Monmouth’s aggressiveness and resilient veterans returning just in time for stretch run

Nikkei Rutty’s emergence as rim protector and rebounder has taken on added importance as Monmouth gears up for MAAC tournament. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. — King Rice envisioned nights like Tuesday from his veteran Monmouth team, one that has made a habit of bouncing back from losses and rough breaks by asserting itself as a team capable of playing with anyone, as evidenced by a non-conference season headlined by wins over Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, as well as a near-upset of St. John’s.

What Rice got from the Hawks Tuesday, when the longtime coach became the winningest in Monmouth’s history as a Division I program following a 71-59 victory over a Siena team also jockeying for position near the top of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference leaderboard, was a validation of sorts for a team with perhaps the most experience in the program since Justin Robinson led it to heights that have yet to be revisited.

“I think so,” Rice said when asked if he would attribute the grit and resolve to veteran leadership. “But it’s also a credit to the younger guys. The younger guys have kept their heads in a good place, and now they’re really challenging these guys in practice. These kids are starting to get it also, and now they can push these guys to another level. It’s all of us just being a close-knit group and really talking about the issues this year. These guys will say it to each other, and they’ll receive it the right way.”

Through several team meetings, and a dinner among Monmouth’s fifth-year seniors — a core that includes George Papas, Shavar Reynolds, Walker Miller and Marcus McClary — has only forged the bonds on and off the floor, which manifested in a suffocating defense that limited Siena to 21 percent shooting and only 19 points in the first half as Nikkei Rutty attacked the glass for 11 of a career-best 19 rebounds.

“Tonight, our defense carried us through,” said Rice. “It starts with our point guard. Early in the year, I was on the guys about some of those things, and I backed off a little bit. These guys are grown men, so we started talking about it. George is a better defender when Shavar picks up the ball and gets after the point guard. Nikkei’s a better defender when Shavar and (Samuel) Chaput and Myles (Ruth) really get after the point guard.”

For Rutty, who also tallied 13 boards on Friday's win over Rider, the channeling of Ben Wallace in that his offense took a backseat to rebounding in order to help his team is nothing new. In fact, it is merely harvesting at an opportune time, the forward says.

“I don’t think my mindset has changed too much,” Rutty reflected. “I definitely have a job to do and I’m trying to win out these next couple of games. The way I’m coming on the boards is the way I’ve been trying to do it all season, but they’re just coming to more and I’m going after them a little bit harder. Everything’s going my way, I can’t complain.”

“What I see is when Nikkei starts off games the way he did, like, 11 rebounds in the first half, all our energy is up,” Papas proclaimed. “I don’t know if you saw, but when he had 19, Coach kept him in the game for an extra possession. When players do the little stuff like that, that elevates us so much higher than me hitting a bunch of threes. That little stuff that Nikkei’s doing is giving us such a boost, and like he said, he’s always had that in him. It’s just awesome that it’s coming out now at the perfect time.”

And much like Reynolds declared Friday, Rice also reiterated that Rutty was simply returning to the form his coaches and players always knew was present in his game.

“When we won all those games early, Nikkei was the MVP,” Rice gushed. “Nobody talked about it because George scores and Shavar scores, and Walker came from Carolina. Nikkei was the MVP of our team early in the year. It’s hard to do what he does all the time, and not only grabbing boards.”

“He’s guarding dudes. Today, he guarded Anthony Gaines. All of a sudden, Nikkei is on guys and they’re not having their best nights, and now he’s grabbing all the rebounds and he’s talking. And when he talks on defense, that makes (George) talk and he doesn’t talk a lot, that makes Walker talk, who doesn’t talk a lot. We’ll be really good, and with Nikkei, he comes and he gives you an honest effort every single time.”

With four games remaining in the regular season, the next two against Saint Peter’s and the same Siena team Monmouth just beat — all three are tied for second in the MAAC standings — the questions of whether the Hawks’ edge had disappeared are gone, replaced by optimism and convictions that were reinforced through belief in one another.

“I don’t think we lost it,” Rice again stated. “We just weren’t as sharp. And these guys have been talking to each other a lot and meeting, and just reaffirmed with each other, ‘why did we do this? If we’re going to get to this point and not really be together, why did all of us come back? And I think each one having the opportunity to talk and say what they were feeling — and they had some hard conversations because some things probably needed to be said — they got it out of the way, and now they’re starting to play how we’d all like them to play. I like our chances down the stretch as long as we keep guarding.”