New York Colleges: Rutgers
Rutgers announced on Wednesday that it is selling the naming rights to both its football stadium and its basketball arena.
Read the news story here.
Read the news story here.
Big East basketball matchups announced
June, 25, 2010
6/25/10
9:44
AM ET
By
Kieran Darcy | ESPNNewYork.com
Somewhat lost amidst all the hoopla surrounding the NBA draft, the matchups for the 2010-2011 Big East basketball season were announced on Thursday as well.
A reminder: Big East teams play an 18-game conference schedule -- you play every team once, and then there are three schools that you play a home-and-home with.
Let's take a look at the three local Big East teams, and see who they will be playing twice:
St. John's: Georgetown, Notre Dame, Cincinnati
Seton Hall: Syracuse, Marquette, Rutgers
Rutgers: Villanova, Providence Seton Hall
A reminder: Big East teams play an 18-game conference schedule -- you play every team once, and then there are three schools that you play a home-and-home with.
Let's take a look at the three local Big East teams, and see who they will be playing twice:
St. John's: Georgetown, Notre Dame, Cincinnati
Seton Hall: Syracuse, Marquette, Rutgers
Rutgers: Villanova, Providence Seton Hall
Rutgers adds an assistant hoops coach
May, 11, 2010
5/11/10
7:07
PM ET
By
Kieran Darcy | ESPNNewYork.com
Rutgers officially announced on Tuesday that Jimmy Martelli has been added to Mike Rice's staff as an assistant coach. Martelli was an assistant under Rice the past three seasons at Rice's previous school, Robert Morris.
"Jimmy is a tireless worker who has been raised on the sport of college basketball," Rice said in a written statement. "Jimmy has established strong connections recruiting the Mid-Atlantic region. He was instrumental in recruiting the players who made us successful at Robert Morris. I have no doubt that Jimmy will continue to build on his coaching and recruiting talents here at Rutgers University."
One interesting note: Martelli and Rice are both the sons of prominent college basketball coaches.
Rice's father, Mike Rice Sr., was the head basketball coach at Duquesne (1979-82) and Youngstown State (1982-87), and is currently a TV color commentator for the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers.
Martelli is the son of legendary St. Joe's coach Phil Martelli.
"Jimmy is a tireless worker who has been raised on the sport of college basketball," Rice said in a written statement. "Jimmy has established strong connections recruiting the Mid-Atlantic region. He was instrumental in recruiting the players who made us successful at Robert Morris. I have no doubt that Jimmy will continue to build on his coaching and recruiting talents here at Rutgers University."
One interesting note: Martelli and Rice are both the sons of prominent college basketball coaches.
Rice's father, Mike Rice Sr., was the head basketball coach at Duquesne (1979-82) and Youngstown State (1982-87), and is currently a TV color commentator for the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers.
Martelli is the son of legendary St. Joe's coach Phil Martelli.
Rutgers officially introduced Mike Rice as its new men's basketball coach at a press conference on Thursday afternoon.
Rice has a tall task ahead of him. Rutgers finished 14th out of 16 teams in the Big East this past season. Its best player, Mike Rosario, has transferred to Florida. Hamady Ndiaye, the Big East Defensive Player of the Year, has exhausted his eligibilty. The Scarlet Knights have not made the NCAA tournament since 1991.
Rice, naturally, sounded optimistic on his first day on the job. "I believe Rutgers University has everything a program needs to be successful," he said.
Among the things Rice specifically mentioned were Rutgers' strong academic reputation, its extensive fanbase, and the rich talent pool of players nearby. "When it comes to recruiting, my focus will be on getting the best players in the tri-state area," Rice said.
He knows the area well -- Rice played at Fordham University, and has recruited the area heavily as an assistant at stops including Fordham, St. Joseph's and Pittsburgh, before becoming the head coach at Robert Morris three years ago. He also was very successful at Robert Morris, with a 73-31 record and two consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament. The Colonials just barely missed knocking off No. 2 seed Villanova in this year's Big Dance, losing 73-70 in OT.
Rice will move quickly in terms of recruiting, since Rutgers still has several scholarships open for next season. He plans to make visits with 3-4 players in the next 5-7 days.
As for the current players on his depleted roster -- he met with them for the first time Thursday morning, before the press conference, and will be putting them to work right away. "We're gonna make sure we're the best-conditioned team in the Big East," Rice said.
Rice also revealed his favorite quote that he gives to his teams for inspiration: "You can't always control what happens -- you can control 100 percent of the time how your respond."
We shall see how the current Rutgers players, and recruits, respond to Rice.
Rice has a tall task ahead of him. Rutgers finished 14th out of 16 teams in the Big East this past season. Its best player, Mike Rosario, has transferred to Florida. Hamady Ndiaye, the Big East Defensive Player of the Year, has exhausted his eligibilty. The Scarlet Knights have not made the NCAA tournament since 1991.
Rice, naturally, sounded optimistic on his first day on the job. "I believe Rutgers University has everything a program needs to be successful," he said.
Among the things Rice specifically mentioned were Rutgers' strong academic reputation, its extensive fanbase, and the rich talent pool of players nearby. "When it comes to recruiting, my focus will be on getting the best players in the tri-state area," Rice said.
He knows the area well -- Rice played at Fordham University, and has recruited the area heavily as an assistant at stops including Fordham, St. Joseph's and Pittsburgh, before becoming the head coach at Robert Morris three years ago. He also was very successful at Robert Morris, with a 73-31 record and two consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament. The Colonials just barely missed knocking off No. 2 seed Villanova in this year's Big Dance, losing 73-70 in OT.
Rice will move quickly in terms of recruiting, since Rutgers still has several scholarships open for next season. He plans to make visits with 3-4 players in the next 5-7 days.
As for the current players on his depleted roster -- he met with them for the first time Thursday morning, before the press conference, and will be putting them to work right away. "We're gonna make sure we're the best-conditioned team in the Big East," Rice said.
Rice also revealed his favorite quote that he gives to his teams for inspiration: "You can't always control what happens -- you can control 100 percent of the time how your respond."
We shall see how the current Rutgers players, and recruits, respond to Rice.
What Mike Rosario's departure means
April, 15, 2010
4/15/10
2:01
PM ET
By Jon Rothstein | ESPNNewYork.com
It was two years ago that Mike Rosario said he wanted to be a pioneer. On National Signing Day in 2008, Rosario, a McDonald's All-American, went against the grain.
He opted to stay home. He opted to try and attempt the difficult task.
He chose Rutgers. Or, in his words, he chose to be "the prince of New Jersey."
Now, just two years later, after two seasons of losing in the rugged Big East, Rosario has had enough. The 6-foot-3 product from St. Anthony's in Jersey City got has received his release from the Scarlet Knights, giving him a chance to go on and star somewhere else.
He'll probably wind up in Chapel Hill playing for Roy Williams, or maybe hooking up with his former high school teammate Jio Fontan at USC. Two years of top-notch college basketball should follow, making Rosario forget the last two years in Piscataway.
But the lesson we should all learn from Rosario's experience at Rutgers and other blue-chip prospects trying to be Pied Pipers at other places in the Big East is simple.
No one can do it alone. You need help. You need a supporting cast.
Fred Hill knew that and brought in Corey Chandler from East Side High School in Newark. He turned out to be more agony than ectasy and was dismissed from the team at the beginning of last season.
Hill also beat out Villanova and Duke for Gregory Echenique, a lumbering 6-foot-9 big man from St. Benedict's. Echenique transferred to Creighton in December.
Without these players around Rosario, the kid from Jersey City was on an island by himself, making a tough situation more and more difficult by the day.
It was a tantalizing situation for Rutgers, and proof that if one of the local Big East schools was ever going to be able to climb the Big East ladder, almost everything would have to fall into place.
"The problem that St. John's, Seton Hall, and Rutgers all have is that if they put together two or three good recruiting classes, they'll just be getting ready to be competitive while everyone else in the conference is just adding to the foundation they've already built," Louisville coach Rick Pitino told me in Sept. 2008. "That's what makes these jobs so difficult."
Now, 19 months later, all three of those schools have new coaches. All three have made incremental progress, but none have gotten to the upper echelon of the conference.
"If someone in the lower third of the conference were to ever move up in the standings, someone else would have to take a step back," UConn head coach Jim Calhoun told me in early 2009. "Look at our league, who is taking a step back?"
That's what makes the task in front of Steve Lavin (St. John's), Kevin Willard (Seton Hall), and whoever Rutgers chooses to succeed Hill that much more difficult.
Lavin has national ties and a quality roster back next year that should compete for a berth in the NCAA tournament. But Lavin will have to replace a plethora of players after next season that will be lost to graduation.
Willard has an NBA player in Jeremy Hazell, a lightning-quick floor general in Jordan Theodore, and most of the components back from a team that won 19 games last season. However, he might not have Herb Pope, who was the best rebounder in the Big East last year, averaging 10.7 boards per contest. No Pope could mean no postseason next year for the Pirates.
And as far as Rutgers goes, whoever the next coach is knows it's going to take a slew of players to get the Scarlet Knights back into college basketball relevance.
Hill knew that and lost a bunch of players from the program. He led a team that competed every night but came up short.
Now they've lost their best player and have to start over.
There will be a day when Rutgers lands another McDonald's All-American, but it might not come for a long time.
When it does, it's important that whoever the next coach is assures him that he's going to have help. No help means no jump in the Big East standings.
Just ask Mike Rosario.
He opted to stay home. He opted to try and attempt the difficult task.
He chose Rutgers. Or, in his words, he chose to be "the prince of New Jersey."
Now, just two years later, after two seasons of losing in the rugged Big East, Rosario has had enough. The 6-foot-3 product from St. Anthony's in Jersey City got has received his release from the Scarlet Knights, giving him a chance to go on and star somewhere else.
He'll probably wind up in Chapel Hill playing for Roy Williams, or maybe hooking up with his former high school teammate Jio Fontan at USC. Two years of top-notch college basketball should follow, making Rosario forget the last two years in Piscataway.
But the lesson we should all learn from Rosario's experience at Rutgers and other blue-chip prospects trying to be Pied Pipers at other places in the Big East is simple.
No one can do it alone. You need help. You need a supporting cast.
Fred Hill knew that and brought in Corey Chandler from East Side High School in Newark. He turned out to be more agony than ectasy and was dismissed from the team at the beginning of last season.
Hill also beat out Villanova and Duke for Gregory Echenique, a lumbering 6-foot-9 big man from St. Benedict's. Echenique transferred to Creighton in December.
Without these players around Rosario, the kid from Jersey City was on an island by himself, making a tough situation more and more difficult by the day.
It was a tantalizing situation for Rutgers, and proof that if one of the local Big East schools was ever going to be able to climb the Big East ladder, almost everything would have to fall into place.
"The problem that St. John's, Seton Hall, and Rutgers all have is that if they put together two or three good recruiting classes, they'll just be getting ready to be competitive while everyone else in the conference is just adding to the foundation they've already built," Louisville coach Rick Pitino told me in Sept. 2008. "That's what makes these jobs so difficult."
Now, 19 months later, all three of those schools have new coaches. All three have made incremental progress, but none have gotten to the upper echelon of the conference.
"If someone in the lower third of the conference were to ever move up in the standings, someone else would have to take a step back," UConn head coach Jim Calhoun told me in early 2009. "Look at our league, who is taking a step back?"
That's what makes the task in front of Steve Lavin (St. John's), Kevin Willard (Seton Hall), and whoever Rutgers chooses to succeed Hill that much more difficult.
Lavin has national ties and a quality roster back next year that should compete for a berth in the NCAA tournament. But Lavin will have to replace a plethora of players after next season that will be lost to graduation.
Willard has an NBA player in Jeremy Hazell, a lightning-quick floor general in Jordan Theodore, and most of the components back from a team that won 19 games last season. However, he might not have Herb Pope, who was the best rebounder in the Big East last year, averaging 10.7 boards per contest. No Pope could mean no postseason next year for the Pirates.
And as far as Rutgers goes, whoever the next coach is knows it's going to take a slew of players to get the Scarlet Knights back into college basketball relevance.
Hill knew that and lost a bunch of players from the program. He led a team that competed every night but came up short.
Now they've lost their best player and have to start over.
There will be a day when Rutgers lands another McDonald's All-American, but it might not come for a long time.
When it does, it's important that whoever the next coach is assures him that he's going to have help. No help means no jump in the Big East standings.
Just ask Mike Rosario.
Changes likely coming at Rutgers
April, 7, 2010
4/07/10
5:49
PM ET
By Jon Rothstein | ESPNNewYork.com
Another domino seems ready to fall.
An offseason that has been highlighted by a plethora of coaching changes seems to have another one looming on the horizon, as it appears Rutgers head basketball coach Fred Hill will be removed as early as the end of this week, according to several reports.
Members of the Scarlet Knights coaching staff told confidants on Wednesday that they expected a change after Hill was involved in an incident last week at a Rutgers-Pitt baseball game. After the incident, Hill was reportedly told by Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti to stay away from the game the following day, but Hill opted to attend anyway.
The chance to remove Hill with cause could be an easy way for Pernetti to make a change, something he consulted many parties on during the season before opting to keep Hill due to his $1.8 million dollar buyout that comes with termination.
Rutgers showed growth this past season, highlighted by a win over Georgetown on Feb. 14. Next year a solid nucleus is slated to return, highlighted by rising junior guard Mike Rosario.
Rosario, according to reports, is said to be seeking a release so he can transfer from Rutgers. But Pernetti has told confidants he knows any short-term success for the program hinges on the former St. Anthony's (Jersey City, N.J.) star returning.
Possible replacements for Hill are former Boston College head coach Al Skinner, ESPN's Fran Fraschilla, and Robert Morris head coach Mike Rice.
Sources indicate that Rice is a longshot, since he interviewed for the vacant position at Seton Hall a few weeks ago before the Pirates hired Kevin Willard.
An offseason that has been highlighted by a plethora of coaching changes seems to have another one looming on the horizon, as it appears Rutgers head basketball coach Fred Hill will be removed as early as the end of this week, according to several reports.
Members of the Scarlet Knights coaching staff told confidants on Wednesday that they expected a change after Hill was involved in an incident last week at a Rutgers-Pitt baseball game. After the incident, Hill was reportedly told by Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti to stay away from the game the following day, but Hill opted to attend anyway.
The chance to remove Hill with cause could be an easy way for Pernetti to make a change, something he consulted many parties on during the season before opting to keep Hill due to his $1.8 million dollar buyout that comes with termination.
Rutgers showed growth this past season, highlighted by a win over Georgetown on Feb. 14. Next year a solid nucleus is slated to return, highlighted by rising junior guard Mike Rosario.
Rosario, according to reports, is said to be seeking a release so he can transfer from Rutgers. But Pernetti has told confidants he knows any short-term success for the program hinges on the former St. Anthony's (Jersey City, N.J.) star returning.
Possible replacements for Hill are former Boston College head coach Al Skinner, ESPN's Fran Fraschilla, and Robert Morris head coach Mike Rice.
Sources indicate that Rice is a longshot, since he interviewed for the vacant position at Seton Hall a few weeks ago before the Pirates hired Kevin Willard.
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