comment dates you. The phone is a work tool.
Could she be checked out playing solitaire…. Maybe.
Or could she be working - communicating in some manner with someone on a Rutgers related matter… just as likely
you have no idea
Last edited:
This. All the keyboard warriors here demanding immediate change conveniently leave out Football as well as the AD debt factors. Payouts would be ~$11M annually to separate from both GS and Pike on top of a reported $79M debt factor in a NJ political and media environment that has not generally been positive towards RU spending money on sports. If anything, football has a much higher revenue impact and change there must be considered first.
I guess they expect Zinn to **** money out of her *** 6 months into her tenure.
Rutgers is what the second least desirable spot in the big ten per coaches surveys? Some may dismiss that but that’s the perception. Add to that firing the coach that brought Rutgers the best 3 to 4 year span in their woeful history after he couldn’t succeed with no money is not the way to attract an up and comer. People have options. Giving him a year with mid tier nil is will be viewed as reasonable by prospective coaches. That’s important if when Rutgers moves on.
When Pikes goes 16-15/8-12 next year the goalposts will move again
Yeah something along these lines.
We’ve officially cleared my 12 win quota that I set as the hurdle to avoid Ash 2019 national embarrassment level on retention. IMO we can put it in the books now that from an outside perspective we “just stink normal” regardless of how some of our fans on here choose to frame it - even if we lose out. Had we had an Eddie Jordan type season (7-8 total wins) Kinn would be in a different position. There’s no doubt now that Pike will get another season as we won’t be paying the buy out right now.
Taking this as a given - our best chance for notable improvement next season is retaining the best of what we have on offense and focusing on upgrading the defense through the portal (front court additions highest priority). Pike isn’t replacing Knoght and starting from scratch stringing together a brand new roster in one offseason with any success. He does certain things very well but reshaping all of that in one offseason by magically becoming a portal recruiting guru seems virtually impossible IMO.
Yeah that outcome would put us in a weird position. Not sure what Zinn would do in that hypothetical case. But look - the offseason still has to be approached with a strategy that gives Pike the best chance of doing as well as he possibly can as head coach. I think getting 16 wins would be a huge long shot if Pike had to hire and then break in a replacement for Knight and also put together together a brand new roster from scratch in one offseason. Maybe our next coach one day will be good at this (ala SHU) but IMO that type of single season transformation just isn’t in Pike’s DNA. Not meant as a knock on him. He’s good at other things. Those things might in fact be obsolete in today’s game… I view it as he’s getting one more shot to prove that doesn’t have to be the case. He’d be a fool to try to become something he’s not - predestined failure. Although if Knight walks he might not have a choice.
I don’t think it should be a weird decision… that’s a fireable season it would be 5 straight missed tournaments and the buyout would be tolerable at that point
he needs to make the tournament next year end of story
I agree in general, but it would likely depend on how the season went / circumstances, etc. along with available landable replacements at that time.
Last edited:
Agreed. I consider that a description of Schiano perfectly. Either way both guys will get a window to show what they can do with more funds.
With all due respect you are what your record is. The circumstances shouldn’t matter if he doesn’t make the NCAAs. Any justification is just kicking the can down the road more. And as for replacements, anyone could have done what he did the last few years so don’t be too picky. We’re not going to hold on to Pike and wait for some dream candidate. Just get someone hungry who has at least shown they get the NIL era and let it rip.
Not really accurate for me and not fair to BAC although I’ll agree some on here may have called for their heads three years ago. To me that was just the beginning of crap basketball. To ask for one more year to right the ship especially with millions of dollars worth of lottery picks coming in would have been fair. But now it’s been 3 more years of garbage including a blown op last year. I don’t think Dawkins or Hoiberg would have surrounded Ace and Dylan with just more inefficient shooters but if they did or put out three straight years of garbage I’d be thinking it was time for them to move on as well.
Agreed BAC, the circumstances always change and the “facts” are always altered to fit the narrative the Pike NEEDS to stay. Try to explain that the collapse after the Mag injury was because of classes of poor recruits and no depth before NIL and that gets lumped in with the no-NiL excuse. Try to explain not getting hopes up with Ace and Dylan because a bunch of inefficient shooters were brought in as support instead of athletic defense and were called crazy and it’s sweet 16 or bust. Then after NIL is blamed again instead of how what you had was spent. Try to explain that we’re going to have a hard time beating the rap that we’re embarrassing being the first team to miss ncaa with two lottery picks and being told the national press doesn’t care, won’t remember and we’re hyperfixated as ru fans. The press knew and still talks about it. Being told Pike is the best ever and we owe him so much, then bring up record and conf record even with taking off the w-l for the first three years of his ten. It switches to at least he’s not Littlepage, who we gonna get anyway and just give him one more year over and over. Eyeroll.
Yeah of course - but it does matter if the pool of possible candidates to replace him at the time aren’t what Zinn has in mind and the team actually makes year over year strides. You can have untimely injuries and such that could impact a final record. And it’s not like there’s no buy out next year - it’s just lower.
I don't think it has to be NCAA's or bust, BUT it does have to be bubble. That should be our expectation every year now, being on the bubble - some years the right side of it, others, no. Program has to get to that point first, before definitely making it every year is the expectation. 16-15 isn't the bubble to me.
its what I fear and is likely the MOST realistic outcome next season....thus I know whats going to happen after that and Pike back again
you make sense but in the back of your head you know what those with Pikepox will say
exactly
the excuse making and mulligans given to Pikes never end. That people are glossing over the roster and recruiting mistake that led to Mag injury torpedoing the season. That people are still using Cam/Mulcahy left late as an excuse is lame. That people are using Ace/Dylan didnt have another 3 million in roster to help or that they were freshmen excuse is lame.
Pikes is still 16th or 17th in coaching (which involves program management, gameday coaching, recuiting, stain) in this league depending on whether you want to put Sprinkles over him. Thats not changing.
Pike after hearing today's news regarding the women's program:
Last edited:
Well Hoiberg had them at 16-16 his 4th year I think and then they went ncaa. Dawkins at a school with less success than Ru was just entering Big 12 so i dont think so
Pikes in his 11th season will be thrown rose petals at 16-15 or 17-14
Some doing it at 12-17/5-13 in his 10th
Maryland coach said this about Coach Pikiell after yesterday's game: "From a tactical standpoint, I am not the coach that he is. I have great respect for who he is, personally and professionally."
He's not helping your cause (in this thread), ha ha...
He's not helping your cause (in this thread), ha ha...
I thought you were saying we’d be calling for their job three years ago if they were at Rutgers.
I think you are dismissive about the situation with money. The man had the most successful 4 year stretch here in 30 years. He got RU to a top 4 team in the Big Ten at one point. Then the world changed and he didn't have the support or infrastructure needed to navigate it. Now he does. If he is 16-15/8-10 next year, it will be an interesting case--do they look like they'll have something the following year? Or was it dumb luck. You and I have been on these boards along time--you know I've advocated for firing Waters, Hill, Rice, and Jordan. Pikiell is on the hot seat next year, but it looks like the infrastructure is there to give him a shot at success. Too many people, in my opinion, are mad about last year without looking into WHY last year was bad. I think this year has not been a good year--losing to CCSU by double digits is horrible--but he kept the team together and they are playing hard down the stretch and beating their equals. I am not sure, but talent wise, I think he is coaching them up. It's a risky proposition to fire him and then try to find someone else who can equal his success. If they prove they have the resources this offseason, and Pikes wins... YAY, if he loses, then the candidate pool will be better because people will know we actually have the resources.
There is a lot in that paragraph so let me summarize,
-The reason Pikes has lost aren't only due to coaching, but Rutgers being behind the trend
-People are mad about last year, but not thinking critically about why it was bad
-If he's bad next year he's gone, and with resources, the candidate pool should be better
And had the same resume they do at their respective schools. Or, if it makes more sense this way, if you were a UCF or Nebraska fan...
I guess I’m not following. Sorry. Are you saying with more time Pike can have a top ten team?
Forget next year.
Imagine PSU or Maryland came out and said "Yes, the last 3 years we have gone:
15-17 (7-13 t12th)
15-17 (8-12 11th)
13-18 (6-14 t14)
We are bringing everyone back!"
Nobody here would say "ya but what about NIL".
We'd be hoping for lifetime contract.
Its okay to acknowledge Pike isn't going anywhere because of the buyout.
But making the argument he deserves more time is much harder.
I'm saying that it's possible Hoiberg and Dawkins (particularly Dawkins) got lucky this year and we should see what Pikes can do with an actual payroll next year.
Was RU truly top 4 in big 10? For a nanosecond.. Yeah whoop dee damn do we had to go to a ncaa tourney play in game where we lost because we played zero defense...go figure
Big 10 also added 4 schools...2 with huge wads of cash. Dont get fooled by Oregon sitting in 17th this year
Stockhom syndrome
Big 10 also added 4 schools...2 with huge wads of cash. Dont get fooled by Oregon sitting in 17th this year
Stockhom syndrome
First thanks for not losing patience with me and turning it into an ugly argument. I appreciate that. Ok we discussed that before. You’re entitled to think Dawkins got lucky. Maybe he just figured out a better way to work with less. A new blueprint if you will. We have no choice but to see what Pike can do with one more year. I hope it’s a team that’s at least 500 in conference
I did a dive into UCFs adjustment this year. First they completely cleaned house. No keeping mediocre players. No development talk. A complete overhaul with emphasis on defense and three point shooting. Not long twos. Threes. We don’t play d or shoot well. We have only one player over 35% shooting from three. None in the 40s. Ucf has six players over 35 and a few in the 40s. There’s lessons to be learned here. All on a 3.5mm budget.
I would put Dawkins on the list for next year but if he duplicates his success he will land at a much better program
Also Pikes did have them as high as 11 in 21-22, so it's not like he was far off from being a top ten team at some point in his tenure.
I would also remind peeps of Pikes non conference futility and inability build a resume in November and December. Cant parade 8 cupcakes and seton hall while going 1-2/0-3 in Vegas
A record alone doesn’t tell the whole story. Especially without knowing our OOC schedule yet. I think if we’re nowhere near the bubble conversation come Jan / early Feb timeframe Pike would be done no matter what the end of season record ends up being. On the other hand, if we we’re a steady bubble team in early 2027 that falls just short with a bunch of players showing clear development he’d probably get another year. If it’s somewhere in the middle of these 2 things with graduating TF running the show with a pretty bare forward looking shelf of player with eligibility remaining, well… That’s where I’m not sure what Zinn would do.
A better example (probably the only one truly worth grasping on for hope) is our ranking / record / metrics after the Michigan State game the following year. That team, before it lost Mag for the season, is the best spun vision of what a Pike coached team’s maximum potential could be.
I’m not saying he’ll succeed, but that’s the vision and goal. We don’t have a Cam Spencer but then, that team didn’t have anyone who could score the snot out of the ball like Tariq Francis. What that team had was defense. Can we go into the portal and fix the D?