Rutgers turns page from last year’s disappointment with returning core, new additions

Steve Pikiell loses three starters from last year’s Rutgers team, but is confident that deeper, more athletic Scarlet Knights will push pace and maintain success this season. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Amid the eight returning faces and several newcomers to his program this summer, something was still noticeably different about the tenor and tempo with which Steve Pikiell conducted an otherwise routine Tuesday afternoon practice at Rutgers.

Traditionally an outfit predicated on suffocating half-court defense and methodical, smart shooting on the offensive end, the Scarlet Knights pushed the pace on Tuesday, atypical of their prior preferences. But for Rutgers and its head coach, the change in tactics is simply a better fit for his personnel, and also satisfies a consistent objective on the floor.

“Every year, I try to play fast,” Pikiell told reporters gathered at Jersey Mike’s Arena Tuesday, where Rutgers’ practice was followed by its annual media day. “This group is more athletic than what we’ve had in the past. The biggest thing it affects is the quicker you shoot the ball, the more you’re on defense. Everyone wants to run up and down like crazy, I don’t want other teams to score that easily. We’re just faster, we’ve just got more options that way. But we’ve gotta become a more defensive team and we’ve got the tools to do that. We’ve got length, our backcourt speed is as good as it’s been.”

“Every year, you have different challenges with your team. I like our depth this year. We haven’t had enough depth the last couple years, we’ve dealt with injuries, it certainly has hurt our depth. We’re really deep, this is by far my deepest team. Every guy comes in and can do some stuff to help us, but every year’s exciting. I like that part of basketball, I like to figure it out and the challenges that come with the season. Guys will sit there and say, ‘they’re gonna win this game, they’re gonna win that game.’ No coach thinks that way. I like that part the most, and I like that I have the most pieces I’ve had.”

Pikiell was effusive with his remarks about his team’s depth, which could manifest itself in a 10-man rotation for most of the season and eventually 11 men once Mawot Mag returns to the floor. The forward and defensive stalwart was recently cleared for contact last month as he continues to recover from a torn ACL suffered in February's win over Michigan State at Madison Square Garden, and is ahead of schedule, according to Pikiell. But Mag will not need to be rushed back on a team that returns seniors Cliff Omoruyi and Aundre Hyatt, who lead a group that also includes highly touted freshmen Gavin Griffiths and Jamichael Davis, as well as sophomores Derek Simpson and Antwone Woolfolk.

“I really like this team,” Pikiell again gushed. “We have a really nice vibe about us. I’m thankful our veterans came back, I really like the new additions we added from the portal, I like our freshman class a great deal and I like the development of the younger guys, too. I think this is a good team that’s going to be able to do a lot of different things.”

One of those things has been the emergence of Hyatt as a more vocal leader and scorer after serving as a role player last season behind the likes of Caleb McConnell, Paul Mulcahy and Cam Spencer. Pikiell has loved what he has seen from the LSU transfer, and has had multiple conversations with him this offseason about raising his game into the all-conference-caliber athlete Hyatt hopes to be.

“He’s proven to be a really good player, but he’s taken it to a different level,” Pikiell reiterated. “He’s putting the ball on the floor, he’s become more vocal, his numbers shooting the ball are off the charts, he leads us in assists. He’s really become a complete basketball player and he’s going to have a really fantastic season. People talk to our players all the time, so to have these guys come back and finish what they started is very important.”

Antonio Chol, who redshirted last season and has since gained 18 pounds, also projects to be a significant part of the rotation, along with Oskar Palmquist, who resurfaced on the banks after briefly transferring to Elon and then having a change of heart. Speaking of the portal, it is there where the balance of the Rutgers roster was added, with Noah Fernandes and Austin Williams arriving by way of UMass and Florida International.

“Everyone just thinks you replace guys in the portal and all those things,” Pikiell said. “You’ve still gotta get the right people. I’m really excited about what they’ve brought, and they’ve been proven winners. I’m glad that they’ve blended in so well. The summer tour (of Senegal and Portugal) was very important to us, and I like the guys we’ve added. Noah’s mature and he’s been around, Austin Williams has been terrific, he’s fast as can be, he gets to the rim, he’s built like a tank. These guys have been around, so I think they’ve really blended in, but I knew they had great personalities when I made those phone calls early on.”

Still, the disappointment of how last season ended, with the Scarlet Knights being the first team left out of the NCAA Tournament and subsequently losing its opening-round NIT game to Hofstra in overtime, remains a bitter pill to swallow. But the influx of new talent, coupled with August’s overseas trip, has allowed a new iteration of Rutgers basketball to come together with optimism from both players and coaches about the end result.

“It was really difficult not making the tournament,” Hyatt admitted. “I think once we got back as a team in June, we got to see all the new people and just tried to scope out a plan of what we wanted the team to look like and how we wanted to play. So just having that turnover and having the new guys on campus, just learning about each other, I feel like it worked out well. I’m excited about the season.”

“As soon as the game’s over, last season’s over,” Pikiell concurred. “You’re on to the next one in this day and age. This is a new group that we’re really excited about, we’ve still got a lot to do and we’ve gotta do it in the best league in the country. Last year doesn’t come up a lot. We’re on to the new challenges of this year.”

Rutgers will be challenged early, with Princeton awaiting on November 6 in the season opener as the Tigers look to replicate last March’s Sweet 16 run. The Scarlet Knights will also take on St. John’s two weeks from Saturday in a charity exhibition benefiting the V Foundation, but before any balls are tipped, Pikiell owns a positive outlook about the year ahead.

“I love where we are as a team right now,” he said. “We’ll be a little bit different, but we have much more depth this year. Hopefully we can withstand injuries a little more. This group has shot the ball at an elite level, they’ve passed the ball. You always miss the guys that leave and graduate, but you get new opportunities, and these guys have been working hard.”