BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: RUTGERS

May 29, 2007


VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Olu Ashaolu, 6'6, 230-pound from Christian Life Center in Houston, TX.



Projected 2007-2008 Roster:


SENIORS: Ollie Bailey (PF), Byron Joynes (C)
JUNIORS: Anthony Farmer (PG), Jaron Griffin (G/F), JR Inman (F), Courtney Nelson (PG)
SOPHOMRES: Hamady N'Diaye (C)
FRESHMEN: Corey Chandler (G), Justin Sofman (G), Earl Pettis (G), Mike Cobourn (PG), Marvell Waithe (F)
2008 Early Commitment: Mike Rosario (G), Olu Ashaolu (F)


Fred Hill and the Scarlet Knights got some good news over the Memorial Day holiday weekend when 6'6 forward Olu Ashaolu chose the Scarlet Knights as his future college destination. Ashaolu to Rutgers (Zagsblog) makes the RU faithful very excited as he joins Mike Rosario in a 2008 class off to a very good start.

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Rutgers reached into their international contacts again and Fred Hill added an impressive athlete to his stable of players with the commitment of Olu Ashaolu to their class of 2008. Ashaolu is a native of Nigeria and grew up in Toronto and wanted to attend school closer to his Tonronto home. If you recall, Olu's older brother Sam was the most seriously injured in the shootings at Duquesne last fall. Being so far away from his family in Texas, Olu definitely felt the need to come closer to home and Rutgers ended being the place he felt most comfotable at, which helped that he is friendly with Rutgers big man Hamady N'Diaye, a native of Senegal.

Ashaolu is a powerful and athletic forward that will attack the rim on offense and hit the boards on the other end of the floor. He still needs to refine his skill level to be as effective as he can in the Big East as he wont be able to outjump and out-muscle everyone, but the upside is there to be a very good college player because of his advanced athletic ability and strength. He has a well-travelled resume, so he will be hitting the Big East running because he has played against high-level competition for several years already.

The additionl of Ashaolu, on paper, leaves the Scarlet Knights with one scholarship left for the class of 2008 with the most obvious need coming in the form of a big man. The big-prize target it St. Benedict's big man Samardo Samuels, however the competition is tough as he is one of the most coveted players in the class fo 2008 and has schools like UConn, North Carolina, Florida and Louisville after him aggressively as their top post target. 6'8 big forward Christian Morris of South Kent Prep is another big target for Fred Hill. The former NYC product is a nimble bull on the inisde and would be an outstanding addition to the Big East school's roster. St. Patrick BF Quintrell Thomas has seen his recruitment skyrocket this spring, but Rutgers was on him early. Forwards Mookie Jones (Peekskill, NY) and Kevin Jones (Mount Vernon) have also been high on the RU radar. The addition of Ashaolu clouds the picture for elite wing Devin Ebanks and Rutgers, altough at this point Ebanks seems to be narrowing things down between Miami and Indiana.

Rutgers seems to be pretty stacked at the guard positioin with 2007 recruits Corey Chandler, Mike Cobourn, Justin Sofman and Earl Pettis. Their earlier commitment for 2008 from Mike Rosario strenghtened their guard corps even more as Rosario looks to be the perfect compliment to Cobourn and Chandler in a future 3-guard set. Rosario was St. Anthony's leading scorer as a junior and has shown the ability to score in bunches, something Rutgers has struggled mightily to do.

Fred Hill continues to work his tail off to increase the recrutiing profile of the Scarlet Knights. We will keep following the recruiting stories of Rutgers going forward.

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RUTGERS 2007-2008 SNAPSHOT

May 3, 2007


Head Coach: Fred Jill, Jr
2006-2007 Record: 10-19 (3-13 in Big East)

Returning Players:
Byron Joynes, Senior (Center)
Ollie Bailey, Senior (Forward)
Anthony Farmer, Junior (Point Guard)
Jaron Griffin, Junior (Guard/Forward)
JR Inman, Junior (Forward)
Courtney Nelson, Junior (Guard)
Hamady N'Diaye, Sophomore (Center)

Incoming Players:
Corey Chandler (Guard)
Earl Pettis (Guard)
Mike Cobourn (Guard)
Justin Sofman (Guard)
Marvel Waithe (Forward)

Graduated Players:
Marquis Webb
Adrian Hill


Open Items/Issues:
The Scarlet Knights are still battling in-state rival for the serives of Mike Davis, the much-traveled 6'9 BF/C from NYC. Davis would give Rutgers a much-needed Big East body upfront to go with Byron Joynes and the developing Hamady N'Diaye. Rutgers also has a verbal commitment, reportedly, from Marvel Waithe of Canada. Waithe still has to make it through the NCAA Clearinghouse to obtain eligibility for next season, something he was unable to accomplish last season when he committed to Loyola.

Summary:
Rutgers struggled in Fred Hill's first seasons as head coach of the Scarlet Knights, posting a woeful 3-13 conference mark as they never found a way to score points consistently, hitting for less than 60 pts in 16 contests last year. They are adding some perimeter firepower through recruiting with Corey Chandler, an exciting scoring guard, Justin Sofman, a sweet-shooting guard, Earl Pettis and Mike Cobourn. They also welcome back Byron Joynes from a medical redshirt, but this team still looks like it will struggle scoring, especially in the paint, which will unlikely create much room on the perimeter as it will be difficult for Rutgers to play inside-out.

There are some players I really like potentially, especially JR Inman and Hamady N'Diaye, but neither look to be the type to carry a team and are still more in terms potential than finished product. The rest of the returning players would largely make up role players on other Big East teams. The newcomers definitely have potential to be a good backcourt in the future, but will take their licks next season. Making the Big East Tournament is a legitimate goal for Rutgers, but they definitely seem like a team that will be on the outside looking in at Madison Square Garden early next March.

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