Rutgers moves on without Harper and Bailey, turns page with deeper team looking to make up ground

Rutgers wrapped up practice Tuesday with an unclear rotation, but a clear goal of returning to NCAA Tournament. (Photo by Jaden Daly/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Last season, Rutgers embarked on its most anticipated men’s basketball season in program history, with a pair of top-ranked recruits in Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey destined to lead the Scarlet Knights back to the NCAA Tournament after not making the 68-team field in each of the prior two years before their arrival.

For several reasons, the fairytale ending never came, as both Harper and Bailey battled injuries at various points during a year in which Rutgers limped to the finish line with a second straight 15-17 record, the first time New Jersey’s state university finished under .500 in consecutive years since 2018-19.

The hype — and the megastar talent of Harper and Bailey, drafted this past June by the San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz, respectively — has come and gone on the banks. But in its place stands a group that is molded more in Pikiell’s image, a deep, blue-collar outfit that enters the coming year eager to reverse recent fortune and return Rutgers to its third foray with March Madness this decade.

“I like my group,” Pikiell told a throng of reporters Tuesday. “We’ve worked very hard, we’re the most physical we’ve been, guys are in great shape. They’ve been working, they’re very coachable, we’ve got some great freshmen that I’m excited about. I feel good. We’re undefeated right now, but we’ll be challenged.”

“It’s tough to be young in the oldest time in college sports. I learned that last year. I like this group, though. We’ve got a good blend and we’re stronger. We’ve got good bodies. These dudes are built to hit people, they’ve been going at it in practice. You gotta be real physical in this league, and I think we’ll get back to being that.”

Harper and Bailey may not be around, but the Scarlet Knights are by no means inexperienced. Junior guard Jamichael Davis is the team’s de facto leader on paper, having been in the program the longest. Center Emmanuel Ogbole is back as well, and so too are sophomores Dylan Grant and Bryce Dortch, of whom Pikiell was pointedly complimentary following a spirited Tuesday morning practice.

“I spent a lot of time with those guys in the offseason,” Pikiell said of his incumbent players. “Dylan Grant’s really been putting the ball on the deck, he’s got a chance to be really good, and Bryce does a lot of things for us. They’ve gotten stronger and bigger. They’ve been through it.”

Davis, in particular, was heralded for his ability to take charge while also competing for his own playing time alongside NJIT transfer Tariq Francis and highly touted freshman Lino Mark from Los Angeles. George Washington transfer Darren Buchanan, Jr., a jack of all trades, can also handle the ball, underscoring Pikiell’s confidence in a Rutgers unit whose depth was largely absent last season.

“He’s been awesome, too,” Pikiell said of Davis, who appears to have an inside track at being named a team captain even if the coach declined to tip his hand on that matter. “And he’s an everyday guy. He’s not missed one practice since we’ve arrived. I call out plays and he knows them, he knows our defense, he’s a good leader and he’s tough as nails. But I love our point guard position. Riq’s been great, he’s been an everyday guy, Lino is as fast as we’ve ever had at that spot and Lino’s highly recruited. Those guys are competitive, but J-Mike has been a good student, he’s been a good example. I haven’t named anyone captain yet, but he’s got all the good qualities and he comes to play.”

“We have 14 guys competing for minutes, which I like. Last year, if a dude or two were out, it changed our practices. We didn’t have that kind of depth, we didn’t have those kinds of things. Now we’ve had guys miss practice and we don’t flinch. Depth is important for us. We can fight through it a little bit more.”

Aside from Mark and Las Vegas native Chris Nwuli, who has already made a name for himself on the defensive end — Pikiell’s calling card — through the summer, four other first-year players arrive in the Garden State with the expectation of being integral rotation pieces. Kaden Powers will see some minutes in the backcourt while Gevonte Ware likely backs up Ogbole in the middle. A pair of Europeans complete the quartet, with Romanian Denis Bǎdǎlǎu and Bosnian Harun Zrno, who decommitted from Indiana, also likely to see significant opportunities to contribute. Arkansas transfer Baye Fall will also vie for minutes up front, a former McDonald’s All-American who becomes the third such recruit to land at Rutgers in the wake of Harper and Bailey.

“If you add the two foreign guys, this is a Top 25 recruiting class,” Pikiell reassured. “We got another McDonald’s All-American (Fall). We ate at McDonald’s a lot my first year, but we didn’t get a lot of McDonald’s All-Americans. We’ve gotten three now in the last two years. I know the world is about now, and we gotta get back to the NCAA Tournament. I’m confident that we can do that.”

“We’ve got a lot of competition. We have no starters right now, and I like that. Those guys are competitive, they’re multi-position guys. We’ve got a big-time defender in (Darren) Buchanan who we haven’t had, we’ve got a big-time defender in Chris Nwuli who we haven’t had. The competition and what they can do, now can we gel them all and can they keep competing? This team has to be a “be together” team, but we’ve got pieces.”

Pikiell bristled slightly at the questions of being able to take Rutgers back to the highest level after producing a pair of Top 5 draft picks and coming up short a year ago, highlighting that he had taken Rutgers dancing with teams comprised largely of underrated prospects such as Geo Baker, Ron Harper, Jr., Caleb McConnell and Paul Mulcahy. The veteran coach understood the win-now mindset that has been accelerated in college basketball with the nature of the transfer portal, but quickly reminded everyone that the build has remained consistent and admirable.

“We’re Rutgers basketball,” Pikiell reiterated. “We play in a great league. We gotta get back to the NCAA Tournament. I know no one wants to hear about the past. It’s all about this year and getting to the NCAA Tournament. I got it, I understand. But we continue to do things the right way and continue to build a good program.”

“Before I had Dylan and Ace, we went to the NCAA Tournament. I wish those guys were still here. Year two with those guys would have been awesome, but they’ve moved on to greener pastures. The stars don’t matter. You’re in a league that’s a monster. We did it before and we gotta get back. I’m confident, even in this landscape.”