Rutgers Falls to No. 3 Maryland, 88-63

By Jordan Farbowitz

First-half struggles doomed any chance Rutgers had at upsetting third-ranked Maryland, as they lost 88-63. The Scarlet Knights seemed out-of-sorts in the first half, making only six field goals, and at one point going over six minutes without scoring.

The Knights were just not getting their shots to fall, and not helping their cause was the fact that they only had one offensive rebound in the first half, limiting their second-chance opportunities. There was also foul trouble early, as D.J Foreman and Greg Lewis both picked up three fouls in the first half. All of these factors led to them trailing 46-18 at the half.

Although Rutgers came out strong to start the second half, and actually outscored Maryland 45-42, in part because Terrapins star Melo Trimble sat out with a tight hamstring, their first-half performance was more than enough to prevent any chance of a real comeback. Despite not starting, Corey Sanders led all Scarlet Knights with 16 points. For Maryland, Jake Layman was the leading scorer with 18 points.

With the loss, Rutgers fell to 6-10, and remain winless in Big Ten play. Their next game is against Nebraska in Piscataway on Saturday. WRSU will have all of your coverage starting at 4:40PM as the Scarlet Knights look for their first Big Ten win of the season.

Second Half Surge Leads Rutgers to 72-64 Win over FDU

By: Nick Kosko

After a sluggish first half, Rutgers found their scoring touch in the second half in order to squeak by a physical Farleigh Dickinson team.

Freshman Corey Sanders paved the way in the final twenty minutes by taking over offensively and bringing the momentum back to the aid of the Scarlet Knights.

Sanders led Rutgers with 21 points including 4 three pointers in the second half to finally take the lead.

“We feel like all of the hard work is paying off and we needed guys to step up. We definitely feel like we accomplished that tonight,” Sanders said.

Going into the holiday break, it was of up most importance that Rutgers get a win for their confidence.

The team gets a few days off before getting back to work and getting prepped for their Big Ten Conference schedule.

“We needed this win. There is still some work to do so this time will be used for rest and recovery to get ready for these big conference games,” Sanders said.

Another freshman in Laurent produced a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, as he was key down the stretch to keep the Scarlet Knights ahead.

Laurent, even off of the bench, saw more time than usual due to injuries and was thrust into being a full time forward.

Head Coach Eddie Jordan had nothing but praise for the Orlando product.

“Due to some injuries we moved Jonathan to forward immediately. He was able to move the ball around and create some good opportunities for him and his teammates,” Jordan said.

Rutgers was very sloppy in the beginning of the first half with far too many turnovers and missed opportunities in the offensive game.

The Scarlet Knights faced a 12-point deficit midway through the first half but managed to tighten up and cut Farleigh Dickinson’s lead to 29-27 at halftime.

“Defensively I wasn’t happy with how easily they scored at first,” Jordan said. “However, we turned it around and we got a satisfying win before the holidays with some good things down the stretch.”

Senior Center Greg Lewis had his best game of the season and showed true leadership by managing a double-double.

Lewis finished with a season high 10 points and a career high 14 rebounds for the Scarlet Knights.

“Any win is a good win but now we are building confidence especially for the young guys,” Lewis said.

The leadership that has been stressed throughout the season really shined as Lewis showcased and became a driving force for the team.

“As a team, it’s big for us older guys to lead and help the younger players understand what it takes to win at this level and I think we are doing that,” Lewis said.

For Coach Jordan, he’s expecting his players to be ready to get back to work for a grueling Big Ten schedule in the coming weeks.

“It was a good win and now there is time for recovery so our heads will be clear right after the holiday,” Jordan said.

 

Freshmen Shine to Stop Rutgers 4 Game Skid

By RJ Hampson

December 8, 2015

Piscataway, New Jersey

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights desperately needed a victory on Tuesday night. The team had lost 4 games in a row, including a 29 point loss to Seton Hall at the RAC last Saturday. The strong play of two freshmen lead the Scarlet Knights to a 75-59 victory over the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils.

Freshman Corey Sanders was the Scarlet Knight’s leading scorer in this matchup. He scored 18 points and was a perfect 4-4 from beyond the three point arc. Fellow Freshman Jonathan Laurent was also a key contributor, scoring 15 points and knocking down 2 three pointers.

The Scarlet Knights got off to a shaky start, only scoring 10 points in the first 10 minutes of the first half. Rutgers managed to improve their play and took a 2 point lead at the end of the first half. The Scarlet Knights came out strong in the second half in large part to the bench. The Scarlet Knights bench accounted for 38 of the 75 points scored. Central Connecticut’s bench only managed to score 16 points for them.

Central Connecticut had a big game out of Senior Brandon Peel. He managed to get a double double scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Austin Nehls also scored 12 points for the Blue Devils, knocking down 4 three pointers. The Blue Devils left Piscataway empty handed and are still seeking their first victory of the season. Their next game is against the Massachusetts – Lowell River Hawks on Friday December 18^th.

Corey Sanders was terrific all around for the Scarlet Knights with 18 points, 4 steals, and 3 rebounds. However, the unsung hero of the game was Senior Bishop Daniels. He was second on the team in scoring with 17 points. He also had a breakaway steal that he finished with a slam dunk.

Jonathan Laurent came up with a solid performance on Tuesday as well. He was third on the team in scoring with 15 points. He was also injured during the game, but came back out to a large applause from the crowd. Deshawn Freeman and Shaquille Doorson did not play in the game due to injuries.

In the postgame conference, Rutgers Head Coach Eddie Jordan spoke about the play of the freshmen. Jordan: “We’re playing four freshmen sometimes and we’re sticking with that and hopefully they grow”. Jordan also said that right now Rutgers has, “A typical freshmen learning curve”.

The 29 point loss to Seton Hall last Saturday did not discourage the team. Jordan was unsure if there was a player’s only meeting, but he was pleased with the attitude they showed.  Jordan said, “They got together and I saw a lot of energy in practice”.

Jordan also spoke the injury to Deshawn Freeman. Jordan said that he will not be playing in Rutgers game this Saturday against George Washington. Jordan also mentioned that Freeman is being a team leader. Jordan: “I hear him chattering on the bench and saying really good things”.

The Scarlet Knights next game is Saturday December 12th at 4:30 P.M. They will face the 7-1 George Washington Colonels. The game will be broadcasted live on 88.7 WRSU and radio.rutgers.edu.

 

 

 

Chris Ash Named 30th Head Football Coach of Rutgers

12/07/15

Chris Ash and Rutgers agreed to terms on a $2,000,000 annual salary deal lasting 5 years. The contract has built in performance bonus and academic bonus incentives along with an increase of $100,000 towards base salary at the commencement of each contract year starting in 2017.

Ash, previously the defensive coordinator of Ohio State brings with him experience coaching in a national title game along with the promise of being a descendent of the Urban Meyer coaching tree.

Another interesting note of the contract terms is the base salary pool available for Ash’s assistant coaching staff. Each year, 2.75 million dollars will be allocated to assistant coaching compensation.

New Rutgers Athletic Director Pat Hobbs says, “He brings with him a national reputation for his coaching and recruiting abilities and, more importantly for his character and leadership. We could not be more excited to welcome Chris and his family to our Rutgers family.”

The thing that impressed Hobbs most about Ash was his belief and confidence in the abilities of Rutgers Football. “Our next coach needs to be a great ambassador for our university, someone who can lead young men, someone who can get our fans hopeful and excited again about Rutgers Football.”

“Chris Ash is the right man to lead that effort,” said Hobbs.

Chris Ash will be asked to rebuild a program that started off great in the Big Ten two years back with a 8-5 record, but fell to 4-8 this season, its second in the conference.

In a touching moment, Ash took a substantial amount of time to thank his family who has been with him right by his side the entire time.

In a message to everyone associated with Rutgers Football Ash stated, “we need to create some positive energy around this program. It’s going to take an extreme amount of work. It’s going to take a lot of the right people going in the same direction. Organizational alignment here, in this athletic department and this football program is going to be essential to our success. Everybody is going to have a role. And I’m asking that everybody be the best they can be at whatever job that is you have to do, for us, and this program to reach our goals of being one of the best football teams in a great conference here in the Big Ten.”

“I want to build a first class program here,” concluded Ash.

Ash said this football program’s mission statement wont include anything about winning or championships, ”its going to include and talk about the environment were going to create to develop these players mentally, physically, and spiritually to reach their full potential and to be successful in life after football. If we can get that done the wins will come.”

“Chris Ash has a proven track record in the Big Ten and has earned the respect and praise of his student-athletes, his colleagues and his opponents,” said Rutgers President Robert Barchi.

President Barchi not only expressed his confidence in the new head coach but also thanked Hobbs for his extreme efforts his first week on the job.

Opinion:

Ash sounds like a man with a plan. Coach Ash clearly outlined what he wants to do and make happen at Rutgers. He understands the importance of a quality staff that can develop players. It seems like Ash has some people in mind he would want on his staff, but if current Rutgers assistants are on board with him he will be happy to take them on with what Rutgers football is trying to build.

What might be music to some Rutgers football fans ears is when Ash said “we are going to have an offense that can score points.” AD Pat Hobbs said he would have taped interview with Ash if he could have to demonstrate how much confidence he has in his new hire. Ash said he would not compare himself to anything that has happened in the past (Schiano) but respects what he did for this program, as he will now put his own stamp on Rutgers Football

Overall, Ash had a spectacular press conference. Confident, looked the part, said the things that needed to be said about the state of this Rutgers Football program. I’m eager to see his immediate recruiting impact and who the OC will be.

Things are looking up in Piscataway. #AshEra

 

-Dylan Mruczinski

Knights Top Razorbacks 60-40

By: Victoria Pojawis

PISCATAWAY, N.J.——- Vivian Stringer continues to make history as Rutgers Women’s basketball head coach. Stringer was honored before the game for becoming the all-time victories leader in basketball at Rutgers. Junior Tyler Scaife, was also presented her 1,000 point game ball before tip-off.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights came out with a slow start in the first quarter, as they trailed Arkansas in the first opening minutes, but were able to regain the lead over the Razorbacks who had a 2-5 record coming into the game.

The Scarlet Knights managed to keep the majority of the momentum on their side for the remainder of the game, which led to a 60 – 40 win.

It was a solid team effort, but Tyler Scaife and Kaleah Cooper were the stars of the game. Scaife managed to score a total of 24 points, with 1 rebound and 1 assist, while Copper scored 18 points with 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

Senior center Rachel Hollivay, who is now 5^th on the Rutgers Women’s all time blocks list contributed to the win with 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 assist.

Sophomore guard Devin Cosper had the best game for the razorbacks, scoring 11 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Alecia Cooley contributed second best, scoring 8 points with 4 rebounds, but it was not enough to keep up with the momentum of the knights.

Arkansas struggles continue as they now drop to 2-6 on the season. Their upcoming opponents are Oral Roberts, Butler and Texas.

With Rutgers pulling out a victory against Arkansas, the Knights are off to a good start on their five game home stand. They advance to 6-3 on the season and look ahead to other upcoming opponents Iona, Savannah State, LSU and Big Ten conference opponent Minnesota.

 

Tough Stretch Continues for Rutgers in Garden State Hardwood Classic

By Julianne Roca

On Saturday December 5th, the men’s basketball team had a home match against the Seton Hall Pirates in a Garden State Hardwood Classic. The Scarlet Knights came away with a loss 84-55. This brings their record to 3-5 and Seton Hall to 6-2.

Going into the matchup, both teams had injuries to account for within their starting lineup. For Seton Hall, their starting forward Ismael Sanogo dislocated his shoulder in their prior game and did not play. Meanwhile, Rutgers had to play without Deshawn Freeman who was out due to knee issues and Shaquille Doorson, who is still recovering from a foot injury.

The Scarlet Knights began the game with a minor lead, which alternated possession at 5 points in the first half and also tied up a 4 points. However they were unable to keep the Pirates at bay and by halftime they ended up trailing 47 to 34. In the second half Seton Hall extended their lead, leaving the Scarlet Knights desperate for points. Rutgers ended with an overall 33.3 scoring percentage while Seton Hall had 47%.

Seton Hall had two players place double-doubles: Michael Nzei with 12 rebounds and 13 points, and Angel Delgado with 13 rebounds and 14 points. Meanwhile, their top scorer was Khadeen Carrington with 18 total points. Rutgers’ important players were D.J. Foreman with 9 rebounds, Ibrahima Diallo with 7 rebounds and top scorers Corey Sanders with 14, and Mike Williams with 16.

A key aspect where the Scarlet Knights fell apart was with their rebounding, both offensively and defensively. The Pirates completed a total of 53 rebounds while the Scarlet Knights only completed 32. The Scarlet Knights were also unable to capitalize on their opportunities close to the net. Seton Hall ended with 44 points from the paint while Rutgers had 20.

When asked about his team’s effort, Rutgers Coach Eddie Jordan commented, “Our mental effort wasn’t great. If you have mental effort, your physical effort is a second nature and will help you. If you’re not playing smart, you’re playing behind and you keep trying to catch up, and that’s fatigue. That’s tiring. But we just didn’t play smart.”

The Scarlet Knights will have their next game at home against Central Connecticut December 8th at 6 pm.

Late Game Heroics Lift Scarlet Knights Over Central Arkansas 87-84

– Piscataway, New Jersey

By Nick Kosko

After a shaky start in the first half, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights found their groove in the second half of a high scoring affair to edge the Central Arkansas Bears.

On a night where Rutgers was looking for a bounce back after a last second defeat to St. Johns on Thursday night, they seemed stumble out of the gate.

At halftime, Rutgers was tied at 38 with UCA and looked as if they would fold in the second half.

Head Coach Eddie Jordan looked toward his best players to lead the team and get on a roll in the second half.

“It was a grind down the stretch but overall our best players played well. We adjusted our defensive scheme and made sure we were up on their three point shooters despite any mismatches,” Jordan said.

Deshawn Freeman was the star as he finished a stellar day with 23 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 blocks as he ignited the team to a solid second half.

Any time he drove inside the paint, Freeman was able to out maneuver and over match Central Arkansas defenders for easy layups.

Freeman’s huge blocks during the game brought loud ovations from the crowd and knocked away any momentum UCA was trying to build.

“Freeman will get better and he has been improving each game. I am really happy about him after tonight. His leadership was huge tonight in the closing moments,” Jordan said.

Other standouts from the game were featured in Mike Williams and freshman sensation Corey Sanders. Williams finished with 25 points and 4 rebounds including 5 three pointers on the night.

Getting hot from behind the arc was huge for Rutgers as they needed to counter Central Arkansas’ Jordan Howard as he finished with 19 points with 5 three pointers of his own.

“Mike Williams has worked his butt off to finally get that type of performance. He doesn’t pull any excuses and is truly a wonderful young man,” Jordan said.

Sanders, who played well defensively all night, turned it up offensively in the second half as he finished with 14 points.

In the first half, Sanders pulled off an electrifying dunk off a steal by his teammates and seemed to bring the crowd back into the game.

“We want to bring this to Vegas. It was a good team win tonight and we just need to carry that momentum going forward,” Sanders said.

Rutgers will take on Creighton in their next contest when they play at a neutral site in Las Vegas on Monday.

“Every win gives you confidence especially after that St. Johns game. We are focused on the next game and hopefully our good players keep doing good things,” Jordan said.

 

-Forward-

The Scarlet Knights head out to Las Vegas, Nevada for their next two games as a participant in The Men Who Speak Up Main Event Tournament. Rutgers will face Creighton on Monday Night with tipoff set for 12AM ET.

WRSU will have all of your coverage for this tournament with the Rutgers Men’s Basketball Pregame Show set for 11:30PM ET on Monday, November 23rd. Make sure to tune into 88.7 FM locally or stream online at radio.rutgers.edu.

Rutgers MBB Media Day

October 27th, 2015

Piscataway, NJ – Men’s Basketball Media Day

By Matt Salvatore and Gabe Sustick

The big thing from Rutgers men’s basketball media day that was easy to take away was the amount of new faces on the team for this year. The team features seven new faces from true freshmen, to a senior transfer.

This team, last year, finished 10-22, just 2-16 in the Big Ten Conference. This wasn’t the best impression in their first season in the Big Ten.

They lost their three most productive players in Myles Mack, Kadeem Jack, and Junior Etou. Replacing those guys is going to be an obvious challenge, but head coach Eddie Jordan has combated losing those players with adding more height and depth to the roster.

There are only four players who played considerable amount of minutes from last year in Greg Lewis, Bishop Daniels, Mike Williams, and D.J. Foreman. Greg Lewis, and Bishop Daniels were named team captains, and discussed setting the right example on and off the court, while also increasing their roles vocally. Lewis talked about how competing in Athletes in Action with other DI athletes over the summer kept him in shape and helped him a great deal. Meanwhile, Daniels spoke to his strides to become a better teammate by limiting his turnovers and helping the younger players. As for Williams and Foreman, they spoke to the role reversal from learning from guys like Myles Mack and Kadeem Jack, to now helping to teach the two new freshmen in Corey Sanders and Jonathan Laurent.

The height factor on this team has greatly changed for the better, especially with Ibrahima Diallo being able to play this year, along with the JUCO transfer Deshawn Freeman. Diallo, who worked with former Rutgers great Hamady N’Diaye, is going to add great depth on the bench and he talks about being a “big impact on the defensive end.” Not that Rutgers was bad defensively but to have more length coming off the bench will always help with crashing the boards, and shot blocking as well. Jonathan Laurent also looks to make an impact during his first year with Knights as a player that Eddie Jordan described as a bit of a sleeper. As for returning sophomore Shaquille Doorson, he gets a scan on his foot next week, and is hoping to be out of his cast soon.

True Freshman Corey Sanders, a top 100 recruit in the nation will be expected to contribute to the back court.

At the guard position there is serious depth with the combination of Williams, Daniels, Corey Sanders, and Omari Grier. Right now it looks like some combination of Sanders and Daniels as starters but for two good shooters in Grier and Williams to come off the bench or mixed in other places can spread the floor. Sanders described himself as a 1.5 rather than a pure 1 meaning he believes he is a true combo guard that can pass or shoot. As for the senior transfer, Omari Grier, he says he’s already taken a leadership role as a senior on the team. Also not to be slept on is Justin Goode, who seems to have deadly 3 point accuracy from what was observed in practice.

To be productive as a team there needs to be improvement from Williams and production from Grier to get that system working. Jordan also made it known that, K-State transfer, Nigel Johnson has become a major piece in pushing the guards in practice despite his ineligibility due to NCAA transfer rules.

As for Daniel’s, the senior captain already has motivation to push him forward:

“They’re counting us out already, and to me it’s motivation that we need to grind harder and get it done this year…shock a lot of teams”

Senior Guard Bishop Daniels, one of the team captains is poised for yet another impact season.

It was evident from the press conference that there already seems to be a connection between Jordan and the players and he talked about a message he gave to his players and playing for Rutgers.

“We’re intertwined now, it’s your program it’s my program we represent it and the community so let’s get it back to where it’s supposed to be.

Jordan addressed concerns about managing egos, especially that of star recruit Corey Sanders by saying whenever Corey shoots him “that star look” his response is simple:

“Everyone on the line… two or three suicides later maybe the peer pressure kicks in”

Even with all the new faces and possible talent that is on this team, Coach Jordan isn’t ready to get ahead of himself.

“Now we’re young and we’re new so we need it to come together.”

The “young and new” team’s system will be tested early in the non-conference schedule as they have games at St. John’s and George Washington and home games against Wake Forest and Seton Hall, a game entitled the Garden State Hardwood Classic. Not to mention the entire Big Ten slate of games that come later on in the season.

Even with all the excitement Coach Jordan isn’t making any kinds of predictions. Even when asked about the predictions for the NBA season he responded, with a big grin on his face.

“I predict that the season will start tonight.”

WRSU’s Rutgers Men’s Basketball regular season coverage gets underway on Sunday, November 15th at home against Howard. WRSU Rutgers Radio will have all Rutgers Basketball coverage on 88.7 FM and its online stream at wrsu.org.