Last Year: 19-15; Ninth (10-10) in the Big Ten Conference, lost in the first round of the NIT
Head Coach: Steve Pikiell (Eighth Year; 117-106 at Rutgers, with two NCAA Tournament appearances)
Projected Starting Lineup
| G Noah Fernandez – 5’11”, 180 – Senior (5th) |
| G Derek Simpson – 6’3″, 165 – Sophomore |
| W Gavin Griffiths – 6’8″, 193 – Freshman |
| F Aundre Hyatt – 6’6″, 235 – Senior (5th) |
| C Cliff Omoruyi – 6’11”, 240 – Senior |
Projected Starters’ 2022-23 Stats
Noah Fernandez: 13.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.3 spg – 45.2% 3FG in 11 games played @ UMass
Derek Simpson: 7.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.8 spg – 37.4% FG
Gavin Griffiths: Consensus Top 50 recruit
Aundre Hyatt: 8.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.6 spg – 37.4% FG
Cliff Omoruyi: 13.2 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 0.9 apg, 2.1 bpg – 50.7% FG
Experienced Reserves
| F/C Andre Wolfolk – 6’9″, 225 – Sophomore |
| F Mawot Mag – 6’7″, 216 – Senior |
| G Austin Williams – 6’4″, 205 – Senior (5th) |
| F Oscar Palmqvist – 6’8″, 220 – Senior |
| F/C Emmanuel Ogbole – 6’10”, 260 – Sophomore |
Experienced Reserves’ 2022-23 Stats
Andre Wolfolk: 2.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.3 spg, 0.2 bpg – 67.3% FG
Mawot Mag: 7.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.0 spg – 50.0% FG
Austin Williams: 16.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.3 spg – 50.0% FG @ Hartford in 2021-22
Oscar Palmqvist: 2.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.3 apg – 36.4% 3FG
Emmanuel Ogbole: 12.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.0 bpg, 0.8 apg – 69.3% FG @ Monroe College
Freshmen
| G Jamichael Davis – 6’2″, 175 – Freshman |
| F Antonio Chol – 6’9″, 220 – Redshirt Freshman |
Thank goodness the 2023-24 season is finally about to tip off. There have been moments since the final month of last season when Rutgers fans may have felt like their universe might simply collapse before we all made it here.
There was a time in early February last of last season when Rutgers was doing just fine. They were 16-7, solidly in the projected NCAA Tournament field, getting great play from standout transfer Cam Spencer on the perimeter, and there was unprecedented recruiting buzz around the Scarlet Knights and head coach Steve Pikiell. Just over a month later, Rutgers had run into a couple of buzzsaws, missed some free throws, seen some improbable flurries of shots go against them, and had scored an average of just 60 points per game down the stretch. Rutgers finished 3-7, missed out on that NCAA bid, and then got beaten in overtime at home in their first NIT game. It was a spectacularly unenjoyable finish to the season.
And then this spring, a pair of four-star prospects from two different upcoming class years decommitted from the Scarlet Knights. And then-and then, Cam Spencer, who has a year of eligibility left and whom Rutgers was hoping to be their perimeter star once more, decided to take his talents to Storrs and play with the defending national champs at Connecticut.
And if losing Spencer wasn’t enough of a poo-flavored cherry on top of everything else, playmaking senior Paul Mulcahy hit the Transfer Portal a couple of weeks later. Such was the upheaval of the past few months that Mulcahey, a New Jersey native, pursued his bag (luggage, obviously) to the ends of the Lower 48, ending up at a future Big Ten member institution in the Evergreen State.
Finally, it is fall. A new season is set to dawn, recruiting is picking back up, and Pikiell doesn’t know any other way to go about things but to set about pushing onwards. After all, when he arrived in New Brunswick, Rutgers hadn’t won 20 games in 13 years or been to the NCAA Tournament in the past quarter-century. He built this program up to the point that it can now be justifiably disappointed by missing out on top recruits and failing to qualify for the Big Dance. And – if they can hold it together – Rutgers happens to have a very strong class committed for next year, anyway. It’s finally time for the Scarlet Knights to take the bad taste which has lingered in their mouths out on everybody else for a change.
Clifford Omoruyi is back to man the middle for Pikiell, and it’s around their star big man that Rutgers will rally. Omoruyi tested out his NBA Draft prospects before deciding to return to New Jersey, and that simple fact instantly gives Pikiell one of the best interior defenses in the Big Ten. “I’ve built a legacy at Rutgers,” Omoruyi said in a statement announcing his return. “Coach Pikiell has a vision for this program to compete for a national championship next season and I believe in his vision.” Omoruyi is tough and experienced, with terrifying length and mobility in the paint. He has developed excellent awareness and defensive timing over the course of his three seasons patrolling the paint for Rutgers, and returns having established his reputation as one of the country’s top defensive bigs. One of the nation’s most fearsome rim protectors, Omoruyi makes opponents reconsider or adjust at least as many shots as he blocks, which are many. In a conference which featured such superstar bigs as Trayce Jackson-Davis and Zach Edey, Omoruyi ranked second in the B1G in offensive rebounding and also in blocks last year, and led all conference players in defensive win shares. The Scarlet Knights’ opponents have learned to factor the Nigerian stopper into all of their game plans, and his teammates always play with a bit more confidence knowing that Omoruyi is behind them as the final line of defense. His 13 double-doubles were vital to helping Rutgers rank 70th on the country in rebounding rate and 52nd in total offensive boards. Omoruyi’s block right before the buzzer locked up a Rutgers dub at Wisconsin in late February when Rutgers was scratching and clawing for any wins they could hold onto – and in an era when many star bigs don’t stay on the floor for more than 25 minutes per contest, Omoruyi averaged 30.3 per game. “Cliff, his effort today, he needs off,” Pikiell told reporters after Omoruyi’s saving rejection in Madison. “His effort was spectacular. I know his numbers don’t show what he meant to us but he had to wrestle all day long, I could barely take him out of the game.”
When they miss a shot, his teammates know that Omoruyi might be there to corral it and send it back through the net; he came up with an outstanding 40 putbacks last winter, per Hoop-Math. And should a Rutgers player enter the paint and find their drive cut off, there’s about a 50/50 chance that they can toss a lob somewhere into Omoruyi’s general area of effect, and he will flush it. Though his shooting slipped just slightly last year on his highest-yet 23.8% Usage Rate, Omoruyi is a career 68.1% shooter near the rim, per Bart Torvik, and last year he threw down 73 dunks – tied for sixth among all Division I college basketball players. All of these talents are enough to make him the best player Rutgers has. The question that NBA scouts, Coach Pike, and fans are all asking in unison is: what more can Clifford do? Omoruyi has shot about 60% at the foul stripe each of the past two seasons, and the range on his jumper is comparatively limited. He has made six career three-pointers, but it’s taken 30 attempts and unfortunately, opponents do not yet really fear Omoruyi when he rises up for a jumper. Likewise, without Spencer’s perimeter threat, Omoruyi must continue to become better and better at passing out of the double-teams which are sure to intensify this season. Omoruyi is a fantastic college player already, but for the Scarlet Knights to reach new heights, they need their star big man to take his game to another level.
Losing Spencer late in the spring was a real gut-punch to the program, as Pikiell was still looking for another piece to compliment Spencer on the perimeter when he entered the Transfer Portal. Now, the Scarlet Knights return just 71 made triples from last season’s rotation. Rutgers as a team shot 32.1% from the land of trey a year ago (among the 40 worst marks in the country), and the four players returning who made a three last year shot just 27% collectively. Aundre Hyatt made the 2nd-most treys on the team last season, but at just a 30.6% rate. ‘Coach Pike’ needs both more volume and a tidier percentage from the 5th-year wing this winter. Hyatt, a former LSU transfer, had started 18 career games coming into last season, but was never really featured as anything more than a rotational piece. Last year, he emerged as a decent secondary scorer and dangerous – if highly inconsistent – deep threat. There were ten games last season in which Hyatt made no three’s, and also 14 tilts when he made more than one, including five deep balls in a 24-point effort against Nebraska. Pikiell needs Hyatt to be consistent and efficient this winter, and provide an every-game source of scoring. With great size, Hyatt is stronger and longer than most perimeter players, and can be a useful defender. Hyatt does need to improve at both getting to the basket and finishing there, as well. Despite 11 dunks, Hyatt made less than 50% of his attempts near the cup last year, and more than half of his shot attempts overall came from beyond the arc. He shot the ball well during RU’s summer exhibition tour of Senegal and Portugal – Hyatt even had a 30-point game – and Pikiell is expecting big things from the veteran. “Aundre Hyatt is back, we’re thrilled,” the veteran’s coach told Jerry Recco on the Pikiell Podcast for Rutgers Athletics this summer. “Can really shoot the ball, does a lot of things for us. You know, just excited about his development…he’s gonna have a great year.”.
Lots will also be expected of sophomore guard Derek Simpson, who last season went from being a largely unheralded recruit to a probable key fixture in Pikiell’s rotation for years to come. Simpson can score points, and has some skill both handling the ball and creating offense for teammates. He wasn’t much of an outside threat as a freshman, but hoisted plenty of jumpers this summer in hopes of showing a more complete game in his second season. Simpson knows how to get into the paint, though, and he can hit a floater, take it all the way to the goal or drop off a nice look to a teammate once he’s gotten into the lane. “He was terrific,” Pikiell said in March of Simpson’s smart play late in his freshman year. “So to add another really good ball handler to our list.” Simpson has also worked to add strength to his frame after playing at just 170 pounds last year. The potential is there for Simpson to seize a leading role in the backcourt and play upwards of 30 minutes this season; now Simpson is looking to solidify his standing in Pikiell’s rotation as a guy who can be trusted at both ends of the floor.
Joining Hyatt and Simpson in the pursuit of reliable outside shooting are some new faces – including this year’s most highly-anticipated freshman, scoring wing Gavin Griffiths. A Simsbury, CT product (HA! Take that, Huskies!), Griffiths has shown off an advanced offensive approach for a high school player, and it’s the maturity of his game that leads Pikiell to think that Griffiths may become an immediate contributor. “We are so excited to welcome Gavin Griffiths into the Scarlet Knight family. Gavin is truly one of the most exciting players in the whole country. He has athleticism and an ability to shoot the basketball at the highest level,” Pikiell said in a statement upon Griffiths signing with the Scarlet Knights. With terrific size and length on the perimeter, Griffiths has developed both a reliable jumper and a dribble-drive game to take advantage of the space opponents give him. Rutgers will need his floor-spacing presence most vitally, and Griffiths is good in both catch-and-shoot sets and at creating a look off the bounce.
“Griffiths is an elite shooter of the basketball,” says Adam Finklestein of 247 Sports. “When he’s open and in rhythm, it’s almost a surprise when the ball doesn’t go in.” When the jumper isn’t working, or he sees an opportunity to get to the cup, Griffiths has shown a mentality to put it on the floor and get a bucket or get fouled. The bespectacled assassin is confident driving in among bigger players and can absorb contact while still converting a shot, and Griffiths doesn’t mind initiating a bit of contact himself on the way to the rim. He remains a freshman who must prove physically ready to defend at a Big Ten (and Pike-worthy) level, and Griffiths is not an elite defensive prospect. He must improve his quickness, but Griffiths has length to compensate, and he gives a strong effort. If Griffiths is able to prove he can understand some of Pikiell’s concepts, he will play big minutes out of the box on this team searching for offense.
Fernandez averaged 4.8 assists at UMass…and Fernandez’s 30.4% assist rate with the Minutemen is the tenth-best mark in A-10 history
The same will hold true for veteran point guard and Massachusetts transfer Noah Fernandez. While Fernandez is a bit undersized, he’s proven capable of running a team and knocking down outside shots at a high level in the Atlantic 10. After starting out at Wichita State, Fernandez has started 51 games across the past three seasons for UMass. Over that time, he averaged 32 minutes and 13.6 points while shooting 38.6% from downtown. Fernandez averaged 4.8 assists at UMass, with better than a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio; and Fernandez’s 30.4% assist rate with the Minutemen is the tenth-best mark in A-10 history. “Noah gives us a veteran guard,” Pikiell says. “Can really shoot the ball, he’s been very mature.” Rutgers fans would be very happy if he could come even close to those numbers in Piscataway. While he can drive the paint, Fernandez often does so to create more than score. He never met an open mid-range shot he didn’t like, and hit a solid 42.9% of his in-between 2FG’s over the past two seasons, per Bart Torvik. Fernanderz will use his dribble to set up runners and floaters in and around the lane, and he has proven adept at splashing contested jumpers. Fernandez is a good defender when not physically overmatched, and won’t shy away from guarding bigger guys. Whether they start or come off of the bench, Pikiell is going to need Fernandez, Williams and Griffiths to make opponents pay for collapsing on Omoruyi from day one in a Rutgers uniform.
Late into the summer, Pikiell and his staff were still actively recruiting and adding to the roster. They’re hoping to see an instant impact from new scoring guard Austin Williams. Formerly of Hartford, Marist and Florida International, Williams never actually played for the Panthers due to an injury which cost him all of last season.
“I’m extremely excited to be here,” Williams said in a statement before the overseas tour. “It’s a big step up for me and I’m excited to challenge myself…It means the world to be back in New Jersey. This is where the whole basketball journey started and it’s great to end my college career here.” Williams wasn’t able to play on the exhibition trip, but has recently begun practicing with the team and hopes to be a full-go come November. Williams, while not a great outside shooter, did everything else well in a first-team All-America East season back when he played all year in 2021-22. A strong downhill driver who uses his length, power and agility well near the cup, Williams adds some contrast to Pikiell’s backcourt as a hard-charging bigger guard. Williams is also a good defender and passes well, and the Scarlet Knights will likely feature him often once he’s ready to go.
| Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks) |
| 61.1 – Opponent Points Per Game (9th) |
| 47.9 – Team Effective FG Percentage (299th) |
| 46.6% – Opponent Effective FG Percentage (22nd) |
| 5.7 – Made 3FG Per Game (326th) |
| +7.3 – Average Score Margin (38th) |
Pikiell also accepted the commitment of former Iowa State guard Jeremiah Williams, but he was both a part of the ongoing Iowa State sports betting scandal while never officially playing for the Cyclones, and is a two-time undergraduate transfer. As such, and as he awaits resolution of his appeal to the NCAA to play this year, Jeremiah Williams may not get to suit up for the Scarlet Knights for awhile. In the meantime, Jamichael Davis has arrived for his freshman season, and figures to have the chance to play important minutes if he can care for and distribute the ball effectively. “Jamichael Davis has been fast and competitive…I like where his mentality is,” Pikiell said of the young guard this summer. Though he saw outside of the consensus Top 200 rankings when all was said and done, Davis held offers from VCU and UAB before choosing Rutgers. Simpson wasn’t an elite recruit, either, and Davis has good quickness and playmaking skills. The Georgia product may not light the Big Ten up immediately, but he’s going to help out as a rookie; Pikiell said at Big Ten Media Day that Davis is “as fast of a player as we’ve ever had in the program.”
With Pikiell’s preference to pick up and pressure opponents full-court, there is no easy way to replace graduated two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Caleb McConnell, a perimeter stopper who was the Yin to Omoruyi’s Yang. While not a great scorer, McConnell did everything else at an extremely high level, and his size, quickness and length will be almost as difficult to replace as his tenacity and skill. Mawot Mag plays more on the inside than McConnell, but it’s hoped that he will assume the mantle of defensive menace. It’s just that, Mag tore his ACL early in a win over Michigan State, and is still rehabbing in hopes of making it back to play most of this season. Mag’s injury directly coincided with the 3-8 finish to the Scarlet Knights’ season, and Pikiell would love to have Mag back for the versatility he provides the Rutgers defense. Paired with Omoruyi, Mag is an active and springy irritant to opposing forwards, and Mag is quick enough to follow stretch bigs and wings out to the perimeter to continue causing problems. He’s an excellent rebounder who creates extra opportunities for himself and his friends with second possessions, and Mag generally knocks down his free throws when he gets to the stripe; which is not something everyone on this team can say. He also began to hit jumpers with some regularity last season, and has range out to the three point arc. Mag has hinted at vast potential, and if he’s healthy, Rutgers fans are excited to see him realize it.
| Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on |
| vs Mississippi State – December 23 |
| @ Wake Forest – December 6 |
| @ Seton Hall – December 9 |
| vs Georgetown – November 15 |
| vs Princeton – November 6 |
Depth up front comes from a pair of young guys looking to stand out in Omoruyi’s shadow. Antwone Woolfolk was on the roster last year, and provides a wide body that can back up the 5 spot or, using the athleticism that got him Division I attention on a football field, join Omoruyi on the court for stretches. Woolfolk can face up or play in the paint, but got sporadic chances to show what he could do as a freshman. During the 11 non-conference games Rutgers played early in the year, Woolfolk averaged 12 minutes, 4.5 points and 2.7 boards per game. If Woolfolk can earn that role across the whole season it would keep Omoruyi more fresh and provide some nice flexibility. He played significant minutes in the overseas exhibition tour, showed some three-point range, and even had a game-winning putback tip to beat Senegal Select. Woolfolk will face some competition, though, from Emmanuel Ogbole. Signed late in spring out of the JuCo ranks, Ogbole is a fascinating prospect. He only began playing organized basketball at the age of 18, and translated that into a highly successful freshman year in junior college. With the athleticism to get up and down the court and a frame comparable to Omoruyi’s, it’s easy to see why Pikiell wanted Ogbole as a prospect to develop. He’s been recovering from injury this fall, but if Ogbole continues to progress like he has the past couple of years, he may become a lot more than some developmental reserve.
Oskar Palmquist is a reserve big man who very nearly left the Scarlet Knights this spring in search of a larger role. He wasn’t just in the Portal – Palmquist had committed to play for Elon in North Carolina. After some reflection and roster attrition, though, Palmquist has returned to Piscataway and may well secure the larger role he was searching for anyway. With useful range on his jumper and some perimeter skill, Palmquist also has the size to play inside. If he can be consistently feisty and make open jumpers, Pikiell will be glad to have the experienced Swede back in the rotation; he may even start in order to allow Pikiell to bring Hyatt off the bench as instant offense. There is also Antonio Chol, who projects as more of a wing player with his wiry frame and perimeter skills. Chol played a total of just 20 minutes as a freshman, but jacked up five triple tries. With solid shooting range at 6’9″, Chol could emerge as a useful weapon if he makes shots.
After such a frustrating end to last season and at-times scrambling offseason, Rutgers is ready to get back onto the court and play. The players who remain in this roster have a chip on their collective shoulder, and they’ve worked hard to put themselves back in a position to succeed. With improved health, things should start to settle down in Piscataway.
“Mawot and Emmanuel are doing their rehab – and they worked their tail off in that too,” Pikiell said this summer on his podcast for Rutgers Athletics. “If you ever saw what they go through on a daily basis to get back on the court, it’s kind of amazing.”
The Scarlet Knights have got to feel like they’re about due for some good luck. You know, just to mix things up a bit. The veteran core of this team, however, isn’t leaving things up to chance. “I like the fact we can go 11, 12 deep this year,” Pikiell said this fall. “We really didn’t have that kind of depth the last couple of years so when we got an injury, it hurt us. The offseason is so important. We have great chemistry.” With Omoruyi holding things down inside, veteran forwards adding their skills and some exciting new perimeter players, Rutgers has covered most of its bases. Highly motivated and with one of the better coaches around leading the way, the Scarlet Knights are out to prove that they’re here to stay.
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