2006-2007 BIG EAST PREVIEW: 11) RUTGERS

October 7, 2006


The Gary Waters tenure at Rutgers is over and a new era with Fred Hill, jr has begun on the banks of the Raritan River in New Jersey. After failing to reach an NCAA tournament in his time at Rutgers, Waters was let go at the end of the season and his top assistant was promoted to the position. In one of the worst kept secrets around, Hill seemed destined for this spot the day he was hired on, leaving Villanova as Jay Wright's top assistant, as Waters' #1 assistant.

Fred Hill has been known as Mr. New Jersey in the recruiting game with his ability to lure some of th estate's top talents while working at Villanova and at Seton Hall prior to that. He is the son of the Rutgers baseball coach and has often referred to the head coaching position at Rutgers as his dream job.

Hill takes on a tall task in getting Rutgers to move up in the Big East standards. It has been over two decades since the Scarlet Knights have appeared in the NCAA Tournament and in 12 seasons in the Big East they have yet to finish above .500 in conference play. Rutgers' .342 Big East winning percentage is the lowest in conference histroy of anyone with more than four conference seasons under their belt, so the amount of work needed to turn the Rutgers program around is very daunting. Rutgers is in proximity to some of the top talent available in the nation, now Fred Hill has to convince them Rutgers is the place for them to be.


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Last season the Scarlet Knight's rode the shoulders of Quincy Douby to a 7-9 record. douby lite up scoreboards at the pace of 27 PPG last year in conference play, accounting for 39% of Rutgers scoring in conference play. On a team that sometimes struggled to score points, finding a source of those missing points will be the biggest task this season. Afterall, Douby led Rutgers in scoring in all 16 of their league contests.

Of the returning players, senior Marquis Webb (10.2 PPG) and sophomore JR Inman (11.4 PPG) both averaged double figures in league contests. Inman is a player to keep a close eye on this season. He missed the 2nd half of conference play last year after suffering a broken league, but really looked to be coming into his own prior to that. As a freshmen, in the conference, he averaged 11 PPG, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks. Another year of getting stronger and imrpving his skill set to play inside and out, and you have a player who could break-out this year amongst the best in the league. He has a game that is very similar to Curtis Sumpter and Wilson Chandler in terms of potential and match-up advantages because of his size and ability to go inside and out. With someone needed to shoulder the scoring load, look for Inman to have a chance at being their go-to guy this year.

With Douby gone, Rutgers could revert back to a more defensive-minded attack. With a player like Marquis Webb in their backcourt, they might have the conference's elite perimeter defensive player as a lock-down defender. Webb prides himself in being the guy to shut down the other team's leading scorer. He has the size, strength and athletic ability to match-up with anyone on the perimeter. A pair of sophomore guards, Anthony Farmer and Courtney Nelson (a transfer from Richmond) also have the ability to be above-average defenders in the league this year. The Scarlet Knights will also look for Webb to score more this year, which really is not his game, but as a senior, expect him to lift his scoring averages slightly this season (averaged 10 PPG last year in the BE). Farmer had a solid freshmen campaign, averaging 8 PPG, 4 assists and 3 rebounds a contest in the Big East, but shot just 31% from the floor, feeling the affects of a lingering wrist injury. He should see his scoring average be very close to 10 PPG this year. Nelson averaged 6 PPG as a freshmen in the Atlantic 10. After sitting out a year, he is expected to shake off the rust pretty quickly and be a key in a three-guard look for the Scarlet Knights.


If offense is what they need, look for Jaron Griffin to get a long look at the wing. Playing behind Webb and Douby last year, opportunities for Griffin were few and far between. However, you could see the potential this young player has. With more consistent playing time, his shooting percentages should improve greatly as he finds the confidence and comfort-zone within the offense. Another New Jersey native that decided to stay close to home, he has the potential to put up some good scoring numbers in a short period of time.

The Rutgers frontcourt has some bodies, and some potential, finally, with Fred Hill landing prized recruit Hamady N'Diaye late last spring, it ended a dry run for Rutgers in recruiting big men. N'Diaye might not be one to be counted on offensively this year, but the long and lean athletic 6'10+ shot-blocker is loaded with potential. He should see significant time this year giving the Scarlet Knights an interior defensive presence that they have not had much of in the past. Teaming with the bulky, but oft-injured, Byron Joynes gives RU a solid 1-2 bunch in the middle that could gel for Rutgers this year. Inman will most likely be the power forwrd, but former all-freshmen player Ollie Bailey also brings his lunchpail to the floor in the frontcourt and will try to rebound from a sophomore season in which he disappeared from the rotation for a while. Also, Adrian Hill will look to comeback form another knee injury, but he shoudl provide additional depth, a luxury several teams do not have in this conference. Even more depth can be added with 6'11 Frank Russell.

There is definitely some new excitement around the Rutgers program, which is normal anytime a program hires a new head coach. This is Fred Hill's first go-round as a head man, however, so there is an inexperience factor in the first seat on the bench. However, Hill knows these players as the majority are New Jersey natives. Repalcing the scoring of Douby is going to be a major challenenge for this team. There does not seem to be an over-abundance of scoring options to turn to, however, the Scarlet Knights, for the second year in a row, are faced with a schedule in the conference that is friendly-enough to keep them out of the bottom four, provided that JR Inman becomes a go-to player and fellow sophomores Anthony Farmer and Jaron Griffin raise their games. If Marquis Webb continues to be a leader on defense and Courtney Nelson provides a lift on both ends of the court, with thier depth in the frontcourt, the Scarlet Knights could hold steady this year, even with the loss of Douby.

There is VERY little seperating teams 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 in this preseason, just like last year, where it was a game difference, I expect it to be the same this year. Little things will make the difference between playing in Madison Square Garden and watching the Big East tournament from home. It is no guarantee for Rutgers to be there, but I think they have just enough to stay on the right side of the Big East Conference Tournament bubble. History still suggests they will not be .500, but they should stay close to the mark.

Projected Big East Record: 7-9