Rutgers News, Summer Reports, Zach Smart

RUTGERS SUMMER REPORT

Critical season ahead for Scarlet Knights basketball program in 2009-10

By Zach Smart

In a matter of days, Mike Rosario went from callow freshman to scoring savior.

Without question, Rosario’s blink-quick evolution was a major silver lining of the Scarlet Knights’ dismal 2008-2009 campaign.

The first McDonald’s All-American to pen with Rutgers, Rosario led the team in scoring and became a surefire selection for the conference’s All-Freshman team.

He’s spent this summer on Puerto Rico’s national team and his dominance hasn’t halted. He’s been lighting up the scoreboard and recently shot 18-of-29 from the field, including nine-of-13 from behind the three-point arc, to score a tournament-best 54 points in Puerto Rico’s 90-89 defeat of France at the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championships earlier this summer.

Optimism might have been in the air, despite an abysmal 2-16 record in conference play and another season spent in the Big East’s lowest percentile. With a solid core coming back, headlined by a scoring cyborg in Rosario and a defensively active big man in Gregory Echenique and the addition of JUCO point guard target James Beatty, Rutgers could have potentially re-wrote the script of their losing ways under Hill.

However, just days before the fall semester began, the Rutgers’ program took a hit in personnel with the dismissal of guard Corey Chandler and a hit in perception with the ‘demotion’ of assistant Craig Carter. The local backlash has been intense and continues to keep RU in the news for the wrong reasons, making another lower-percentile finish for Hill, who is 8-41 in Big East play as a head coach, very tough to overcome under the watch of a new athletic director. Remember, Gary Waters was deemed unacceptable after winning 7 Big East games and reaching the NIT in his last season…

KEY LOSSES:

J.R. Inman, 6-9 F: His scoring dipped, significantly, his senior year. Inman went from averaging 12 points and playing a significant role to averaging meager numbers. The Knights’ leader in scoring and rebounding for two straight seasons, he was relegated to a lesser role this past season. His penchant for bumping heads with Fred Hill didn’t exactly help his cause…

Jaron Griffin, 6-7 F: Minutes and production also dwindled, significantly, during a roller coaster senior year spent mostly in the doghouse.

Anthony Farmer, 6-1 G: A four-year starter, Farmer’s services will be missed. He showed glimpses of brilliance during his four-year stay, highlighted by a junior year during which he was named team MVP. Farmer averaged 10.2 points and 2.3 dimes in 2007-08 year. Rosario stole a bit of his shine this season.

Corey Chandler, 6-2 G: A celebrated recruit out of Newark (NJ) got out of the gates fast under Hill as a freshman before injuries sidetracked an all-rookie season. Off court issues led to a hot and cold relationship with the head coach that led to suspensions and Chandler publicly quitting the team after a late season blowout loss to Syracuse. Chandler returned shortly after, accompanied the team on an overseas excursion last spring and seemed to have new life with the program, but was dismissed from the team just weeks ago.

Also…Earl Pettis, a key reserve guard, left the program early last spring. His versatility will be missed this season.

KEY RETURNERS:

Mike Rosario, 6-2 G: The transfer rumors that hung around the Big East landscape this summer were quickly thwarted. The dynamic guard is staying put. Rosario is an explosive, superior scorer who’s got the driver’s keys right now.

Gregory Echenique, 6-9 F: Sophomore shouldered a defensive prowess while progressing at the offensive end towards the end of the season. Has good lift and can crash the boards. Echenique blossomed this season. His ability to seal the basket shut and change shots has helped upgrade the frontcourt.

H’amady N’Diaye, 6-11 F/C: Embraced the shot-blocking beast within him last season. With Hasheem Thabeet and DeJuan Blair out of the picture, this super-sized big has the chance to emerge into one of the league’s top defensive players.

Mike Coburn, 6-0 G: Numbers slashed in half after solid freshman season. Is reunited with former high school teammate Jonathan Mitchell from Mount Vernon, but is looking to be an afterthought in Hill’s plans this season.

Pat Jackson, 6-5 G/F: Saw limited time as a freshman, but few around the league put in as much work off hours as this NYC native. Had an impressive spring trip overseas with the club that should open opportunity for a key role as a sophomore.

KEY NEWCOMERS:

Jonathon Mitchell, 6-7 F: Things didn’t work out for Mitchell at the higher stratosphere, as he never found his niche under Billy Donovan at Florida. Mitchell’s only good games were against lowly cupcakes. But this versatile forward has great low-post game and a dependable mid-range jumper, one that made him such a hotly pursued recruit coming out of perennial power Mount Vernon High. His rebounding numbers could increase, as he needs to get more active on the boards. Quiet and coachable, this former New York State player of the year should revive his image at Rutgers.

Dane Miller, 6-5 F: Do-it-all forward averaged a complete package of 22 points, 16 rebounds, seven dimes, and five blocks while leading Rush-Henrietta (Greater Rochester, N.Y.). He’s a man amongst boys who’s got talent beyond his years. Deft passer and scorer who doesn’t mind sacrificing for the betterment of the team and getting other players involved.

Austin Johnson, 6-7 F: Homegrown product raised plenty of eyebrows at the legendary Blair Academy in New Jersey, where Charlie Villanueva and Loul Deng were once roommates. Johnson averaged a double-double his final two years of high school and the spindly forward can make an immediate impact. Familiar with Rosario’s game as the two were teammates on the New Jersey Playaz AAU squad.

Brian Okam, 7-0 C: 7-foot, 250-pound Center could be the jumbo, beastly big Rutgers is looking for. This kid can actually play, with an arsenal of back to the basket moves that induced drool from big time schools such as Georgia Tech. If he adds on even more bulk, he could provide an immediate upgrade in the frontcourt.

James Beatty, 6-0 PG: The Miami-Dade College product finally made his college call early this summer and answered the Scarlet Knight’s help wanted posting at point guard. A true point guard that makes ‘winning’ plays according to his JUCO coach.

NBE Blogger Says…
It has been a rough couple weeks for Rutgers head coach Fred Hill. Having to dismiss a key player just days before the fall semester begins and an upcoming season where wins and progress are a must leaves RU short in talent once again. The talent accumulation process also took a hit with the perception of Craig Carter, a popular NYC/NJ recruiter, being demoted from full-time assistant to ‘recruiting coordinator.’

The building block of Rosario and Echenique brough optimism to the program. However, a 2-16 disaster last season in Big East play seemed to erase any goodwill brought on by the recruiting success. A line-up of James Beatty, Rosario, Pat Jackson with Echenique and N’Diaye upfront and Dane Miller off the bench is solid, but in the Big East, everyone among the top 12 is more than just solid. With limited depth and a stigma of losing and uncertainty around the program, anything other than another bottom four finish could be considered over-achieving. In year four of a head coaching tenure, that is not a very goodvote of confidence for the future.

Previous Summer Reports:
Cincinnati Summer Report
Connecticut Summer Report
DePaul Summer Report
Providence Summer Report
Marquette Summer Report
South Florida Summer Report
St. John’s Summer Report
Syracuse Summer Report
West Virgina Summer Report