It wasn’t a good year by any means in New
Brunswick, New Jersey, but it wasn’t all bad for
Rutgers. The
Scarlet Knights did have some quality wins against Charlotte,
St. Mary’s and Notre Dame, but the Big East regular season
cannot be forgotten soon enough for Scarlet Knight fans.
Who’s Out:
The loss of Ricky Shields hurts. The guard averaged 13.0 points
and added 3.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest. Juel Wiggan
and Manny Quezada’s departure depletes the backcourt even
further. Wiggan started eight games as a senior averaging 6.2
points and 2.4 assists. Quezada transferred to San Francisco
after his freshman campaign in which he averaged 2.8 points per
game. Quezada would have competed for a starting role for the
Scarlet Knights. Seldom used walk-on Tyler Glass has run out of
eligibility.
Who’s In:
The future, once again, has potential for Rutgers. Small forward
J.R. Inman is, arguably, the star of the class. Inman is a lanky
6-8 who can play the power forward spot as well. He averaged
19.8 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.7 steals and 3.2 blocks as a
senior in high school last year. Point guard Anthony Farmer
could be starting before too long. Farmer started his high
school career as a shooting guard, but at 6-1, opted to make the
transition to the point. He hasn’t forgotten how to put the ball
in the bucket since becoming a point guard and will use these
scoring skills often for the Scarlet Knights. Small forward
Jaron Griffin could stand to work on his outside shot a bit, but
he’s a stupendous slasher who can put up some big numbers. Zack
Gibson, a 6-10 power forward from Grand Blanc, Michigan should
find a way into the frontcourt rotation. Adrian Hill returns
after sitting out the 2004-2005 campaign with a knee injury. The
6-8 junior averaged 6.4 points and 4.7 rebounds for Rutgers in
2003-2004. If healthy, Hill will compete for a starting role.
Who to Watch:
There are a lot of questions out there for
Rutgers, but Quincy Douby is not one of them. As a sophomore
last year, the 6-3 shooting guard averaged a team high 15.1
points. Douby is a great outside shooter, placing eighth in the
conference in shooting from behind the arc. He’ll drive the lane
and earn quite a few trips to the charity stripe, where he shot
a solid 76.7% last year. Douby isn’t the most consistent scorer,
but with Ricky Shields gone, the opposing defenses will key in
on Douby even more than last year. If Douby is smothered or
having an off shooting night, Rutgers could be in trouble.
Projected Conference Rank:
Believe it or not, somebody can finish 11th
in a conference and it is considered overachieving. Ollie Bailey
had a great freshman season, Byron Joynes has progressed very
nicely, Marquis Webb is a dynamic threat and Dan Waterstradt is
ready to see an increased role for Rutgers. Add in the potential
of the incoming freshmen and there might actually be something
for fans to cheer about at the RAC.
Projected Post-season Tournament:
NIT
Projected Starting Five:
Marquis Webb, Junior, Guard, 6.4 points per game
Quincy Douby, Junior, Guard, 15.1 points per game
J.R. Inman, Freshman, Forward, DNP last season
Ollie Bailey, Sophomore, Forward, 9.7 points per game
Byron Joynes, Junior, Center, 4.5 points per game
