PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Caleb McConnell is back for one last ride with Rutgers men's basketball.
The senior guard announced on Wednesday that he is returning to the 2022-23 roster for his final year of eligibility with a video posted to his social media accounts.
"I'm excited to return for one last ride with the Scarlet Knights in 2022-23," McConnell said. "I learned a lot going through the process of training for the 2022 NBA Draft. I want to give a shout out to my coaches, my teammates, and my family for helping me make this decision about my future. We've built so much over the last four seasons at RU, and I can't wait to see what we achieve next year. I can't wait to see RU Nation at Jersey Mike's Arena!"
"We are excited to welcome
Caleb McConnell back for one more season," said head coach
Steve Pikiell. "Caleb
has been the ultimate ambassador for our program on and off the court. He is an unbelievable person and has been one of our best all-around players on both sides of the floor. The 2022 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and one of the best players in the conference is back. I'm excited to see what he will achieve for the Scarlet Knights in 2022-23."
McConnell declared for the 2022 NBA Draft, while leaving his final year of eligibility Draft on Monday, March 28 as he announced on his social media platforms. McConnell will be returning for his fifth season with the Scarlet Knights as he was given one more season of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. McConnell recently graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Africana Studies and walked earlier this month.
McConnell has 60 career starts and 114 games played as a Scarlet Knight. McConnell is ninth all time on the RU steals list with 150 steals. He scored 718 points, had 177 assists, 452 rebounds and 33 blocks in his career with RU. McConnell averaged 7.1 points-per-game, 2.2 steals, 2.1 assists and 5.3 rebounds during the 2021-22 season.
McConnell became the only Scarlet Knight to win a major award in the Big Ten Conference in 2022 when he was named the 2022 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Coaches from across the conference voted for the award and selected the Jacksonville, Florida native as the best defensive player in the conference. The last Scarlet Knight to win such an award was Hamady Ndiaye in 2009-10, when the school participated in the Big East Conference.
McConnell was also recognized as a member of the All-Big Ten Defensive Team as selected by the coaches. The team is comprised of Trent Frazier of Illinois, Trayce Jackson-Davis of Indiana, E.J. Liddell of Ohio State, Eric Hunter Jr. of Purdue, and McConnell.
McConnell had a stellar season on defense leading the conference with 70 steals and 2.19 steals-per-game. His 70 steals were good for 5
th in a single season in RU history. His steals total has him tied for ninth in the nation. McConnell also led the Big Ten Conference with 43 steals and 2.15 steals-per-game in conference play. His six steals in the win over Wisconsin were the most that an individual Big Ten player had in a game all season.
McConnell had a legendary streak of four games of over four+ steals to key wins over No. 13 Michigan State (four) and No. 16 Ohio State (four), No. 13 Wisconsin (six) and No. 12 Illinois (four).
His 21 steals over a five-game stretch tied him for second most in the Big Ten since 2002-03.
His unforgettable chase-down block to deny a breakaway layup against OSU sparked a 10-0 run for the team to close the game with a victory. He tied a career-high with six steals twice this season against Wisconsin and UMass. McConnell was also selected as a semifinalist for the 2022 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award last season.
