6/13/2020 basketball Edit

The future is bright for Rutgers Hoops guard Paul Mulcahy

Daniel Pierrot

Rutgers.Rivals.com

Paul Mulcahy has been a player to watch for quite some time. He first showed up on my radar when I saw him play at Kean University against Mamadou Doucoure’s high school team, Our Savior New American School.

Mulcahy, just a sophomore at the time, was controlling every aspect of the game. His ability to dribble against pressure and dish to open teammates was impressive. Add in the fact that he was 6-foot-5 and you knew the future was bright for him.

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The next year I saw him again. This time in the New Jersey State tournament where he faced the juggernaut Roselle Catholic team. Now a junior, Mulcahy’s Gill St. Bernard’s team just did not matchup with Roselle Catholic’s size, speed, or athleticism. Many times, in the game, he was asked to guard much bigger players like Naz Reid due to his team’s size disadvantage. Despite this, Mulcahy was electric and his presence alone kept Gill St. Bernard’s within striking distance. In the fourth quarter, Roselle Catholic pulled away, but I was completely sold on Mulcahy’s talent by then.

Then, in his senior year, I saw him one last time, at Hillsborough High School. Mulcahy looked like a different animal. In lay up lines he was dunking with ease and was nailing jump shot after jump shot. In the game, Mulcahy looked like he did not belong with the rest of the players. He was too good. It was his game to decide and he did so by getting his teammates easy lay ups and scoring at will. They went on to win by 40.

For the 2020/2021 season, I expect to see more improvements from Mulcahy. His confidence will grow, and he will get used to coach Pikiell’s offense even more. But, I don’t think we’re going to see the best version of Paul Mulcahy, yet.

With players like Jacob Young and Geo Baker still on the roster, the team will have a lot of mouths to feed. Mulcahy, the consummate teammate, will fill his role and provide what he can in his minutes on the floor.

However, the following season, expect Mulcahy to take his leap into the starting lineup and become the leader that I saw in high school. With Baker and Young gone, the team will rely much more on Mulcahy’s playmaking ability. His will to win and leadership qualities will shine through. His numbers will skyrocket, and his teammates will always want him on the floor .

Everything I’ve seen from Mulcahy, from high school to now, shows that he is going to be a special player. His winning mentality and habits will help shape Rutgers’ culture for years to come. In the NBA, they would call him a “multiplier”. Meaning, he makes his teammates better. This is the perfect definition for Mulcahy, and it will be exciting to watch him for the next three years.