RJ Luis

RJ was our best and most reliable scorer. Zuby was a close second if he got the ball in good position. If we get both back Pitino will build a monster team around them.
Obviously RJ will get evaluated by the NBA but without guaranteed money I have no doubt we will be in a bidding war to retain his services.
Add an elite power forward and guard and we will be ranked pre-season and be top 3 in the Big East again.
 
One thing we do know, RJ had a GREAT season. A season for the ages. Outright regular season and conference tournament championship. For his efforts player of the year and most outstanding player trophies. Saved our arses more times you can count. BLOB pop at Gampel to seal it and carrying the team on his back in the second half of BET finals comes to mind. Holding his performance vs Arkansas against him would be an egregious ungrateful act. Just my two cents.
 
lawmanfan said:
Fair - it was really the TO numbers that I was focused on. But it is indisputable that the man never met a pass he liked. It would be good for him and his team if he got over that. I view the TO numbers as a direct consequence of the lack of passing which I grabbed Assists as a proxy for, essentially.
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I’m glad you had no votes on BE player of the year or on All American ballots .
You really dump on RJ as much as possible .

How many games did he win for us this season . More than anyone else .

And , BE Coaches who saw him play seem to think more of his game than a handful of Johnnie posters

RJ is / was a streaky player . Witness his 2 points against Creighton in BET final in first half and 27 in 2nd half . Or , his clutch shot to win the 1 st UCONN. Game in Storr’s .

RJ is plenty Athletic enough and to say he was outclassed Vs Arkansas is bull Spit .

As I reviewed the game again , RJ was trying to offset the very limited use of KR due to foul trouble . Hence the drives into the paint .

The whole team missed KR for all but , 16 minutes of the game . He did a lot all year , getting the ball to Zuby , Scott , RJ . Missing him to me , was more the reason we lost than any other . He provided the detail pieces that contributed to our success this year .

Criticizing RJ for not being more Assist oriented is just Stat crap . He’s in there to score , rebound , defend ,As a scorer , he’s meant to be the last guy to touch the ball before it goes into the net.
Not the first guy to start the ball moving Without KR in there , who could have filled that role ? Smith ? He’s not the kind of guard that makes others better and , if you think RJ was reckless going to the hoop , Smith was equally bad on Saturday .


He gets shots blocked more than he scores and his pass to the Arkansas player late in the game was the straw that sealed our fate to lose .





To me , I think Pitino disrespected Luis to almost unforgivable levels .

It will be our loss if he doesn’t return .

As for the NBA and not getting drafted in 1 st or 2nd round , how much does that mean ?
Champagne wasn’t drafted either and last time I looked he was still playing regularly for Spurs .

As much as I liked Champ , he never was BE player of the year .

I think many posters have forgotten how awful Champy shot the ball in some big games and how this Board dumped on him as a result .

Luis , in my opinion is a better player than Champy was and , obviously BE Coaches thought so too .

The happiest man to see RJ on the bench for the last 4:56 of the game was Calipari .
 
SLYFOXX1968 said:
I’m glad you had no votes on BE player of the year or on All American ballots .
You really dump on RJ as much as possible .

How many games did he win for us this season . More than anyone else .

And , BE Coaches who saw him play seem to think more of his game than a handful of Johnnie posters

RJ is / was a streaky player . Witness his 2 points against Creighton in BET final in first half and 27 in 2nd half . Or , his clutch shot to win the 1 st UCONN. Game in Storr’s .

RJ is plenty Athletic enough and to say he was outclassed Vs Arkansas is bull Spit .

As I reviewed the game again , RJ was trying to offset the very limited use of KR due to foul trouble . Hence the drives into the paint .

The whole team missed KR for all but , 16 minutes of the game . He did a lot all year , getting the ball to Zuby , Scott , RJ . Missing him to me , was more the reason we lost than any other . He provided the detail pieces that contributed to our success this year .

Criticizing RJ for not being more Assist oriented is just Stat crap . He’s in there to score , rebound , defend ,As a scorer , he’s meant to be the last guy to touch the ball before it goes into the net.
Not the first guy to start the ball moving Without KR in there , who could have filled that role ? Smith ? He’s not the kind of guard that makes others better and , if you think RJ was reckless going to the hoop , Smith was equally bad on Saturday .


He gets shots blocked more than he scores and his pass to the Arkansas player late in the game was the straw that sealed our fate to lose .





To me , I think Pitino disrespected Luis to almost unforgivable levels .

It will be our loss if he doesn’t return .

As for the NBA and not getting drafted in 1 st or 2nd round , how much does that mean ?
Champagne wasn’t drafted either and last time I looked he was still playing regularly for Spurs .

As much as I liked Champ , he never was BE player of the year .

I think many posters have forgotten how awful Champy shot the ball in some big games and how this Board dumped on him as a result .

Luis , in my opinion is a better player than Champy was and , obviously BE Coaches thought so too .

The happiest man to see RJ on the bench for the last 4:56 of the game was Calipari .
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1743013548323.png
 
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carmineabbatiello said:
Slamming St. Johns best player each season is your thing, right?
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Well, no. I just think it would be a shame if RJ winds up like Daniss Jenkins, on a bunch of 10 day or 2-way contracts and never becomes a real NBA player like (say) Champagnie.

As someone pointed out, RJ has a lot more talent than Champagnie had. What he doesn't have are the three things I noted: a willingness or understanding about passing the ball, good defensive fundamentals, and a move to get free for a 3 against a defender. Up until this point in his basketball life hasn't needed any of those things because his exceptional athletic ability has allowed him to succeed without those fundamentals.

I'd like to see him plug those holes - which paradoxically might reduce his numbers and make him not the BE POY while still being a better basketball player - so he can succeed at the next level. He definitely has the potential to do that.

It's tiresome that in today's world everything is binary: you love a guy or hate him, you're slamming him or extolling him. Oddly enough there was no reaction to my prior observations that Zuby has to take the free throw jumper if they're giving it to him and that he really needs to develop a 3-point shot if he wants to get to the next level; that Aaron Scott's shooting is completely random, you never know if it's going in or not and he also picks up too many stupid fouls; similar criticism of Wilcher (who I love) with the observation that it seems to be purely mental with him, etc etc etc.

It's apparently only when you point out glaring development needs in a Carmine favorite (not actually limited to you, but you'll do) that the "YOU HATE THE GUY" brigade comes out.

I've had a lot of positive to say about RJ throughout the course of the season, just as I have about all of the other players I've mentioned. TBH I think I'm pretty even-handed about it. But sorry if I stepped on your big toe.
 
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lawmanfan said:
Well, no. I just think it would be a shame if RJ winds up like Daniss Jenkins, on a bunch of 10 day or 2-way contracts and never becomes a real NBA player like (say) Champagnie.

As someone pointed out, RJ has a lot more talent than Champagnie had. What he doesn't have are the three things I noted: a willingness or understanding about passing the ball, good defensive fundamentals, and a move to get free for a 3 against a defender. Up until this point in his basketball life hasn't needed any of those things because his exceptional athletic ability has allowed him to succeed without those fundamentals.

I'd like to see him plug those holes - which paradoxically might reduce his numbers and make him not the BE POY while still being a better basketball player - so he can succeed at the next level. He definitely has the potential to do that.

It's tiresome that in today's world everything is binary: you love a guy or hate him, you're slamming him or extolling him. Oddly enough there was no reaction to my prior observations that Zuby has to take the free throw jumper if they're giving it to him and that he really needs to develop a 3-point shot if he wants to get to the next level; that Aaron Scott's shooting is completely random, you never know if it's going in or not and he also picks up too many stupid fouls; similar criticism of Wilcher (who I love) with the observation that it seems to be purely mental with him, etc etc etc.

It's apparently only when you point out glaring development needs in a Carmine favorite (not actually limited to you, but you'll do) that the "YOU HATE THE GUY" brigade comes out.

I've had a lot of positive to say about RJ throughout the course of the season, just as I have about all of the other players I've mentioned. TBH I think I'm pretty even-handed about it. But sorry if I stepped on your big toe.
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I can't read it. I'm still trying to get through the Tolstoy.
 
carmineabbatiello said:
We're almost ALL right there with you. It's a shame there's not a next opportunity for our fanbase to put it's best foot forward and chant RJ...clap clap...RJ a la Bahamas ZUBY...clap clap...ZUBY!
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If I get a chance next year, I'd be happy to start that up. Just hope he is around for the opportunity to arise.
 
SLYFOXX1968 said:
I’m glad you had no votes on BE player of the year or on All American ballots .
You really dump on RJ as much as possible .

How many games did he win for us this season . More than anyone else .

And , BE Coaches who saw him play seem to think more of his game than a handful of Johnnie posters

RJ is / was a streaky player . Witness his 2 points against Creighton in BET final in first half and 27 in 2nd half . Or , his clutch shot to win the 1 st UCONN. Game in Storr’s .

RJ is plenty Athletic enough and to say he was outclassed Vs Arkansas is bull Spit .

As I reviewed the game again , RJ was trying to offset the very limited use of KR due to foul trouble . Hence the drives into the paint .

The whole team missed KR for all but , 16 minutes of the game . He did a lot all year , getting the ball to Zuby , Scott , RJ . Missing him to me , was more the reason we lost than any other . He provided the detail pieces that contributed to our success this year .

Criticizing RJ for not being more Assist oriented is just Stat crap . He’s in there to score , rebound , defend ,As a scorer , he’s meant to be the last guy to touch the ball before it goes into the net.
Not the first guy to start the ball moving Without KR in there , who could have filled that role ? Smith ? He’s not the kind of guard that makes others better and , if you think RJ was reckless going to the hoop , Smith was equally bad on Saturday .


He gets shots blocked more than he scores and his pass to the Arkansas player late in the game was the straw that sealed our fate to lose .





To me , I think Pitino disrespected Luis to almost unforgivable levels .

It will be our loss if he doesn’t return .

As for the NBA and not getting drafted in 1 st or 2nd round , how much does that mean ?
Champagne wasn’t drafted either and last time I looked he was still playing regularly for Spurs .

As much as I liked Champ , he never was BE player of the year .

I think many posters have forgotten how awful Champy shot the ball in some big games and how this Board dumped on him as a result .

Luis , in my opinion is a better player than Champy was and , obviously BE Coaches thought so too .

The happiest man to see RJ on the bench for the last 4:56 of the game was Calipari .
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However, it appears NBA scouts don't see it that way
 
SLYFOXX1968 said:
Criticizing RJ for not being more Assist oriented is just Stat crap . He’s in there to score , rebound , defend ,As a scorer , he’s meant to be the last guy to touch the ball before it goes into the net.
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why though?

If teams are figuring out how to play against you as a player, and they know your primary concern is scoring the basketball, they are going to swarm you as soon as you make your move to drive.

For RJ to have an easier time scoring against high level athletes (like Arkansas had), he should absolutely be developing his passing. It helps the team win and it also helps him get more advantageous matchups when he does decide to score, because the defense has to respect the pass.

I like RJ a lot and these critiques of his game aren't something to get offended by, to me it is exciting that he is already Big East POY without certain aspects of his game developed. Sky is the limit if he can focus in on how to get better. Rick has been saying he is a great passer (when he decides to) all the way back to last year when he first returned from injury. The talent is undoubtedly there it just takes some tweaking to his game. Another year would work wonders for him. Especially with (hopefully) a better shooting team around him to open up the floor more
 
Beasts of the East said:
That was a deliberate bullshit comment on my part. We were outscored 11-4 without him.

I don't second guess anything Rick does. He isn't perfect, but he may just be the GOAT. 31-5 in year two, with a program that the ladt 4 coaches left in shambles.

Yesterday RJ deleted his instagram account because of all the stupid, hateful, negative comments directed at him.

You guys really think you are posting expert analysis by trashing a kid because he had a bad game? You don't think for a second that the players and their families read this garbage and it hurts them?


It sucks to lose. I get it. I'm as invested and as passionate as anyone. I was already fully booked for SF, and had we won Saturday would have booked San Antonio yesterday.

All week I told people I wasn't going to get too excited about Providence. Been there, done that. I told anyone who asked, "I won’t get too high, or too low"

It's all just really sad. Not the game. Just the stupid stuff.
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Honestly Beast, it's why I stayed away from the site for a few days after the loss. I didn't want to see our fans trash our guys. I hoped it wouldn't happen and chose not to go back and read the threads.

They're just kids! Yes, kids in their early 20s are still kids to me. Kids that played their hearts out and their butts off!

Can we discuss shortcomings, sure, but there is a time, place and correct way to do it!
 
Beasts of the East said:
That was a deliberate bullshit comment on my part. We were outscored 11-4 without him.

I don't second guess anything Rick does. He isn't perfect, but he may just be the GOAT. 31-5 in year two, with a program that the ladt 4 coaches left in shambles.

Yesterday RJ deleted his instagram account because of all the stupid, hateful, negative comments directed at him.

You guys really think you are posting expert analysis by trashing a kid because he had a bad game? You don't think for a second that the players and their families read this garbage and it hurts them?


It sucks to lose. I get it. I'm as invested and as passionate as anyone. I was already fully booked for SF, and had we won Saturday would have booked San Antonio yesterday.

All week I told people I wasn't going to get too excited about Providence. Been there, done that. I told anyone who asked, "I won’t get too high, or too low"

It's all just really sad. Not the game. Just the stupid stuff.
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Wish we were playing still but the sight Saturday when I was out walking before the game and walking past the Arena back to my hotel while the first game was being played and seeing a FLOOD of Johnnie fans walking up the road to the Arena and a TON of redmen.com redfan friends in that crowd and the smiles and excitement on all my/our friends faces is something I'll never forget. The rest of my life

RJ was a BIG part of why we all got to smile and be in Providence that day and long weekend
 
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mjmaherjr said:
Wish we were playing still but the sight Saturday when I was out walking before the game and walking past the Arena back to my hotel while the first game was being played and seeing a FLOOD of Johnnie fans walking up the road to the Arena and a TON of redmen.com redfan friends in that crowd and the smiles and excitement on all my/our friends faces is something I'll never forget. The rest of my life

RJ was a BIG part of why we all got to smile and be in Providence that day and long weekend
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Amen MJM, couldn't agree more.
 
Marillac2 said:
We love RJ. He has some flaws to his game like every kid. They are being exaggerated by many people after a tough loss. He's a great kid, a great player, and a great competitor. Every single one of us wants him back badly. No reasonable poster blames him for the loss.
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I don’t think people realize how good RJ can be, coming back with a chip on his shoulder. This is one of the most talented kids around but literally still raw after having his first healthy season. Give RJ some guards that can shoot and it can open up a lot for him,
 
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