11/19/2020 basketball Edit

Rutgers Hoops freshmen class still learning, adjusting to college game

Richie O'Leary • TheKnightReport

Publisher

Last Friday, the Rutgers men’s basketball program hosted their annual media day event, where the media talks with all of the Scarlet Knights players to learn about offseason training and what's in store for the season ahead.

This offseason, Rutgers added four new true freshman via the high school route as they landed three-star recruits Mawot Mag, Dean Reiber and Oskar Palmquist to go along with Rivals 100 recruit and four-star center Clifford Omoruyi.

TKR spoke with the four newcomers to learn more about their weird offseason, adjustments to the college game and more.

HOW HARD HAS IT BEEN TO ADJUST TO THE SPEED OF THE COLLEGE GAME?

MAWOT MAG: “I personally feel like it’s just a lot more physical and a faster game speed. You know just going through the whole experience and going from the jump from high school to college is a different ball game. Everyone is athletic, tall and can do what you can do so I’m just basically trying to fit in.”

DEAN REIBER: “The pace of the game for sure is one of the most challenging parts to get used too. Also learning the plays is challenging as well, but I think I got most of it down.”

OSKAR PALMQUIST: “It’s been a challenge for me, but I love it. I feel like I am just getting better and better.”

CLIFF OMORUYI: “The thing I noticed about this level is that they play fast paced and as a team we work on things everyday just to get faster. In the weight room I’m just getting used to everything still, but as a team we are doing good.”

THIS HAS BEEN A STRANGE OFFSEASON WITH COVID AND ALL, SO WHAT HAS THE EXPERIENCE BEEN LIKE ON CAMPUS SO FAR?

MM: “Unfortunately we aren’t able to go through the whole college life experience, as no one is on campus and all that. But we are playing basketball and it’s cool. We have classes online, so we are basically going through the same process, it’s kind of similar, but it’s been okay.”

OP: “I came here in the spring semester so I kind of saw what it was like usually. It’s been kind of weird for school to be like this, but at the same time it’s also been really good for us, we get to focus more on basketball and there’s less distractions. So I feel like at the end of the day for Rutgers Basketball it has been good for us because I know our guys have been in the gym, working out and getting better.’

CO: “For me the college experience has been pretty good. I don’t really focus on the student life or the overall of having students on campus. For now I’m just really all about basketball and working with my teammates around me is what I’m really focused on right now.”

THIS ONE IS FOR CLIFF AND OSKAR, YOU TWO HAVE SEEN THE RAC IN PERSON AND HEARD SO MUCH ABOUT THE ATMOSPHERE, BUT IS IT GOING TO BE STRANGE WITHOUT FANS AND HOW DO YOU MAKE UP FOR THAT AS PLAYERS?

OP: Obviously It's going to be a lot different, but we just have to bring the energy ourselves. We believe that the team with the most energy Is going to come out with a win. So we got to bring that ourselves, push and cheer on each other, that's the key to winning."

CO: "Like Oskar just said we have to bring the energy as a team. I was there last year during the basketball season and I saw the way the atmosphere was, but with the corona and everything stopping that we just have to talk more as a team and push each other."