PISCATAWAY – The Gavin Griffiths era got rolling for Rutgers basketball Friday night.
Moved from starter to substitute after a tough opener against Princeton, the highly touted freshman dazzled a packed and delighted crowd as the Scarlet Knights rolled past Boston University 69-45 in their home opener.
Griffiths, a 6-foot-8 wing guard, tallied 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting and grabbed four boards over 27 eye-opening minutes. He drilled 3-pointers, attacked in transition as a scorer and passer, wrecked the rim with a two-handed slam of a teammate’s missed layup and was more active on defense than during Monday’s loss to the Tigers.
The crowd of nearly 8,000 at Jersey Mike’s Arena ate up every highlight. It was the kind of performance they’d been hoping for from the four-star, top-30 prospect. When Griffiths left the court for the final time, it was to a standing ovation.
Postgrad wing Aundre Hyatt added 17 points and four rebounds as Rutgers improved to 1-1 with a Sunday visit from Bryant on tap.
FIVE TAKEWAYS
1-Major lineup shift
It’s unusual Steve Pikiell to tinker with the starting lineup with two changes at a time. It’s unprecedented, in his eight years on the banks, for him to make two changes after just one game.
Griffiths and sophomore guard Derek Simpson came off the bench, and into the starting unit went postgrad guard Austin Williams and sophomore forward Antwone Woolfolk.
Searching for a spark, Pikiell used nine players and made seven different substitutions during the game’s first seven minutes. He checked in the 10th available scholarship player, Antonio Chol, later in the half.
Woolfolk had earned the start after a strong effort against Princeton. He looked comfortable at the four Friday alongside standout center Cliff Omoruyi, and when Omoruyi sat nine first-half minutes after a hard fall, the former tight end moved seamlessly into the five. He finished with four points and eight boards in 14 minutes.
Williams, a transfer who had played at Marist and Hartford, brought the hustle from the start, diving for loose balls, deflecting passes and hounding the Terriers’ ball-handlers.
With Rutgers looking tentative early on – perhaps the nerves were still jangling from the Princeton loss – Williams dove hard to save a loose ball in front of the Scarlet Knights’ bench. The floor-burn play clearly energized his teammates.
The box score doesn’t do justice to Williams’ contributions. He clearly will remain a staple going forward.
2-Run, Rutgers
After a slow start – slow on the scoreboard and in tempo – the Scarlet Knights broke things open by pushing the pace. Credit postgrad point guard Noah Fernandes for setting the tone with this. Most of this group seems much more comfortable on the run. Rutgers finished with 23 fast-break points, and a good deal more was scored in aggressive early offense.
The modus operandi for this squad should be to either push the rock or, when stuck in the half court, play inside-out through Omoruyi and Woolfolk.
On the other end, Pikiell did try to assert a full-court press in spots, with mixed results. That remains a work in progress and may never be fully effective without defensive ace Mawot Mag.
3-Injury update
Mag remains out of action, although he’s been cleared and is practicing. It’s unlikely he will play until later this month. Backup center Emmanuel Ogbole (knee) also remains out and will be for a while. Backup guard Jeremiah Williams remains ineligible after transferring twice. One thing to watch is whether Williams will lose a year of eligibility (bringing him from three down to two) due to the NCAA’s newly released guidelines on gambling. The NCAA has not ruled on Williams’ status specifically yet after recently pled guilty to underage gambling during his time at Iowa State.
4. Shore star’s homecoming
Ben Roy, who starred at Manasquan High School, is contributing as a sophomore at Boston University. The backup point guard posted four points, an assist, a steal and three turnovers in 21 minutes against Rutgers. He also handed out three assists in the Terriers’ season-opening loss at Northeastern.
After suffering an ACL tear as a high school senior, Roy is looking like his old self and will be an impact player for the Terriers this season. He had 30 supporters on hand Friday.
5. Bigger than basketball
Pikiell closed his postgame press conference with hat tip to the late Rutgers legend Phil Sellers, who died in September. A No. 12 patch is on all uniforms this season in his honor and a video tribute aired on the hanging scoreboard just prior to tip-off Friday.
“Want to continue praying for his family,” Pikiell said. “Very thankful for what he did for our program and sad that he’s not here. I’ve gotten to know that 1975-76 team through Phil’s passing and attending (related) events. Such a special group.
Piiell also sent public well-wishes to Mike MacDonald, a teammate of Sellers’ on the 1976 Final Four team who is , who battling a serious illness. MacDonald is a great guy and staunch program supporter.
“Mike, hopefully you were able to watch the game – we’re rooting for you,” Pikiell said. “He’s one of the great ambassadors for Rutgers basketball and Rutgers University.”
Then Pikiell told of a moving scene in Rutgers’ postgame locker room.
“We had a young man who is 16 years old who had a really tough car accident — for six months he was not doing well,” the coach said. “He had a goal of being here for our opening night. Really proud of him. Got to come into our locker room after the game.”
Pikiell added: “If you saw the obstacles this young man had to go through, basketball was a big part of what kept him going – his therapy was basketball. He had brain surgery and had to learn how to eat again. Thankful he was able to spend some time with us today.”
The young man was given the honor of “breaking down” Rutgers’ postgame huddle — a role usually reserved for a senior leader or standout of the game.
“He was smiling from the time he walked into the locker room – he was just happy to be there,” Hyatt said. “To see how positive he was after everything he went through, it was inspirational.”
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at [email protected].