JUCO POINT GUARD VISITIN RUTGERS SOON

March 23, 2009



James Beatty, a native of Wilmington (NC), is a hot commodity this spring recruiting period as one of the top uncommitted JUCO prospects on the market. This past season, Beatty set a Miami-Dade College school record with 16 assists in a game and finished the 2008-2009 season averaging 13.4 Points, 7.9 Assists, and 2.7 Steals per game. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound point guard also shot 39% from three-point range.

"The Biggest impact was his leadership and knowledge for the game," Miami-Dade head coach Matt Eisele told NBE. "He is a basketball player!"

Currently, Beatty is being recruiting by Rutgers, St. John's and DePaul from the Big East as well as the likes of Baylor, LSU and Kentucky among others.


The process of heading towards a decision is likely to be put into motion in the very near future. Beatty will head out on an official visit this coming weekend and one Big East school is definitely going to try and put their best foot-forward while he is on their campus.

"He will visit Rutgers next weekend," said his coach. "That is the only visit he has committed to at this time."

With point guard being a point of emphasis on the recruiting trail for Fred Hill Jr. and the staff of the Scarlet Knights, it definitely looks like Beatty has become their priority recruit at the position this spring. Will a Rutgers visit tempt Beatty to pull the trigger? That will be the question RU fans will be wondering for the next week as they await the answer anxiously, although coach Eisele believes the process will play out a little longer.

“James has expressed to me he will be patience with his decision and there is no leader at this time,” said coach Eisele.

For more on Beatty and his recruitment...please check out the NBE Basketball Report.

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BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: RUTGERS

March 11, 2009


VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Brian Okam, 6'11, 245 lb C currently attending Lake Highland FL) Preparatory School



Projected 2009-2010 Roster:


SENIORS: Hamady N'Diaye (C)
JUNIORS: Corey Chandler (G), Earl Pettis (G), Mike Cobourn (PG), Jonathan Mitchell* (F)
SOPHOMORES: Mike Rosario (G), Patrick Jackson (SF), Greg Echenique (PF/C)
FRESHMEN: Dane Miller (F), Austin Johnson (F), Brian Okam (C)

* Sitting out 2008-2009 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Will have two years of eligibility left beginning with the 2009-2010 season.

It has been almost one full year since we have written about a Rutgers recruiting commitment. Well, that finally changes this week as, according to Lake Highland Preparatory School basketball coach Jeff Turner, the Scarlet Knights have picked up a commitment from 6'11 center Brian Okam for the class of 2009.

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Its been a trying several months for the Rutgers men's basketball program. A season that was met with excitement and raised expectations with the additions of Mike Rosario and Greg Echenique to a team that had several veterans who have paid their dues in the Big East. However, Tuesday night closed the chapter on a disappointing season, one where the Scarlet Knights finished 2-16 in the Big East and 11-21 overall, with a 61-50 loss to Notre Dame in the first round of the 2009 Big East Tournament.

Under coach Fred Hill Jr., the Scarlet Knights continue to plow forward on the recruiting trail, hoping to climb the Big East ladder. The latest addition, joining forwards Dane Miller and Austin Johnson in the class of 2009, is 6'11 center Brian Okam.

"He made his decision over the weekend and let Coach Hill know Monday afternoon," Lake Highland Prep coach Jeff Turner informed the NBE Basketball Report of Okam's verbal commitment. "It was a difficult decision but ultimately, I think he just felt in his heart that Rutgers was the right place for him. He felt a connection to the players and coaching staff."

The name Jeff Turner is certainly a familiar one to many basketball fans. The Lake Highland (FL) coach was a former all-SEC player at Vanderbilt University and a member of the 1984 gold medal winning USA Basketball team. Coach Turner was 1st round pick of the New Jersey Nets and spent 10 of his 12 professional seasons in the NBA, seven with the Orlando Magic, where he also served as nine years as the team's radio analyst following his playing days before joining the Lake Highland Prep Basketball Program in 2005.

Coach Turner did not have Okam available in games this season as Florida High School Athletic Association rules deemed the big man ineligible because he had exhausted his four-year window of eligibility once completing the 8th grade. Still, coach Turner has played a big role in his development and has seen excellent growth in Okam while attending the central Florida prep school.

"We have spent a lot of time working with Brian on his skills around the basket," says coach Turner. "He is a true post player. He has unbelievable athleticism, so we have concentrated on working with him on his balance and footwork in the post and developing a go to move and then a counter to that move. One of my assistance is former NBA [and]Cal-Berkeley center, Michael Stewart. Michael has spent a lot of time working one-on-one with Brian."

Previously, the Nigerian-born big man had attended Montrose Christian in Rockville (MD) and played on the AAU circuit with the DC Blue Devils, with other African imports headed to the Big East in the 2009 class including Mouphtau Yarou (Villanova) and Talib Zanna (Pitt), on a program that has sent many to the Big East and other top programs, including Jerome Dyson (UConn), Dante Cunningham (Villanova), Billy Edelin (Syracuse), Jonathan Flowers (WVU), Roy Hibert (Georgetown), Kene Obi (DePaul), Ricky Shields (Rutgers), Michael Sweetney (Georgetown) as well as Kevin Durant and Stevie Francis, among others.

When NBE saw Okam last spring at the King James Shooting Stars Tournament, Brian was making the most impact on the defensive end as he was still raw offensively, but his athleticism was very evident, and that adds to his upside potential that his future coaches and current coach both believe very much in.

"His size and physical strength are a big plus," says coach Turner when asked about the impact Okam will have in the Big East in the future. "I think he could add another 20 pounds to his frame! As I said before, he is a true center which, from watching the Big East this season, seems like a must to be competitive. He needs to play to improve which is something he has not had the opportunity to do, unfortunately, but I believe he will improve quickly when he gets that chance. It’s up to him!"

Okam was also recruited very heavily by Georgia Tech and in the end, it was between Rutgers and the Yellow Jackets. Coach Turner talked more about the person, not just the player, that the Scarlet Knights are getting for their program.

"As a person, Brian has grown tremendously," Turner said. "This is the area where I am proudest of him. He has been forced to take a tough academic course load because he was way short of the core credits he needed to be NCAA eligible. He has worked hard in the classroom and will complete the academic year with a 3.5 GPA. No easy feat at our school! I think that has carried over into his work ethic on the court. I don’t think he had been pushed as hard as Michael and I pushed him. He will need to work even harder when he gets to college, but he understands that now and has really improved."

With the verbal commitment of Okam, Rutgers still has two scholarships available in the class of 2009. Their most immediate need is for help in the back court, specifically at point guard. Miami-Dade CC point guard James Beatty has become a top target of Hill and his staff, as well as a few others in the Big East. They have also reportedly offered a scholarship to Mesa (AZ) point guard Donte Medder, one of the top players still available from the West in the class of 2009. Also, Puerto Rico's Raymond Cintron Jr. is a player that has appeared on the RU radar and his play at the 2009 Primtetime Shootout has proven he could play at the high-major level.

With just one senior on the 2009-2010 roster, the Scarlet Knights are likely to keep a scholarship open for the 2010 recruiting class. If additional players transfer from the program this spring (we have all seen the Corey Chandler stories), their plan could change and they look for some additional help this spring, but their attention has been on the class of 2010 for quite sometime.

Also at the Primetime Shootout, Branden Frazier of Bishop Loughlin (NYC) and Shane Southwell of Rice (NYC) were a couple 2010 targets that mentioned their interest in the Scarlet Knights. Fred Hill and staff have also worked hard in developing a relationship with forward Tobias Harris long being one of the favorites in recruitment of the Long Island Lutheran star. Also, St Patrick's highly recruited guard Kyrie Irving and St. Anthony's big men Ashton Pankey and Devon Collier, along with St. Peter's Prep forward Ronald Roberts are getting plenty of attention from the RU staff during the local high school season.

After gaining some positive momentum with some recruiting success with the class of 2008 and 2009, it remains to be seen how the results of the 2008-2009 season will impact the recruiting efforts of the Scarlet Knights. Fred Hill came to Rutgers with a big recruiting reputation, and he has fared well in that area, but results on the court need to be seen quickly, or that recruiting momentum will likely disappear quickly.

Check back for more updates as the AAU spring circuit nears and the RU staff will be working hard to give the Knights the opportunity to improve in the Big East as soon as next season.

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RUTGERS MAKES BIG EAST TOURNEY DEBUT UNDER FRED HILL

March 10, 2009


The conference tournaments can offer teams a second chance on a season. A virtual do-over on a season gone wrong. There is probably no team in the country in more need of a 'do-over' than Notre Dame.

Starting off the season as a universal pick to be among the top four teams in the Big East and a near consensus as a Top Ten preseason team in the country, the Irish season started off well enough, reaching the finals of the Maui Invitational with a win over highly regarded Texas before falling to No. 1 North Carolina. They fell a week and a half later to Ohio State on a neutral floor, but Luke Harangody was still recovering from a bout with pneumonia.

The Irish then started off Big East play at 3-1, but a surprising loss at St. John's opened some eyes. However, nobody could forsee how quickly the Big East could demoralize a team, especially a veteran-laden squad as highly regarded as the Irish.

The Irish lost at Louisville, in overtime, to fall to 3-2. It was the first game of a difficult period of their schedule. As the games kept coming, so did the losses, seven in a row in all, knocking the Irish to 3-7 in the Big East and 12-10 overall.

The losses stopped suddenly, with a 90-57 pasting of Louisville at the Joyce Center, but the damage was done. The Irish finished 8-10 in the league and 17-13 overall, squarely on the wrong side of the NCAA bubble.

Now, they have new life. The Irish showed they can be capable in their thrashing of conference champ Louisville to break their streak, but frustrating defensive lapses and lack of consistent scoring from anyone outside of Harangody and Kyle McAlarney has derailed their season. Senior Ryan Ayers has shown a better scoring touch of late, and they will need more of that in the Big East Tournament.

So, tonight, in Madison Square Garden, begins a clean slate for Notre Dame as they tip off the 2009 Big East Tournament against Rutgers.

Here are some pregame stories and previews found online today:

Rutgers vs. Notre Dame (Chicago Tribune)
Hill Likes Rutgers' Chances (Asbury Park Press)
Kyle McAlarney is Notre Dame's Best Hope for Tournament Run (Chicago Tribune)
History Not on Notre Dame's Side (South Bend Tribune)

Two weeks ago, Notre Dame rallied form a 35-27 halftime deficit on their home floor to defeat Rutgers, 70-65. The Scarlet Knights are using that game as a confidence booster as they prepare to face the Irish on the Madison Square Garden floor.

In his third year as head coach of the Scarlet Knights, this is Fred Hill's first trip to the Big East Tournament. After seasons of 3-13 and 3-15, Rutgers actually went backwards in his third year, finishing 2-16 in the Big East and 11-20 overall on the season.

With McDonald's All-American freshman Mike Rosario and highly touted Greg Echenique as freshmen starters from day one, this was supposed to be the start of Rutgers move under Fred Hill up the standings, not another season of the 'same ol Rutgers.'

The March Madness betting odds have the Irish as an 11 1/2-point favorite in this game. With Notre Dame still believing they are a good team, look for a solid effort out of the Irish while the Scarlet Knights' offensive woes continue under the lights of Broadway.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Notre Dame 74
Rutgers 58

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BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SOUTH FLORIDA @ RUTGERS

March 7, 2009


JR Inman, Anthony Farmer and Jaron Griffin were supposed to represent a new direction for Rutgers basketball as the three local Jersey recruits were wooed into staying home by Gary Waters. However, Waters did not make it past their freshman seasons and now, with a 1-16 Big East record in their final season, the three seniors look to end their final home game in the RAC on a positive note.

South Florida stunned NCAA hopeful Cincinnati earlier this week, and in doing so, the Bulls set a Big East season-best in their history with four conference wins. Dominique Jones once again led the way with a 30-point performance in the win.

Luckily for both teams this is not their last game as the 2009 Big East Tournament has expanded to include all 16 conference teams. So, they will both get to lace them up at least one more time this year. It will be USF’s first trip to the Big East tournament, same for RU coach Fred Hill, Jr.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on the game:

Rutgers Men’s Basketball Seniors Know Expectations Were Not Met, Are at Peace (Star-Ledger)
For RU Seniors, A Day of Reckoning (mycentraljersey.com)
Trio Takes Away Bond of Friendship (Asbury Park Press)

A week ago, USF looked absolutely gassed as their short-handed team was running on empty in a home loss to West Virginia. This week, however, UC rebounded and showed life with a strong second-half in a win over Cincinnati, a team playing for their NCAA Tournament lives.

Now they hit the road for the regular season finale with Rutgers. A team that will look to salvage a little something in their season gone wrong. At 1-16 in Big East play, RU has little left to play for except for a chance to send their three seniors out as winners. Distractions foreshadowing a possible rocky offseason have begun with the Corey Chandler transfer possibilities becoming public after Tuesday’s blowout loss to Syracuse.

The lone conference win for RU this season was a home beatdown of winless DePaul earlier this year. This should be their second conference win…if not…well, there really is not much lower they can go at this point.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Rutgers 66
South Florida 60

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RUTGERS MEN FALL TO 1-16 IN BIG EAST

March 4, 2009


OK, so by now it is 10 PM on Tuesday night. Cincinnati has lost to South Florida, Georgetown has lost to St. John's and they go to the half at the Carrier Dome with Rutgers taking a 20-19 lead into the locker room over Syracuse. Could it just be one of those nights?

Well, not entirely, while the Scarlet Knights remained amazing consistent(ly bad) in the second half, scoring just another 20, Syracuse found their footing and put up 51 as they bomb RU, 70-40, sending the Knights to their 16th Big East loss in 17 games.

The Orange Breaks Rut (Syracuse Post-Standard) early in the second half, feeding Arinze Onuaku the ball inside and embarking on a 24-8 run immediately after intermission in the first nine minutes to take control of the game and cruised the rest of the way over Rutgers.

It was showtime early and often for SU in the second half and Paul Harris led the way with 18 points and several high flying antics. Jonny Flynn added 10 assists, but also committed seven of the 20 Orange turnovers in the sloppy contest. With chants of 'Krist-of, Krist-of' (Post-Standard) echoing through the Dome, SU's lone scholarship senior Kristof Ongenaet added 10 points and six rebounds, playing 25 minutes, in his final SU home game. SU walk-ons Juston Thomas and Jake Presutti also got extended time in the rout, playing over three minutes and the seniors gave the crowd a reason to sheer as Thomas scored four points and Presutti drained an open three.

Syracuse will close the regular season in Milwaukee when they take on Marquette on Saturday before hoping to make another run in the Big East Tournament (tickets) next week at Madison Square Garden, where they should have plenty of fans urging them to make a run.

Rutgers will end their regular season with a home game with South Florida on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights are just 1-16 in the Big East and a season that had some hope back in October has gone horribly wrong under Fred Hill. In his third season, Hill finally gets to see the Big East Tournament because for the first time since the league exapnded to 16 teams all 16 are invited.

Against SU, freshman Mike Rosario scored 16 points, but was just 6-21 from the field in doing so. As a team RU shot a combined 15-59 as a team from the field, had 19 turnovers to just 8 assists and looked completely outclassed in the second half...in other words...just another night for Rutgers...

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RUTGERS LOOKS TO HALT LOSING AT SYRACUSE

March 3, 2009

It is senior night in the Carrier Dome and Syracuse, winners of three of their last four, come into the home finale feeling a little bit better about themselves. Last week, SU applied a thorough beatdown on both St. John's, in Madison Square Garden, and Cincinnati, at home, to improve to 9-7 in the Big East and 21-8 overall.

The Dome faithful will look to send the lone SU scholarship senior, Kristof Ongenaet, off as a winner when the Orange host floundering Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights dropped two more last week, at Notre Dame and vs. Rutgers, and are now 1-15 in the Big East.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on tonight's game:

Happy Days are Here Again at SU (Post-Standard)
Orange Scouting Report: Syracuse vs Rutgers (Post-Standard)
Syracuse-Rutgers Scouting Report (Asbury Park Press)
Griffin Making an Impact for Rutgers (Asbury Park Press)


There really is not a whole lot to analyze in this game. The Orange, according to the latest college basketball odds are 15 1/2-point favorites. SU will likely sit in their trademark 2-3 zone defense and dare the Scarlet Knights to make shots and create off the dribble by attacking the seam of the zones. Rutgers continues to struggle with a gameplan and then the execution of getting the ball into the paint. If you are unable to do that, the SU zone will tear you apart.

Offensively, Syracuse has too many athletic weapons for Rutgers to keep up with. Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf and Paul Harris can all score and then Andy Rautins comes off the bench to drain three's and liven up the crowd. In the paint, Arinze Onuaku and Rick Jackson will at least hold their own against the under-utilized Greg Echenique and under-developed Hamady N'Diaye. Off the bench in the frontcourt is Ongenaet, a likely source of energy and toughness that will give his team an emotional lift when needed.

For Rutgers, the game will likely hinge on if freshman Mike Rosario can shoot the Knights into the game from beyond the arc. There seems to be little plan of attack after that. The script usually reads the RU opponent racing out to a big early lead and the Scarlet Knights bombing away from three-point range hoping to make a run. If Rosario is on against the zone it could happen. If not, it could be ugly...I am thinking it might be closer to the ugly side tonight.

NBE Blogger Preview:

Syracuse 86
Rutgers 67

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RUTGERS BASKETBALL LOSES, AGAIN...

Providence showed little sign of a letdown from their monumental upset of No. 1 Pittsburgh earlier in the week as they led host Rutgers 62-43 with 8:35 remaining in their Big East conference match-up on Sunday afternoon.

However, the Scarlet Knights did not go away without a fight as they embarked on a 16-0 run in the next five and a half minutes to cut the lead to 62-59 with three-minutes left. After a PC timeout, Jeff Xavier's Three-Pointer Thwarts Rutgers' Rally (Providence Journal) as PC wins 73-66. Xavier's 25-footer was the lone field goal made by the Friars in the last 8:35 of the game.

Weyinmi Efejuku led PC with 28 points and Xaiver added 13. PC's Reward is a Bye in the Big East Tournament (Providence Journal) as their two-game sweep over UC guarantees them a finish no-worse than 8th in the Big East.

As for RU it is the same ol', same ol' as the Knights Set a Dubious Mark (Asbury Park Press) of back-to-back home losing marks the last two seasons.

Freshman Greg Echenique had a great all-around game for Rutgers, scoring 14 points, grabbing 16 rebounds, blocking 7 shots and making 5 steals. Makes you wonder why they can only get him 8 shot attempts in a game...

The Scarlet Knights, 1-15 in the Big East, will play out the string this week with a trip to Syracuse and back home for senior day on Saturday when they host South Florida. For the first time in Fred Hill's tenure at RU, the Scarlet Knights will be invited to the Big East Conference Tournament as all 16 teams are going for the first time. Congrats, I guess...

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