WAR ROOM #84 -- Rutgers Athletics on the up and up!
NOTABLE QUOTES
Rutgers Hoops HC Steve Pikiell on new football coach Greg Schiano: “I love coach Schiano. We talk, we text, and we communicate. He’s awesome. People are excited. I’m looking forward to working with him. I know he’s going to do great things for the football program and the university. Really excited. He’s a great guy and his wife is awesome.I’m excited he’s here and he’ll continue that trend. Buy stock now.
“I think football can help everybody. It’s once a week on Saturdays and people have days off. Alums come back and there’s enthusiasm from students. Football is the most viewed sport and college football generates a lot of enthusiasm. Any time you have a great football program it helps everybody.”
GEO BAKER ON SETON HALL: “Every game is a big game, just enjoying the win right now. We really respect them as a team, respect their coaches and respect the program. They are a really good program, it’s going to be fun and exciting.”
AKWASI YEBOAH ON SETON HALL: I haven’t really heard much, and I’m looking forward to playing against them. It’s an exciting matchup and they are a great team. It’s going to be a good game and I’m really looking forward to the atmosphere.
MYLES JOHNSON ON SETON HALL: “I didn’t play last time the game was at the RAC, but the atmosphere was incredible, the whole gym was red, it was loud and it was crazy. After the game all the fans rushed the floor and it was just crazy. Hope all the fans come just like last time, come just as loud and I hope they are ready to storm the floor again.
RECRUIT SCOOP:
WR Justin Shorter (Penn State): TKR has learned that Justin Shorter has begun to look elsewhere too. The South Brunswick native has been garnering a lot of interest lately and one school we’ve been told to watch out for is Oregon.
OL Chris Bleich (Florida): Yesterday we spoke with someone who was able to confirm his recent visit to Pittsburgh and next up he is planning to visit West Virginia. I’m told that despite the early interest in Rutgers, the lack of an O-Line coach has hurt his interest in the Scarlet Knights. TKR has learned he is likely headed elsewhere.
OL Cedrice Paillant (Monroe College - NY): The New Rochelle native is very high on the Scarlet Knights and a weekend official visit to campus should all but seal the deal. Expect a decision from him some time this weekend.
DL Malik Barrow (UCF): So far we know that Barrow visited Toledo last weekend and is very close with their defensive line coach, howeve,r he is also very tight with Rutgers HC Greg Schiano. TKR's Alex Gleitman previously posted on the board, should the Scarlet Knights want Barrow, they will likely land him.
UPDATE ON RAHEEM BLACKSHEAR: We recently spoke to someone in the network who told TKR that Florida State’s new OC Kenny Dillingham and Blackshear have mutual interest. He is the former OC at Memphis, so we spoke with Memphis-Rivals publisher Bryan Moss on his reasoning why Blackshear is the perfect fit for Dillingham’s offense.
“Blackshear is a small shifty quick back that would most definitely fit Norvell’s system. Look at the backs he had at Memphis last year. Darrell Henderson (now in the NFL with the Rams) rushed for over 1,900 yards. Henderson is 5-foot-8. He also had Tony Pollard. Pollard was drafted by Dallas. Pollard is listed at 6-foot-0 but that’s being generous. Patrick Taylor is a tall bruising running back that backed up Henderson. He got injured in the first game of the season and that thrusted freshman Kenneth Gainwell into a starting role. The 5-foot-11 (being generous again) Gainwell fits the same mols as Henderson and Pollard. Smaller, shifty quick running back that not only can run but can catch as well. When you watch film on Blackshear you see the type of athlete that Norvell loves. A hard-nosed runner that can really do it all and in’t afraid of contact. For anyone unfamiliar with Norvell, go check out YouTube highlights of Darrell Henderson, Tony Pollard, and Kenneth Gainwell and you’ll see why Blackshear would shine in Norvell’s system.”
WEEKEND OFFICIAL VISITOR LIST:
WR/DB Chris Long
WR/DB Robert Longerbeam
DL Malik Barrow (Thursday night)
**TKR can confirm that there will be at least one secret visitor from out of state tomorrow** -- Since he is committed elsewhere, we will release the name when he allows us.
RIVALS MID-ATLANTIC RECRUITING ANALYST ADAM FRIEDMAN'S EVALS:
"I like Long a lot. He is an explosive outside receiver with pretty good hands and he has some natural athleticism. He is a difficult matchup for opposing cornerbacks, as long the Rutgers quarterbacks can find him on the outside and hit him on crossing routes. Priority number one for the next OC should be to get him into space, where he is the most dangerous."
"Fatukasi is a player with a lot of size, he’s a a guy that is a true road grader. He’s naturally athletic for a bigger offensive lineman. Getting him to play under control and with proper technique should be the goal for him early on. As long as the staff is able to reshape his body and get his technique down, he could be a solid prospect."
"I like Powell a lot as a defensive athlete. He has some great length and size. I like the way he plays with a tenacious attitude about him. He flys around and is a big hitter that comes down hill as a linebacker. He does a good job on the edge and getting into the opponent’s backfield stopping the run game. Overall he is a really good athlete from Vineland High School that Rutgers has done well with recently.”
INSIDE CHRIS' CRANIUM
Hoops
If the Rutgers men’s basketball team is going to win on Saturday at home (4:00 p.m., BTN) at the RAC, it’ll have to stop Seton Hall senior guard Myles Powell.
Powell, who hails from Tenton, is the nation’s sixth-leading scorer at 22.9 points per game. In nine contests so far, he’s made 35 3-pointers, which tied for the sixth most in the country. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder netted 37 points in a tight loss to Michigan State.
Last season, he scored 28 points against the Scarlet Knights.
“He’s a Player of the Year candidate, All-American, and I thought we did a decent job last year, too,” Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said Thursday. “With that being said, I’ve seen a lot of different people try and guard him a bunch of ways. You have to have your antennas up. He’s so good.
“He’s a bucket-getter. You have to do a good job and it has to be team defense. It can’t just be one guy and you have to try and change up your looks on him. ...The other guys are good, too. (Quincy) McKnight and (Myles) Cale can play and cause problems. That’s why they’re ranked in the Top 25.”
Rutgers guard Geo Baker, who chipped in with 17 points in Rutgers’ last win over Seton Hall in 2017-18, talked about how much confidence Powell has.
“I’ve watched a couple of their games this year and I’ve played him the past couple of years and he’s a really good player. He can score in multiple ways and get to the free-throw line,” Baker said. “Even if he misses a shot, he doesn’t let that affect him. That’s dangerous for a guy like him. I got to play pickup with him over the summer and as far defending him, you have to make him as uncomfortable as much as we can.”
Ron Harper Jr. mentioned you have to lock him up early and often.
“Myles Powell is one of those guys where if he gets it going early, you’re going to be in for a long night,” Harper said. “You have to pick him up right at halfcourt. He’ll shoot from the Block R logo. We have to put pressure on him and take the ball out of his hands. He’s a cool guy and I’m looking forward to competing against him on Saturday.”
Rutgers isn’t the type of team - unless it gets super hot - that’s going to just outscore the opposition. Pikiell likes the grind and emphasizes defense and rebounding like no other.
“[We’re] getting better,” Pikeill said of his defense. “We played well, too, against Michigan State. We’re developing into the team I want us to be, an elite defensive team. We’re unique and we can change up some things. We went full court against Wisconsin which helped us and we have a lot of interchangeable defenders. The guys are understanding the importance (of defense) and guys are growing and better through film and practice. I like where we’re headed.”
The Pirates will be without the 6-foot-11 and 240-pound junior Sandro Mamukelashvili who averages 10.9 points and 4.7 rebounds after he injured his wrist on Monday at Iowa State.
But Pikiell said that Seton Hall has players that can step in and not miss a beat.
“It’s funny, they play a ton of guys and the reason why I play a ton of guys is you never know the obstacles that come up during the season,” the coach said. “Having him out, I just think there are opportunities for other really good players. Jared Roden is really good and knows how to play. Tyrese Samuel is a talented young guy. Their depth is an advantage with Sandro going down.”
Speaking of Monday, that was Seton Hall’s last game played while Rutgers played on Wednesday. In turn, the Pirates have more time to prepare than the Scarlet Knights.
Nonetheless, Pikiell, Baker, Harper, and the rest of the team are excited to play and hopefully beat another ranked team with a trophy on the line.
“Any time you play great teams, and we’re going to get a lot of chances (in the Big Ten), and when you beat top programs and well-coached programs like Seton Hall, it means you’re getting better,” Pikiell said. “We’re looking forward to the challenge of playing a team that’s very offensively gifted that causes many problems with two days to prepare.”
--------------------------------------------------------------