NJIT’s upset of Vermont could be turning point that awakens sleeping giant

Tariq Francis exults after his 31 points led NJIT to upset of Vermont Thursday. (Photo by Matt Kipp/NJIT Athletics)

NEWARK, N.J. — Nights like Thursday were what NJIT athletic director Lenny Kaplan envisioned when he tabbed Grant Billmeier to take over an NJIT program that, in many ways, is as much a giant as its 6-foot-10 head coach stands.

The program, with resources and amenities that need to be seen to be truly believed, has been viewed as a potential gold mine with its proximity to both the New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas and avid support from its administration and fans. But in the years that followed the Highlanders’ unlikely rise and proof that they belong in the same room with some of the heavyweights of the sport, very few testimonials had validated those claims.

Thursday marked a potential turning point on that front, as NJIT shocked a Vermont team that came to Newark winners of 23 straight in America East Conference play and 18-5 overall on the season. The Highlanders fought back from numerous deficits throughout the evening, taking advantage of the Catamounts’ errors at the free throw line and handling the basketball, opening a six-point lead in the final minute of regulation and holding on to preserve a 63-61 victory that now becomes Billmeier’s signature win in his first year in charge.

“They could have easily dropped their heads,” he said hours after it was announced that Kjell de Graaf, the sixth-year senior working on his third engineering degree while developing into an underrated post presence, would miss the remainder of the season after tearing his ACL. “Losing a player like Kjell de Graaf, who was finally playing the way I wanted him to, they could have easily dropped their heads and said, ‘woe is me.’ Instead, they came out, didn’t play particularly great, but they played extremely hard and extremely connected.”

With de Graaf out, the six freshmen who see significant minutes in the rotation have had a larger opportunity to make themselves a more integral piece of the puzzle. And while Tariq Francis has already turned heads several times this season on his way to potential rookie of the year recognition in the America East, the heat has been turned up further with three consecutive 20-point games, punctuated by a 31-point, 8-rebound masterpiece Thursday that is the payoff to a collective effort to help the Pittsburgh native find his voice on the floor.

“Every day, we work on it in practice,” Francis said with regard to his development. “My coaches, my teammates, they tell me to keep going, to play my game. They’ve really pushed me, so they help me gain confidence. They’re really helping me out there.”

“(Billmeier’s) a great coach. He knows what he’s talking about. Every season has ups and downs, but through it all, he remains the same and he has the confidence in us. He tells us every day how great we’re going to be, so we keep pushing every day to get more wins.”

Billmeier admitted he had not evaluated Francis properly upon taking the job as Brian Kennedy’s successor, instead relying on the belief of several trusted connections that the six-foot guard would be a difference maker in his system. The blind faith has turned into perhaps the most pleasant revelation in a year rife with adversity for a group learning the ropes together.

“I’ll be honest, I hadn’t seen Tariq play until he showed up here on campus,” Billmeier said. “He was playing spring AAU with the New York Rens, he was playing limited minutes behind (Rutgers signee and No. 2 overall 2024 prospect) Dylan Harper and he was planning on going to The Patrick School. But some people that have great knowledge told me, ‘hey, there’s a kid you need to take,’ and I took him sight unseen. Obviously, he’s been a terrific blessing.”

“I think he’s growing up. I think he’s really maturing beyond his years, from the beginning of this season to now. He was a freshman at the beginning of the year, and now, he’s more poised. He knows what to look for out there.”

Moments like Thursday, which harkened back to several games Billmeier helped Kevin Willard win at Seton Hall and Maryland with a grind-it-out identity, can only be feathers in the proverbial cap for NJIT. And while he is remaining realistic in not getting caught up in the results, his budding star shared a more determined perspective.

“I think we still have a lot of work left to do,” Billmeier conceded. “Obviously, beating the team that’s kind of been at the mountaintop of the conference is a tremendous win, but where do we go from here? How do we handle success? That’s going to be the biggest way to see how we finish our season.”

Francis also did not get too far ahead of himself, but did offer an impassioned message to a fan base eager to plant its flag among some of the bigger names in the area as a force to be reckoned with.

“It builds confidence,” he said. We know what we can do, we go out and we practice hard, but a win like this instills confidence in us. We know for the games going forward, we can go out and win those. This was a big-time win, and we’re only going up from here.”

“We’re coming. Every day, we’re getting better, so just keep supporting us. We’re going to make you proud.”