3/18/2022 basketball Edit

Emotional ending caps sensational careers for Rutgers' seniors

Chris Nalwasky • TheKnightReport

Beat Writer

Geo Baker either had his head down or put his hands on his head the majority of the time looking up at the ceiling. Ron Harper Jr. had a blank stare with a white towel wrapped around his neck. Caleb McConnell, with a blue towel in the same position as Harper Jr.'s, had noticeable red, teary eyes.

It was over.

The three Rutgers men's basketball pioneers were sitting in a row for an emotional press conference that was most likely their last together after the Scarlet Knights lost a thriller in the First Four of the 2022 NCAA Tournament to Notre Dame, 89-87, in double-overtime.

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This was minutes after Baker put his No. 0 zero jersey over his head after he couldn't get a last-second shot off. Harper Jr. put both of his arms around McConnell and Baker as the two walked off the court of UD Arena in Dayton, OH.

"A lot of pain right now. We've been through some real battles, us three. Luke (Nathan), everybody on the team, Ralph (Gonzales-Agee). It's a lot of pain right now. And I don't really know what to say," Baker said.

"Caleb said it best in the locker room, just telling these guys to cherish this moment, cherish college basketball. Because it feels like we were just freshmen yesterday. We've got a special brotherhood now that's never going to change, that's never going to end. Just a lot of emotions right now. But playing in that game was really special. That's what March is about. We just came up short."

Both 11th-seeded Rutgers and 11th-seeded Notre Dame battled for 50 minutes. The contest featured 17 lead changes and 12 ties. It was the fourth overtime game in First Four history and the first to go to multiple overtimes in the NCAA Tournament since 2016.

"It was a great game. We came up a little bit short," Harper Jr. said. "The emotion at the end, it was heartbreaking to see it all unfold like that. The people up here next to me up here, we sacrificed a lot to get to where we are today. For it to come down for them like that, it's just upsetting, it's devastating, heartbreaking. It's all the above.

"It's March Madness. That's how it goes down every year. This game's just like that night in, night out. That's what makes it so special. Just sucks to be on the wrong end of it."

McConnell, who hails from Dayton and went to Dunbar High School for three years before playing at SPIRE Academy in Geneva, OH. when he was a senior, was previously 6-0 playing at UD Arena.

With many friends and family in attendance, McConnell, the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year, shined on the offensive end, scoring a season-high 23 points -- 20 in the first half. McConnell played his heart out notching his second career double-double in the NCAA Tournament posting 11 rebounds (five offensive), two assists, one block, and one steal. He shot 10-of-12 from the field (83.3%), which tied for the sixth-best mark in a single-game in program history and the best for a Scarlet Knight in an NCAA Tournament contest.

"It was a very emotional game, coming home, being able to play in front of friends and family. I want to thank them for coming out," McConnell said. "It wasn't even about me tonight, honestly. It was just more about our team. Of course they wanted to win for us and for me. But, like I said, it's very emotional. Obviously we're very upset we came out on the wrong end of it."

Harper Jr. also netted 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting, and was 4-for-7 on 3-pointers. One shot from deep was a halfcourt heave at the end of the first overtime. The Franklin Lakes, N.J. native also had four assists, four rebounds, and a block. Harper scored 1,525 points in his career which tied him with Roy Hinson for 25th all-time. It was the first time Rutgers lost this year with Harper Jr. scoring 20-plus points.

"I wanted to kind of be the kid that started the trend -- go to Rutgers, you can go to the NCAA Tournament. And I feel like I did good a job of that. But it never would have been possible without the guys to my left, my right, the guys in the locker room. Growing up, all I ever wanted was somebody to respect me, somebody to tell me I'm good enough. And I found it here at Rutgers. I found a group of guys that believed in me, that trusted me. That's all I could ever ask for.

"These guys made me the player I am today. These guys made me an All-American. These guys got me all those individual accolades. It sucks it had to end like this. But I love these guys. It's an unbreakable brotherhood."

Baker tallied 19 points against the Fighting Irish in a game that started on Wednesday and ended five minutes past midnight on Thursday. He scored nine points in the final 4:07 of regulation including the game-tying bucket with 1:46 to go. Baker also recorded six rebounds, five assists, and a block.

McConnell, Harper Jr., and Baker were three underrecruited players who took a chance on a program that hadn't made the NCAA Tournament since 1991 with little to no success since then. Rutgers made three* NCAA Tournaments in a row under their watch.

Harper Jr. ended up as a four-star prospect coming out of Don Bosco Prep with NBA Champion bloodlines, but he committed to the Scarlet Knights before he gained steam on the recruiting trail. He developed into an All-Big Ten performer, clutch shooter, Julius Erving Award finalist, and honorable mention All-American.

Baker was a skinny kid from little New Hampshire who became the face of the team over his five years, always stepping up when it mattered most. He delivered countless wins to the Scarlet Knights with his late-game scoring.

The often-injured McConnell was finally healthy this season, and he shut down the Big Ten's best players night in and night out. Many of the players he went up against are slated to be NBA Draft picks either this year or in the near future.

Other players in their classes left, but these three stayed and enjoyed the journey.

"As you see we're very emotional now," McConnell continued almost breaking down up on the stage as Harper Jr. put his left hand on his teammate's back. "And it's just sad that we had to end it this way. We built so much. Just take basketball and statistics out the window, just the stuff we did here, the brotherhood we built, the friendships we built with each other, it's going to last forever. But it's sad it had to end this way. Everything has to come to an end. I'm just glad that I was able to do it with these guys, because these guys are amazing. Our whole team -- transfers, whatever -- just from top to bottom. We're just a good group of kids.

"And like I said, it wasn't about me tonight. Even though my team wanted to win for me obviously since I'm back home. But it's bigger than that. It's bigger than basketball. Like I said, it just sucks it had to end this way."

This Rutgers team, this group didn't always do things in the prettiest of ways. The Scarlet Knights had to edge Lehigh in overtime in the season opener. They lost to Lafayette at home on a buzzer-beater. They fell on the road in DePaul and UMass again on last-second shots. They fell to Northwestern in overtime and Minnesota when it was down multiple players. They got beat pretty good at Penn State and at Illinois and lost in their first game of the Big Ten Tournament to then-red hot Iowa in the quarterfinals.

But they also sent No. 1 Purdue home packing from Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway with a long shot that went in by Harper Jr. They overcame a COVID pause and strung together four impressive wins of team basketball. During their toughest part of the schedule, they knocked-off four-straight ranked teams in Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Despite the ups and downs, like the Notre Dame game, Rutgers earned the No. 4 seed for the Big Ten Tournament.

That, and earning multiple trips in a row to the NCAA Tournament was something that was unfathomable just five years ago or so. Head coach Steve Pikiell and co. had a vision, and it came true.

Sure, Rutgers would have obviously liked to win in the NCAA Tournament. That was the goal. But what Baker, McConnell, and Harper Jr. and others have accomplished is something to be proud of.

"We started something special up here. It's like sitting next to the three pioneers; we did it three years in a row. I don't care what anybody says -- COVID happened, we would have been right there in the mix," Harper Jr. said. "We did that three years in a row. And not a lot of schools can say they did, especially not making this for 30 years. So, I'm proud of the culture that we've built. I'm proud of everything that we did. It sucks we came up short. But these last four years is something I'll remember for the rest of my life and I'll cherish and I'll hold close to me."

The loud Rutgers fans that made the nine-10 hour drive to Dayton from New Jersey stayed put in their seats long after the last horn sounded. Workers started peeling up all of the March Madness and NCAA logos, and those in scarlet and white decided to finally leave. They wanted to soak it all up -- the experience of being at the NCAA Tournament, the players, the game, the moment, the time and history of the program.

"I hope we made them proud. I know we came up short today, but we put our heart and soul on the line for this university, for that block R we rare proudly," Harper Jr. said. "We want to thank them for all the support, all the ups and downs. They kept showing up. So, we love the fans. And none of this is ever possible without them.

"I appreciate these guys, what they've given to our program and what they've given to our university. They're just great students, great people," Pikiell said. "And you saw them fight tonight. And it's not easy the whole season, back against the wall a lot of times. They just did nothing but respond. I'm proud. We were two points short in double-overtime to a good Notre Dame team. But these guys have laid it on the line for a long time. And they came to Rutgers when Rutgers wasn't fashionable. And they built a culture that's terrific.

"I love my team. They've been a special group. We had an unbelievable season. Historic run, actually and these guys here turned this program around. And I said to them in the locker room I wish I could coach them forever. This group is, in 30 years of coaching, just a special group. And you saw them today. I mean, they fought. And that's what they're made of. They really are.

"...But this group has been unbelievable for three years, three straight NCAA Tournaments. I just wish it would never end. These guys have given everything to our program."