The Monday Morning Kickoff
It was a busy week in the Rutgers athletic community, one that saw commitments, scrimmages and a new practice complex. The Monday Morning Kickoff gets you going with the latest news in the scarlet nation.
The take from center court (Rutgers Basketball)
The RU men’s hoops team landed a big pair of commitments last week and that started off with a pledge from Gate City (Va.) class of 2018 point guard Mac McClung.
“I first told Coach Pikiell, the head coach about the commitment over the phone. We talked for a long time just about everything,” McClung said. “I just told him I was all in and I am committed to Rutgers Nation and he screamed. After that, one of the assistant coaches called me after that and he screamed too, it was a good feeling.”
A day later, four-star class of 2018 shooting guard Montez Mathis (Bel Air, Md.) followed suit and committed to Rutgers over other finalist UConn.
“I committed to Rutgers because I just felt like it was a good decision for my family and me. I feel like coach [Steve] Pikiell, coach [Brandin] Knight, and the whole rest of the coaching staff have been recruiting me the hardest throughout the whole process. So I think it was a good decision for me.”
The staff also hosted California power forward Eric Dixon of Abington High School (Willow Grove. Pa.) on Thursday.
"They have a good coaching staff over there, they are a real good group of guys,” Dixon said. “They came in and they are always pretty honest with me. They are a program on an upward path and everyone from top to bottom works really hard and I like that.”
A view from the gridiron (Rutgers Football)
Yesterday marked the unveiling of the Marco Battaglia Practice Complex at Rutgers. The ceremony allowed fans to get their first glimpse of the new practice fields.
“We know what we were playing on all those years. This is state of the art,” Battaglia said yesterday of the new complex. “I played a lot of football in my life and I can honestly tell you when I was in the NFL and out of all the universities I visited, this is the best in class by far.”
That followed up the first week of practice for the Scarlet Knights. The week ended with a Saturday scrimmage in which grad transfer Gus Edwards was among the top performers.
That is not to discount the defense as the unit is a much improved version from what it was last season.
“The team is giving a lot of effort,” said starting linebacker Trevor Morris. “We are doing what we have to do and I am just excited how we are doing things and they are turning out.”
Recruiting also continues to be on the upswing as Amad Anderson committed to Rutgers last night at a ceremony in Staten Island. Look for more on Anderson’s commitment today.