Peter Kiss Signs to Compete at Rutgers
May 03 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (May 3, 2017) - Rutgers men's basketball coach Steve Pikiell announced today that rising sophomore guard Peter Kiss has completed the paperwork to join the Scarlet Knights. A unanimous MAAC All-Rookie team selection at Quinnipiac in 2016-17, Kiss will participate in all team activities upon enrollment, but will not play in games in 2017-18 under NCAA transfer guidelines.
"First and foremost, Peter Kiss is a terrific young man who comes from a wonderful family," said Pikiell. "My staff and I are thrilled to add a guy who truly loves the game of basketball and will work tirelessly to make Rutgers basketball better. Peter is a high-level athlete who our fans will enjoy cheering for every time he takes the court. Peter plays with a swagger and a chip on his shoulder and those are the exact qualities we will need from our team as we prepare to climb the ranks of the Big Ten Conference. We are very excited to welcome Peter, as well as his parents, Ida and Peter, to the Scarlet Knight family."
Kiss averaged 13.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game last season as a true freshman at Quinnipiac under head coach Tom Moore. He played in all 31 contests, starting the final 20, and was selected as conference rookie of the week four times. His biggest performances were against the team's most high-profile opponents. In his third career game, Kiss shot 8-of-13 to score a game-high 18 points with five rebounds versus eventual national finalist Gonzaga in the AdvoCare Invitational at Disney World. He followed that performance by shooting 7-of-11, including 4-4 from three, to post 19 points against Seton Hall in the Invitational. Kiss scored in double-digits 21 times.
"I'm a player that competes every possession and brings a lot of fire and passion to the court," said Kiss. "There are many reasons why I chose Rutgers. The main one was to play for Coach Pikiell. His confidence in the direction of the program, and the improvement made over one year, is definitely something I want to be part of. I also really like how close the campus is to New York City, but has an 'outside of the city' feel. The alumni base is just huge and I think that will be great for me after basketball."
A relative newcomer to the game, Kiss grew up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, playing mostly baseball. He did not begin to play basketball at a competitive level until his sophomore year of high school.
"Peter is a great young man," said mentor and former New York Gauchos coach Derrik Riullano. "He is very quiet off the court, but on the court, he's a bulldog. He's aggressive, always attacking and an in-your-face type of player. He's exactly where he needs to be at Rutgers. He's always trying to meet new challenges. There have been times people have doubted his ability at a certain level. He not only gets there, he surpasses it, and moves on to the next."
BIOGRAPHY:
Peter Kiss
Guard / 6-5, 195
New York, N.Y.
A unanimous MAAC All-Rookie team selection at Quinnipiac in 2016-17 … An intense competitor with a well-rounded skill set, despite being a relative newcomer to the game … Was recruited by Steve Pikiell at Stony Brook … Will participate in all team activities, but will not be able to compete in games in 2017-18 under NCAA transfer guidelines.
2016-17: Averaged 13.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game as a true freshman at Quinnipiac under head coach Tom Moore … Played in all 31 contests, starting the final 20 … Was selected as conference rookie of the week four times en route to earning unanimous MAAC All-Rookie accolades … Scored in double-digits 21 times … Shot .408 percent (154-of-377) overall and had a .742 (69-of-93) mark from the charity stripe … In third career game, shot 8-of-13 to score a game-high 18 points with five rebounds versus eventual national finalist Gonzaga in the AdvoCare Invitational at Disney World … Followed that performance by shooting 7-of-11, including 4-4 from three, to post 19 points against Seton Hall in the Invitational … Averaged 18.5 points in two games versus MAAC regular season champion Monmouth and 15.5 points in two games against MAAC postseason champion Iona … Had a career game versus Niagara, scoring 23 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing-out eight assists.
Scholastic: A 2016 graduate of Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass. … Previously attended Victory Rock Prep School in Sarasota, Fla., where he was a second-team all-league selection as a junior ... Began his scholastic career at Monsignor Scanlan High School in The Bronx ... Competed on the AAU circuit for the Florida Sons, New York Gauchos and House of Sports … Earned all-star honors at the Hoop Group Academic Elite Camp in the summer of 2014.
Personal: Interested in business … Son of Peter and Ida Kiss … Parents emigrated to the U.S. from Hungary and Romania, respectively … Grew up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan playing mostly baseball ... Played basketball in a limited capacity until sophomore year of high school … Committed to Quinnipiac in October 2015, choosing the Bobcats over Tulsa, Robert Morris, Fordham and High Point.
Under Pikiell, whose 9-1 start in 2016-17 marked the best head-coaching debut in Rutgers men's basketball history, the Scarlet Knights more than doubled its overall win total and tripled its conference victory total from 2015-16. Rutgers achieved a plus-117 rank improvement in RPI, as well as major NCAA ranking improvements in rebound margin (+299), scoring defense (+272), three point FG defense (+247), offensive rebounds (+244), rebounds (+232), field goal percentage defense (+226) and blocks (+114). The Scarlet Knights ranked among the top 100 in 10 NCAA statistical categories, including among the top 50 in seven, after ranking among the top 150 in just two statistical categories in 2015-16.
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