We continue our basketball preview series with Rutgers. On behalf of all the writers I want to wish head coach Steve Pikiell a full and speedy recovery.
Last Year
Fresh off the Bizarro World where Rutgers had two top five NBA picks, the Knights reverted to their natural state of being a bit of an effort filled mess. An early loss to Central Connecticut was a bad sign, and a seven game losing streak in conference scuttled most of their hopes. They finished 6-14 in conference but did decide to join the College Basketball Crown, where they got promptly dismissed by Creighton.
The hope would be they would regroup and be a much tougher outfit this season. However, coach Steve Pikiell announced on September 9th that he was being treated for cancer, so associate head coach and former Pitt Panther Brandin Knight will be the interim coach for at least a time.
Happy Trails
Rutgers played a lot of guys last year, so it's nice to see the babies grow up and be portaled into the sky.
- Forward Dylan Grant was third in minutes and is now headed to Charlotte
- The portal claimed All Name guys Harun Zrno (Washington) and Baye Fall (Fresno State). Gotta keep your name guys.
- Big man Emmanuel Ogbole took his talents to district court to try and find another year
- Lesser used guys also portaled in Denis Badalau (Towson), Bryce Dortch (Notre Dame), Chris Nwuli (Seton Hall), and Dorian Jones (Kent State)
Starters
- PG Lino Mark, 6'2''Sophomore: This spot could go a few ways, but Lino Mark is a good name so he gets the starting nod. He's frenetic with the ball and was well regarded as a shooter, though his 10/43 mark from three didn't show it. Rutgers was generally putrid shooting the ball last season, so maybe that can improve.
- SG Tariq Francis, 6'1'' Senior: When things are rocky, you could do a lot worse than returning a senior combo guard who averaged 18 points a game. He earned Honorable Mention status last year and promises to upgrade from merely being mentioned this season.
- SF Darren Buchanan, 6'7'' Senior: A prototypical Rutgers wing who guards the ball, tries to rebound, and doesn't do much else.
- PF Will Sydnor, 6'8'' Sophomore: Sydnor comes over from Manhattan, where he was the MAAC Rookie of the Year. He was solid near the basket and could shoot threes, which would be a major help for a team that focused on bricklaying last year.
- C Christian Gurdak, 6'10'' Sophomore: Gurdak the Conqueror comes over from Virginia Tech, where he was quite adequate at being Tall near the basket. He made some baskets, rebounded, and attempted zero threes. Possibly of alien origin.
Bench
- F Darin Smith, 6'7'' Junior: Smith comes from Central Connecticut State, where he was the NEC Player of the Year. Rutgers couldn't guard him when they played last season, so why not recruit him? He showed a good touch shooting, and if he can play with Big Ten guys then Rutgers might have something.
- G Jamichael Davis, 6'2'' Senior: An actual returning player could break into the starting lineup, but he's never shown much offense and Rutgers offense was offensive.
- G Rasheed Jones, 6'6'' Senior: Jones comes over from Coastal Carolina, where he played a ton of minutes and occasionally could really score. That plus his size might mean he could get on the court if he can defend.
- C Dorin Buca, 7'2'' Senior: Buca comes over from Kansas State, where he played a bit and mostly blocked shots / fouled people. He's from Italy, so at least he will appreciate the ziti.
- G Kaden Powers, 6'4'' Sophomore: Powers is another returning player, who did next to nothing last season as a freshman but did have a two game stretch where he scored a combined 32 points against UCLA and Nebraska. More of that horrible shot selection and serviceable defense.
- F Gevonte Ware, 6'9'' Sophomore: Ware barely played last season and probably won't play much this season, but the bench needs attention too. There is some room for power forward minutes if he has anything.
- Four freshmen in three star guard Imhari Wooten plus three Euroball guys in center Mervedi Miteo and forwards Diego Garavaglia and Marin Tonejc. Garavaglia can shoot but may struggle to get Zrno's minutes.
Outlook
MaximumSam: The sad Pikiell news really throws a curveball into this team. They have a real guy in Francis, and they've imported enough offense to make them at least more fun to watch. But can they have that tough Pikiell mindset without him being there. Tough to say. I'd be higher on this team if the B1G wasn't so loaded.
HoustonBoiler: First and foremost, best wishes to Coach Steve Pikiell in his battle with cancer. Fuck cancer! That said, I really wonder who will be scoring for Rutgers this season other than Tariq Francis? Sure seems to me that this roster is best suited for playing a rock fight style of basketball. With all the talent in the B1G this season, I don't think turning a game into a rock fight will work much.
RUReady4Brazil: Of course best wishes to Coach Pikiell. He is loyal to a fault which hurts him on the court/sidelines, but is as good a guy as there is. I will have plenty of analysis on my daily Rutgers Podcast, the Rutgers Realm if you feel so inclined, hate watch/listening welcomed. Fresh off Sunday's exhibition against Villanova and the power of friendship, a few things are clear for this team. 1. Francis should get more help putting the biscuit in the basket with Smith and Gurdak than he had a year ago. 2. Lino Mark is no bomber but MIGHT be able to shoot well enough that defenses have to at least go defend him outside the paint. 3. Will Sydnor is an X-factor. As long as he is not only collecting a paycheck, RU could challenge some of the better teams.
Dylan Grant checked out midseason while the other departures were seemingly all replaced by bigger or better versions of those guys. This on paper appears to be a slightly better Rutgers team than the one a year ago with a complete wildcard calling the shots from the bench. Last year they pulled what the fan base referred to as a "Schiano" when you get a few wins, but only against the teams below you in the standings. Can this Rutgers team actually beat somebody decent?
BoilerUp89: I'll echo what was said above. I wish Pikiell a fast and full recovery.
Regarding this year's team, there is the question we've always had with the Rutgers team in recent years (except two years ago): who scores?
I'm not counting on Gurdak to help carry the scoring load - he only scored in double figures last season against bad teams (and a triple OT game in which he played 45 minutes against Virginia). I know he had 19 in the Villanova exhibition but I'm not trusting it until I see it in the regular season against a team with a semi-effective defensive center. I think Rasheed Jones is going to have to play minutes just to get some offense on the court but he came off the bench in the exhibition and scored just four points. Will the MAAC/NEC stars be able to adapt to the more difficult conference foes? If Rutgers is going to be successful this season they probably need both Sydnor and Smith to do well. if neither translate up it might be a lot of Francis carrying the scoring load. That didn't result in much winning last year.
The defense should be adequate, but probably not as good as is was in Pikiell's best seasons at Rutgers. It seems harder to develop a defensive identity in one offseason than it was when you kept players in the program for multiple years, but this program has been built around its defense for awhile now.
