With anticipation higher than usual, St. John’s gears up for Pitino’s first encore in Queens

St. John’s conducts drills during practice Tuesday, following Red Storm’s annual preseason media day. (Photo by Jaden Daly/Daly Dose Of Hoops) 

By Jaden Daly (@DalyDoseOfHoops) and Sara Kiernan (@SaraKiernan13)

NEW YORK — Rick Pitino was introduced as the head coach at St. John’s 19 months ago, a timeline that feels like an eternity outside college basketball circles, yet within the baselines, seems as though his grand entrance into the Red Storm’s annals just occurred yesterday.

The Hall of Fame tactician worked quickly to put to rest the underachieving and malcontent left in the wake of Mike Anderson, winning 20 games after massively overhauling his roster during the offseason. However, St. John’s omission from the NCAA Tournament and subsequent declination of a National Invitation Tournament bid left a sour aftertaste in the mouths of some on the corner of Union and Utopia.

Pitino has once again turned the page expeditiously, however, keeping a quintet of players on his roster last year and adding eight more — four each from the transfer portal and incoming freshman class — to a unit that has already been mentioned as a dark horse for what would be the Johnnies’ deepest March run in over a quarter-century.

“We don’t tell them how to deal with the expectations of the media,” Pitino said Tuesday at St. John’s media day. “Although we respect (the media), it’s really not one of our barometers. Our expectations are probably higher than everybody. We expect excellence in every phase of the game, and right now, we’re learning what excellence is all about. The landscape is so different today (that) you’re building a one-year culture.”

“We’re a really exciting group,” Zuby Ejiofor chimed in. “I feel like we have a lot more athleticism, a lot more size than we did last year. It’s gonna be exciting. We’re gonna be playing a lot faster than we did last year. It’s gonna be a good (year).”

Ejiofor was a unanimous choice on a players-only ballot to elect one of two captains on this year’s iteration of the Red Storm, with Seton Hall transfer Kadary Richmond being the other in what Pitino termed a near-unanimous decision. Ejiofor, the Kansas expatriate who backed up Joel Soriano last year, has been given free rein to impose his will after a breakout second half of last season. Through the early part of the fall, the hype surrounding him as a burgeoning breakout candidate has been validated, as the big man even demonstrated an improved perimeter game in Tuesday’s practice session.

“It makes me feel great,” Ejiofor said of being declared a team captain. “It’s a new title, new position for me this year. I have new expectations for me this year, higher expectations for me, my family, my teammates. I’m all for it.”

“I feel like as you progress throughout your career, the opportunity to evolve is there. I got to learn behind Joel Soriano, a great captain for us last season, and now I’ve embarked onto his role, so I know exactly what is expected of me this year. My coaches and my teammates have made me feel comfortable in this new role I’m in, so I’m really excited for this year.”

Pitino declined to reveal his full hand with regard to starters and reserves, but did mention that the trio of Ejiofor, Richmond and sophomore Simeon Wilcher would be the three likeliest to get the nod among the first five on the floor.

“I think probably with this basketball team, more than any team I’ve coached with the exception of 1996 Kentucky, I think you’ll see multiple starting lineups,” the coach shared. “I think you’ll always see Kadary starting, you’ll always see Zuby starting. More than likely, you’ll always see Sim starting, but that’s it. The rest of it is, flip a coin. To me, with this basketball team, who plays the most minutes will be the most valuable.”

“I think the guy who has the most upside on the team, the most growth on the team, is Vince (Iwuchukwu) from USC. He’s not where Kadary is, he’s not where Zuby is, but he has the most upside of anybody on the team, so that’s exciting. And so does Ruben (Prey). Ruben’s coming overseas — he’s 19 years of age, he’s just a freshman — he has a lot. Those two players have the most upside on the basketball team.”

A player with equal upside is Wilcher, the Roselle Catholic product who learned from Daniss Jenkins and Jordan Dingle last season. Pitino is notorious for playing with a three-guard attack, and his backcourt stats usually make their biggest jumps between their freshman and sophomore campaigns. Wilcher appears to be the next name in that elite lineage, as he will ply his wares alongside Richmond and Utah transfer Deivon Smith, who could very well be the best of the trio by season’s end.

“He’s learning very well,” said Richmond of his young teammate. “He had a great summer, he’s having a great preseason too right now. He’s able to score and create for others, so I think that’s a big thing. We’re all different in our own ways, we all do things differently, but I think it’ll mesh well. It’s been meshing well so far.”

Lost in the shuffle, in some aspects, has been former UMass wing RJ Luis, now entering his junior year and second go-round in Queens. Shelved by various injuries a year ago, the Miami native is closer to 100 percent than he was at this point last year, having recovered from a concussion suffered just over a week ago and eager to make up for lost time.

“I feel good, I feel great,” Luis proclaimed. “I feel like it’s gonna be a good year. I feel healthy. Sometimes last year, I had a cast on my hand, but I’m good. I feel like everything happens for a reason. I’m just blessed to be here. The main goal for me is just being healthy, and God willing, I’m gonna do that this year. I feel like the whole group connects well. We have a whole lot of younger guys, so the dynamic is a lot younger compared to last year. I feel like we’re very athletic, and it’s gonna be a fun and competitive year.”

“RJ’s had a tough summer and even a tough fall,” Pitino added before praising his pupil’s progress. He’s missed some time, but we’ve noticed a lot of improvement in RJ’s mental aspects of the game. His jump shot has improved, but where RJ needs to really improve is the mental aspects of the game. And he’s doing that right now.”

Sophomore forward Brady Dunlap and North Texas arrival Aaron Scott will also compete for minutes, as will freshmen Jaiden Glover and Greek import Lefteris Liotopoulos. All in all, from top to bottom, the Red Storm offers a multifaceted contingent that, with the right bounces and on-court synergy, could maintain the trend of Pitino’s marked improvement from year one to year two at the helm.

“We could do a lot of things,” Richmond said, assessing the sum of his and his teammates’ parts. “There’s a different dynamic. We could go three guards, two, we could switch it up. I feel like if we play at a fast pace and we take care of the ball well, we could play anybody in the country. I’d say a lot of winning. We could go deep into March, play into April, I’ll say that, just (from) how hard we work as a team and how together we are, day in and day out.”

“I don’t know if it’s going to be substantially better,” Pitino cautioned, “because we did win 20 games. A lot of people felt that if you look at all the measuring sticks, we were very highly ranked. We didn’t make the tournament, so obviously year two is very important. I don’t know if it’s substantial, but we definitely will get better. I think that’s a little bit misleading, because what happens when you take over a job is generally, you’re taking over a bad job because things have gone bad. Every situation was so bad that you improve by osmosis. In this case, we’re a better basketball team than we were last year right now in terms of depth, size and athleticism. Now we’ve gotta prove it on the court.”

Tartamella to lean on core players in 13th season at helm of Johnnies

Head coach Joe Tartamella addresses the media. (Photo by Sebastian Zelaya/The Torch)

By Kyler Fox (@kylerrfox)

NEW YORK — In today’s ever-changing college basketball climate, adaptability has moved to the forefront. How will those entrusted to lead young student-athletes react to the uncertainties that fuel the modern game?

For Joe Tartamella, relying on his veterans has helped ease the chaos of constant shuffling. 

As his St. John’s women’s basketball program prepares to embark on its 50th season, Tartamella has a tough task ahead of him. Replacing the contributions of Unique Drake and Jillian Archer is no easy job, but the man who has been involved with the program for nearly half of its existence has a vision. 

“I think every year is a retool at this point in terms of the landscape,” Tartamella said Tuesday at St. John’s annual media day. “You lean on the core players you have in terms of what they’ve done here.”

“We have a lot of guys who I think can help us in that department in terms of what their experiences were. We gotta make sure that we get them together from a chemistry standpoint to be ready to go by November 4 (St. John’s opener against Saint Peter’s).”

While the Drake-Archer combo was one of the best in 2023-24, its star power left the team slightly top-heavy. With the two departed, Tartamella is focusing on a more well-rounded attack. 

“My hope is that (this season) is much more balanced in terms of how we make up ground,” he said. “We’ve got four or five players that can score double digits in any game, (and) I think we’ve got enough bodies to play much quicker.”

The Red Storm added six new faces in the offseason — and those “core players” Tartamella mentioned have been integral in spreading its culture to the newcomers. 

“Telling them to trust the process, whether it’s helping them with plays or after practice getting shots up, just helping them understand what college is all about,” graduate guard Ber’Nyah Mayo said.

“Just being a helping hand, really,” added junior forward Tara Daye. “We have a common goal of winning and everything just comes together. Once you have a common goal, it’s kind of easy.”

The team’s blend of veteran leadership and fresh talent will be crucial to replacing Drake and Archer’s production. Come November 4, assuming all players buy in, one thing will become apparent. 

St. John’s isn’t just retooling — it is reloading.

Sha Sounds Off: Seton Hall media day

Audio captured by Jason Guerette (@JPGuerette)

Quote transcript by Jaden Daly (@DalyDoseOfHoops)

On Seton Hall’s versatility and depth by design:

“That was the process going into it. I wanted to get 10-11 guys that could play. I want to play a different type of style this year, kind of similar to Saint Peter’s, right? But we just haven’t been having the bodies. Guys have been out. Like I said, it was good to have Gus and DT. Manny’s been out and Garwey just got back, Zion just got back, so we’re getting there.”

On challenges with eight incoming transfers:

“I almost can’t say it on film. It’s tough. I’m sure I’m not the only coach that’s saying that it’s tough. It’s tough every year just trying to get guys to try to fit into what you’re trying to do, but I’ll tell you what: These guys have been working hard for me. That’s all I could ask for, so I’m looking forward to it.”

On incoming transfers with something to prove:

“I hope so. That, for sure. Everybody got a fresh start here. I’m not sure what happened at other schools, but everybody got a fresh start here. I just want guys to come in and compete and play and defend, and kind of go from here.”

On Seton Hall’s team leadership:

“You know what? Some days, it’s good, and some days, it’s not. I think Prince has been (a leader) really more than others, like he’s kind of been sustaining more than others, Dylan’s got his days up and down, Scotty is really vocal. But no, we haven’t picked a leader yet or captains yet. I told these guys, they gotta earn it and you gotta be consistent with it. So hopefully by our first game, we should hopefully have them, two, three, one, whatever.”

On competition for playing time:

“I was just telling Adam it’s been kind of tough because guys have been in and out of practice. Some guys, like, we haven’t had a practice yet with the whole team, which kind of sucks because I’m looking forward to what people could do. You know what they could do when you watch film, but now when you get them on your team, it’s kind of tough to see. But the guys that have kind of been steady, that have been here the whole time, they’ve been competing. Like I said, we work hard, that’s a non-negotiable. We’re gonna work hard, we’ve just gotta get everybody on the same page, which is coming. It’s coming, I’m looking forward to it. We’ve got a chance to be solid if everybody stays healthy and kind of buys in.”

On Garwey Dual and the point guard position:

“I think he has a chance. I think we’ve got a couple guys that have a chance to be floor generals, that was something I haven’t had in the past. We had, obviously, Kooks, and when Kooks went down, we kind of struggled. I wanted to make sure that didn’t happen this year. I wanted to make sure we had a couple guys that could play and be guards. I’ve got like, three guys, four guys that could play that point guard spot: Garwey, Zion, Dylan’s been playing a lot of that for us, Yacine, the freshman, has played some of it, and Chaunce played a lot of it at his old school, so we’ve got some guys that can handle the basketball.”

On players who can play multiple positions:

“Extremely important. That’s why I kind of recruited that way, guys that come in and play multiple spots. When we’re healthy, we’ve got a deep — we’ve got seven guards, right? We’ve got three centers and we’ve got three fours. I’m looking forward to some guys playing. We’re gonna play some small ball, we’re gonna play some big ball. That came off kind of crazy, but we’re gonna play with a big lineup. I’m looking forward to putting it together. I’m gonna be honest with you, it ain’t gonna be easy.”

On Scotty Middleton:

“You know what? He’s very vocal. The one thing you gotta give Scotty, he brings it, every single day. He’s been out for a while with a hamstring and he’s just getting back, but he’s been very vocal. I’ll tell you the truth: Whether it’s ten guys, eight guys, our practices have been wars. It’s been very physical and guys keep getting after it, guys are trying to prove themselves, so that’s something that I’m happy about.”

On preparation for physicality in the Big East:

“Practice. Our practices have been pretty tough. I’m not sure if you guys talked to the guys and asked them, but our practices have kind of been pretty tough. It’s either you have it or you don’t, sometimes you can’t teach it. The previous year, I was trying to teach guys how to be point guards. You can’t. We had Kooks, he was a pure point, everybody else were kind of combos. You either have it or you don’t. But the one thing this team has, I could tell you the truth, they’re gonna compete at a high level, they’re gonna defend, and we’ve got bodies. We’re gonna put guys in there, and I hope — I’m gonna say this — I hope I don’t have to play somebody 35 minutes. I hope I can play the minutes I want to play certain guys and keep guys fresh.”

On defense being a requisite for playing time:

“That’s been my MO since I’ve been a head coach, brother. It’s been my MO since I was the associate head coach. If you ain’t defending, you ain’t playing. I don’t care how much you can score.”

On Gus Yalden contributing:

“You know what? I want him to, Adam. I really want him to because I watched him in high school, man, and he’s very skilled, extremely skilled. He’s got some things that you just can’t teach. He can shoot the basketball, he’s got a good feel for the game, he just hasn’t been on the court. He can’t stay healthy, and that’s something that we’re working really hard with him on now. He had mono in the summertime and coming back from mono screwed him up a bit, but I need him to be on the court because he brings a different element to our team.”

On Chaunce Jenkins:

“Chaunce had a good journey. He went to Wichita State and had a chance to play on the team that went to the tournament, and then his first year at Old Dominion, they had a good season and last year, obviously, the wheels kind of fell off a little bit. He’s a guy that can score the basketball, got good size, he can play a lot of spots, multiple spots, he could shoot it. He’s athletic, so he was somebody I was happy to get.”

On Yacine Toumi:

“Yacine is skilled. He’s 6-foot-10, he’s very skilled. We’re giving him a shot to be a little more consistent. He’s very good 18 feet and in, and I'm trying to push it back out. He’s a very good passer, one of the best passers on the team. He’s coming back, he had a thumb injury that was kind of irking him a little bit but he’s getting healthy now. I’m looking forward to him, I’m looking forward to all the guys. I’ll be honest with you guys, there’s not one guy (where) I could say, ‘well, he’s doing more of this and that.’ All the guys are battling and playing hard, and that’s all you can ask for.”

On frontcourt depth:

“It’s by committee, it’s gonna be by committee. We’re trying to get Manny back, he’s gonna be out for a little bit, but once we get him back, you’ve got three guys we could throw it to in there. And they’re all very physical, which is what I like about them. They’re very physical, so it’s gonna be by committee. Whoever steps up, steps up.”

On the transfer portal and NIL:

“I don’t know, big guy. You serious? It changes every day, every two weeks, there’s a new rule that comes into effect, so I don’t know. I can’t keep up with all that. I gotta worry about coaching these guys. I don’t know about — whatever the rules are, you just kind of adjust. It’s gonna change in two weeks, it’s gonna change in a month. Something’s gonna change, every week it’s something different. We all got a job to do. Everybody’s got a job to do, they have a job to do fundraising, I have a job to do coaching. Whatever they need me to do on the fundraising side, I’m with it. We’ve all got jobs to do, and that’s kind of how it is here.”

On Seton Hall’s new practice facility:

“It’s good, right? It’s something that I think is way overdue, and I’m definitely looking forward to it. It’s gonna be an upgrade, it’s gonna be good for the campus too. It’s a beautiful building. We won’t play games there, but it’ll be good because it’s got some stuff in there that we don’t have right now, like a steam room, a sauna. We’re getting there. When you’ve got ten new guys and you try to mix them in with three guys that have been here, it’s not easy because everybody’s different, right? Everybody got different personalities, different things, but these guys have been doing things on their own. I’ll be honest with you, we’ve come together. There’s still some time, I think we’ve got two weeks before our first game, so we gotta get some more chemistry in, to be honest with you. I’m not gonna sit here and say it’s a finished product, because it’s not. But if you watch my teams, my teams get better as the year goes on, so it’s no different here.”

Dylan Harper arrives at long last to further family and Rutgers legacies in what could be a season to remember

Dylan Harper now follows in older brother’s footsteps at Rutgers, hoping to bring Scarlet Knights to similar heights Ron Harper, Jr. did over his four years on the banks. (Photo by Rutgers Men’s Basketball)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — He has only been on campus for roughly four months, but elicits the same reaction as John, Paul, George or Ringo would have in 1960s Liverpool, or New York for their first appearance on American soil.

Dylan Harper is not a Beatle, of course, but with his New Jersey roots and famous — at least on this campus — last name, may as well be. And that could have been said long before he rose to the third-ranked freshman in the nation.

Harper literally could have gone anywhere coming out of Don Bosco Prep, where his brother, Ron, Jr., starred for four years before signing with Steve Pikiell and Rutgers in 2018. A half-dozen years later, Dylan spurned suitors the likes of Indiana, Duke and Kansas to continue the family legacy on the banks. While Ron gave valuable advice regarding Pikiell and the support he and his staff would give his younger brother, the decision to come to Piscataway was basketball-motivated, says Dylan.

“For me, it was never really about basketball,” he reiterated. “It was about where I could go and where I could become a better man, and I think Pike and the rest of the staff are going to help me do that. I think for us, my family, we’ve all kind of been trailblazers. We’ve always worked to get what we’ve got. Seeing what Ron had to go through here his four years, they were obviously not very good when he got here, and then you look at them now, they were a March Madness team. I’m just trying to bring that culture back. I watched him go through the journey, all the ups and downs. Me and him were in the gym every day, basically, before he left. So him knowing I’m gonna take it where he left off, I’m gonna keep going with it.”

“(Ron told me) just to take everything in, always have open ears, always listen. The coaches know what’s best for you on and off the court, so just listen and not take anything for granted. He said, ‘you’re gonna get a great coach, a great coaching staff that’s gonna love you, care for you on and off the court.’”

Harper’s development may be more accelerated than what Pikiell is accustomed to, by virtue of his sheer talent. In his 19-year head coaching career, the former Jim Calhoun assistant has still yet to hear one of his players’ names called at the NBA Draft, but his newest phenom — and by extension, fellow freshman Ace Bailey, the second-ranked freshman in this year’s class — have gone a long way toward not only changing that, but also improving the games of their teammates as well.

“Dylan sees the floor like no one I’ve had at that point guard position,” Pikiell proclaimed. “He’s 6-foot-7 too, throwing passes. Last year, we had the smallest backcourt in the Big Ten, and now we probably have the biggest backcourt in the Big Ten. He’s the No. 1 point guard in the country, so giving him the basketball is an easy decision. He’s a late-game guy, he’s a winner and he’s not afraid of the moment. I can move him around, too, that’s what I like. His size gives you some tremendous versatility and we could post him up as a big guard, we could move him off the ball, we can do a lot of things with him.”

His likely backcourt partner, who has already been the recipient of numerous passes that will surely wow NBA scouts during the season, concurred.

“It complements me a lot,” said Jeremiah Williams, who will play more off the ball as he blends his fifth-year senior experience with Harper’s precocious on-ball game. “I like to think I’m a good off-ball cutter, I could attack closeouts, catch and shoot threes. I think it’ll help me a lot, open up a lot of opportunities for myself.”

“He’s a very high IQ player, so he sees everything,” Bailey added. “The lobs, back doors, coming off curls, things like that.”

And in typical point guard fashion, Harper is already quick to deflect the attention to those around him. Bailey, his classmate with whom he had been connected through assistant coach Brandin Knight, has already left an impression on his likely fellow lottery pick.

“He knows my game, I know his game,” Harper said. “He’ll go back door, I’m gonna throw it up. I’ll go back door, he’s gonna pass it. We just know. The camaraderie we both have together is just special. Honestly, he’s just a pro. The way he gets off his shot, you just see flashes of Paul George, Kevin Durant, people like that. Just knowing I’ve got someone like that on my team, it’s just like you know what you’re gonna get from him every night.”

“I tell the guys: When I’ve got the ball, I’m gonna find you regardless. I might be a scorer, but I’m gonna find you guys all the time.”

The effect of Harper, as well as Bailey, signing with the Scarlet Knights propelled several experienced transfers to Rutgers through the portal, each of whom having waited for someone of this magnitude to perform with. Now, all 12 scholarship players are ready to let it out and let it in. And upon his arrival on the heels of a 15-17 campaign last season, the movement Rutgers needs is on Harper’s young shoulders as he leads the effort to take a sad song and make it better.

“It’s surreal,” Harper said of the moment now meeting his fate. “The guys that came before us, that team — Ron, Geo Baker, Caleb McConnell, Cliff (Omoruyi), Mawot (Mag), people like that — just watching them play, I always had that look in my eye like, I want to be here one day. I want to play on this court one day. Now, having the opportunity to play and just knowing that I can make something happen here, something great for Rutgers Nation, it’s just special.”

Two seniors, from two different worlds, unite to lead Rutgers in what could be a special season

Jeremiah Williams enters his final college season as Rutgers’ most experienced leader, and is appreciative of blessings that status brings. (Photo by Rutgers Men’s Basketball)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Steve Pikiell has had a different offseason than he normally would this summer with Rutgers.

Forget for a second that Pikiell secured the commitments of two of the nation’s best incoming freshmen, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. Even without the two wunderkinds, the coach tinkered with his normal June and July approach this year as the Scarlet Knights began what hopes to be a fruitful and fabled journey on the banks of the old Raritan. With precious limited hours for summer workouts, Pikiell raved about allocating all his time to team activity, citing its necessity with nine newcomers to the fold and just three incumbent players from last season’s retooling campaign.

From that process, though, came a pair of fifth-year leaders, one who gets to cap his collegiate career on his terms, the other a fresh face in his new locker room despite being familiar with the terrain in his home state.

Jeremiah Williams was limited to just 12 games last season as he spent most of the year waiting for a ruling on his eligibility as a two-time transfer. Once the Iowa State expatriate did get the green light to suit up, however, a noticeable impact was felt between he and his teammates as Rutgers attempted to salvage its efforts.

The Chicagoan quickly made up for lost time, finishing his truncated stretch as the Scarlet Knights’ leading scorer with an average of over 12 points per game, chipping in three-plus rebounds and nearly three assists per contest to help his cause. Now months removed from his late insertion into the lineup, Williams does not view this coda to his circuitous path as a saga with an unwritten conclusion, but one of appreciation to end it by giving all of himself, all the way.

“I wouldn’t say unfinished business, but I’m just grateful to be able to play the full season,” he conceded. “Start to finish, it’s a blessing, especially from the different situations and positions I’ve been in. It’s a sense of excitement, and I’m just gearing myself up.”

“It was awesome. Just coming from the position I was coming from and the role I stepped into here was close to a dream come true, I’d say. I didn’t know how I’d be on the basketball court after being out that long, so it was a refreshing experience. I’m very appreciative for that moment.”

The humility and opportunity was felt similarly by another veteran, a half-hour up the road in Warren Township, New Jersey.

Zach Martini was already a known commodity in the Garden State, the de facto center on a Princeton team that reached the Sweet 16 two seasons ago behind the dynamic guard play of Xaivian Lee, Caden Pierce and Matt Allocco. A big man who could stretch the floor and knock down a 3-pointer at any time, Martini faced Rutgers last November in the season opener for both the Scarlet Knights and his Tigers, giving his new coaching staff the chance to get more intimately acquainted with someone they had followed since his high school career at Gill St. Bernard’s, where he shared the floor with another familiar name.

Zach Martini remained in New Jersey, transferring from Princeton to Rutgers, where his versatile game will aid Scarlet Knight front line. (Photo by Rutgers Men’s Basketball)

“When I entered the portal, Pikiell was the first person to call me, within an hour of me entering the portal,” Martini recalled. “That just spoke volumes to me. It showed me that I wasn’t just a name in the portal. He knew my game going back to high school, playing with Paul Mulcahy. It was a no-brainer. I love New Jersey, I’ll rep New Jersey until the day I die, so to come back here and play in a gym like this, in front of fans like this, I committed within a week. It was a quick decision, and I’m excited just to be a vocal leader and play hard. I like to do all the dirty work and bring the intangibles.”

Martini stressed the importance of knowing just how much to bring to the table, something made easy for him with Princeton’s star power in front of him. The unselfishness blends in with the working-man, blue-collar mentality Pikiell’s teams have always projected, and the big man shares the mindset of such a trait being an asset in his new locker room.

“There’s a sense of maturity to know that I’m not the star of the team, but I can be a star in other facets of the game,” he opined. “I take pride in being someone who these young guys look up upon to help lead us throughout the Big Ten season. That’s sexy to me.”

Martini and Williams have already been designated co-captains before the season has even begun, a nod to Pikiell’s confidence in his two elder statesmen. The coach lauded Williams’ demonstrative nature of getting the team together in the offseason for various activities, and while Martini recognized the significance of his plaudits, he acknowledged that a leadership-by-committee style has pervaded the program.

“It means a lot to me,” Martini said of the captaincy. “It’s obviously a great honor, and while there’s two captains — Jeremiah and myself — this team feels comfortable having everyone lead. When we break it down before practice, J-Will will say, ‘hey, it’s Bryce Dortch’s turn today,’ and he’ll relay his message to the team. It’s an ongoing process and we’re all working together to lead. There’s not just two leaders, and I think Jeremiah and myself make that clear.”

“It’s been great,” freshman phenom Ace Bailey said of having Williams and Martini as mentors. “This is my first year playing and they’ve been experienced. They’ve been playing longer than me, so them telling me ways I can do things, having them as leaders, is just good.”

Martini has never been the alpha type, but a lunchpail, by-example leader who can be vocal when necessary. The mentality has meshed well thus far, and with his experience, the forward believes he can use that as a teaching tool as Rutgers hopes to take flight in March to a place he has already visited.

“I came from a program where the standard was winning the Ivy League championship,” he said. “That’s hard to do three years in a row, and I’m never gonna compare the Ivy League to the Big Ten, but I know what it takes to win, the sacrifices that have to come along the way. I think a big thing that we’ll realize going into this season is that roles are important. One thing we knew at Princeton was just what role each person had on the team. One thing I want to tell everyone is do what you do well, and bring that strength to the team. From there, the sky’s the limit.”

Its whirlwind offseason now wrapped up, Rutgers embraces buzz with anticipation of its own

With two of nation’s top five freshmen in tow, expectations may have gone up outside Rutgers, but it has been business as usual for Steve Pikiell this offseason. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — With its most prolific recruiting class now on campus and just over five weeks away from officially christening its scarlet-tinged tenure, Rutgers has attracted all kinds of attention this offseason, and a wide range of preseason prognostications.

After landing two of the top five freshmen in the nation when Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper officially signed with the Scarlet Knights, Rutgers has been literally all over the map when it comes to Big Ten projections, from the top five to as low as 15th in the juggernaut conference that now boasts 18 members. But while the numbers next to the name have taken shape outside the banks of the old Raritan, a quiet confidence has emerged inside the locker room, with those involved dismissing the chatter and simply eager to put their brand on display.

“We’re here to play ball,” the 6-foot-10 Bailey, who can play all five positions but will most likely secure the four spot for Rutgers, said. “We’re gonna do our best to take the team as far as we can. We’re gonna try to win the Big Ten and take us to March Madness. We’re just here to play ball, for real.”

“I think all 13 of us could play,” Harper, a native son who will primarily handle the point guard duties, countered. “I think we’re gonna come out here and show what we’re capable of doing. Every day, we all come out here with the same common goal, so one through 13, starters, we all contribute. We’re gonna come out here and show the world what we’ve got.”

Head coach Steve Pikiell admittedly went about this offseason in a different light, and not because he has a pair of highly-touted freshmen for the first time in his career. With the majority of last year’s roster having transferred or graduated, the architect of Rutgers’ resurgence eschewed individual workouts this summer as he begins his ninth season at the helm, emphasizing a need to instill team chemistry.

“It’s always a challenge,” Pikiell said of building a roster and having it come together. “I think it’s what you’ve gotta get used to now. College has changed, you’ve gotta build a team every year now. These guys are good learners and we’ve got a nice blend. We’ve got some older fifth-year guys from winning programs and the five freshmen that are talented and long, and athletic, but it’s a huge challenge. You’ve gotta do it in a hurry and you’ve only got 20 hours a week for the next four weeks, then you’re playing Alabama, Houston and Seton Hall. You’ve gotta do it pretty quickly.”

Pikiell purposely stressed team-related skill work this summer, particularly on the defensive end, as is his trademark. In the process, two of his fifth-year seniors, incumbent Jeremiah Williams and Princeton transfer Zach Martini, separated themselves from their veteran brethren to be the Scarlet Knights’ most vocal leaders.

“We changed how we approached it,” Pikiell reiterated with regard to his offseason approach. “We did everything team-related, we didn’t do any individual (work). All four hours (every week of the summer) were team, I’ve never done in the past. Every time we were together, it was all of us. Hopefully that’ll pay off, hopefully we stole some hours that way. We put some more stuff in than I ever have at this point in time, and we’ll get better at it later. I don’t want to be two weeks from the opener saying, ‘I don’t have this press offense in or this zone defense in.’ I’ve stuffed a lot in because we did more team stuff, so I’m hoping that comes back to help us.”

“Jeremiah, since the season’s been over, he’s been the guy in the gym all the time, getting Emmanuel (Ogbole) into the weight room, and (Jamichael Davis) and all those guys, he really started that journey. You saw in the last eight or nine games of the season last year what he meant. He was our voice in the locker room and he was the voice in the huddles. And then once our new guys came in, he was the guy (that said), ‘come to my house, we’re meeting at this time, we’re playing pickup at this time.’ He acted like a captain, then went about doing the things that make you a captain. And then through our eight, nine weeks (this offseason), Zach kind of earned that respect of everybody through his work. Not many players in America wrote a book where part of it was about leadership coming out of Princeton, and he talked about it on his recruiting trips, too.”

Still, even with an experienced core that includes Williams, Martini, Emmanuel Ogbole, Jamichael Davis, and transfers Tyson Acuff (Eastern Michigan), Jordan Derkack (Merrimack) and PJ Hayes (San Diego), it all comes back to Bailey and Harper, who headline a freshman quintet that also includes Bryce Dortch, Dylan Grant and Lathan Sommerville. Pikiell acknowledged as much, but made sure to make time for his supporting cast as well, highlighting some of the most abundant depth he has brought to the Garden State since arriving in 2016, even with Acuff currently rehabbing a broken foot.

“(Bailey and Harper) can play multiple positions, and our veteran guys (can) too,” the coach remarked. Zach Martini’s an excellent cutter, he’s a good screener, he does some things that can really help Ace and Dylan. PJ Hayes shoots the ball at a high level and he’s learning our defense. I think if we surround those guys and give them some room to do what they can do, they show me something new every day. We keep adding more to our system as we keep seeing them, but they’re exciting problems to have.”

“When we get Tyson back, we could play 12 guys. They’re all talented, they all do something different. You need to have depth in a league like this, and I’m looking forward to playing these guys. We could go with a lot of different lineups, we want to play fast, probably more so than any team I’ve had here.”

Hayes, the third fifth-year senior in the rotation, has already turned heads with his knockdown shooting ability after a year under Steve Lavin at San Diego, where he transferred following three years in Division II. The last player to sign with Rutgers before offseason workouts began, the Minnesota native has quickly made a name for himself as a rotation piece who may very well become a third captain alongside Williams and Martini before the year is over.

“He’s very competitive, first and foremost,” Pikiell said of Hayes. “His story’s kind of unique. People didn’t believe in him early on in his career, and he just continues to get better. He’s in fantastic shape, he can pass the ball, he’s become a good team defender, he’s very coachable. He’s got as quick a release as any player that we’ve had here, and he makes shots. We’ve had shot takers in the past, but he’s a shot maker.”

Shot making was at a premium last season as Rutgers struggled following the loss of Caleb McConnell and Paul Mulcahy, also losing a step on the defensive end and on the glass, two areas that have been essential to success under Pikiell. While each team in the country remains a work in progress at this time, the coach is confident that his team-centric build to the season opener on November 6 against Wagner will yield more profits than losses.

“It’s always the hardest thing, especially (with) five freshmen coming out of high school,” Pikiell said of teaching team defense. “You don’t spend a lot of time on that end of the floor and they get recruited to put the ball in the basket, but they’ve made strides. We only had four hours a week and I haven’t had them for that long of a time, but they’re getting better. We have tremendous length, we’re as big as we’ve been physically at every position. I think Emmanuel has made huge strides, he’s good, he’s physical, he’s long and I like where he is. J-Mike can guard anybody, he’s really a good defender, Jeremiah can guard anybody. We’re getting better, we’re figuring it out.”

Bringing the expectations full circle, Pikiell initially demurred from saying the stakes have been raised on the banks this season, then doubled down on the familiar objective he has had since replacing Eddie Jordan, to make a run through March that has not been seen in this particular part of New Jersey since 1976.

“We didn’t expect big things before?” Pikiell shot back when answering a question about expectations. “From day one, the first year I got here, we’ve tried to win a national championship, so expectations? Bring them on. I love that part of it. Our expectations haven’t changed. Some people picked us 15th (in the Big Ten), so they don’t have expectations for us, but we do. We’ve always had high expectations, and just because you get Ace and Dylan doesn’t mean they go any higher. We’re trying to get where everyone’s trying to get, to the NCAA Tournament, to a Final Four, and we’d be doing that with those guys or without them, but having those two guys certainly has been a blessing. They could have went anywhere and they picked Rutgers, and I’m real proud that they decided this would be a great place for them. We expect to be really good this year.”

One of his marquee newcomers, who lauded his coach and new teammates for the loyalty exhibited toward him in the recruiting process, concurred.

“I love it, man,” Bailey gushed. “We all share the ball, we’re all energetic, we’ve got length, we could do everything, we communicate well as a team. I love this team. We ain’t worried about anybody else’s decisions. We’re going to work as a team. We know what we’ve got, what we’re capable of.”

Inside Ed Kull’s strategy and mindset as he looks to lead St. John’s athletic resurgence

Ed Kull is all smiles as he returns to St. John’s Tuesday, officially introduced as Red Storm athletic director. (Photo by Jaden Daly/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

NEW YORK — Ed Kull walked into a department with an antiquated school of thought four years ago when he returned to the world of college athletics as the athletic director at Fordham, a university heralded for its national reputation and New York location, but seemingly unable to get out of its own way administratively.

In four short years, Kull did Herculean work at Rose Hill, revolutionizing the long-moribund Fordham athletic program with a fresh, modern thought process and commitment to overcome a handicap. His hires of Kyle Neptune and Keith Urgo, the latter of whom guided the Rams to their first 20-win season in over three decades, and tireless fundraising — Kull generated $7.6 million in the previous fiscal year alone — brought Fordham back into conversations it would traditionally be laughed out of.

Kull is now tasked with doing something similar on the other side of the Whitestone Bridge, introduced Tuesday as the next athletic director at St. John’s, where his career began in 2003 as a graduate assistant, resumed once more in 2011 after a detour outside the industry, and now begins anew in a time where the landscape of college athletics is as fluid as ever before.

As for the man who awakened the proverbial sleeping giant when he replaced David Roach at Fordham in 2020? That experience gives him a unique perspective as he embarks upon his newest challenge.

“It definitely opened my eyes in terms of strategy, approach, and the ability of what’s possible,” Kull said of his tenure in the Bronx. “There was always this feeling that it could not be done at Fordham, right? They’re not serious about basketball, they can’t win there, the gym question came up frequently in terms of us playing in that facility. It just makes me bullish on this stock and bullish on this opportunity, in terms of what these basketball programs can mean to this university. And that’s not lip service. That’s truly a strategy and approach, and a direct commitment that needs to take place here.”

Perhaps it is fitting that St. John’s, in some instances, is essentially a larger version of the canvas on which Fordham operates. On the big-picture level, both are Catholic institutions with similar faith-rooted ideologies and mindsets. But a look under the microscope reveals St. John’s has the same issues of facility criticisms — the state of Carnesecca Arena is a frequent concern among fans and boosters — and particularly, a dormant alumni base stuck in the past with no desire to adapt to the current state of affairs. Hiring Kull, a reputed people person with a knack for engaging anyone and everyone with his affability and devotion to getting things done, will help on that front. And in light of the recent House settlement on NIL and whatever guidelines may soon ensue with regard to student-athlete compensation, the need to become more profitable becomes even more urgent.

“There’s no way around it,” Kull conceded, not avoiding the elephant in the room. “The statement has always been, ‘we need to raise more money, we need to sell more tickets.’ We need to do more fundraising, more than ever. With the House settlement, the revenue sharing, that investment in athletics is going to grow more and more, no matter what level it ends up being, no matter what the judge ends up ruling on. Revenue generation’s going to be everything, and how do we be creative in terms of additional sponsorships, branding opportunities? I don’t see NIL going away, even with the House settlement.”

And in setting up a point of attack, the first thing that is needed is a realistic plan to combat the deficits St. John’s currently faces. Kull’s addition to a leadership front that already has Rev. Brian Shanley’s commitment and Rick Pitino’s motivation to win big one more time at the highest level driving it checks another box, but the need to think outside of the norm becomes a requirement across the board.

“People will give and donate to something they believe in,” Kull discussed. “They’ll see a return on investment with people that they can trust and have passion for. That’s the alignment here, top to bottom. St. John’s is serious, they’re committed, and that’s going to generate more interest with donors.”

“I think the non-traditional approach and the business mindset is everything right now in terms of opportunities, whether that be NIL, selling sponsorships, branding opportunities, licensing, social media use or different things digitally. We’ve gotta be as creative and outside the box as possible, and I think that’s not just a St. John’s thing, that’s the entire NCAA and all colleges right now in terms of how they prepare for the future. Are they in, or are they going to be out?”

Kull spoke openly of how much St. John’s paved the road for his career, and his longstanding connections to university powerbrokers will help him, in his own words, hit the ground running. If his experience at Fordham could be summarized in a single bullet on his resume, it would be refueling the flame to do spearhead a similar transformation in Queens.

“Anybody who’s either been an alum or a fan of St. John’s, or worked here, there’s always been this feeling of unfulfilled potential,” Kull proposed. “The time is right. I couldn’t be more inspired and motivated to come back to my alma mater and help lead through the challenges of what the future of the NCAA’s going to be. Now is the time, and now we make sure we’re maximizing and bringing St. John’s to its full potential.”

Ed Kull’s return further signifies St. John’s renewed commitment to athletic success

Ed Kull, twice a former St. John’s employee both in and out of athletics, has returned a third time, replacing Mike Cragg as Red Storm’s athletic director. (Photo by Fordham University Athletics)

When St. John’s announced its need for an athletic director after sacking Mike Cragg three months ago, one name stood head and shoulders above the candidate pool.

Ed Kull had the inside track from his two previous stints at St. John’s, one in the athletic marketing office before returning years later to work in institutional advancement, but the Middle Village native’s candidacy was bolstered more by the actions on his resume than the names of his employers. A natural fundraiser with an unparalleled sense of business savvy and exceptional people skills, Kull’s impending hire was seen more as a question of when it would be consummated, rather than the if that has seemed to plague the corner of Union and Utopia in recent decades.

Wednesday marked a second homecoming for Kull, who was reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel to have accepted St. John’s offer to make him the Red Storm’s next athletic director. The hire reaffirms the university’s long-dormant competitive fire and commitment to winning on and off the playing surface, a flame stoked and rekindled three years ago when Rev. Brian Shanley was hired as president, bringing with him a reputation of not only caring about college athletics, but ensuring its prominence on campus and devoting whatever resources were necessary for success.

Shanley’s first major act came 18 months ago, when he acted almost unilaterally to hire Rick Pitino as men’s basketball coach after Mike Anderson was fired. His second comes this week with the hire of Kull, whose four-year tenure at Fordham transcended expectations and instilled belief in a moribund department. Kull will now look to do the same in a landscape where his institutional knowledge will be key to helping an operation long viewed as a mom-and-pop store finally get with the times and take its rightful place at an ever-changing table.

At only 43 years old, Kull brings an infusion of youth to a staid outfit that had been complacent on several fronts, and with it the requirement of thinking outside the box to get things done. He also brings an enthusiasm to grow his new department and not look at it as a stepping stone to something greater. His ubiquitous presence at athletic events and on social media will also bolster a department that has struggled with its branding and promotion in recent years.

At Fordham, Kull spearheaded fundraising in excess of $10 million for student-athletes, a figure that becomes bolder when one remembers Fordham had never invested that heavily in athletics under either of his predecessors, Dave Roach or Frank McLaughlin. Perhaps Kull’s most revered skill is his knack for negotiating corporate sponsorships, an asset honed when working under Mike Repole — more on him later — at Vitamin Water after he left St. John’s for the first time in the late 2000s. It was Kull who was responsible for the marketing of Vitamin Water and Powerade before his return to the university spectrum, where he then inked St. John’s contract with Under Armour and orchestrated a similar agreement between Fordham and Nike three years ago. And as a former student-athlete himself, a catcher on Stony Brook’s baseball team two decades ago, Kull better than anyone knows the pressure and tight balancing act that comes with managing sports and the classroom, and will work to make sure academic advisement and whatever other necessary amenities the players he now oversees need will be tended to in short order.

Finally, there is his relationship with Mike Repole, the primary benefactor among St. John’s booster base, the thoroughbred owner who essentially bankrolls the university’s NIL war chest, which Kull himself will also enhance through his own connections and willingness to engage powerbrokers and lead by example where others in his position appeared in over their heads. Kull and Repole have a longstanding personal and professional relationship, so the famous scorched earth interview the latter gave to Mike Francesa in 2019, where Repole expressed his distaste for what his alma mater had become, will likely not be revisited. However, one comment Repole made in that WFAN back-and-forth does bear repeating.

“At the end of the day,” Repole told Francesa five years ago when referencing the men’s basketball program, “this sport is the front porch of your house. We have a pretty ugly front porch right now. The inside of the house probably looks like crap.”

Since then, the remodeling and renovations have been extensive. Shanley was the first major improvement, and his take-charge leadership essentially boxed out incompetent gladhanders like general counsel Joe Oliva, whose power base within the athletic department was always mystifying to fans given his numerous failures. Pitino taking over the position once held by Lou Carnesecca inspired fans young and old to once again dream big with a program that once stood toe to toe with the titans of the sport. Today, Ed Kull’s tenure as athletic director will take the dinosaurs still stuck in 1985 and bring them back to life, with the confidence and swagger to be steadfast in their convictions and the expectation of being victorious in each of their endeavors.

Ironically, “expect to win” had been a slogan of the Mike Cragg era, sometimes mocked and largely dismissed. At St. John’s today, it now becomes a way of life.

Clarence Rupert intent on continuing winning ways in his MAAC encore after transferring to Iona

Clarence Rupert scores over Purdue’s Zach Edey as Saint Peter’s went on to upset Boilermakers in 2022 Sweet 16. Now a senior, Rupert is back in MAAC for final college chapter after transferring to Iona. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — To the more informed and avid fans of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, the sight of Clarence Rupert’s name in the transfer portal this offseason garnered more than just a passing glance.

Rupert, if you recall, was the starting power forward two years ago as Saint Peter’s shocked the world and made history as the first No. 15 seed to reach an NCAA Tournament regional final. A freshman then, Rupert — as most others would later do — departed Jersey City in the wake of head coach Shaheen Holloway’s move to Seton Hall, landing at Southern Illinois.

Now after two years in Carbondale, where he helped guide the Salukis to 42 wins and the top half of the Missouri Valley Conference, the Philadelphian has returned to his former haunt, resurfacing at Iona for his final year of eligibility and hoping to bring the Gaels back into familiar territory after last year’s foundational campaign in Tobin Anderson’s maiden voyage through New Rochelle.

“It’s good to be back in the MAAC,” Rupert gushed after Iona’s open practice last week. “People think like the MAAC is some lower conference. There’s so many good teams in the MAAC. Iona’s been winning the MAAC year after year, Saint Peter’s has been winning the MAAC. I don’t know why people think the MAAC is some light run, or people can just come beat people in the MAAC. Every game is hard, nobody’s coming here to beat people by 20-plus or 30-plus. Every game’s gonna be contentious, hard, every night.”

Rupert’s knowledge of the conference, plus a familiarity with Anderson from watching the latter’s own March Madness success at FDU, made the recruiting process much easier and more cordial. The fact that both parties shared the common denominator of knocking off Purdue in the big dance — Rupert in the Sweet 16 at Saint Peter’s, Anderson as a 16 seed at FDU — did not hurt either.

“We’ve told a few stories about that,” Anderson quipped. “That’s definitely been talked about a little bit. We’re the only two guys in the gym who have beaten Purdue.”

“It’s so crazy,” Rupert added, crediting former Southern Illinois assistant coach Brendan Mullins for bringing he and Anderson together. “I was actually watching (FDU) when Tobin and them were in the (NCAA Tournament), and the camera kept going to him constantly, how hard he coaches, how he always wanted to play aggressive, stuff like that. I was looking like, ‘Damn! I need a coach like that!’ And then once he came to Iona, I had to do one more year at Southern Illinois, then when the portal opened, the first person to hit me up was Tobin. He was like, ‘look, me and you are both winners. We both beat Purdue, how you feeling?’ And I told him, ‘Man, I’m feeling good! I already know who you are, you don’t have to say your name.’ I already knew who Tobin was and how he coached, so I already knew what it was.”

The knowledge of what he was getting himself into in his return to the Northeast has been mutually beneficial to both Rupert as well as his teammates, all of whom already regard him as a vocal leader both on and off the floor after just two months of summer workouts and practices. And for the elder statesman of the group, the experience of being trusted to handle pressure early in his career as a starter at Saint Peter’s, where he was shepherded along by veterans the likes of Daryl Banks III and KC Ndefo, played a major role in the fabric of what he has become as a senior.

“It shaped me well because Sha believed in me,” Rupert shared, praising Holloway for his trust in him despite his youth. “As soon as I got there, he started me and when we had three or four seniors who could start over me, he believed in me for real. Sha really molded me into the guy I am right now.”

It takes a certain toughness and fearlessness to play and thrive under a coach like Holloway, which has made Rupert’s arrival at Iona all the more significant, because his experience will help the Gaels bridge gaps in size, defense and rebounding that were major obstacles toward progressing further in Anderson’s first season at the helm. And after 11 weeks together, the fusion has mirrored that of a veteran team that one would assume has already been through the proverbial wars.

“Tobin told me when I came in that I would have to be a leader,” Rupert recalled, also citing that he felt as though he had been a leader throughout his well-traveled career. “There’s a whole bunch of young guys and only three seniors on the team, me, (Jalen Barr) and (Dejour Reaves). So he told me for real, ‘Clarence, you gotta come in here and be a leader. People are gonna look up to you. You’re a winner, show them how to have a winning experience.’ And it means a lot. The guys look up to me, I come in every day and I practice hard, and now they’re in line. Everybody just falls in line, honestly. We got here June 1 and we learned the system probably by June 20. Tobin just emphasized to us that we’re gonna press, play half-court defense hard, everything. So we had a players-only meeting one day and we were like, ‘yo, this is what we gotta do. If we don’t, we’re gonna lose.’”

“I wouldn’t say this is a new team. Honestly, I feel like I’ve known these guys for two or three years. We all hang out with each other every day, we come in here 20-30 minutes before practice, laugh with each other, joke with each other, be in the locker room until about 10:00 at night. I don’t feel like this is a whole new team, I feel like I’ve been on this team for all four years of my college life, honestly. I feel like this new team gelled together well. We all bonded together. I feel like we’ll go into the MAAC and really cause some trouble.”

After last season’s inconsistency, among the priorities for Anderson and his staff when navigating the offseason and the portal this year were establishing a more physical and veteran presence, especially up front, where Iona was often overmatched and dwarfed by taller big men. That was also part of what led the coach to Rupert, who still looks to build upon his winning ways and become a complete forward who affects the game with or without the basketball in his hands.

“It goes both ways,” Anderson said of the marriage between Rupert and the Gaels. “We knew that he’s a guy that’s had success and knows what it takes to win at this level and has experience. And then I think he knows he could have great success here, too. He’s won a bunch of games, but I’d like to see Clarence try to become an all-conference player. He hasn’t done yet, and we’ve talked about that. Part of that is understanding staying healthy and staying out of foul trouble, things like that, but I think for him, personally, coming to the MAAC is a great thing, and for us as a team, he brings a lot.”

“When you talk about Clarence going to the NCAA Tournament, winning games, here’s a guy who went to the Elite 8. There’s no questions being asked about that, there’s no, ‘what have you done?’ He’s done it before. He’s played a big role in doing it, and he wants to get back to it. He knows how important it is to win, and that carries over.”

It has translated already, as Rupert — intimately acquainted with Iona’s history from his firsthand look at it two years ago plus his knowledge as a student of the game — knows what the expectations are. He has made short work of not only resetting the bar in his new locale, but subsequently raising it.

“You already know the culture here,” he said. “Look at the banners. The culture here is winning, so we’re trying to bring that winning back. Last year didn’t go as well, so we’re trying to come in here and bring that winning culture back.”

Last year’s overhaul gives Tobin Anderson more confidence as he prepares for another reboot at Iona

Tobin Anderson replaced entire roster again this offseason, but believes his Iona team can be a factor in wide open MAAC this coming year. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — For three consecutive years now, the whirlwind has yet to stop for Tobin Anderson.

The architect of a perennial Division II powerhouse at St. Thomas Aquinas, Anderson received his first Division I break two years ago at FDU, and led the Knights to an historic upset of Purdue in the NCAA Tournament despite a truncated offseason due to his not being hired until early May. Last season, he parlayed his Cinderella stroke into a step up at Iona, but had to recruit an entire roster save for Osborn Shema, the lone holdover from Anderson’s predecessor, Rick Pitino.

This year, Anderson has had to reconstruct the Iona program yet again, literally from scratch. When Jean Aranguren became the last of the Gaels to enter the transfer portal, the coach had nothing incumbent other than his staff and the walls of the Hynes Athletics Center. Still, he maintained an upbeat outlook through a process that has now become de rigueur in college basketball, especially among mid-major programs, and conceded that the mass exodus was not the most demoralizing point of the past five months.

“What was demoralizing was getting beat by Manhattan (on March 7, a 77-60 loss to the rival Jaspers),” Anderson recalled. “The lowest point of last year, for a long time for me, was leaving Manhattan’s gym not competing, not being in the game, getting our ass kicked. That was the lowest point, so whatever had to happen happened. Changes had to be made with how we did things, how we approached things. I was not demoralized when guys were leaving. If you don’t want to be here and do what we have to do to be successful, then we’re better off going someplace else.”

“I think anytime with a new job, it’s gonna take some time to build things up a little bit. Everything’s changed with recruiting and how you build rosters and build a team, so things have changed a lot and I think we’ve learned a lot. I know personally, I learned a ton about how to, in this day and age, construct a better roster, find more guys who fit what we’re looking for, how to recruit in a short period of time, so I think last year definitely gave us an advantage going into this year. We saw the mistakes we made and we tried to correct them, and I think we have.”

Anderson and his staff made short work of recruiting 14 players and bringing them together for 38 summer workouts since reconvening as a unit in June. And where some programs have navigated the transfer portal by following the siren songs of neon lights and marquee value, what the haul Iona has lured to New Rochelle lacks in notoriety, it more than makes up for in potential and intangibles.

“First of all, you’re not building an all-star roster,” Anderson reiterated. “You’re building a team. We have guys on this year’s team who do things that are specific to helping us win. Kernan Bundy and Jalen Barr probably didn’t average 10 points a game for their college teams — one was at a JUCO and one was Division II — but they’re winners. We didn’t try to build an all-star roster, we did a better job building a team and finding guys who could help us win in a lot of different ways.”

“We kind of went back to our roots as far as defensive guys, speed, quickness, toughness, guys who could play our tempo, play our pace. We went back to what we call the Iona DNA. It came from STAC, it went to FDU. We love gym rats, we love guys who have a chip on their shoulder. The guys who are here want to win, want to do big things. They’re winners. Guys that come from winning programs have habits that help you win. The guys we’ve got here are guys from great programs, and I think that’s gonna be a big asset to us as we go through a whole season.”

In an open practice this past Tuesday, Anderson highlighted senior forward Clarence Rupert — a Southern Illinois transfer that die-hard Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference fans will remember from his freshman year at Saint Peter’s, where he helped lead the Peacocks to the Elite 8 as a No. 15 seed — for his leadership and toughness. The coach is hopeful that some of his other upperclassman arrivals, such as Dejour Reaves (Northern Colorado), Jalen Barr (Division II Flagler College), James “Biggie” Patterson (who Anderson recruited at St. Thomas Aquinas but never got to coach, having left for FDU) and Luke Jungers (Nebraska-Omaha), will shore up the gaps in rebounding and defense that plagued last year’s iteration of the Gaels.

“Clarence Rupert’s been great, obviously,” Anderson said as he ran through the list of elder statesmen under his aegis. “He knows what it takes to win, he’s been through a summer before, he knows what it’s like. Dejour Reaves, same thing, he’s a guy who’s had success at this level, had a chance to win. The guys that have been impressive, like a Jalen Barr who comes from a Division II school and was a two-time defensive player of the year, just knows how to make things happen. And our freshmen are good. Adam Njie’s gonna be a real good freshman point guard for us, Jojo Wallace can score. If (Wallace) was playing against me and my staff 3-on-3, he would score, if he plays against you guys in practice, he would score, if you put ten NBA guys out there, he’d score as well.”

“And our front line, I think we’re bigger, we’re stronger, we’re more physical with Yaphet (Moundi), Rupert, Luke Jungers has had a great summer. Obviously you get caught up sometimes in wanting to be overly optimistic, but I feel like I have a pretty good feel. I like these guys. They give me energy. These guys are fun to be around.”

Patterson, a 6-foot-7 swingman who averaged nearly 24 points and nine rebounds per game at STAC this past season, will be an impactful player almost from the opening tip at Princeton on November 4. Anderson mentioned he could see time alongside both Rupert and junior college import Yaphet Moundi, giving Iona a physically imposing look down low.

“We brought four guys to FDU, but I probably should have brought five,” Anderson said of Patterson, who stayed in Rockland County and helped uphold STAC’s dominance. “Matt Capell, his head coach, is a pretty good friend of mine, so we rented him out for two years to him and Matt did a great job. (Patterson) just knows how to win now, he shoots the ball much better, he’s been a focal point of the scouting report so he knows what it’s like to get a lot of attention, and he just brings a good pedigree of success both personally and as part of a good team. And he knows our system. We have no one here who knows our system like he knows it. He kind of teaches the other guys well, so that helps.”

“We have a good group of guys up front who are physical. We won’t get bullied. The bullying time up front is over. Yaphet and Rupert, they’re not only physical, they want to inflict harm. They want to hit people. They’re like defensive linemen, and then a guy like Luke Jungers, a 6-foot-9 guy who can shoot the ball, is a change of speed, change of pace guy who can play with those guys, so I’m really excited about our front line.”

As the Gaels — like most teams of their ilk — now acclimate themselves to an almost consistent annual turnover, Anderson cited the need to build team chemistry expeditiously, something he initially cultivated by making sure he personally saw every player he ultimately signed and met with them and their families to establish relationships early.

“Every one of these guys on the roster, I flew out to and I’ve seen them in person,” Anderson proclaimed. “(I’ve had) face-to-face contact, met them, met their families, spent time with them, and you have to do that. If you don’t do that, you don’t get a chance to know them as well. You have to build those bonds quicker. We’ve spent so much time together just because you have to. Two months has to feel like two years sometimes.”

“It’s just reality. You have to manage it, you have to accept it. It used to be (where) you’d plan things two or three or four years in advance, but it’s not the same anymore. You have to adjust, and we constantly talk more about the options that are out there recruiting-wise. A big thing is getting guys who come here to stay, and I think getting them to stay is having a lot of success. Iona’s had a lot of success traditionally, so if we could win and make it a great experience, it only helps to make them feel more at home and keep them here.”

Iona still has three months before it opens the season, but early returns suggest the Gaels could be forwardly placed in a MAAC that could be more parity-laden and unpredictable than last season, no small feat considering the largely unknown makeups of half the conference’s rosters. Anderson cited the patience in layering his style and desired pace, but was also effusive in his praise of how the group has coagulated to date.

“We spent much more time as a staff with how we’re gonna teach things, being more patient, simplifying things,” he shared. “I want them to be instinctive. I want them to play with reckless abandon, and to do that, you’ve gotta feel comfortable. We’ve definitely changed our implementation of things. We didn’t put the press in until about two weeks ago. We may be behind team concept-wise, but we’re way ahead as far as competitiveness, camaraderie, playing together, playing for each other. That part’s more important than anything else.”

“You’ve gotta build a culture and all that stuff, and we didn’t have that last year, so we had to get to that. I think we’ve done a good job, but time will tell, obviously. You can talk all you want to in August, but what happens in the winter will make the difference. We had to get to that point and build this culture. These guys all want to be here, they all want to compete, they’re all here for the right reasons, and I feel really good about that.”