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.”