I wish Silas and his family the best. Going forward we have no one right now that can play the 5 position. Just because someone is forced to play there does not mean they can play that position. Silas was no threat to score but he had the size and heft to play inside and get rebounds and and defend the position. I wish we could have gotten a transfer this year.

Charlie’s the new starting 5, I suppose. Unless Nunez personally wants the redshirt year, time to call his number. Get him in some games quick and try to fast track game readiness for conference. You can’t coach size, but you can coach the rest of the game on the fly.

(12-05-2021 08:26 PM)shampoo Wrote:  Charlie’s the new starting 5, I suppose. Unless Nunez personally wants the redshirt year, time to call his number. Get him in some games quick and try to fast track game readiness for conference. You can’t coach size, but you can coach the rest of the game on the fly.

The problem is Charlie will be forced to play the 5 but he cannot play the 5. He is out of position for the 5. He is not strong enough and stout enough to play there.

There is a ceiling on this team based on their current personnel. That was the case with or without Adheke on the roster. Yes Charlie has his own limitations and will be playing out of position but that is obviously a necessity at this point. I see the main issue now as depth. If Nunez has D1 talent, coach is going to have to take the redshirt off and see what he can do.

(12-05-2021 08:26 PM)shampoo Wrote:  Charlie’s the new starting 5, I suppose. Unless Nunez personally wants the redshirt year, time to call his number. Get him in some games quick and try to fast track game readiness for conference. You can’t coach size, but you can coach the rest of the game on the fly.

I agree on Nunez. We’re going to get eaten alive without a big. Even if he’s raw his sheer size should get him enough rebounds and blocked shots to fill some of Silas’ void. I wonder if there are any early entry freshmen or transfer portal guys that would be eligible for next semester too.

(12-05-2021 09:49 PM)etsubuc Wrote:  There is a ceiling on this team based on their current personnel. That was the case with or without Adheke on the roster. Yes Charlie has his own limitations and will be playing out of position but that is obviously a necessity at this point. I see the main issue now as depth. If Nunez has D1 talent, coach is going to have to take the redshirt off and see what he can do.

https://247sports.com/college/rutgers/Ar...153734518/

This was probably posted during recruitment but the kid had some legit P5 interest and some good offers before an injury. Obvious potential there. I don’t think Oliver has a choice.

(12-05-2021 09:55 PM)MTBuc Wrote:  

(12-05-2021 09:49 PM)etsubuc Wrote:  There is a ceiling on this team based on their current personnel. That was the case with or without Adheke on the roster. Yes Charlie has his own limitations and will be playing out of position but that is obviously a necessity at this point. I see the main issue now as depth. If Nunez has D1 talent, coach is going to have to take the redshirt off and see what he can do.

https://247sports.com/college/rutgers/Ar...153734518/

This was probably posted during recruitment but the kid had some legit P5 interest and some good offers before an injury. Obvious potential there. I don’t think Oliver has a choice.

But Coach said when the season started that these freshmen were not ready to play this year. Our freshmen may or may not mature next year. This year we needed a ready to play transfer that could have spelled Silas or now would replace Silas. Now we have no one until next year really.

100% agree bucfan81, but at this point we are stuck in this position and will need someone to play when there the team gets in foul trouble or otherwise needs depth at center. Nunez seems to be the only one of the freshman that would be a viable option.

(12-06-2021 09:40 AM)etsubuc Wrote:  100% agree bucfan81, but at this point we are stuck in this position and will need someone to play when there the team gets in foul trouble or otherwise needs depth at center. Nunez seems to be the only one of the freshman that would be a viable option.

Agreed. We just have to make the best of it and be the best team we can be.

Silas Adheke saw about a 25% reduction in his role this year, from 26.0 minutes to 19.5 minutes per game. Points fell from 5.9 to 3.6, and more concerning, FG% fell from .522 to .407. Rebounds fell from 6.0 to 4.9. He had 22 steals in 26 games last year, and only 1 steal in 8 games so far this year. In slightly fewer minutes (18.4), Charlie Weber has been getting more points (7.6) on a higher shooting percentage (.523) with more range (.333 from 3) and with more rebounds (4.2). But make no mistake, we could have used them both.

Adheke is a bigger, stronger, more mature athlete with a bigger upside than some of our other options, but there is more to it than that. With a degree in mathematics he’s clearly a pretty smart guy. His business and family concerns are just another indicator that there is much more than basketball going on in his life. The article doesn’t make clear where his business interests are, in his native Nigeria (by far the most populous country in Africa and growing fast), the U.S. or elsewhere. In any case, you’ve got to wish him well.

In retrospect, Charlie Weber probably could have used a freshman redshirt, but perceived needs in the middle kept him from being redshirted. Yet he was seldom used, and the freshman year kind of wasted. The decision on Nunez probably ought to be driven by an honest evaluation of whether he’s ready to contribute, or whether he’ll benefit more, and be more valuable in the future, by keeping the redshirt on.

Like others have said, fully exploring the possibilities with Jaden Seymour and Kordell Charles may be the way to go for this year.

Nothing like another challenge for Coach Oliver!

(12-06-2021 11:56 AM)swvabucsfan Wrote:  The decision on Nunez probably ought to be driven by an honest evaluation of whether he’s ready to contribute, or whether he’ll benefit more, and be more valuable in the future, by keeping the redshirt on.

Exactly. And no doubt Oliver sees it that way, too. If he decides to keep the redshirt on (and Nunez may have some significant say in that), then Oliver is sort of saying that he doesn't see our chances of a truly splendid season as very high. That's not a fully nuanced view; only a rough approximation. And remember.............we have a 6'8" forward and 6'10" forward coming in next year, too. It's conceivable Nunez would say (to himself or to both himself and Oliver) "Hey, it might make more sense from my perspective to get a jump on next year's comp by playing right now".

Charles and Seymour aren’t going to body anyone in the post. Someone will need to sub for Weber, who will be playing out of position. Please, coach, do not bring us back to small ball. If I’m Matt Nunez, my ears are perking at the shot to contribute this year. It only makes sense to redshirt your biggest player when you still had a 6’8 muscle man on roster. Now we’re just about bone thin.

My thoughts and why I was concerned even before Silas decided to leave.

Silas wasn't a center, he was a power forward playing out of position.
Weber is a 3-4 that will be asked to play center.
Patterson is more of a 3-small forward, often playing out of position and may have to back up the 5.
Brewer is a 3 small forward playing out of position.

That's it as far as folks who have gotten much playing time. i.e. no depth at all in the post and it just got more shallow.