Rutgers’ NCAA Tournament encore begins with high expectations, cautious optimism

Steve Pikiell replaces three of his top six players this season as Rutgers hopes to return to NCAA Tournament, but is quietly excited about Scarlet Knights’ potential. (Photo by the New York Post)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Now that the 30-year drought has been put to rest, the next step in the journey begins in earnest.

Now only seven months removed from the NCAA Tournament after its three-decades-long albatross was lifted last March, Rutgers now sets its sights on furthering the build back to respectability, and even in the face of losing three of the program’s top six players in Myles Johnson, Montez Mathis and Jacob Young, still believes it can reach the same heights that redefined the perception of Scarlet Knights basketball once and for all.

“The preparation this offseason was tremendous,” Caleb McConnell remarked Friday as Rutgers held its preseason media day on campus. “The younger guys worked their asses off. It was amazing to see everybody in the gym. The previous years, there was usually a couple of guys here and there, but this year, I could say it was damn near everybody in the gym just coming in here trying to get better, and I feel like that really shows this year.”

“We had a great summer, by far our best,” head coach Steve Pikiell concurred. “I’m excited about my roster. They’re coachable, they play hard. We’ve got a lot of challenges, but I think we’re ready for them. Their chemistry’s been awesome. We’ve been grinding them, (and) they come back the next day and watch the most film of any group and they’re in the gym more than any group I’ve had. They’re into it, they put the time into it, and it’s a nice blend. We have veteran guys, and then we have young guys hungry to play. We’ve got gamers, Cliff (Omoruyi) works harder than any big guy we’ve had ever, and I’m able to do a lot of different things with this group. I’m excited about that.”

Omoruyi, now the go-to option for Rutgers in the post after Johnson transferred to UCLA in the offseason, has taken on the lion’s share of the work down low, and along with San Jose State graduate transfer Ralph Agee, has given Pikiell what he termed his best production at the center spot since his arrival on the banks in 2016. The duo, with Mawot Mag and an improved Dean Reiber behind them, are replacing a vital cog in the machine, but have lived up to the task as judged by one of the Scarlet Knights’ elder statesmen.

“I saw Cliff working every single day in the offseason, so I know he’s prepared for this,” Geo Baker said, giving the Roselle Catholic product a glowing testimonial heading into his sophomore campaign. “He’s ready to take that role, and then Ralph’s an older guy who really understands the game. He’s really patient on the post, so I’m excited. We’ve been really focusing on rebounding and defense, so I know they’re going to be ready to defend, ready to contribute and ready to win.”

On the heels of a pandemic-restricted season wherein there was minimal contact even within the walls of the locker room, Rutgers has worked on fortifying the bonds and camaraderie between players and coaches, and the ability to once again enjoy normal lives on and off campus has bred a cooperative environment on the court as well.

“We really just bonded a lot more as a team this year,” Ron Harper, Jr. gushed. “Whether it was playing (NBA) 2K or just hanging out in the dorms going to the dining hall, or hanging out (and) going out together, a bunch of things like that makes everything on the court that much easier. I feel like I’ve got a lot of brothers on this team. All those guys, I’d pour my heart out for them, and that just doesn’t happen overnight. This team is the tightest team I’ve been a part of.”

“I feel like a lot of our young guys are ready to produce,” Harper continued. “Jaden Jones is going to be a great, versatile scorer, he can break you down off the dribble and hit an open jump shot, and Jalen Miller’s a tenacious defender who doesn’t let up. He’ll pick you up 94 feet, and he kind of reminds me of JY on defense. He’s come a long way this offseason. He has no ceiling.”

On top of the quick study each of the underclassmen have proven to be, Paul Mulcahy has become an even more gifted passer and consummate teammate, and each player has already helped solve the rebounding woes that plagued last year’s squad, which came three points away from a Sweet 16 appearance.

“We will, 100 percent, be better,” Pikiell said, stressing Rutgers’ improvement on the boards. “We already are. We’re a better block-out team right now as we speak, we’re bigger, our length is bigger and we’ve added extra size. Ralph’s been our best offensive rebounder since our first practice. We’ve just put a huge emphasis on it.”

Adding to the optimism is the return of fans to the RAC seats, a fervor that has already produced multiple sellouts before the ball has been tipped, with the expectation that every home game will attract a capacity crowd of 8,000 by the time the season officially commences on November 10. For McConnell, such an affirmation and endorsement carries extra meaning as he remembers how it was in the infancy of his career, when tickets could be procured minutes before tipoff.

“It’s really exciting, and that’s kudos to us,” he said. “It really started when I was a freshman. There wasn’t nobody coming to our games, there was barely even any media my freshman year. That just goes to us, the people who start at the bottom and keep on working, fighting through perseverance. Eventually, you’ll win. That’s something that Pike always preached. He said, ‘if Rutgers were a stock, go ahead and buy it now because eventually, it’s going to blow up.”

“We always expected to win and they did, too,” Pikiell reiterated. “Now they’re coming to our games and they’ll help us win. I’m excited that they’re going to be there and help us win games. I look forward to going back to the day before (a game) and people talking about games. That wasn’t the case during COVID and you had none of that homecourt advantage.”

Naturally, expectations are at an all-time high after experiencing the adrenaline rush of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since George H.W. Bush was president of the United States, when the Scarlet Knights were still in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Pikiell admitted the first act to follow would not be smooth, but did say he was grateful for the experience and fortitude his team possesses.

“I think this team is going to have some obstacles, but they’ve got some good fiber about them and I really like that,” he stated. “I know I can count on that fiber right now. I’ve embraced the expectation since I’ve been here, I’ve always had those expectations, and I hope our players have them.”

“We’re still hunters,” Paul Mulcahy declared, citing the eighth-place prediction in the Big Ten Conference preseason poll and disappointing end to last season’s postseason run. “We haven’t really accomplished what we set out to do. We’re going to approach the first game of the year like the tenth game of the year, and I think if we can be consistent in that, we’re going to be solid.”