NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - The Rutgers men's basketball team celebrated the upcoming 2009-10 season by hosting “Scarlet Tip-Off” Sunday evening at the College Avenue Gymnasium. Fans had their first opportunity to meet the Scarlet Knights, while also enjoying an intra-squad scrimmage, a student barbeque, highlight videos and shooting contests.
Rutgers radio announcer and New York metropolitan sports personality Chris Carlin served as emcee of the event, while the Rutgers Pep Band and D.J. Wallah were on hand to provide the evening’s soundtrack.
The Cheer and Dance teams got the evening started with a classic rivalry match on the Barn hardwood. With an eight minute running clock, Cheer prevailed over Dance by a slim, 2-0 margin. The victory extended Cheer’s winning streak in the annual match-up to 2-0 after a 6-0 victory in the contest last season.
Fans then looked back on highlights of the 2008-09 campaign, before the much-anticipated player introductions. After the spot-lighted intros, a shooting contest took place, where the victorious student had an opportunity to win a flat screen television with a half court shot.
After some drills, the highlight of the evening, a 20-minute intra-squad scrimmage with a running clock, ensued. The Scarlet squad featured Jonathan Mitchell, Mike Coburn, Gregory Echenique, Muhamed Hasani, Dane Miller, Charlie Rigoglioso and Tomasz Kokosinski. The White squad boasted Hamady Ndiaye, James Beatty, Patrick Jackson, Mike Rosario, Mike Kuhn, Austin Johnson and Brian Okam. Aided by Rosario’s 21 points, White earned a 38-21 victory. Echenique paced the Scarlet squad with 13 points.
