Omoruyi delivers on promise and hype with double-double in his Rutgers debut

Cliff Omoruyi’s Rutgers debut was one to remember, highlighted by 14 points and 11 rebounds as Scarlet Knights routed Sacred Heart. (Photo by Ben Solomon/Rutgers University Athletics)

When Cliff Omoruyi decided to stay home at the end of last season, signing with Rutgers over Arizona State and a bevy of other high-major suitors, great things were expected from the 6-foot-11 mountain of a man who was the Scarlet Knights’ first Top 50 recruit to ply his wares on the banks of the old Raritan in a decade.

Hardly anyone could have expected such a payoff to begin yielding so soon.

Starting his collegiate debut, Omoruyi recorded 14 points and 11 rebounds Wednesday for the first double-double by a Rutgers freshman since Greg Echenique in 2008, shooting a perfect 6-for-6 in an 86-63 victory over Sacred Heart that kicked off a promising season in dominating fashion for the team ranked 24th in the country.

“I’ve never had anyone like him on my team before,” Paul Mulcahy said of Omoruyi and his indelible first act in a Rutgers uniform. “It’s a lot of fun. He’s a great teammate, super coachable, defensively, he helped us. He had the first six rebounds, so I’m proud of him and I’m happy his first game went like this.”

“Playing with Cliff is just a different feeling,” Ron Harper, Jr. added. “I’ve never played with somebody like him. Like Paul said, if you put it up there, he’s going to get it if it’s in the vicinity. He gives it his all out there. He’s been working hard all summer and fall getting ready for his moment, and he had his moment tonight.”

Heading into the season, much had been made of the progress Omoruyi had made on and off the floor, and the impression the engineering student had made upon Myles Johnson, pushing him in practice and turning player development into a collaborative effort. Wednesday, with the lights on for the first time and the stage finally brought to life, the Roselle Catholic star who spent the past three years watching his current teammates rise up into a legitimate NCAA Tournament contender delivered, and fit in seamlessly.

“You know what? I think he’s one of the greatest kids, too,” said head coach Steve Pikiell. “We recruited Cliff from the day he arrived here, and through the course of three years, he got to see us play a lot, come to practices and I think that was very important. He saw the rise of the program and wanted to be a part of it, and we’re real thankful for that.”

“I wanted to recruit great kids, good students and good people, and he fits all those things. We’re really excited to have him in the program, and he happens to come from New Jersey, even better. But if he was from anywhere, I would recruit the heck out of him. Those qualities are really important to our program here and guys getting better, and he’s got all those qualities to get better.”