Rutgers Basketball

First year head coach Mike Rice has already seen tremendous improvement to his Rutgers University Men’s Basketball team. By taking the job, he took on a slim roster, one destinted for a rough season. So far this season however, the Scarlet Knights have shown promise and potential.

Tonight’s final non-conference matchup will be a big test to see where this team stands. After tonight’s matchup against North Carolina, Rutgers will begin it’s Big East schedule.

Rice has said the Big East Conference schedule is the final exam for this team. If that’s the case, tonights game could be called the mid-term exam or even an exam review.

Rutgers enters tonight's matchup with a 9-2 record after reeling off six straight victories. UNC is 8-4 on the season, one already full of ups and downs. North Carolina, led by coach Roy Williams, were ranked as high as No. 8 this season before hitting a rough patch. They have since regrouped and have won four of their last five.

Tonight’s game tips off at 9pm at Madison Square Garden in New York City. ESPN2 will broadcast the game live to a national audience.

The Scarlet Knights will be looking to knock off their second ACC opponent this season, Miami was the first. Rutgers used tough, hard-nosed defense to keep the Hurricanes off balance and off the scoreboard. Rice and company will look to do the same to the Tar Heels. It will however be a much harder task.

Continue game preview and full article on Double G Sports.

When it was announced that Mike Rice would become the next men’s basketball head coach at Rutgers, St. Joe’s head coach Phil Martelli wasted no time in praising the decision.

“I will be honest with you, I think he is going to excite the whole state," said Martelli. "I think that Rutgers will take its place—it will take some building and patience—but he is going to excite that fan base, the RAC and the basketball community that is New Jersey."

We have heard this scenario many times before: coach accepts coaching position at Rutgers—gets bill of confidence from colleague that he will turn the program around—a couple years pass with little to no success and Rutgers is back at square one again announcing a new head coach.

I mean this isn’t just any school; this is Rutgers, arguably the ultimate college coaching “graveyard”. The Scarlet Knights men’s basketball program hasn’t been ranked in the top 25 since 1979, hasn’t played in an NCAA Tournament game since 1991 and is routinely at the bottom of the Big East standings.

It’s understandable that there was skepticism over whether Rice could return Rutgers to prominence. It would already be an uphill climb to elevate Rutgers towards the top-half of the Big East standings, but to make matters worse Rutgers’ two best players left the program earlier this year.

Former McDonald’s All-American and top scorer Mike Rosario left the program after head coach Fred Hill was fired and later announced that he would transfer to Florida.

In addition to Rosario, Gregory Echenique announced in early January that he would leave Rutgers and transfer to Creighton. To put it nicely, the already light cupboard of talent that Rutgers had now appeared to be completely bare by the time Rice accepted the job.

So how do you bring talent into a program and assemble a group of players that can take a school to the NCAA tournament? You hit the recruiting trail and begin scouring the country for players, and that is exactly what Rice did when he accepted the job.

Now this is where things get interesting, because Rutgers basketball and big time recruits don’t exactly go together like peanut butter and jelly. Don’t tell that to Rice though, in Rice’s first six months on the job he has already secured a recruiting class for 2011 that is ranked 15th best nationally by Rivals.

Point guard Jerome Seagears is one of the headliners of the seven man class and appears to be the point guard of the future for Rutgers. Seagears chose Rutgers over a multitude of schools that included Georgetown, Florida, Arizona, Missouri and Clemson. In addition to Seagears, Rice also lured a pair of local guards to Piscataway in Mike Taylor and Myles Mack.

Of course everyone knows though that paper championships (top ranked recruiting classes) mean nothing. It’s up to the coach to generate success on the court through the use of game plans, strategies and most of all getting each and everyone one of your players to play to the utmost of his abilities.

So far this season Rice has definitely gotten the most out of the remaining players that stayed loyal to the program. Rutgers began the season by losing to Princeton on the road in overtime, but ever since then Rice’s team has played inspired basketball.

The Scarlet Knights have won six of their last seven games including a dominating 61-45 victory against Miami (Fl) in front of the home crowd at the “RAC”. The only loss during that span came against Martelli’s St. Joseph’s Hawks in a road game at the Palestra.

I must admit that besides Miami (Fl) the seven wins have come against the likes of Fairfield, Norfolk State, Marist, Farleigh Dickinson, Auburn and New Jersey Institute of Technology. Obviously, Rutgers schedule hasn’t been a gauntlet of big time opponents, but the fact that Rutgers was picked to finish 15th in the 16 team Big East by coaches in the preseason poll and is sitting at 7-2 after a month of basketball is impressive anyway you look at it.

Now I want to make it clear that I’m not writing this article with the intention of framing Rutgers as a possible NCAA tournament team or a squad that could make serious noise in the Big East this season. No, Rice and his coaching staff just don’t have enough raw talent on their roster to make a serious NCAA tournament run.

The Scarlet Knights next two games against Monmouth and St. Peters are manageable, but the final 19 games of the season consist of a home game against North Carolina and then Big East play. It’s during these final 19 games that Rutgers lack of playmakers and elite athleticism will most likely rear its ugly head.

The future for the Rutgers men’s basketball program does look bright though.

Forward Jonathon Mitchell and guards James Beatty and Mike Coburn are seniors that have provided scoring and leadership for the Scarlet Knights. The trio’s production will need to be replaced, but there are players on this roster right now and players arriving shortly that can pick up the slack and then some.

Rice has a superb young talent in swingman Dane Miller. Miller is a 6'7" sophomore that has averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds during the Scarlet Knights last three games. In addition to Miller, Rice has also gotten increased production out of underclassmen such as sophomore big man Austin Johnson and freshman guard Mike Poole.

Johnson played sparingly last year under Hill, but his minutes, points and rebounds are all up this season, and he is contributing much more as a sophomore. Poole also appears to be a big part of the future as he showed his potential in the season opener against Princeton where he scored 14 points and had five steals. If you combine these young players with the pair of top 100 recruits coming in next year in forward Kadeem Jack and Jerome Seagears then you can see why there is reason to get excited in Piscataway.

St. Johns grabbed all the media headlines by hiring Steve Lavin away from the broadcasting booth with ESPN and bringing the charismatic former UCLA head coach to the Big Apple. Needless to say that Rutgers hiring of the former head coach of the Robert Morris Colonials didn’t generate the same press that St. Johns hiring of Lavin did.

Different coaches fit the needs of different schools though. Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti needed a man who is tough, passionate and a tireless worker. He got all three in Mike Rice and the early rewards are paying off big time.

Looking back on the tape from his team’s season opening loss to Princeton, Rutgers head coach Mike Rice was not pleased.

“Defensive effort against Princeton, I thought our energy was good. When we went back and watched the film, the defense was—to be honest with you—brutal. Guys (were) getting split, guys (were) not getting in the proper position,”  said Rice.

In last night’s home opener, the defense effort was much better for Rutgers. In fact, it was the effort on that side of the floor that carried the Scarlet Knights to their first win of the season. It was the first win for Mike Rice as the head coach.

While Jonathan Mitchell led all scorers with 15 points for Rutgers, Mike Coburn added 14. It was Coburn’s defense that highlighted the night.  Coburn and James Beatty combined to lock down Fairfield’s big scorer, Derek Needham. Needham was held to 14 points on 5-of-20 shooting.

Dane Miller joined Mitchell and Coburn as the three Scarlet Knights in double digit scoring, leading to Rutgers 68-53 win.

For Rutgers to succeed this season, defense is going to be a priority. The Knights lack size and use a three guard starting lineup. Defense and good shot selection will need to be consistent. Last night, Rutgers showed the ability to do both.

Defensively, Rutgers held Fairfield to 29.1 percent shooting, including 23.1 percent in the second half. Fairfield was just 6-of-23 from behind the 3-point arc.

Continue this article at Double G Sports.

Both Rutgers University basketball teams will begin their 2010-11 season tonight on the road. The men will be in Princeton at 7 PM while the women are across the country to take on California at 10 PM EST.

Each team will be looking for offense this season. Women’s coach Vivian C. Stringer went through an up and down season last year, finishing 19-15 and 9-7 in the Big East. Stringer’s team now must replace leading scorer Epiphanny Prince.

The success of the Lady Knights will surround the guards. For Rutgers to be a balanced team, the point guards will especially need to play well. Khadijah Rushdan will do a lot of the point guard duties this season. It will be her job to get everyone involved. She must use a drive and dish mentality this season.

Nikki Speed (Guard) and April Sykes (Forward) need to step up as well. Speed is an excellent ball handler but will need to put the ball in the hoop a lot more this year. Sykes could be a big key to the team this year. Sykes was a one time No. 2 recruit in the country but has not reached her potential since arriving at Rutgers.

Stringer will start four juniors and a sophomore in tonight’s opener. Stringer, always known for the tough defense her teams play, knows she must push this years club to be aggressive on the offensive end of the floor as well. Last season Rutgers averaged just 57.8 points per game.

Continue this article at Double G Sports.

Eric Murdock is a man that knows what it takes to be successful. A man that knows basketball. In Eric Murdock, Rutgers is getting a class act.

Murdock has been added to the Rutgers University Men's Basketball Staff. The Bridgewater native and current resident will take the role of Director of Player Development.

The guy has done it all on the local basketball scene. In high school, at Bridgewater-Raritan, Murdock led the Panthers to a state championship. He's played collegiate ball in the Big East for the Providence Friars (that's where Murdock got his nickname, "Man of Steal,") and earned his reputation as a shut-down defender.

Murdock's 376 career steals are currently the third most all-time. The record was once his, however. During his time with the Friars, Murdock had also become the third all-time leading scorer in school history with 2,021 points.

Murdock became a first-round NBA draft pick in 1991 for the Utah Jazz . He played nine seasons in the NBA, including some time with the New Jersey Nets   .

Recently, Murdock had been coaching on the AAU level in the area and coaching basketball at the Pingry School in Martinsville.

Read more on Eric Murdock at Double G Sports .

Rutgers basketball serves as a graveyard for coaches on the rise.

Rutgers hired Kevin Bannon, Gary Waters and Fred Hill to change their fortunes. In the end, those men could not get the job done.

Waters bounced back nicely by leading Cleveland State to a NCAA Tournament victory against Wake Forest last year. Bannon and Hill will not be coaching a college basketball team again.

One would think Rutgers learned from their mistakes, but that's not the case. They hired another up-and-coming coach several days ago.

They officially announced the hiring of Mike Rice yesterday in a press conference. Rice previously coached at Robert Morris University.

It's bad enough they hired an unproven coach, but they hired a guy from a NEC school. Hiring a coach from the Northeast Conference is not the way to go.

The Northeast Conference teams never fare well against great teams. There is a reason why they have never won a tournament game.

Robert Morris almost pulled it off in March. They should have beaten Villanova.

That's the only reason Rice was even considered for the job. No one knew who the new Rutgers coach was prior to what Robert Morris did in this tournament.

Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti hopes Rice can make miracles at Rutgers. That's the problem right there. Pernetti is hoping rather than expecting.

Rutgers was better off hiring a coach that has experience of winning. A coach that knows how to recruit and do well in the Big East.

Al Skinner, Tim Welsh or Fran Fraschilla would have been the right choice. As crazy as Bobby Gonzalez was, he would have been a better fit than the new Rutgers head coach.

Obviously, Pernetti had a late start of hiring coaches after it took an off-the-court incident to fire Hill. Still, those guys were available. Maybe they would not have been inspiring, but at least, they have the cache of recruiting and winning.

Fraschilla would have been the choice here. He knows how to win and recruit in this market by doing it in two colleges (Manhattan and at St. John's). He struggled at New Mexico, but that bad experience shouldn't taint the good things he has done as a coach.

If Fraschilla rejected the job, Welsh would have been a good backup. He was fired by Hofstra for his DWI arrest, but how many coaches have not been hired again after being in the police blotter? Too few to count.

Welsh may not be a great gameday coach, but he knows the area well enough to recruit. He actually did okay at Providence. Right now, okay would be considered greatness at Rutgers after couple of decades of awful basketball.

Who knows what Rice is going to do? It's hard to say he will be successful. Why should we feel that way after experiencing the same old story in the last couple of decades?

Here are several reasons to be optimistic:

He served as Jamie Dixon's assistant at Pittsburgh. He knows what it takes to win in the Big East.

He knows how to recruit in New Jersey and Philadelphia.

Bobby Hurley Sr. endorsed the hire. Anytime Hurley gives the seal of apporval, that's a good thing.

With that said, the previous coaches came with good recommendations. It meant nothing in the end.

Rutgers coaching history does not bode well for the former Robert Morris coach.

One wonders what he was thinking in making this decision to coach at Rutgers. He would have been better off coaching another mid-major team before he took a step up like this one.

Coaching in the Big East is not for rookie coaches. Not in a league where there are many great coaches. It's easy to be overmatched whether it's going through a player's home or coaching in the court.

Providence coach Keno Davis is learning it the hard way. After doing well at Drake, he is not having that same success at Providence.

It's going to take years for Rice to get this program running.  He has to sell the kids and their coaches that Rutgers is the place to be.

All these previous Rutgers coaches tried with no success. Mike Rosario's departure does not help matters. Don't forget Bob Huggins has complete control of getting kids in this area along with Jay Wright.

Who knows if Rice can coach at this level?

There's too much doubt about this choice.

Here's a prediction.

Rutgers will have another press conference in a couple of years at this time. They will announce another unproven head coach, and that guy will say all the right things.

With Fred Hill's firing about a month ago, Rutgers basketball was left in shambles. 

Since Hill's tenure started in 2006, Rutgers hasn't had a winning season.  Its 15-17 record in 2009-10 was actually the best season R.U. had under Fred Hill Jr.

When news came that Hill was to remain Rutgers' head coach, the fanbase was basically split.  The naysayers believed that the decision to keep Hill was purely economic, and even a positive fan would have to agree.

One profanity-laced tirade later, the naysayers got their wish: Fred Hill Jr. was done as head coach of Rutgers basketball.

As the school put the finishing touches on a buyout, the fallout ensued.  Transfers of Pat Jackson and star player Mike Rosario, and a de-commitment of Gil Biruta. 

But then, positive news came.  Athletic director Tim Pernetti sat down with Biruta, and convinced the kid to stay a Rutgers recruit.  Then, Pernetti turned his attention to a coaching search. 

So now, Rutgers turns to former Robert Morris head coach Mike Rice to lead its basketball program.  Pernetti is certainly putting himself out there with this hire.

Pernetti spurned established, albeit controversy-riddled coaches in Fran Fraschilla and Jim O'Brien.  He also said no to an established winner in Al Skinner formerly of Boston College.  

The athletic director decided that he wanted to catch the "wave up" in Mike Rice rather than hope that the "wave down" with Skinner, O'Brien, and Fraschilla would bring success to Rutgers.

With an apathetic and dwindling fanbase, the easy move is to hire the biggest name you can and hope to generate some enthusiasm.  Pernetti, however, is looking at the bigger picture.

While I admire the guts of Pernetti's vision, he is certainly out on a limb with Rice.  

The positives to this hire are that Rice is 41 years old, and certainly has the potential to "come of age" with Rutgers and be the next entrenched coach at a Big East school.  He can obviously coach as he guided the Robert Morris Colonials to NCAA tournament bids the past two seasons.  

However, the Big East is about so much more than coaching.  The biggest concern for Rutgers fans is, can this guy recruit?  Looking at Rice's resume, the answer seems to be affirmative.

Rice spent time as an assistant at Pittsburgh in the 2006-07 season and if there is one  thing R.U. supporters know about Pitt, it is that they get more than their fair share of New York and New Jersey recruits.  

It seems that Rice would have had to be involved in the recruitment of those players Pitt tabbed from the metropolitan area that season.  

So for Rutgers fans, it is once again time to hope.  Hope that Rice can tab some solid players from New York and New Jersey, coach them up, and most importantly, get them to stay loyal to the program.  

The Fred Hill fiasco is finally done.  Hill resigned Monday afternoon after a chaotic two- week period following allegations of a "profanity-laced tirade" against Pittsburgh baseball coaches.  That incident was enough for Tim Pernetti to get rid of the 51-year-old coach.  The only question was when and for how much it would take to show Fred the door.

In other news, Mike Rosario decided on Sunday to become a Florida Gator.  He will sit out next year due to NCAA Transfer rules and will play in the 2011-12 season as a junior.  He should thrive under Billy Donavan at the U of F, especially since he will be surrounded by Chandler Parsons, Erving Walker, and Kenny Boyton among others.  But with the loss of their head coach and leading scorer, where do the Scarlet Knights stand?

Obviously, the Rutgers basketball program is in a free fall at the moment.  But now that Fred Hill is out of the picture, a new coach can be hired and the Scarlet Knights could be headed in a positive direction.  The short list for potential coaches consists of Eddie Jordan, Jim O'Brien, Billie Gillispie, and Fran Fraschilla. The name that pops out at me is recently fired 76ers coach, Eddie Jordan. 

Jordan is a Rutgers alum who played for the Scarlet Knights in the 70's, including the sensational 1976 Final Four squad.  He also has a pretty impressive coaching resume'.  He has been coaching in the NBA for nearly 20 years,  mostly as an assistant.  Though, over the past 7 years, he has been the head coach for the Wizards and then the 76ers.  Aside from the NBA-caliber coaching you get with him, Jordan also offers a recruiting appeal that Fred Hill simply did not.  Although Hill did bring some great recruiting classes to "The Banks," he could never gain an edge in the recruiting of New Jersey prospects.  Eddie Jordan might appeal to recruits due to his coaching credentials.

The coach who would be the second best option is Billie Gillispie.  Although he had a bitter end at Kentucky, he certainly has been around two top notch programs.  He thrived at Texas A&M from 2004-07 and then moved on to Kentucky, arguably the greatest college basketball program in the history of college basketball.  He, similarly to Jordan, could have a major recruiting appeal and could nab some of those NJ recruits that seem to always get away.

In regards to the roster, it doesn't look too bright, at least for the moment.  The best recruiting class in Rutgers history is all gone (Rosario, Gregory Echenique, Patrick Jackson, and Christian Morris have all transferred).  Their leader, Hamady N'Diaye, is graduating this year.  Their prized recruit out of St. Benedicts, Power Forward Gil Biruta, wants out of his Letter of Intent.  The roster, at this point, looks to be around 8-10 total players.  That includes the two or three bench warmers who haven't seen more than a handful of minutes at Rutgers.

So what will the rotation look like in the 2010-11 season?  The backcourt will rotate James Beatty, a great all around point guard, Mike Coburn, a scoring point guard, and Austin Carroll, a shooting guard who can hit the three with consistency.  The forwards do-it-all freshman sensation Dane Miller, who is poised to become a star in the Big East, and Jonathan Mitchell, a former Gator who had great year starting for the Scarlet Knights.  At the center position, Brian Okam, a raw but developing 7-footer, and Austin Johnson, an athletic post player, will take over.

There is what to work with for the new head coach.  If that coach can bring in a solid JuCo transfer, Rutgers could have a lineup that could stay avoid embarrasment, and maybe even win a few games in the process.  My question is if Mike Rosario's transfer could prove to be addition by subtraction.

Rosario is an elite scorer no doubt.  But it seemed to me that when he was on the floor, there was no continuity.  He would take bad shots and waste precious possessions.  Perhaps, this year, the Scarlet Knights will have an opportunity to work the ball around and get the best shot possible, especially under Eddie Jordan, who runs a Princeton-style offense.

Maybe role players from last year could emerge with a bigger role.  Maybe the raw but talented players could develop under a big name coach.  Maybe Rutgers could emerge from the Big East's basement. Who knows?  I can only hope they can hire a quality coach and escape the embarrassment that has been the Rutgers basketball program over the past 4 years.

Alan Major (Ohio State Assistant) to Charlotte

On Friday, Charlotte announced that Ohio State assistant Alan Major will replace Bobby Lutz for the 2010-11 season. Major has been an assistant at California Lutheran, Southern Illinois, Pacific, Xavier, and Ohio State. The teams that have had Major on their staff have tended to have success.

Russell Turner (Golden State Warriors Assistant) to UC Irvine

Russell Turner will return to college basketball after being an assistant at Golden State for six seasons. Turner used to be an assistant at Stanford and Wake Forest. 

Tom Herrion (Pittsburgh Associate Head Coach) to Marshall

Tom Herrion will take over at Marshall. Herrion has been the associate head coach at Pittsburgh for three seasons. Before that, Herrion was the head coach at the College of Charleston. In four years, Herrion went 80-38 and earned the Cougars a top-25 ranking. He was also an assistant at Providence and Virginia. 

Joe Jones (Columbia) to Boston College as an Assistant

After seven years at Columbia, Joe Jones bolted. He will join Steve Donahue as associate head coach at Boston College. In his seven seasons, Jones went 86-108 with a 39-59 Ivy League record. 

Before he was at Columbia, Jones served as an assistant at Hofstra and Villanova. 

Rutgers Fires Fred Hill

Fred Hill was officially fired on Thursday. Hill got into trouble with an outburst at a Rutgers baseball game. Hill has also been in trouble with many players transferring from Rutgers.

The leading candidates for the open job are Fran Fraschilla and former Ohio State and Boston College head coach Jim O'Brien. 

ACC Spots Remain Open

Oliver Purnell bolted from Clemson to rebuild Depaul. No coach has been chosen to fill the vacancy, but there are multiple confirmed candidates. Al Skinner (former Boston College coach), Brad Brownwell (Wright State coach), Mike Young (Wofford coach), Cliff Warren (Jacksonville coach), and Blaine Taylor (Old Dominion coach).

Wake Forest chose to fire Dino Gaudio after three seasons. There have been rumors that the leading candidates for the job are Jeff Bzdelik (Colorado coach), Travis Ford (Oklahoma State coach), and Dana Altman (Creighton coach).