RUTGERS RECRUITING UPDATE

VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Corey Chandler, G (Newark, NJ) 2007 class

Projected 2006-2007 Roster:

SENIORS: Quincy Douby (G), Marquis Webb (G), Byron Joynes (C), Adrian Hill (C)
Juniors: Ollie Bailey (PF), Dan Waterstradt (F/C)
Sophomores: Anthony Farmer (PG), Jaron Griffin (G/F), JR Inman (F), Zack Gibson (PF), Courtney Nelson (PG)
Freshemn: No Commitments

Note: Rutgers has an early 2007 commitment from Corey Chandler (G)

See earlier Rutgers recruiting reports: June 30 Report and July 23 Round-Up.

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Although he can not sign a letter of intent for another 15 months and is still about two years away from stepping foot on campus, Corey Chandler has given the Rutgers faithful hope and a reason to be excited. Following a successful recruiting campaign that has New Jersey natives JR Inman, Anthony Farmer and Jaron Griffin suiting up this coming season and the hiring of assistant coach Fred Hill jr, the Scarlet Knights are letting it be known they are to be taken seriously in the fertile recruiting grounds of the NYC/NJ/Philly area.

You can find several articles on the Chandler commitment from in our Aug 18 Big East Notes and one of the most interesting articles is the one on how much recruiting Chandler plans on doing himself for Rutgers. He says he already has been working on 2006 seniors Lance Thomas and Earl Clark, two players coveted by the elite programs in the country.

With just two scholarships available right now for 2006, Clark and Thomas remain the dream combo for Gary Waters and the Rutgers fans. Clark still seems to be leaning heavily towards Villanova or Louisville, and if Derrick caracter does the expected, and chooses Louisville, it could push Louisville ahead for Clark. Thomas, however, is a little harder to read. He is still working on narrowing his long list and seems to be taking his time. When talking about Rutgers, he seems to be the one most interested and he also seemed excited about the Chandler commitment. Thomas most likely will keep schools like Connecticut, Arizone, Duke, etc on his list, but Rutgers should not be counted out and Thomas would be an ideal piece to the Rutgers puzzle, teaming with JR Inman to form a formidable pair of Big East forwards. Of course, that is still a long ways off and I am getting a little ahead of myself, but I can see the Rutgers fans dreaming of a similar scenario.

Since Rutgers will probably wait out the process on Thomas and Clark, their recruiting has been a little subdued thus far. It has surfaced recently that Ruben Guillandeaux will be visiting this weekend. Guillandeaux is a Brooklyn native that has been getting varying looks from schools such as Florida, Providence, Seton Hall and various Atlantic-10 and mid-major schools. They have also been involved with Earl Pettis, but the Chandler commitment and the roster make-up with Farmer and Courtney Nelson one class ahead would probably cool their interest in him. Shamari Spears is another player that keeps popping up on the Rutgers radar. The North Carolina native, who is prepping in New Jersey at Blair Academy, has a bruising body at 6'6 and 235 lbs. His versatile and physical style would play very well in the Big East.

From all indications, Rutgers is in a holding pattern in the 2006 class trying to hit a home run. With Fred Hill laying the groundwork with Corey Chandler and what could be a tremendous class in 2007, there doesn't seem to be any great pressure to just add bodies in 2006. Some of the top players in the area are listing Rutgers in 2007 and are taking a serious interest in Scarlet Knights. Holding a scholarship for that class is a good idea if they do not land what they really want this time around. The pieces are in place to recruit, the 2005-2006 version of the Scarlet Knights can really help the cause, and Gary Waters as well, if they show improvement in the court! If they do, the next 15 months wont end soon enough for the Rutgers faithful.