Hey can somebody confirm if Hobbs left
- Thread starter Ozzie3178
- Start date
I don't know if Pikiell and Hobbs will be thrilled to be compared to a Lite beer.....................although honestly I don't understand why they took the Rutgers jobs. Rutgers has been a PROVEN graveyard of coaches for the past 30 plus years. Look at the coaches they have had and where they are now. I bet money none of you guys can off the top of your heads name the last 5 Rutgers coaches and what they are doing now.
Definitely a ton of potential though with the right coaches... being in the Big Ten, having that money, and being close to NYC along with NJ being a strong recruiting state are all plusses which can help it move in the right direction. By all accounts, Pikiell seems like a good hire and now it looks like he's putting a pretty good staff together.
Aman,
I am not sure if you are old enough to remember when C. Vivian Stringer became coach at Rutgers in 1995 and proclaimed that she would make the Rutgers women's basketball program "the crown jewel of the East", in what many at the time saw as a dig at UConn (Geno repeated that comment in multiple interviews back then). Well, 21 years later she is still the Rutgers coach and she has had a stellar record of 448-233, but she has never taken a Rutgers team to the Final 4 and her greatest accomplishment has been a couple of Elite 8s and a WNIT championship a few years ago. Rutgers has not been a perennial power nationally or the "crown jewel of the East", although they have had some good teams.
Rutgers didn't compete well when they were on equal footing with UConn and others in the Big East. I am not sure I understand why anyone believes things should somehow be different for them in the Big 10. They are geographically located the same place they have always been the last 30 years- nothing changed for them except they went to a league with even better and stiffer competition! And it has been reflected in how their teams have performed in that conference.
I am not sure if you are old enough to remember when C. Vivian Stringer became coach at Rutgers in 1995 and proclaimed that she would make the Rutgers women's basketball program "the crown jewel of the East", in what many at the time saw as a dig at UConn (Geno repeated that comment in multiple interviews back then). Well, 21 years later she is still the Rutgers coach and she has had a stellar record of 448-233, but she has never taken a Rutgers team to the Final 4 and her greatest accomplishment has been a couple of Elite 8s and a WNIT championship a few years ago. Rutgers has not been a perennial power nationally or the "crown jewel of the East", although they have had some good teams.
Rutgers didn't compete well when they were on equal footing with UConn and others in the Big East. I am not sure I understand why anyone believes things should somehow be different for them in the Big 10. They are geographically located the same place they have always been the last 30 years- nothing changed for them except they went to a league with even better and stiffer competition! And it has been reflected in how their teams have performed in that conference.
I don't think this the worst thing for all parties involved.... I think the Uconn staff could use a shake-up.... to many guys who were guards in coaching positions... whether it's K-Free getting more time to work with the bigs or if KO can bring in a big mans coach, Jake, Emeka, Donyell, who knows ??? just sayin'....also he has his lifelong Crenshaw buddy....6-9 Danny Griffin...who played at UNLV for Tark and Rollie then later for Skinner at URI on staff in a non-coaching position....but it could be a "big" positive for KO if he gets the right guy.
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Hi guys, RU fan here. Stopped by to read your thoughts on the hire. Not looking to flame but thought I would address Khalid's comments.
Tom Young's teams were solid, usually in the tourney when it was 32 and 48 teams, Final 4 in 76 the year there were 3 undefeateds, and NIT on down years. When he left he was replaced by Craig LIttlepage, who is a great AD at UVA but a terrible coach. Drove the team into the ground. Replaced by Bob Wenzel who got the team back to tourney/NIT level but couldn't sustain it. After that, disasters:
When the school decided in the 80's to take the football team from playing Ivy's, Lehigh, etc to big time, $$$ devoted to football and basketball was ignored. Additionally, the schools state funding has been declining steadily and that led them to fund basketball even more on the cheap. New AD Hobbs is a basketball guy, former Seton Hall AD. He is looking to dump $ into improving facilities and getting the basketball program to where it can compete financially. With BIG10 funding on the way, increasing yearly until we receive a full share within 5-6 years he has the money to do so. I think Steve P will have the support, and will be able to show recruits plans for improved facilities. Not expecting miracles but hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel, as long as someone doesn't turn off the light to save money. Which as an RU fan is never a surprise.
Cautiously optimistic. Go Knights.
Tom Young's teams were solid, usually in the tourney when it was 32 and 48 teams, Final 4 in 76 the year there were 3 undefeateds, and NIT on down years. When he left he was replaced by Craig LIttlepage, who is a great AD at UVA but a terrible coach. Drove the team into the ground. Replaced by Bob Wenzel who got the team back to tourney/NIT level but couldn't sustain it. After that, disasters:
- Bannon had some success and great recruiting classes but he went crazy. Fired for naked push up contests at practice, transfers ensued, including Dontay Jones and Geoff Billet. Last I heard he was working for a local parks dept.
- Villanova stole Jay Wright out from under us (See article attached) http://www.mcall.com/sports/college/mc-villanova-ncaa-wright-0331-2-20160331-story.html
- Gary Waters was a solid coach but never integrated into the NJ recruiting scene for whatever reason, focusing on the Midwest. He was replaced by Fred Hill JR. to keep him from jumping to Seton Hall.
- Freddie was nuts too. Son of long time HOF RU baseball coach FH Sr., he was a great recruiter, terrible coach. Fired for cause. Star recruiter at the Hall.
- Anyone who watches ESPN knows what happened to Mike Rice. Ugh.
- Eddie Jordan was an RU legend, HOF, star on the undefeated final 4 team in 76. Not a college coach, in my mind took one for the team to stabilize post Rice debacle.
When the school decided in the 80's to take the football team from playing Ivy's, Lehigh, etc to big time, $$$ devoted to football and basketball was ignored. Additionally, the schools state funding has been declining steadily and that led them to fund basketball even more on the cheap. New AD Hobbs is a basketball guy, former Seton Hall AD. He is looking to dump $ into improving facilities and getting the basketball program to where it can compete financially. With BIG10 funding on the way, increasing yearly until we receive a full share within 5-6 years he has the money to do so. I think Steve P will have the support, and will be able to show recruits plans for improved facilities. Not expecting miracles but hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel, as long as someone doesn't turn off the light to save money. Which as an RU fan is never a surprise.
Cautiously optimistic. Go Knights.
The only relevant things I remember about Rutgers BB was about 35-40 years ago like Phil Sellers, James Bailey, ( the famous Maya Moore's father) Mike Dabney and the recently deceased ( coaching wise) "Fast" Eddie Jordan....I guess they figured if they can't beat em' join em'...so bring on Uconn South...
