2016–17 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team

2016–17 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball
2016–17 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	15–18 (3–15 Big Ten)
Head coach	Steve Pikiell (1st season);
Assistant coaches	Karl Hobbs; Brandin Knight; Jay Young;
Home arena	Louis Brown Athletic Center
	Seasons ← 2015–16 2017–18 →

2016–17 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	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

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.

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

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

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

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

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
Issa Thiam #35 SF	Star ratings: Scout: N/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
Matt Bullock #86 PF	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/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
Eugene Omoruyi SF	Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/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

2017–18 team recruits

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
Geo Baker CG	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
Souf Mensah PG	Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/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: "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 2, 2016.

Roster

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

Steve Pikiell (Connecticut)

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

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

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule and results

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.

References

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

[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.

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[5]

v t e Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball
Venues	Original College Avenue Gymnasium (1906–1931) College Avenue Gymnasium (1931–1977) Jersey Mike's Arena (1977–present)
Rivalries	Princeton Seton Hall
People	Head coaches NBA players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

Previous season

Departures

Incoming transfers

2016 recruiting class

Future recruits

2017–18 team recruits

Roster

Schedule and results

See also

References