ROSEMONT, IL. -- Head coach Steve Pikiell was the first to address Rutgers nation Thursday afternoon, as he joined UCLA head coach Mick Cronin and Maryland head coach Kevin Willard on stage at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center for Big Ten Media Day.

"We added four great coaches and four great programs, so a great league became 18 deep," Pikiell said. "We needed to get some guys who could shoot the ball, but I was really focused on getting toughness - tough guys. I think we brought in some tough guys and obviously some talented freshmen that I'm very excited about."

The Scarlet Knights have three returners this season in sophomore Jamichael Davis, junior Emmanuel Ogbole, and redshirt senior Jeremiah Williams. The rest of the roster consists of four transfer portal players, five freshmen, and three walk-ons.

Williams, who was named a captain in the offseason along with transfer graduate student Zach Martini, hosted his teammates this summer to watch MMA fights and football games, eat meals together as a group, and organize paintball trips - citing the importance of bonding off the court as much as on.

"We've done a lot of things just trying to gel as a team and get to know each other as much as we can," Williams said.

Rutgers didn't just welcome the new faces on its roster, the Big Ten conference as a whole expanded to 18 teams. Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington now have a new home after leaving the Pac-12.

The Scarlet Knights ranked seventh in Tuesday's preseason Big Ten ranking poll.

"A hard league got harder," Pikiell said. "Travel doesn't affect us much, they're definitely going to be sleeping [on the plane], but it's an exciting league with great coaches and obviously talented players and I think this is going to be one of the greatest years in college basketball."



Among Rutgers' talented freshmen group are five-star recruits Airious Bailey and Dylan Harper, both rated in the top three of the 2024 class and the two highest ranked players in program history.

Bailey, a 6-foot-10 versatile athlete who can play any position on the floor, gave insight on why he chose the Scarlet Knights over other notable universities.

"Just loyalty. That's what I'm big on," Bailey said. "Loyalty. They've been showing loyalty since the day they recruited me. Consistent phone calls. Consistent with asking about my parents. Consistent with the whole staff coming to the games. Just showing loyalty and love."
 
Bailey added that he spoke with his five-star counterpart " every day" before accepting Rutgers, and the two frequently brainstormed ways to improve team chemistry on and off the court. Harper was one of 10 players named to the All-Big Ten Preseason team on Tuesday.

While Bailey and Harper will be crucial to the success of this season, Coach Pikiell made sure to name each member of the team and the importance of their role this year.

"We have the pieces with the veteran guys, and the good leadership to go with the energy, and talent of the young freshmen, but our goals stay the same." Pikiell said. "We want to win every game at Jersey Mike's Arena. That's been a goal of ours and we have a program that I think could do that, and now we want to go on the road and play some of these big games that we're playing in the non-conference."

The Scarlet Knights have sold out the past 64 home games, with that record not slowing down any time soon. Bailey mentioned his classmates bombarding him with excitement every time he steps in a room, demanding the season to begin.

Williams, who's entering his last season of college basketball eligibility, can relate to the feelings on campus.

"I'm excited," Williams said. "Last year I wasn't even able to play the full season. This year, I get to play from start to finish, and I just know the energy is going to be like none other."

Rutgers tips off against St. John's in their lone exhibition match two weeks from today at 6:30 pm on Oct. 17 at Jersey Mike's Arena. The official start of the season is Nov. 6 against Wagner.
 
Big Ten Media Day Quotes:

Head Coach Steve Pikiell

Opening statement:

• "We added four great coaches and four great programs, so a great league became 18 deep. I felt good until you mentioned the 18 percent returning for my team. Practice has been good, we're undefeated right now. I'm in year nine so I'm excited about that and we have a lot of new transfers. We did the same thing, we needed to get some guys who could shoot the ball, but I was really focused on getting toughness - guys that were tough. And I think we brought in some tough guys and obviously some talented freshmen that I'm very excited about. They can do a lot of things. Multi-position guys, all five of them will play, and we're just in a great league with great coaches and you fight every day and try to get better and stay healthy." 

The most anticipated season in Rutgers history and handling spotlight for Dylan and Ace:

• "Those two kids, they're from great families, they're basketball players. I want them to have fun first and foremost. Rutgers Nation has been great. We've sold out 63 straight games at home, so the fan base has been tremendous. Our leadership with Jeremiah Williams and Zach Martini, a couple of new players, has been great for the younger guys. I'm excited about that. I'm excited about the expectations. We've always had high expectations, and now in a league with 18 teams, people are saying, 'How good are you?' There are 18 teams. They're great coaches. If you came to our practice yesterday, you would say, 'Oh boy,' and then if you came a couple days earlier you might think, 'Hey, they're going to be pretty good.' So we're trying to figure out some of that stuff, but New Jersey is a great state, Rutgers is a great university, and we play in the greatest league in the country and now we've added four historic programs so just going to get better and it's going to be a fun year." 

What excites you the most:

• "This league always excites me. Going on the road, now adding UCLA, trips to USC, Oregon, Washington. There's great camaraderie in this league. These coaches can flat out coach. I was at Stony Brook and I think they threw the ball over at Cincinnati and about three minutes later I was telling the refs, 'Keep this clock running I got to get on this bus and get home,' The game was over. It was tough and physical and those kinds of things, and to add the caliber of coaches and programs to an already great league and the venues now off campus, it's going to be exciting and I'm excited for Rutgers and what we can be this year. And that's the new part of having all the new players and all that, you start off the year saying we could be great, and we can be, so I'm excited about that challenge." 

Recruiting class:

• "I'm excited that Jeremiah came back, and J-Mike and Emmanuel, our three returning guys. But we added some talent, we added some size. We had some good looks in that freshmen class. And we're excited. There are people lined up to get tickets to Jersey Mike's and it's going to be a fun year. We're going to try to really enjoy it, but these guys make my life easy."

How different does this year feel? Different venues and coaches:

• "A hard league got harder. I said that travel doesn't affect us as much - they're going to sleep for three hours on the flight or four hours, whatever it's going to be, they're definitely going to be sleeping, but it's an exciting league with great coaches and obviously talented players and I think this is going to be one of the greatest years in college basketball. I really do. And our league, certainly. 18 teams, unbelievable venues, coaches, we've added Dana Altman, we've added Mick Bronin, we've added unbelievable coaches and more fan bases to what was a great league anyways." 

On Jeremiah Williams:

• "Chicago's finest. We're home here for him. He's been an unbelievable leader. You know the impact he made on our team, our leading returning scorer, but he's our captain along with Zach Martini. Two good captains with great leadership skills and very unselfish. And so I'm looking for him to continue off his great season last year, he's going to have a greater one this year." 

On Ace Bailey:

• "High energy, great smile. From a great family. Work ethic. He plays multiple positions. I mean, he could play one through five. He's a playmaker. He's brought tremendous energy to our program, but he's also brought a work ethic too. And I think our guys are having fun playing with him."

How much energy do players like this give you?

• "Players bring energy too. It's the same thing. Sometimes coaches have to bring that kind of energy, but these guys got a great spirit about them, our entire team. Our chemistry so far has been unbelievable. Dylan Harper is a talented point guard, and he passes the ball. Ace is a talented player. He passes the ball. Jeremiah. A talented player that passes the ball. So I'm excited we got a blend of experience with youth and energy. Now we got to put it all together in the best league in the country, so it's challenging, but that's a fun part of what we do, too." 

Dylan Harper's skillset?

• "Lefty point guard. Goes downhill. Shoots it. From a terrific basketball family, obviously. I'm just really proud. We have great assistant coaches. We recruit kids from great families. The university - we're a top 15 academic public school in the country. It's a great time to be at Rutgers. And if you have season tickets this year, you're going to be very happy."

On creating a "family culture" at Rutgers:

• "My assistant coaches have stayed. These guys chose Rutgers, but it's really a great time to be in New Jersey, to be a part of our program. Our football team, 4-0, Coach Schiano I got to give a quick shout. The other day, sold out. Our football game was rocking, and [Ace] got to throw some bowls up there to Red Panda, too and that was an exciting time. He got an assist there too, he threw good passes." 

What it was like receiving the news that Bailey and Harper committed:

• "Ace said yes first, and Lathon Somerville came, and Dylan [Harper] came and Bryce [Dortch], and we're really lucky. Dylan Grant, too, out of Toronto. So we got five guys. They're great kids. They're from, again, great families. It was a happy time. It really was. But now we got to get to work because we have goals, and they have goals that are different than that, and I think we got an opportunity to do some special things this year, and we're looking forward to the challenges that this league brings, and I know that with some energy, they'll do it together. You got to get Chicago's toughness to go with some Tennessee toughness, and then we got some Jersey guys, too. Jordan [Derkack], we got the player of the year in the northeast conference. Good player. PJ Hayes can really shoot the ball. Tyson Acuff, who's the seventh leading scorer in the country out of Eastern Michigan. We got more pieces. And [Jamichael Davis] in the backcourt came back, he's more improved. Emanuel [Ogbole], the big fella, can hit people and do some fantastic things, too. It's going to take everybody working hard, playing together, to make this a special year, and I think we got the crew that can do it."

Do you have to be better than everybody else to win as many games as you think this team is capable of winning?

• "I really think we did a good job of adding some shooters to our program, and free throw shooters, too, we haven't been a great free throw shooting team. But these guys know I preach defense. This guy could be an all time great defender. Jeremiah is proven a multiposition defender, too. We got to get that up to speed. I think they got some gifts offensively but we want to make sure that we win basketball games because of the way we defend and rebound and I think we have a chance to be very good at that."

 
What sort of expectations do you set before each year? 

• "Our expectations have always been high since I took the job. Obviously, we play in a league that competes for NCAA bids and national championships, so we're no different. I think we have the pieces with the veteran guys and the good leadership to go with the energy and talent of the young freshmen, but our goals stay the same. We want to win every game at Jersey Mike's Arena. That's been a goal of ours and we have a program that I think could do that, and then now we want to go on the road and play some of these big games that were playing in the non conference. And conference games, at Madison Square Garden, and win basketball games. And as I've always said, from day one. We want to graduate every player. We've done that, and I'm real proud of that. And these guys are going to get a great education from Rutgers. We're going to play basketball at the highest level against some of the greatest programs. So it's all good. It's all good. And I'm in year nine. Blessed."

Ace Bailey

On being recruited by the world:

• "There was a lot going on. A bunch of late-night phone calls, a bunch of talking to my parents, my mother. There's a bunch of calls, a bunch of pop-ups at school. Pop-ups in the gym and practices. So it was a lot."

Why Rutgers?

• "Just loyalty. That's what I'm big on. Loyalty. They've been showing loyalty since the day they recruited me. I mean, consistent phone calls. Consistent asking about my parents. Consistent the whole self coming to the games, just showing loyalty and love." 

How much did you and Dylan Harper talk during the recruiting process?

• "Everyday. We just talked about how we got to get our team together. We will have to bond as a team off the court, not just on the court. To pick off what Jeremiah said, paintball, coming to my spot, even playing on a game, NCAA, just build with my teammates."

 
Excitement at playing at Jersey Mike's Arena:

• "Very excited. I already hear the noise, I walk into class every day, everybody is telling me, 'I can't wait until the game. When's the first home game?' So I know it's going to be loud. It's going to be fun." 

Jeremiah Williams:

Why back with Rutgers?

• "Just through the whole time they supported me, like Ace said, loyalty, Coach Pikiell is a very genuine person and I found a home at Rutgers where I think the type of University the school is, it fits me as a person, so I enjoy my time here and I'm a Knight."

What's it like playing for Coach Pikiell?

• "It's fun, he's very energetic, if you see him on the sideline he's getting the crowd involved, he always tells us he's in the fire with us. He's one of those guys that's there with us all the time."

On building team chemistry:

• "Throughout the summer, we had various activities that we did as a team, and we try to spend as much time as we can off the court with each other. Whether it's coming to my house, watching any MMA matches that's going on, any football games that may be going on. We've been paintballing, we've done a lot of things just trying to gel as a team and get to know each other as much as we can. We eat together as a team. So we spend a lot of time with each other, get to know each other, not only on the court, but off the court." 

How do you become the defensive team you want to be?

• "I think it's the every-play mindset for us. We have some defensive principles that we stick to, our length is our strengths, and I think if we just come in and we show up every day and we continue to just compete and stick to those principles that we have, I think our defense will show up and travel. Rutgers defense travels and we're working up the speed and we're going to be that great defensive team this year." 

Excitement at playing at Jersey Mike's Arena:

• "I'm excited. Last year I wasn't even able to play the full season. This year, I get this play from start to finish, and then I just know the energy is going to be like none other. As everyone knows, it's a highly anticipated year, and I'm just excited and ready to see how it turns out."