Any college basketball team that finishes 11-20 knows that it needs to make some big changes, and the Rutgers men’s squad is no different. With six freshmen and a transfer on this year’s team, coach Fred Hill feels he has the pieces to make the turnaround happen.
“We’re definitely excited about what we have here with this team, and we’ll be a better team, in my opinion,” Hill said during the team’s recent media day. “Our practices have been great, and we have competition and depth at each position.”
Among the players the third-year coach will be counting on to produce are seniors J.R. Inman and Jaron Griffin. The duo combined for nearly 20 points per game last season and will more than likely start a majority of games once they have finished serving their indefinite suspensions for violating team policy.
“There really is no timetable for their return. I’ll make the decision when the time is right, as far as when they play in games,” Hill said. “In their absence, though, a lot of guys stepped up.”
Among those Hill is referring to is 6- foot-11 junior Hamady N’Diaye. The native of Senegal only posted modest averages of 5.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game a season ago.
“Don’t just look at the numbers,” Hill warned. “N’Diaye has made great strides in the two years that he has been with us, and he’s learned a lot. In 27 years of coaching, I’ve never seen a guy improve so much.”
Upon hearing of his coach’s praise, N’Diaye couldn’t help admitting that Hill was on the right track.
“I’m very flattered, but really, I do feel like a huge step in a short amount of time,” N’Diaye said. “I’m more grown-up now as far as how to play the game, and I think now can be my opportunity to help us in a big way.”
Also looking to help in a big way, literally, is 6-foot-9 prize freshman Gregory Echenique, who explained that even though he had scholarship offers from hoops powerhouses such as Duke and Pitt, he was drawn to Rutgers in the hope of helping the school start a tradition of winning.
“I really want to play against the best, and that’s why I’m here. I really think I can help this team do well,” Echenique explained. “Nobody pushed me to go to any particular school. It was all about going to a place that I felt most comfortable.
At St. Benedict’s Preparatory School, the Venezuelan native mostly played center, where he started 30 games last season.
“I’ve been working a lot at power forward during the first few weeks of practice, and it’s something I’ve never done before,” Echenique said. “I need to play on the perimeter more, and I don’t mind doing that. I want to do anything that I can to help this team win.”
Another post presence who will be looked upon as a freshman to help out is 6- foot-9, 280-pound Christian Morris.
With Rutgers having been known as a guard-oriented team over the past few
years, it should come as no surprise that besides Inman and Griffin, sophomores Corey Chandler and Mike Coburn will take up plenty of minutes in the backcourt.
Chandler averaged nearly 12 points and four rebounds per contest last season, while Coburn
checked in eight points per night.
“Our guard play has always been important around here, and that’s not going to change this year,” Hill said. “We have a lot of young guys on this team, and we need them to step up, especially in the backcourt.”
As heralded of a recruit as Echenique was upon signing with the Scarlet Knights, the one freshman who made big waves at the national level is Mike Rosario from St. Anthony’s High School (Jersey City). Rosario is the first McDonald’s All-American to sign with the school and is viewed as the future of the program.
“I know that there’s a lot expected of me from day one. But it’s not like I can be expected to make every shot. I’m looking at the big picture here,” Rosario explained.
As for what lies ahead in 2008-2009, the Scarlet Knights open their season on Friday against Marist at 8 p.m. From there, the team plays a slew of non-conference games before heading to play North Carolina on Dec. 28. In all, the team has 19 home contests at the RAC.
“To say the least, there are some challenging games on the schedule,” Hill said. “We just need to get out to a good start and be consistent. We have a chance to be a very good team this year.”