Quotables[/B]
Senior forward Jonathan Mitchell on what changed on Saturday against Seton Hall[/I]: “I changed my shoes. I’ve been playing in the same shoes for the past 10 games and I tried to switch up [Saturday]. And I took them off at halftime.”
“I don’t know. It was a stupid decision.”
Mitchell on added significance in loss to Seton Hall[/I]: “This one hurts. We could have put ourselves in a nice position with five Big East wins. We just get in our own way and we’ve been trying to work on that. Coach said guys kind of played outside of character a little bit. We can’t do that because … our margin of error is so small.”
Mitchell on Syracuse 2-3 zone defense:[/I] “Their forwards are so far up, it’s almost like four out and one in.”
Head coach Mike Rice on Dane Miller’s offensive struggles[/I]: “If you watch the Villanova tape, it was the last two games. Again, [Miller’s] back to pulling up from the free throw lane when nobody’s stopping him. He’s taking a very low percentage shot. Once he doesn’t get it, it starts to snowball on him.”
Rice on Seton Hall loss[/I]: “There are things we still need to improve on, including myself. There’s things I probably should have done in the game looking back now, watching film. In the Big East, if you’re not completely engaged and locked in on what you need to do, you’re going to lose games.”
Freshman guard Austin Carroll about former teammate and ‘Cuse rookie C.J. Fair[/I]: “I don’t know. I might just start joking around with him. That’s my man.”
Carroll on current status of left knee[/I]: “It’s good. It’s definitely not 100 percent, but I think rehab and everything went really well. I’m slowly and surely making it back to 100 percent.”
Fat Cat Top Five[/B]
Top 5 surprises from the Rutgers-Lehigh wrestling match
5. Mike Wagner's near-upset over No. 19 Joe Kennedy
4. Trevor Melde's loss to Stephen Dutton
3. No. 5 Scott Winston's loss to No. 19 Brandon Hatchett
2. No. 9 Mario Mason's loss to Joey Napoli
1. Matt Fusco's upset over No. 17 Frank Cagnina
The Numbers Game[/B]
10: [/B]Lehigh entered its match against Rutgers as the #10 team in the country…and will most likely move up after a strong performance.
9: [/B]Rutgers freshman Gilvydas Biruta is now averaging 9 points per game.
8: [/B]Austin Carroll had a strong night against Seton Hall, contributing 8 points off the bench. 8 is also the number of offensive linemen on the Rutgers football roster currently listed with “freshman” eligibility.
7: [/B]That was Rutgers’s rank heading into its match against Lehigh.
6: [/B]Only 6 losses for Syracuse, which the Rutgers men’s basketball team visits this weekend.
5: [/B]Syracuse was ranked #5 when they met Rutgers last season. This year, they will enter the contest at #17.
4: [/B]Coach Stringer’s squad came back from 19 points down but still fell by 4 points to #10 Depaul earlier this week.
3: [/B]Rutgers only managed to win 3 matches against Lehigh.
2: [/B]Just 2 more days until Bobby comes back from vacation and things return to “normal” around Scarlet Nation! And if Mike Rice’s team can defeat Syracuse, that will be their #2 Big East win on the road this year.
1: [/B]The Rutgers men’s basketball team has a grand total of 1 win in games played at Syracuse The last victory was in 1975. .
John’s Crystal Ball[/B]
- Rutgers wrestling will hammer Drexel on Sunday
- A lot of great prospects will be on the Rutgers campus this weekend for the Badger/New Level events, but don’t expect any commits --- Unless the rules have changed, Rutgers coaches are not allowed to meet with recruits if they are on campus for a third party event.
- Expect a bunch of offers to go out to juniors over the next month for one reason – some of the under the radar kids will be uncovered at events such as this weekend’s Badger event. Rutgers won’t be able to wait on some of the kids that they might have been hoping to see at summer camp.
Recruiting Tidbits[/B]
Elijah Shumate, Don Bosco Prep[/B]
Schumate is a contender for our #1 slot in New Jersey, and he has the offers to support that ranking. Heading into this weekend, Shumate had already accumulated 17 offers to date. When we caught up with Shumate to interview him for our “#1” article, he commented a bit on Rutgers:
“I have been to Rutgers to many times. I made a connection with the Rutgers coaches. I am trying to go out to a few others schools and visit, but I have been to the Rutgers facility a lot. The Rutgers coaches and I have been making a lot of connection.”
D.J. Singleton, St. Peter's Prep[/B]
Last week we reported that Singleton may be likely to commit early. As of now, he has garnered no new offers and RU, Miami and UNC are the only schools that have offered him. However, Singleton claims to still be receiving interest from UConn, Florida, Georgia, BC, LSU and Oregon. When we caught up with him at a recent practice for the Badger 7on7, it was clear why colleges like his frame and potential at the next level.
Raymond Korang, Rancocas Valley
[/B] Korang has piqued the interest of a couple programs recently. “My coach (Dan Haussman) said something about Oklahoma contacting me," Korang said. He has also been in contact with Coach Galiano at Rutgers. Korang has been hitting the weight room four days a week in order to maintain his football strength and prepare for spring track season. He plans on throwing the shot put and perhaps the discus this spring. He will also be attending the upcoming NUC Five-Star Showcase along with teammate Dominic Twitty.
"I want to see what the competition is like in the area," Korang explained. "Also, it gives me a chance to go back on the football field, which is a great thing."
Rancocas Valley isn’t a school you normally associate with D1 products. However, they sent a player to Temple last year and have upwards of 5 kids who are getting some looks in the junior class. With a former Scarlet Knight, Jim Horner, on the staff, it might be a program to keep an eye on.
Nigel Jones, Holy Spirit
[/B]Jones hit a new milestone in the weight room this week, as he declared that he squatted 500 pounds. "It's not good enough though, I have to keep doing more," he said.
Rutgers[/B]=Gilman North?[/B]
Just recently, David Lomonico of MDHigh.com wrote a piece on the talented 2012 class at the Gilman School in Baltimore, considered one of the powerhouse programs on the East. Much like the junior classes at other non-public east coast powerhouses such as Don Bosco, St.Peter’s Prep, Dematha and Good Counsel, they also have multiple juniors with Rutgers offers. Scarletnation.com spoke to Lomonico, the expert on Maryland high school football, for a brief word on the offered players.
Kenneth Goins (5 foot 10, 210 pounds ): ”[/B]a sack machine at outside linebacker. He’s too small for that position in college so he’ll have to play running back. He’s a monster with awesome speed”.
Devon Porchia (6 foot 2, 190 pounds):[/B] “needs to fill out his body, but he's long, lean and athletic and has terrific burst. He’ll be a linebacker at the next level”.
Brian Gaia (6 foot 4, 280 pounds): ”[/B]is a mauler. Great footwork, great form, stays low, gets under guys' pads. Looks like a finished product already”.
Cyrus Jones (5 foot 11, 185 pounds): [/B]”is like the second coming of UVA signee Darius Jennings. He just received an offer from Alabama, enough said”.
When asked about Rutgers’ chances for the following guys, Lomonico said the following
“Porchia or Goins might be the best bet. Cyrus is low to none; he's like Darius -- doesn't want to be too far from home... and I don't see Gaia as a fit. Gaia is a lot like Hunter Goodwin (2011 Wake Forest signee)-- close-knit, small school guy. Wouldn't surprise me to see him at Wake.”
Feeder Program of the Future?[/B]
While not even a year old, Gattaca Football, the independent JUCO program affiliated with Mercer County College and Bucks County College in Pennsylvania, is starting to gain quite a following in New Jersey amongst the high school football community. The local state university has taken notice as well.
“Rutgers gave us dates and info on Spring practices so we could bring some of our guys up there. We are planning to have a handful of our top recruits, Tim Smith (2010 Rutgers offeree from Florida), Karon Hair and Steve Worsley from Long Branch , Bobby Schwarzenberger from Pinelands High School to name a few,” said head coach Manual Galarza.
Having campuses located in two of the most fertile recruiting grounds in Rutgers territory while also having a system where a student athlete can enroll in classes part time and not lose eligibility or full time while playing a schedule against other junior college and prep programs, this may be a relationship that both programs can reap the benefits from.
Rutgers still in the mix for top DC and Maryland recruits[/B]
While at the Riddell Elite Showcase hosted by MDHigh.com and Rivals.com, Scarletnation.com got a chance to speak with some of the three top talents in the area about their thoughts on Rutgers
Ronald Darby, Potomac[/B]
Darby has recently received offers from Penn State, Alabama, and Southern Cal
“I haven’t really researched, but I’ve been up for a one camp. I talk to the coaches normally on facebook. I will be interested in Rutgers, most definitely,” said Darby about his contact with Rutgers
Darby is being recruited as a DB, but his preference is on offense, maybe as a slot receiver. He said that it really doesn’t matter where he plays as long as he gets on the field
Stefon Diggs, Good Counsel[/B]
“I’m trying to do the biggest combines possible, trying to go find where the biggest competition is at, maybe Georgia and LSU,” said Diggs in regards to his future plans for this off-season.
Cal, Michigan, Vanderbilt and Cincinnati are the most recent offers he has received
On Rutgers: “It’s a nice school; I’ll be there for the Badger Sports 7 on 7. We always go on an unofficial tour so I am really looking forward to getting down there”.
Diggs has expressed a strong interest in playing down south, so Rutgers has an uphill battle in his recruitment.
Eddie Goldman, Friendship Collegiate Academy[/B]
“I don’t have anything to prove, I just wanted to see where my skills are at since I haven’t played in a game in a long time. I’ll be attending more events like this in the future,” said Goldman about attending the event.
Tennessee and Pitt are his most recent offers.
“My coach is trying to set all my unofficials up right now. Still gotta figure it out with my coach and family which schools I am going to visit,” said Goldman about his future plans.
On Rutgers: “It’s a good school, and I like it. They got good facilities but I haven’t fully researched the school yet.”
Goldman doesn’t seem thrilled with the recruiting process so I wouldn’t be shocked if he ended it early. He hasn’t eliminated anyone yet and seems open to every school at this point
“I don’t have favorite, if I had to rank the schools right now, they would all have the same number. I won’t discriminate against any school. If the school fits, I’ll play there”.
NUC Five Star Showcase featuring the Rivals.com Junior Day taking shape[/B]
Next month’s Five Star Showcase (formerly Premier Showcase) will be a bit smaller (in #’s) than in past years due to a smaller venue, but the talent will be as strong as ever. Here are just a few of the players who have signed up thus far:
Devon Fuller (NJ #1 contender)
Faton Bauta (NY – soon to be Florida - athlete with multiple D1A offers)
JC Coleman (VA running back with 5 offers)
Davon Jacobs (NJ #1 contender)
Ricky Jeune (NJ #1 contender for 2013)
Jarron Jones (NY #1 contender)
Dorian Miller (NJ #1 contender for 2013)
Brandon Napoleon (multiple D1 offers)
DJ Singleton (multiple D1 offers)
Jevon Tyree (multiple D1 offers)
Stay tuned as we reveal more of the TOP prospects who will be attending the event!
This post was edited on 2/18 7:08 PM by John Otterstedt
Senior forward Jonathan Mitchell on what changed on Saturday against Seton Hall[/I]: “I changed my shoes. I’ve been playing in the same shoes for the past 10 games and I tried to switch up [Saturday]. And I took them off at halftime.”
“I don’t know. It was a stupid decision.”
Mitchell on added significance in loss to Seton Hall[/I]: “This one hurts. We could have put ourselves in a nice position with five Big East wins. We just get in our own way and we’ve been trying to work on that. Coach said guys kind of played outside of character a little bit. We can’t do that because … our margin of error is so small.”
Mitchell on Syracuse 2-3 zone defense:[/I] “Their forwards are so far up, it’s almost like four out and one in.”
Head coach Mike Rice on Dane Miller’s offensive struggles[/I]: “If you watch the Villanova tape, it was the last two games. Again, [Miller’s] back to pulling up from the free throw lane when nobody’s stopping him. He’s taking a very low percentage shot. Once he doesn’t get it, it starts to snowball on him.”
Rice on Seton Hall loss[/I]: “There are things we still need to improve on, including myself. There’s things I probably should have done in the game looking back now, watching film. In the Big East, if you’re not completely engaged and locked in on what you need to do, you’re going to lose games.”
Freshman guard Austin Carroll about former teammate and ‘Cuse rookie C.J. Fair[/I]: “I don’t know. I might just start joking around with him. That’s my man.”
Carroll on current status of left knee[/I]: “It’s good. It’s definitely not 100 percent, but I think rehab and everything went really well. I’m slowly and surely making it back to 100 percent.”
Fat Cat Top Five[/B]
Top 5 surprises from the Rutgers-Lehigh wrestling match
5. Mike Wagner's near-upset over No. 19 Joe Kennedy
4. Trevor Melde's loss to Stephen Dutton
3. No. 5 Scott Winston's loss to No. 19 Brandon Hatchett
2. No. 9 Mario Mason's loss to Joey Napoli
1. Matt Fusco's upset over No. 17 Frank Cagnina
The Numbers Game[/B]
10: [/B]Lehigh entered its match against Rutgers as the #10 team in the country…and will most likely move up after a strong performance.
9: [/B]Rutgers freshman Gilvydas Biruta is now averaging 9 points per game.
8: [/B]Austin Carroll had a strong night against Seton Hall, contributing 8 points off the bench. 8 is also the number of offensive linemen on the Rutgers football roster currently listed with “freshman” eligibility.
7: [/B]That was Rutgers’s rank heading into its match against Lehigh.
6: [/B]Only 6 losses for Syracuse, which the Rutgers men’s basketball team visits this weekend.
5: [/B]Syracuse was ranked #5 when they met Rutgers last season. This year, they will enter the contest at #17.
4: [/B]Coach Stringer’s squad came back from 19 points down but still fell by 4 points to #10 Depaul earlier this week.
3: [/B]Rutgers only managed to win 3 matches against Lehigh.
2: [/B]Just 2 more days until Bobby comes back from vacation and things return to “normal” around Scarlet Nation! And if Mike Rice’s team can defeat Syracuse, that will be their #2 Big East win on the road this year.
1: [/B]The Rutgers men’s basketball team has a grand total of 1 win in games played at Syracuse The last victory was in 1975. .
John’s Crystal Ball[/B]
- Rutgers wrestling will hammer Drexel on Sunday
- A lot of great prospects will be on the Rutgers campus this weekend for the Badger/New Level events, but don’t expect any commits --- Unless the rules have changed, Rutgers coaches are not allowed to meet with recruits if they are on campus for a third party event.
- Expect a bunch of offers to go out to juniors over the next month for one reason – some of the under the radar kids will be uncovered at events such as this weekend’s Badger event. Rutgers won’t be able to wait on some of the kids that they might have been hoping to see at summer camp.
Recruiting Tidbits[/B]
Elijah Shumate, Don Bosco Prep[/B]
Schumate is a contender for our #1 slot in New Jersey, and he has the offers to support that ranking. Heading into this weekend, Shumate had already accumulated 17 offers to date. When we caught up with Shumate to interview him for our “#1” article, he commented a bit on Rutgers:
“I have been to Rutgers to many times. I made a connection with the Rutgers coaches. I am trying to go out to a few others schools and visit, but I have been to the Rutgers facility a lot. The Rutgers coaches and I have been making a lot of connection.”
D.J. Singleton, St. Peter's Prep[/B]
Last week we reported that Singleton may be likely to commit early. As of now, he has garnered no new offers and RU, Miami and UNC are the only schools that have offered him. However, Singleton claims to still be receiving interest from UConn, Florida, Georgia, BC, LSU and Oregon. When we caught up with him at a recent practice for the Badger 7on7, it was clear why colleges like his frame and potential at the next level.
Raymond Korang, Rancocas Valley
[/B] Korang has piqued the interest of a couple programs recently. “My coach (Dan Haussman) said something about Oklahoma contacting me," Korang said. He has also been in contact with Coach Galiano at Rutgers. Korang has been hitting the weight room four days a week in order to maintain his football strength and prepare for spring track season. He plans on throwing the shot put and perhaps the discus this spring. He will also be attending the upcoming NUC Five-Star Showcase along with teammate Dominic Twitty.
"I want to see what the competition is like in the area," Korang explained. "Also, it gives me a chance to go back on the football field, which is a great thing."
Rancocas Valley isn’t a school you normally associate with D1 products. However, they sent a player to Temple last year and have upwards of 5 kids who are getting some looks in the junior class. With a former Scarlet Knight, Jim Horner, on the staff, it might be a program to keep an eye on.
Nigel Jones, Holy Spirit
[/B]Jones hit a new milestone in the weight room this week, as he declared that he squatted 500 pounds. "It's not good enough though, I have to keep doing more," he said.
Rutgers[/B]=Gilman North?[/B]
Just recently, David Lomonico of MDHigh.com wrote a piece on the talented 2012 class at the Gilman School in Baltimore, considered one of the powerhouse programs on the East. Much like the junior classes at other non-public east coast powerhouses such as Don Bosco, St.Peter’s Prep, Dematha and Good Counsel, they also have multiple juniors with Rutgers offers. Scarletnation.com spoke to Lomonico, the expert on Maryland high school football, for a brief word on the offered players.
Kenneth Goins (5 foot 10, 210 pounds ): ”[/B]a sack machine at outside linebacker. He’s too small for that position in college so he’ll have to play running back. He’s a monster with awesome speed”.
Devon Porchia (6 foot 2, 190 pounds):[/B] “needs to fill out his body, but he's long, lean and athletic and has terrific burst. He’ll be a linebacker at the next level”.
Brian Gaia (6 foot 4, 280 pounds): ”[/B]is a mauler. Great footwork, great form, stays low, gets under guys' pads. Looks like a finished product already”.
Cyrus Jones (5 foot 11, 185 pounds): [/B]”is like the second coming of UVA signee Darius Jennings. He just received an offer from Alabama, enough said”.
When asked about Rutgers’ chances for the following guys, Lomonico said the following
“Porchia or Goins might be the best bet. Cyrus is low to none; he's like Darius -- doesn't want to be too far from home... and I don't see Gaia as a fit. Gaia is a lot like Hunter Goodwin (2011 Wake Forest signee)-- close-knit, small school guy. Wouldn't surprise me to see him at Wake.”
Feeder Program of the Future?[/B]
While not even a year old, Gattaca Football, the independent JUCO program affiliated with Mercer County College and Bucks County College in Pennsylvania, is starting to gain quite a following in New Jersey amongst the high school football community. The local state university has taken notice as well.
“Rutgers gave us dates and info on Spring practices so we could bring some of our guys up there. We are planning to have a handful of our top recruits, Tim Smith (2010 Rutgers offeree from Florida), Karon Hair and Steve Worsley from Long Branch , Bobby Schwarzenberger from Pinelands High School to name a few,” said head coach Manual Galarza.
Having campuses located in two of the most fertile recruiting grounds in Rutgers territory while also having a system where a student athlete can enroll in classes part time and not lose eligibility or full time while playing a schedule against other junior college and prep programs, this may be a relationship that both programs can reap the benefits from.
Rutgers still in the mix for top DC and Maryland recruits[/B]
While at the Riddell Elite Showcase hosted by MDHigh.com and Rivals.com, Scarletnation.com got a chance to speak with some of the three top talents in the area about their thoughts on Rutgers
Ronald Darby, Potomac[/B]
Darby has recently received offers from Penn State, Alabama, and Southern Cal
“I haven’t really researched, but I’ve been up for a one camp. I talk to the coaches normally on facebook. I will be interested in Rutgers, most definitely,” said Darby about his contact with Rutgers
Darby is being recruited as a DB, but his preference is on offense, maybe as a slot receiver. He said that it really doesn’t matter where he plays as long as he gets on the field
Stefon Diggs, Good Counsel[/B]
“I’m trying to do the biggest combines possible, trying to go find where the biggest competition is at, maybe Georgia and LSU,” said Diggs in regards to his future plans for this off-season.
Cal, Michigan, Vanderbilt and Cincinnati are the most recent offers he has received
On Rutgers: “It’s a nice school; I’ll be there for the Badger Sports 7 on 7. We always go on an unofficial tour so I am really looking forward to getting down there”.
Diggs has expressed a strong interest in playing down south, so Rutgers has an uphill battle in his recruitment.
Eddie Goldman, Friendship Collegiate Academy[/B]
“I don’t have anything to prove, I just wanted to see where my skills are at since I haven’t played in a game in a long time. I’ll be attending more events like this in the future,” said Goldman about attending the event.
Tennessee and Pitt are his most recent offers.
“My coach is trying to set all my unofficials up right now. Still gotta figure it out with my coach and family which schools I am going to visit,” said Goldman about his future plans.
On Rutgers: “It’s a good school, and I like it. They got good facilities but I haven’t fully researched the school yet.”
Goldman doesn’t seem thrilled with the recruiting process so I wouldn’t be shocked if he ended it early. He hasn’t eliminated anyone yet and seems open to every school at this point
“I don’t have favorite, if I had to rank the schools right now, they would all have the same number. I won’t discriminate against any school. If the school fits, I’ll play there”.
NUC Five Star Showcase featuring the Rivals.com Junior Day taking shape[/B]
Next month’s Five Star Showcase (formerly Premier Showcase) will be a bit smaller (in #’s) than in past years due to a smaller venue, but the talent will be as strong as ever. Here are just a few of the players who have signed up thus far:
Devon Fuller (NJ #1 contender)
Faton Bauta (NY – soon to be Florida - athlete with multiple D1A offers)
JC Coleman (VA running back with 5 offers)
Davon Jacobs (NJ #1 contender)
Ricky Jeune (NJ #1 contender for 2013)
Jarron Jones (NY #1 contender)
Dorian Miller (NJ #1 contender for 2013)
Brandon Napoleon (multiple D1 offers)
DJ Singleton (multiple D1 offers)
Jevon Tyree (multiple D1 offers)
Stay tuned as we reveal more of the TOP prospects who will be attending the event!
This post was edited on 2/18 7:08 PM by John Otterstedt
