Around The Tri-State November 12
Rutgers Ace in the Hole
Steve Pikiell has an Ace in the hole. There’s only one problem for Rutgers head coach; he’s not the one playing the card.
Pikiell’s prized recruit, Airious “Ace” Bailey, has sat out Rutgers first two games, victories over Wagner and St. Peter’s, with an undisclosed injury he suffered during practice. When Bailey will make his collegiate debut is anyone’s guess.
During Pikiell’s press conference following Monday’s 75-65 win over St. Peter’s, all the head coach would say was, “He’s close.” When asked if Bailey would play in Rutgers next game versus Monmouth on Friday, Pikiell said he’s “not the doctor.” Then he added, “If I was…he’s close.”
Harper’s Row
Fortunately, Rutgers hasn’t needed their five-star freshman so far because they have another five-star freshman in Dylan Harper, who’s helped carry the load during Bailey’s absence. All Harper has done is score 20 points in his first game and another 24 in his second to become the first Rutgers freshman to score at least 20 points in his first two games since Phil Sellers in 1972.
My name is Bryan DeNovellis. You’ve landed on my blog.
I grew up in the heart of UConn Country in Hartford County, CT. I went to college at Seton Hall University, just 30 miles outside of Madison Square Garden, the mecca of basketball. I now reside in Middlesex County, NJ in the shadows of Rutgers University. Basketball has always been a huge part of my life. I’ve played it. I’ve coached it. I’ve officiated it. Now I blog about it.
Harper’s no ordinary freshman. You can see it in how he runs the offense like a seasoned fifth-year senior. You can see it in his silky-smooth handle. You can see it in his decision-making. You can see it in the first minute of the game and the last. He’s very comfortable with the ball in his hands.
With Rutgers trailing St. Peter’s by five points at halftime, the Scarlet Knights were in need of a spark and Harper was called upon to ignite it. Before you could spell R-U, Harper had tied the game at 42 with a dunk and a 3-pointer. Just like that, Rutgers was back on track. It was a sequence that didn’t go unnoticed by St. Peter’s coach Bashir Mason
“He (Harper) started out that second half, he was going to put the team on his back and establish that they were there,” said Mason, “and he settled everybody else down and kind of controlled the game the rest of the way.”
It was Harper who put Rutgers ahead for good, knifing through the Peacock’s defense for a layup with 3:49 to play, triggering an 11-0 run to close the game. And it was Harper who delivered one final assist to Jordan Derkack for the exclamation layup in the waning seconds.
When asked about having the ball in his hand in the final minutes, Harper said, “What goes through my mind is just making the right play. Coach Pikiell trusted me to go out there and just be the team leader. The biggest deal for me is making the right play.”
Right now Harper is making winning plays. It’s only been two games, but it’s crystal clear, this is Dylan Harper’s team. And it’s only going to get better once his fellow five-star freshman is given the green light to play. When that happens, Pikiell will have a pair of aces to turn over.
Tri-State Tidbits
UConn
In his first two collegiate games, UConn freshman Liam McNeeley registered a pair of double-doubles. McNeeley scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Sacred Heart, and followed that up with a 10-point, 11 rebound performance against New Hampshire. He’s the first UConn freshman to start his career with back-to-back double doubles since Corny Thompson in 1978.
Teammate Alex Karaban is also off to a sizzling start with an eye-popping 11 blocks in two games. The redshirt junior is averaging 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists. As for the 11 blocks? All the credit goes to his former roommate and current Portland Trail Blazer, Donovan Clingan.
“When you’re roommates with the best defender in the country for the last two years, you learn a couple of things from him,” said Karaban. “So I’m going to give credit to him for the blocks.”
Fordham
After starring the last two years at UNLV, Jackie Johnson III decided to take his talents to the Bronx for his final season to play for Keith Urgo and the Fordham Rams. Let’s just say the early returns have been thrilling. Johnson scored a career-high 23 points in an opening loss to St. John’s. He then made Number 2 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays when he buried a 17-foot floater at the buzzer to stun Seton Hall in historic Walsh Gymnasium in South Orange. Three days later, he scored another 23 points to lead Fordham over Binghamton, 78-63 in the Rams home-opener at “Rose Thrill.”
Princeton
Princeton is off to a 3-0 start thanks to three come-from-behind victories. In their opener against Iona, Xaivian Lee hit a pair of free throws with 4 seconds left to help the Tigers overcome a 16-point deficit in the second half to beat the Gaels 81-80. Despite the loss, Iona freshman Adam Njie from Cardinal Hayes in the Bronx, had an outstanding debut with 19 points. At 6 foot 3, 175 pounds, Njie has excellent size and strength. He can get to the rim and finish, and not only has a mid-range game, but can shoot from distance too, hitting 4-9 from beyond the arc in his first three games. Njie was named MAAC Rookie of the Week.
Meanwhile, after its victory over Iona, Princeton found itself down by 11 to Duquesne with 13 minutes to play, but rallied again to win 75-68. The game was played as part of the Jersey Jam doubleheader at CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton.
Playing its third game in seven days, the Tigers trailed Northeastern late when freshman Malik Abdullahi hit a short jumper in the lane to put them up one with 4.6 seconds to play. Abdullahi then iced the game with a pair of free throws to propel Princeton to a 79-76 victory. Sophomore Dalen Davis notched a career-high 25 points in the win, while senior Blake Peters also had a career-high with 18 points, hitting a career-best six 3-pointers.
Princeton has two of the very best juniors in college basketball with Lee and Caden Pierce, but they wouldn’t be undefeated without their supporting cast.
