Another college basketball season is upon us, and this year’s Rutgers men’s basketball roster is probably the most intriguing of the Steve Pikiell era to date.
While we witnessed the departures of Cam Spencer, Paul Mulcahy, Jalen Miller, and Dean Reiber to the transfer portal, the coaching staff added four solid transfers in Noah Fernandes (UMass), Austin Williams (FIU), Jeremiah Williams (Iowa State), and Emmanuel Ogbole (Monroe College). It’s unlikely Jeremiah Williams will see the floor this year as his waiver to play will likely be denied by the NCAA. Nonetheless Jeremiah Williams is going to be a solid contributor for the team off the court and for the 2024-25 season.
Rutgers returns Cliff Omoruyi, Derek Simpson, Aundre Hyatt, Mawot Mag, Antonio Chol, Antwone Woolfolk, and Oskar Palmquist to its roster. Rutgers also welcomes freshmen newcomers Gavin Griffiths (West Hartford, CT) and Jamichael Davis (Powder Springs, GA).
At first glance of this roster, some college hoops analysts and casual viewers might be apprehensive to believe this year’s Rutgers team will be in a winning program in the Big Ten but if you look carefully at this roster, it actually might be one of the most underrated rosters in the conference.
All of the new faces to this year’s team appear to be faster and more athletic. It could potentially allow for this year’s team to score more points and play at a much higher tempo. Over the years, fans have grown accustomed to watching Pikiell’s teams play at a slower tempo on offense with an emphasis of playing stingy defense resulting in ugly grind-it-out affairs. That is likely to change this year.
Pikiell’s completely revamped backcourt, consisting of Simpson, Fernandes, A. Williams, and Davis, have the greatest potential to provide this year’s team with the ability to consistently score in quick spurts and spark scoring runs. All four in the backcourt have the innate ability to beat defenders off the dribble, distribute the ball on the floor quickly, and shot creating opportunities. As young guns Simpson and Davis continue to develop this season, Fernandes and A. Williams will provide veteran experience on the floor.
Rutgers will certainly have solid depth at the wing with Hyatt, Griffiths, Palmquist, and Chol in the rotation. Chol and Palmquist have each been hailed by the coaching staff as solid knockdown shooters, and fans witnessed Palmquist drill key 3-point shots in clutch situations last year. Griffiths has been praised as one of the purest shooters in the 2023 recruiting class. Veteran Hyatt will be a big boost coming off the bench as Pikiell has consistently raved about him as being one of the best sixth men in the Big Ten.
There’s no question Rutgers possesses one of the best frontcourts in the Big Ten with Omoruyi, Mag, Woolfolk, and Ogbole leading the charge. Omoruyi is expected to make a major impact on this team as he will likely see the majority of minutes in the post. In early August, hoops insider Jon Rothstein witnessed Omoruyi in practice and tweeted Omoruyi will be an “All-American candidate in 2023-24”. Woolfolk and Ogbole are expected to provide valuable minutes to back up the prized big man. With the return of a fully healthy Mawot Mag, Rutgers will regain its most efficient 2-point shooter and best defender.
Here are several early bold predictions entering the 2023-24 season for Rutgers hoops.
