3/21/2022 basketball Edit

Looking ahead at the 2022-23 Rutgers Hoops roster

Richie O'Leary • TheKnightReport

Publisher

The 2021-22 Rutgers Basketball season has come to an end and man was it one for the ages, as it was filled with constant ups and downs. It started with a ton of hype building as TKR confirmed that the Scarlet Knights defeated both UConn and Villanova in preseason scrimmages, then they went on to lose three in a row to DePaul, Lafayette, and UMass, only to bounce back by knocking off No. 1 ranked Purdue. After that there were more ugly losses to Minnesota, Maryland and Northwestern (all 89+ in NET) only to defeat the next four opponents, Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Illinois (34 or lower in NET), all of which were ranked. Finally coming to an end on Wednesday with a double overtime thriller versus Notre Dame in the first four matchup of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

The offseason has just begun so is it too early to look ahead to next season? Probably, but we here at The Knight Report decided to do it anyway and it has a more optimistic look than you think.

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This offseason is going to be an interesting one for the Scarlet Knights as they can lose up to three scholarship players to graduation alone, as Geo Baker, Ralph Agee and Luke Nathanall will be graduating and moving on as none of them have any eligibility remaining.

Then you have Ron Harper Jr. and Caleb McConnell who both still have one year of eligibility left, however rumors are swirling that both are leaning towards the Notre Dame game being their last in a Rutgers uniform so it’s possible both aim to go play professionally. Add in Jaden Jones, who just recently declared for the NBA Draft as well and that means you have to replace six total scholarship players.

Now some of you may be saying if they both leave, how can you say there is hope? Remember how Pikiell turned a Big Ten bottom dweller to a three time NCAA Tournament team, well he can very easily do it again and this time around he has a few more tools to work with.

For starters, the Scarlet Knights have a few key pieces likely to return next season starting with All-B1G honorees Paul Mulcahy and Cliff Omoruyi. The one time New Jersey high school studs have been key cogs in this team’s development over the past few years and they will be the leaders among the team next year.

After that, there were also a few guys who played key roles in some games this season as wing player Aundre Hyatt and Mawot Mag will return, both of which had multiple double digit games for the Scarlet Knights this season. Along with them you also have Jalen Miller and Dean Reiber, who also played solid roles and showed that they can play defense at a very high level, something that head coach Steve Pikiell’s teams are known for.

Add in two incoming freshmen (Derek Simpson, Antwone Woolfolk) and there’s some hope. However it’s obvious Pikiell and crew will still have to likely hit the transfer portal, like most programs and add a few more pieces. Actually they’ve already begun to reach out to potential prospects as they recently hosted Lafayette big man Neal Quinn on an unofficial visit to campus and TKR has learned that the trip went very well.

Now if you can add a backup big man in Quinn, pop in a ball handling guard, then add a wing scorer and who knows maybe you’re looking at the NCAA Tournament for a fourth year in a row. Who knows? Maybe McConnell and Harper Jr. decide to stay and you fill those needs right then and there.

Only one thing is certain and that is that Steve Pikiell has taken Rutgers out of the basement and made them into a competitor and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Stay tuned for more Rutgers Basketball roster updates and other news right here on The Knight Report!