2016–17 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team

The 2016–17 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team represented Rutgers University–New Brunswick during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Scarlet Knights, led by first-year head coach Steve Pikiell, played their home games at the Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, New Jersey as third-year members of the Big Ten Conference.

2016–17 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record15–18 (3–15 Big Ten)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaLouis Brown Athletic Center
Seasons
2016–17 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 15 Purdue 14 4   .778 27 8   .771
No. 25 Wisconsin 12 6   .667 27 10   .730
Maryland 12 6   .667 24 9   .727
Minnesota 11 7   .611 24 10   .706
No. 23 Michigan 10 8   .556 26 12   .684
Northwestern 10 8   .556 24 12   .667
Michigan State 10 8   .556 20 15   .571
Iowa 10 8   .556 19 15   .559
Illinois 8 10   .444 20 15   .571
Ohio State 7 11   .389 17 15   .531
Indiana 7 11   .389 18 16   .529
Penn State 6 12   .333 15 18   .455
Nebraska 6 12   .333 12 19   .387
Rutgers 3 15   .167 15 18   .455
2017 Big Ten tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

They finished the season 15–18, 3–15 in Big Ten play to finish in last place. As the No. 14 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they defeated Ohio State in the first round, marking their first ever Big Ten tournament win.[1] However, they lost to Northwestern in the second round.

The Knights began the season 6–0 for the first time since 1975.[2] On February 4, 2017, with a win at Penn State, Rutgers got its first ever road win in Big Ten play.[3]

Previous season

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The Scarlet Knights finished the 2015–16 season with a record of 7–25, 1–17 in Big Ten play to finish in last place in conference. They lost in the first round of the Big Ten tournament to Nebraska.

On March 20, 2016, the school fired head coach Eddie Jordan after three years at Rutgers.[4] On March 19, the school hired Steve Pikiell, former head coach at Stony Brook, as head coach.[5]

Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
D. J. Foreman 1 F 6'8" 240 Sophomore Spring Valley, NY Transferred to Saint Louis
Bishop Daniels 2 G 6'3" 185 Senior Raleigh, NC Graduated
Justin Goode 10 G 6'2" 185 RS Freshman Daleville, VA Transferred to Broward College
Jalen Hyde 23 G 5'8" 165 Senior Somerset, NJ Walk-on; graduated
Omari Grier 31 G 6'4" 180 RS Senior Erial, NJ Graduated
Greg Lewis 35 F/C 6'9" 240 RS Senior Baltimore, MD Graduated

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Candido Sa 21 F 6'9" 215 Junior Lisbon, Portugal Junior college transfer from San Jacinto College
C. J. Gettys 50 C 7'0" 275 RS Senior Findlay, OH Transferred from UNC Wilmington. Will be eligible to play immediately since Gettys graduated from UNC Wilmington.

2016 recruiting class

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College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Issa Thiam
#35 SF
Jacksonville, FL Arlington Country Day School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Feb 1, 2016 
Star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Matt Bullock
#86 PF
Elizabeth, NJ Roselle Catholic High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Mar 26, 2016 
Star ratings: Scout:    RivalsN/A   247Sports:     ESPN: 
Eugene Omoruyi
SF
Toronto, Ontario, Canada Orangeville Prep 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Aug 2, 2016 
Star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPNN/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Future recruits

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2017–18 team recruits

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College recruiting information (2017)
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Geo Baker
CG
Boston, MA Proctor Academy 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jul 27, 2016 
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Souf Mensah
PG
Nantes, France Marshalltown Community College 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jan 5, 2017 
Star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247Sports:     ESPNN/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

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2016–17 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Nigel Johnson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Jr Riverdale Baptist School
Kansas State
Ashburn, VA
C 2 Shaquille Doorson 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 285 lb (129 kg) RS So Canarias Basketball Academy Amsterdam, Netherlands
G 3 Corey Sanders 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 182 lb (83 kg) So Faith Baptist Christian Academy Lakeland, FL
G 4 Jonathan Laurent 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 216 lb (98 kg) So Dr. Phillips Lakeland, FL
G 5 Mike Williams 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 196 lb (89 kg) Jr Bishop Loughlin Brooklyn, NY
F 11 Eugene Omoruyi 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Orangeville Prep Ontario, Canada
F 13 Matt Bullock 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr Roselle Catholic Roselle, NJ
G 15 Jake Dadika (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 166 lb (75 kg) Jr Spotswood Milltown, NJ
F 21 Candido Sa 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 221 lb (100 kg) Jr Colégio Bartolomeu Dias
San Jacinto College
Lisbon, Portugal
G 22 Joey Downes (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr East Sandwich/Bridgton Academy East Sandwich, MA
G 23 Khalil Batie (W) 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 168 lb (76 kg) Sr Trenton Catholic Acad. Willingboro, NJ
F/C 32 Ibrahima Diallo 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 247 lb (112 kg) RS So Quality Education Academy Dakar, Senegal
F 33 Deshawn Freeman 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 233 lb (106 kg) RS Jr Rocky Mount Academy
Hutchinson CC
Rocky Mount, NC
F 35 Issa Thiam 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Canarias Basketball Academy Dakar, Senegal
C 50 C. J. Gettys 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 270 lb (122 kg) RS Sr Findlay
UNC Wilmington
Findlay, OH
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
Nov 11, 2016*
7:00 pm, BTN+
Molloy W 86–57  1–0
Louis Brown Athletic Center (3,755)
Piscataway, NJ
Nov 13, 2016*
4:00 pm, BTN
Drexel
Scarlet Knight Showcase
W 87–66  2–0
Louis Brown Athletic Center (4,056)
Piscataway, NJ
Nov 17, 2016*
8:30 pm, FS1
at DePaul
Gavitt Tipoff Games
W 66–59  3–0
Allstate Arena (4,057)
Rosemont, IL
Nov 20, 2016*
12:00 pm, BTN
Niagara
Scarlet Knight Showcase
W 78–65  4–0
Louis Brown Athletic Center (3,572)
Piscataway, NJ
Nov 23, 2016*
7:30 pm, BTN+
North Texas
Scarlet Knight Showcase
W 66–53  5–0
Louis Brown Athletic Center (3,351)
Piscataway, NJ
Nov 25, 2016*
1:00 pm, ESPN3
Hartford
Scarlet Knight Showcase
W 77–75  6–0
Louis Brown Athletic Center (4,028)
Piscataway, NJ
Nov 30, 2016*
7:00 pm, ESPNU
at Miami (FL)
ACC–Big Ten Challenge
L 61–73  6–1
Watsco Center (7,064)
Coral Gables, FL
Dec 3, 2016*
7:00 pm, BTN+
Morgan State W 72–58  7–1
Louis Brown Athletic Center (5,081)
Piscataway, NJ
Dec 6, 2016*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
Central Connecticut W 79–37  8–1
Louis Brown Athletic Center (3,811)
Piscataway, NJ
Dec 10, 2016*
7:00 pm, ESPN3
at Stony Brook W 71–66  9–1
Island Federal Credit Union Arena (4,009)
Stony Brook, NY
Dec 14, 2016*
7:00 pm, BTN+
Fairleigh Dickinson W 82–69  10–1
Louis Brown Athletic Center (3,635)
Piscataway, NJ
Dec 18, 2016*
1:00 pm
vs. Fordham
Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival
W 68–53  11–1
Madison Square Garden (8,200)
New York City, NY
Dec 23, 2016*
6:30 pm, FS1
at Seton Hall
Rivalry/Garden State Hardwood Classic
L 61–72  11–2
Prudential Center (10,481)
Newark, NJ
Big Ten regular season
Dec 27, 2016
7:00 pm, ESPN2
at No. 14 Wisconsin L 52–72  11–3
(0–1)
Kohl Center (17,287)
Wisconsin, WI
Jan 1, 2017
2:30 pm, ESPNU
Penn State L 47–60  11–4
(0–2)
Louis Brown Athletic Center (6,079)
Piscataway, NJ
Jan 4, 2017
6:30 pm, BTN
at Michigan State L 65–93  11–5
(0–3)
Breslin Center (17,797)
East Lansing, MI
Jan 8, 2017
4:30 pm, BTN
at Iowa L 62–68  11–6
(0–4)
Carver–Hawkeye Arena (11,347)
Iowa, IA
Jan 12, 2017
9:00 pm, ESPNU
Northwestern L 60–69  11–7
(0–5)
Louis Brown Athletic Center (3,723)
Piscataway, NJ
Jan 15, 2017
12:00 pm, BTN
at Indiana L 57–76  11–8
(0–6)
Assembly Hall (17,222)
Bloomington, IN
Jan 21, 2017
12:00 pm, ESPNU
Nebraska W 65–64  12–8
(1–6)
Louis Brown Athletic Center (6,294)
Piscataway, NJ
Jan 24, 2017
7:00 pm, BTN
at No. 22 Maryland L 55–67  12–9
(1–7)
Xfinity Center (17,950)
College Park, MD
Jan 28, 2017
12:00 pm, BTN
vs. No. 15 Wisconsin
B1G Super Saturday
L 54–61 OT 12–10
(1–8)
Madison Square Garden (8,531)
New York City, NY
Jan 31, 2017
7:00 pm, BTN
Iowa L 63–83  12–11
(1–9)
Louis Brown Athletic Center (4,389)
Piscataway, NJ
Feb 4, 2017
1:00 pm, ESPNU
at Penn State W 70–68  13–11
(2–9)
Bryce Jordan Center (9,529)
University Park, PA
Feb 8, 2017
7:00 pm, BTN
at Ohio State L 64–70  13–12
(2–10)
Value City Arena (11,077)
Columbus, OH
Feb 11, 2017
12:00 pm, ESPNU
Minnesota L 63–72  13–13
(2–11)
Louis Brown Athletic Center (6,008)
Piscataway, NJ
Feb 14, 2017
7:00 pm, BTN
at No. 16 Purdue L 55–74  13–14
(2–12)
Mackey Arena (14,534)
West Lafayette, IN
Feb 18, 2017
6:00 pm, ESPNU
at Northwestern L 65–69  13–15
(2–13)
Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117)
Evanston, IL
Feb 22, 2017
6:30 pm, BTN
Michigan L 64–68  13–16
(2–14)
Louis Brown Athletic Center (5,369)
Piscataway, NJ
Feb 28, 2017
6:30 pm, BTN
Maryland L 59–79  13–17
(2–15)
Louis Brown Athletic Center (6,017)
Piscataway, NJ
Mar 4, 2017
12:00 pm, ESPNU
Illinois W 62–59  14–17
(3–15)
Louis Brown Athletic Center (5,706)
Piscataway, NJ
Big Ten Conference tournament
Mar 8, 2017
4:30 pm, BTN
(14) vs. (11) Ohio State
First round
W 66–57  15–17
Verizon Center 
Washington, D.C.
Mar 9, 2017
8:30 pm, BTN
(14) vs. (6) Northwestern
Second round
L 61-83  15–18
Verizon Center (12,408)
Washington, D.C.
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Rutgers vs. Ohio State - Game Recap - March 8, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  2. ^ "Rutgers is 6-0 for first time since 1975 | 6 things to know". NJ.com. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  3. ^ "Rutgers gets first Big Ten road win behind Sanders". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  4. ^ "Rutgers fires Eddie Jordan, ending painful tenure". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  5. ^ Wire, SI. "Reports: Rutgers hires Stony Brook coach Pikiell". SI.com. Retrieved February 15, 2017.