A Pair of Under the Radar Bigs Who Can Make a Splash in 2019
The hype around Rutgers basketball has reached heights higher than those of years past. The team is coming off a 14-17 season while returning all but two playmakers.
This, in turn, means that the team will return 69 percent of its scoring. The team will also be bringing in Texas transfer Jacob Young, Stony Brook’s leading scorer Akwasi Yeboah, and four-star recruit Paul Mulcahy. The future for Rutger is looking bright as head coach Steve Pikiell enters his fourth season at the helm.
The only thing raining on the team’s parade is the effect of the departure of the two former starters. Both Shaquille Doorson and Eugene Omoruyi were vital factors in the success of Rutgers basketball last season. As the main big men, their presence down low was crucial for the team. In their absence, Myles Johnson and Yeboah are expected to receive the nod for the starting positions.
However, there is depth behind them. At the four and the five, Rutgers will have Shaq Carter and Mamadou Doucoure, respectively, as their reserves. Due to the emphasis on big man play in the Big Ten, their performance this upcoming season will be key to determine how far Rutgers can go.
Carter quietly had a good season for the Scarlet Knights last season. As a JUCO transfer, Carter had a lot of work cut out for him as he had to get used to a much higher level of competition while also dealing with a whole new system.
This caused the JUCO product to play less than five minutes each of his first five games. However, on December 3, Carter saw his first real action and he delivered. In a tough five-point road loss to Wisconsin, Carter put up nine points --- 88 percent from the floor --- and secured four rebounds. Even though the team lost, this was a personal victory for Carter as it showed that he could compete at a high level against top Big Ten opponents.
He continued this throughout Big Ten play as he averaged 4.5 points-per-game throughout the season on 54 percent shooting. Carter also averaged four rebounds-per-game in Big Ten play, which was better than his season average of 3.6.
These numbers also went up when a bigger role was demanded of him. In the middle of the season, Omoruyi went down with a knee injury. During that stretch, Carter averaged 9.5 points at a clip of 61.5 percent. Carter also secured on average 7.5 boards while playing over 30 minutes a game.
This demonstrates the type of productivity Carter can have when given a heightened role and this may be the case in 2019. Carter is projected to be one of the first people off the bench due to the lack of depth in the frontcourt. This means that Carter will substitute at both the power forward and center position during his senior year. If any of the starting big men were to get into foul trouble, Carter may see himself playing most of the game.
To get ready for this, Carter has seemed to make a significant jump this offseason. There have been many highlight tapes this offseason featuring Carter in a much more lean form. He is much more athletic and has augmented his post game. This is why when Pikiell was asked who has made the biggest jump this offseason he named Carter.
"Shaq Carter has done some tremendous things. I think your first year is always an adjustment, but you saw at the end of the year when Gene went down with that injury, he kind of filled in and took his next step. He’s going to have a great senior year. He has all the good qualities to him. He’s tough, he’s physical, he’s bigger. He’s in better shape,” Pikiell said per NJ.com.
Carter’s increase in size and shape will help him match up nicely with the big men down low throughout Big Ten play. And if all the talk is true about him enhancing his scoring and defensive ability, he may be a problem for opposing teams off the bench during his senior campaign.
Another key big man in Piscataway will be Doucore. Doucoure only averaged 0.3 points and 1.7 rebounds-per-game in 2018-19, however, this is largely due to the major back issue he suffered which kept him out most of the year.
Coming into this season Doucoure seems to ready to go. He has also been said to have a strong offseason where his recovery went well. If this is true Doucoure may see his first serious minutes since his freshman year.
“And it’s good to have Duke back. Mamadou, people forget about him. He started as a freshman, his back is feeling good, and he’s a sophomore now and goes in with Myles in that class,” Pikiell told NJ.com.
During that season, Doucoure was very raw. He reclassified making him an extremely young player with a lot to learn. Nevertheless, he still managed to average 2.8 points per game while hauling in rebounds at a clip of 3.2 a game. He struggled with fouls.
Now, Doucoure has the opportunity to not only return to this form but hopefully get better. He is coming off a growth year where he sat back and watched while recovering from injury. In doing this it is said that he also improved his game.
Doucoure will also receive a bigger role this year. Last year, if he was able to play, he would have been in a crowded frontcourt with Doorson and Johnson and even Carter at the center position. Entering this year, Doucoure and Carter seem to be the primary reserves behind Myles Johnson. The backup center role may be handed to Carter or even Yeboah (yes, he is currently the starting power forward) if the Scarlet Knights choose to deploy a small-ball lineup.
However, once the thick of the Big Ten play gets underway, Rutgers will have no choice but to match up with the giants at times. This would mean that Doucore would get an increased role to help give Johnson a breather or fill in for him if Johnson gets into foul trouble. The increased Big Ten role will allow Doucoure, and fans, to see if he has really come back strong. If so, Doucoure projects to be a key piece in 2019-20.
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