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.”