7/12/2021 basketball Edit

Comparing new Rutgers center Agee to former Scarlet Knight Johnson

Chris Nalwasky • TheKnightReport

Beat Writer

This weekend, Rutgers men’s basketball added San Jose State transfer Ralph Agee to the program.

Agee has one last year of eligibility remaining due to the blanket waiver provided by the NCAA and he fills a need as either a backup center or possibly even a starter at the position after the departure of Myles Johnson to UCLA. This will be Agee’s fourth college as he started out at Cal State Dominguez-Hills, a Division-II school, before going to East Los Angeles College and then to SJSU.

One of Agee’s former coaches at ELAC, assistant Ken Hunter, said Agee is an ideal fit for the Scarlet Knights because “...He fills a gap that Myles Johnson left in regards to his toughness in the paint. Ralph is a better scorer and playmaker with the same physical attitude about holding paint down and guarding the best big men possible."

With that said, let’s take a look at the numbers comparing Johnson, who was an integral part of the team, to Agee.

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Ralph Agee

Victorville, Ca. -- Silverado HS

6-foot-8, 235 pounds

2017-18 - CSU Dominguez-Hills: Started 11-of-30 games played….Averaged 4.9 points and just under three rebounds per game….Tallied 14 blocks and pulled down double-digit boards twice….Scored 24 points against Holy Names.

2018-19 - ELAC: Started 5-of-29 games played….Averaged 4.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game with five blocks and five steals….went 30-of-44 from the FT line (68%)....shot 58.4% (52-of-89) from the floor.

2019-20 - SJSU: Started 13-of-31 games….Averaged 5.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game….Shot 43.7% from the floor….Scored a season-high 15 points….Posted a double-double at San Diego State with 12 points and a season-hight 10 rebounds….Scored in double figures five times….Had four blocks against Fresno State….Played a season-high 34 minutes in a win over Pepperdine.

2020-21 - SJSU: Started 18-of-21 games played….Became first SJSU player since 2017 to be named Mountain West Player of the Week (week of Feb. 1) ….Averaged 11.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.....Tallied 13 double-figure scoring games ... Averaged 17.7 points and 8.3 rebounds during Spartans' three-game winning streak ... Double-double with career-highs of 22 points and 14 rebounds vs. Air Force….Scored 15 points, including game-winning bucket, in first game against Air Force….Had stretch of double-figure scoring in 10-of-11 games from Dec. 31-Jan. 30….Posted 18 points, nine rebounds vs. Benedictine Mesa....Had 18 points vs. UNLV….Produced 16 points, seven rebounds vs. New Mexico.

Myles Johnson

Long Beach, Ca. -- Long Beach Poly Prep

6-foot-11, 255 pounds

2017-18: Redshirted

2018-19: Played in 31 games….Averaged 4.88 points and 5.7 rebounds with 34 assists, 23 blocks and 23 steals….Shot 55.5% from the floor (66-for-119)....Made 17-of-42 free throws (40.5%).

2019-20: Started 25-of-31 games….Averaged 7.8 points and 7.9 rebounds with 47 blocks, 31 assists, and 16 steals….Made 60.2% of shots from the floor (106-for-176)....went 29-of-80 from the foul line (36.3%)

2020-21: Started 22-of-28 games….Averaged 8.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game with 68 blocks, 32 steals, and 22 assists….Shot 62.8% from the floor (98--of-156)...Went 27-of-62 from the FT line (43.5%)

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Based on the stats alone, Johnson, who is taller and bigger, was the better defender and rebounder by a wide margin. Johnson grabbed a ton more rebounds and guarded the paint against strong Big Ten competition. He was also a stellar passer as he had more assists in his first year playing than Agee did in his two years combined at San Jose State.

On the flip side, Agee was the more natural scorer, especially from the free-throw line where he shot significantly more efficiently. Though he was just 8-of-31 on 3-pointers in 2019-20 and 0-for-3 in 2020-21, Agee has the ability to shoot them.

Tale of the tape

Looking at Agee’s highlights posted by Jon Zuck on YouTube from this past season, Agee showed he could dribble, move around, and create his own shot. He was able to start on the perimeter and get inside to score. Agee also connected on mid-range jump shots. And while Johnson is the better defensive player, Agee did show he’s no slouch on that end of the floor.

Conclusion

Johnson and Agee are very different players, but you can see why Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell and his assistants liked and brought in the transfer.

With the likes of Montez Mathis and Jacob Young gone as well from the guard position as well as Johnson, Rutgers needed to make up some scoring, and it believes it got that help in Agee. In the Big Ten, teams need multiple centers to get the job done. Rutgers is banking on fellow big man Cliff Omoruyi’s development. Omoruyi can hold down the fort defensively and be the rebounder while Agee can be more of a scorer. But, Pikiell’s specialty is on the other side of the court, so Agee will be ready to go on defense.

All signs point to Omoruyi starting at center (he started as a freshman last season early in the year), but Agee can also start and/or see lots of minutes. Dean Reiber is the other big man on the team on scholarship alongside Luke Nathan.

Johnson was a fan favorite at Rutgers who was underrated. He put in the work to get where he is today on and off the court. It'll be interesting to see how Agee responds to greater competition in the Big Ten.