Grant, Ogbole highlight budding star power as Rutgers stays unbeaten with win over Lehigh

Dylan Grant goes up for first-half dunk as Rutgers defeated Lehigh to move to 3-0 in season-opening homestand. (Photo by Rutgers Athletics)

By Josh Adams (@Joshthescribe)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — For those wondering if Rutgers would lack star power after the departure of Top 5 NBA Draft picks Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, the next crop of Scarlet Knights continue to prove the skeptics wrong.

While this year’s roster may lack the marquee names of a Bailey or a Harper, these Scarlet Knights showed some old-fashioned Jersey grit Friday, defeating Lehigh by the final of 84-72 before a crowd that included outgoing New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, who sat courtside as the Scarlet Knights moved to 3-0 on the young season.

After wrapping up Friday’s win at a packed Jersey Mike’s Arena, there is a style about the 2025-26 Scarlet Knights that is refreshing. Sophomore forward Dylan Grant led that effort, posting a career-high 28 points and captivating fans with several highlight reel dunks while playing solid defense against a very plucky Lehigh team that should be very competitive in the Patriot League this season.

Grant was a star tonight for a team that was still projected to be finding its way compared to last season’s roster. He clearly wanted the ball in his hands as Lehigh closed Rutgers’ lead to within three points with five minutes left in the game. Grant proceeded to convert a 3-point play to give the Scarlet Knights some breathing room. It’s what you want to see as a fan and as a coach, something not lost on head coach Steve Pikiell, who called his team a “work in progress” but was clearly excited with the improvements his team has made just two weeks into the year.

“Little flashes of where we need to be,” Grant concurred. “There’s obviously a lot of work to do, but there’s flashes of us that happened tonight that shows we’re on the road to being a great team.” 

Also sharing in the star turn Friday was Emmanuel Ogbole. After making up for a scoreless opener with a solid effort on Monday against Maine, the senior recorded a double-double, tallying 16 points and 10 rebounds. The 6-foot-10 center also set a career-best point total much like his teammate Grant, as Ogbole used his size to outmuscle the smaller Mountain Hawks and score on a variety of dunks and lay-ins.

A rarity in the college game, Ogbole has spent the last three years at Rutgers, working through injuries and improving his overall game. He was clearly soaking in the adulation of the student section, who roared with every one of his dunks, thanking them repeatedly in his postgame interview for their support. 

For Rutgers fans, this season may have resembled a rebuild at the start of the year, but so far, this unit is starting to resemble the Rutgers teams Pikiell led to multiple NCAA Tournament berths. Those teams were also blue-collar groups that forged their own stars (Geo Baker, one of the main cogs in those Rutgers teams, was in attendance Friday) before going on to produce some of the more unforgettable moments in recent Rutgers history.

Will Grant and Ogbole author similar indelible moments this season that will be etched into the memories of Rutgers Nation? Time will tell, but the potential for something great to happen is palpable.

Friday was another positive step forward for Rutgers, which is all Pikiell and his players can ask for in a locker room brimming with contagious confidence. It’s going to be worth following along to see how far it takes them.