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‘Energy in the building’: How Rutgers basketball is navigating a high-stakes offseason

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‘Energy in the building’: How Rutgers basketball is navigating a high-stakes offseason

Steve Pikiell on Rutgers’ roster construction, schedule, leadership and summer workout plan ahead of the much-anticipated 2024-25 campaign

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Back in March, when the most important offseason in the modern history of Rutgers basketball began, head coach Steve Pikiell laid out a clear plan of attack.

He pledged to learn from the chaos of 2023, when much of the roster remained in flux deep into the summer. He acknowledged the need to upgrade the non-conference schedule. And he focused on mining the transfer portal for experience, shooting and team-oriented attitudes to aid a blockbuster incoming freshman class.

Now, as members of the 12-man roster trickle onto campus ahead of the June 15 start of summer workouts, Pikiell is confident those boxes have been checked. He discussed that, and the summer ahead, in a wide-ranging interview Wednesday.

How the roster came together

Of the program’s six out-transfers, all entered the portal in March, and only freshman Gavin Griffiths’ departure came as somewhat of a surprise.

“Guys made decisions and commitments quickly – although I think guys who went into the portal had been thinking about it for a long time,” Pikiell said. “Knowing what we had earlier (in the process) was important.”

Of the four in-transfers, three had committed to Rutgers by mid-April.

“One of the biggest issues we faced the last few years was free-throw shooting, so that’s something we prioritized in the portal,” Pikiell said.

Here is a look at the experience level and free-throw shooting of the four in-transfers:

PJ Hayes, fifth-year wing, shot .791 from the stripe in 2023-24

Zach Martini, fifth-year forward (.833 FTs)

Tyson Acuff, fifth-year guard (.811 FTs).

Jordan Derkack, rising junior guard (.724 FTs)

It’s also worth noting that Martini and Derkack have won league titles with Princeton and Merrimack, respectively, while Hayes took part in two Final Fours at the Division 2 level.

“We wanted kids who are tough,” Pikiell said. “The guys who stayed (Jeremiah Williams, Jamichael Davis, Emmanuel Ogbole) were the toughest guys on our roster last year, and we added toughness and we added free-throw shooting. I keep coming back to that because we have not been good at it. You always think as a coach you can fix some of those things, but I’d really like to take an 85 percent guy like Tyson Acuff and make him 90, not take a 50 percent guy and make him 60.”

When his assistant coaches came to him with portal recommendations, Pikiell said, “my first question was, ‘Can the guy make free throws?’ If the answer was no, we moved on. That was where we started.”

The other requisite, Pikiell said, was a willingness to play in the team concept. If a portal prospect harped on how many shots or minutes they would get, Pikiell crossed them off the list.

“Martini and Derkack are Jersey guys – they really wanted to put on this jersey,” he said. “Acuff was excited about coming here and challenging himself in the Big Ten.”

Pikiell also notes that all four in-transfers stand 6-foot-4 or taller.  

“Now we’re kind of positionless with good size everywhere; we can move guys around and I’m excited about that,” he said. “People talk about our center position (after losing Cliff Omoruyi to Alabama, Rutgers did not pull a center from the portal – a popular discussion topic among fans). Let me tell you: Our center position will be the most versatile it’s ever been.

“We have a big guy in Emmanuel who can block shots, and now he’s healthy and with an offseason people will see how good he’s become. Lathan Sommerville can shoot and pass – we haven’t had that at the five spot. Martini gives us a versatility – he shoots and passes and makes free throws.

“We’ve always kind of subbed in the same guy for the same guy (at center). Now we’re going to be able to play five-out basketball as opposed to always having a guy in the lane.”

Rutgers did look at some transfer centers, but across the sport, that was the toughest position to recruit out of the portal. Demand far outstripped supply.

“You can’t get everything you want – it’s not fantasy football,” Pikiell said. “Kids in the portal are looking for a lot of different things, and we can’t give everything to everyone.”

Rutgers does have one open scholarship remaining. If it gets used, it would be for a depth piece inside. No basketball coach in America uses a 13-man rotation.

“We’re open to anything, but we’re not just bringing in a guy to bring in a guy,” Pikiell said. “I’ve got 12 guys I feel good about, and you’ve got to think about NIL, too. If something pops up here, we’re (looking) international a lot now and some high school kids are getting under-recruited, then we’ll consider it, but I’d rather talk about the 12 I’ve got and I’m thankful for. We just added PJ Hayes, who is one of the best shooters in the county. It’s a talented group.”

Leaders emerging

Although freshmen Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper will be Rutgers’ best players, in a sport as old as it’s ever been, with 24- and 25-year-old men dotting the landscape, leadership has to come from the veteran ranks.

Enter Martini and Williams.

“Zach and Jeremiah, those two will be my leaders,” Pikiell said. “They’ve met with me about different things they want to implement. Jeremiah has reached out to all the younger guys. And from the first phone call we had, Zach talked about leadership. Most kids want to talk about: what are you going to do for me, what am I going to get, how many minutes? He said, ‘Coach, I can be a really good leader.’”

Goals for the summer

The NCAA allows coaches to hold time-limited workouts for eight weeks, from June 15 to Aug. 9.

With nine new players, Pikiell is overhauling his standard summer regimen.

“You have to change,” he said. “In the past I’ve had guys like Caleb (McConnell) and I didn’t have to do anything defensively. I knew what he could do. These guys, I want to figure them out in the eight weeks. I didn’t have to figure out Caleb and Cliff and Paul (Mulcahy). So we’re going to do more, demand more, implement more. The days of developing a Myles Johnson from freshman to sophomore to junior year are gone. I’ve only got these guys for nine months.”

For the first time in a few years, Rutgers will have multiple players in the Jersey Shore Basketball League, which opens June 26. Martini and Derkack are on the Sterns Trailer roster.

“They wanted to do that,” Pikiell said. “That’s the great part of having Jersey guys. They signed up and they’re excited about it, so I think it’s great.”

Also on Sterns Trailer are alum Geo Baker and Steve’s son, Kevin Pikiell, a Division I prospect who attends Christian Brothers Academy.

“He’s getting better,” Pikiell said of Kevin. “CBA and Geoff Billet have been awesome for him.”

On the 2024-25 schedule

Rutgers appears set to face Notre Dame, Alabama and Houston – the latter two are national title contenders – on Thanksgiving week in Las Vegas as part of the new Players Era Festival. It’s been reported that each participating program’s alumni collective will receive $1 million to be used for name-image-likeness deals.

“Everyone was trying to get into this,” Pikiell said. “There was obviously excitement over (showcasing Bailey and Harper). We’ll be tested, so we’d better be good right away. And we’ve got to keep everyone healthy. Can’t have a Mawot (Mag) missing half the year. It’s not that kind of year.”

The Scarlet Knights have Seton Hall at home Dec. 14, a trip to Kennesaw State in Georgia (a nod to Georgians Bailey and Davis), and a rematch with Princeton Dec. 21 at the Prudential Center. Arkansas was supposed to be the opponent there, but pulled out after its coaching change.

Princeton should be very good once again.

“I am excited about that,” Pikiell said. “Hopefully we’ll sell it out and they’ll bring some fans, too.”

Pikiell said he’s likely to fill out the non-conference slate with home games.

“I am trying to get more games there,” he said of Jersey Mike’s Arena. “If we get two more, we’ll have six games there and five on the road (away from home, technically).”

He’s still hopeful of playing a Big Ten home game at Madison Square Garden, but said finding an open date is proving difficult.

“I’m learning a lot about scheduling at these big arenas,” he said.  

‘Energy in the building’

The offseason brought one more sign that things are different for Rutgers basketball.

“We had our highest return rate ever for season-ticket renewals – 99 percent,” Pikiell said, adding with a chuckle, “I don’t know about that one percent.”

Pikiell is not one to drop rhetorical bombshells or wear his emotions on his sleeve, but to those who know him, the tone of his voice often tells the tale. Last year around this time, he sounded exasperated by the offseason’s travails. Now he’s noticeably buoyant. Of course, an infusion of high-end talent can have that effect. But he also feels confident that the fit is right.

“You spend some time with Ace Bailey, he’s got a great energy about him,” Pikiell said. “Dylan Harper, too – he comes in and goes right to the gym; that’s what he does. All the (freshmen) love being in the gym. Lathan Sommerville’s got a got a big personality – he’s funny. J-Mike, he’s friends with everybody and he’s the toughest kid on our roster.”

Only time will tell if this offseason was a resounding success, but it’s clear that the chaos of 2023 is long gone.

“I’m excited about the energy in the building,” Pikiell said. “These kids have got me re-energized.”

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

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