PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Surrounded by family and friends, on Tuesday, June 13 Bryce Dortch joined a 247Sports.com live broadcast feed and he had his decision made.

Dortch thanked God, thanked all the people who got him to where he is today, and finally was ready to announce his college decision with a smile. 

“I can only pick one school and that school is the one that is the best for me,” Dortch said. “That school is Rutgers University!”

He showed off his Rutgers t-shirt and put on his Scarlet Knights hat, giving his live audience the okay to cheer. The crowd officially celebrated his verbal commitment to join Rutgers.

“It was definitely a stress reliever once I committed to Rutgers because a lot of pressure came off my shoulders,” Dortch recalled this week. “The recruiting process was long and once I knew where I wanted to go, I wanted to announce it fast. But having all my family and friends meant a lot to me and it was a great time.”

The Rutgers men’s basketball program took the next step and officially welcomed the forward into the program as he signed his National Letter of Intent in front of another live audience at Brimmer and May High School on Wednesday afternoon. 

Dortch is a 6-foot-8, 190-pound forward from Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. He played high school basketball at Brimmer and May High School and AAU at Mass Rivals. Dortch began his prep school career in NEPSAC Class B at Dexter Southfield. Following a COVID-19-shortened 2020-21 season, he decided to transfer to Brimmer & May and move into the 2024 class. 

His first year for the Gators in Class AA was successful. Dortch was a standout at the June 2021 NEPSAC Showcase and helped Brimmer & May earn a six seed in 2022’s Class AA Tournament. Additionally, Dortch earned ALL-NEPSAC honors. 

This past season, he was part of a Gators squad that won 19 games and made it to the Class AA Tournament Semifinals. Despite battling injuries, Dortch still earned ALL-NEPSAC honors for a second consecutive year. He competes on the Adidas 3SSB circuit for Mass Rivals. He was on a 2022 team that went 15-4 overall and won the 3SSB Open Championship in Los Angeles, California.  

The Scarlet Knights are excited about his capabilities on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball and look forward to molding him into one of the next great players in the program. RU sees Dortch as a high-upside player whose best basketball is ahead of him. 

“Bryce Dortch is a unique player from a terrific basketball program,” head coach Steve Pikiell said. “He was well-coached in a terrific AAU program. He’s versatile and reminds me of Caleb McConnell in some ways defensively. He can guard multiple positions. He’s a terrific ball-handler for his height. He’s competitive, comes from a great family, and is a great student. He has all the things you look for in a young student-athlete. We’re excited to add Bryce to our family.”

Dortch connected quickly with RU assistant coach T.J. Thompson who has extensive recruiting ties in the northeast. Dortch took an official visit to campus on June 2 with his mother Shauna Ruglass and his father Tyrell Dortch.  His father Tyrell was a college hoops forward, who contributed to two NCAA Tournament squads at Division 2 St. Anselm in 2005 and 2006.

Following his verbal commitment, Dortch visited RU during homecoming weekend alongside several other members of the future 2024-25 class on Oct. 13. Dortch has enjoyed the process dating back several years visiting the campus in New Brunswick and meeting the RU coaching staff.

“I think the first time I was on campus was my sophomore year for an unofficial visit with four of my AAU teammates,” Dortch said. “That was the first time Rutgers offered me. Since that moment, there has been constant communication. I took another official visit this past summer and it was really fun and that is when I committed to Coach Thompson and Coach Pikiell. This last visit was an amazing time meeting the team and the other new commits. Each visit has been a great time and I’ve really enjoyed the process.”

Dortch had several other great options and received offers from UMass, Providence, Virginia Tech, Marquette, Texas A&M, and others before choosing to be a Scarlet Knight. When discussing the reasons for committing to RU, he shouted out his relationships with several members of the staff.

“One of the main reasons that I committed was because of the coaching staff,” Dortch said. “I am closest to Coach Thompson. He has been the one recruiting me and talking to my family all the time since sophomore year. I have gotten closer to Coach Pikiell and the rest of the coaches since I committed. Even before I committed, Coach Pikiell would reach out to me all the time. I have a lot of love for them, and they have a lot of love for me. I can't wait to be a part of this team.”

Dortch really enjoyed conversations with Pikiell about not being put into a box offensively and being a part of a program that enjoys playing “positionless basketball.” 

On his visits, Dortch remembered interacting with current members of the program. He specifically recalled conversations center Clifford Omoruyi, and guards Jamichael Davis and Derek Simpson. He enjoyed seeing a live practice for himself and going go-kart racing with some of his future teammates.

Dortch is ranked 144th nationally by 24/7Sports and the 32nd-best forward in the nation. On3.com ranks Dortch as the 52nd-best forward and the sixth-best player out of Massachusetts. Rivals ranked Dortch as the 41st-best player at his position. In every ranking, he’s one of the best players to come from the Commonwealth State. Being such a force out of the New England area is something important to Dortch as he looks to take the next step into the Big Ten.

“It definitely is a confidence booster to be from where I am from and to be recognized,” Dortch said. “When people think of Massachusetts, they don’t really think of basketball.  But we have a lot of hoopers out here and for me to be considered a top player in the state means a lot to me.”

Does Dortch have a favorite place to score the basketball on the court?

“I don't have a favorite, I like to score everywhere,” Dortch laughed. “I like dunking though.”

When asked what players Dortch looked up to growing up, he named some unique NBA role models at the forward positions. 

“My favorite player is Paul George,” Dortch said. “Someone who I have been watching more and more is Jared Vanderbilt. Two-way players are the ones I enjoy watching. I like Jayson Tatum and Kevin Durant. Guys that are my height and that can play defense and offense are my type of players.”

Outside of basketball, Dortch said he really enjoys playing video games and joked about his ability to freestyle.

What will Dortch be feeling when he takes the court for the first time at Jersey Mike’s Arena? 

"Just excitement and I know there is going to be a lot of energy in that arena,” Dortch said. “I know the place gets loud and I like playing in environments like that. It makes me want to go out and win and I am going to be excited.”