Since Steve Pikiell became the head coach at Rutgers, I have started following the Scarlet Knights pretty closely. He is another of those boring "defense and rebounding" coaches who usually get ignored by the pundits because they do not play "exciting" basketball.
But Rutgers has been a doormat for a long time, not having had even a winning season since 2004. And Piscataway, NJ is not exactly the garden spot of the country to which to recruit. And Rutgers has made it to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA only twice. (They did have one Final Four appearance, but that was way back in 1976.) So Pikiell did not have much to work with. At least for the time being, he is not going to get the flashy bluebloods that Sleezipari cycles through Kentucky. So, he has gone for "ugly" basketball, and I like it!
No, Rutgers is not among the elite even in the Big Ten yet. But they have proven to be a tough out, the sort of team no one enjoys playing. And Pikiell has brought a little excitement and enthusiasm to a program that for a long time was not even on the radar.
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