Rutgers University President William F. Tate IV: Video
Rutgers University has chosen William F. Tate IV, the president of Louisiana State University, as its 22nd president.
Earlier this year, when Rutgers basketball assistant coach Jay Young went to Europe to recruit a couple of promising guards, he didn’t have to explain who the Scarlet Knights were.
“They knew Ace and Dylan,” head coach Steve Pikiell said.
Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper put Rutgers on the map in the minds of Harun Zrno of Bosnia and Denis Badalau of Romania, each of whom committed to the Scarlet Knights for the coming school year.
“This is how Ace and Dylan help you,” Pikiell said. “In their mind, if Rutgers was good enough for them, it’s good enough for me.”
Recruiting is not that simple, of course, and there are financial considerations that dominate the endeavor. That said, having two of the most well-known teenage ballers in the world in the program – even for just a few months – gave Rutgers a starting point as Pikiell and Young fended off Miami, Villanova and Indiana for Zrno’s commitment.
“Ace and Dylan helped us get this recruiting class,” Pikiell said.
There is no disputing that Rutgers’ lone season with Harper and Bailey was a shocking disappointment as they finished 15-17 and didn’t sniff the NCAA Tournament. But the brand recognition wrought by the duo hits overdrive with Wednesday’s NBA Draft, when Harper is a lock to be the No. 2 pick and Bailey projects to go somewhere in the top 10 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
“Think about all the games we had on national TV, cover of SLAM Magazine, cover of Sports Illustrated, two lottery picks, one of them being a home-grown guy (Harper grew up in Bergen County and graduated from Don Bosco Prep),” Pikiell said. “We were an infomercial for Rutgers University.”
The brand-building includes Harper throwing out the first pitch before the Yankees-Orioles game at Yankee Stadium June 22 and Bailey doing the same before the Mets-Braves game at Citi Field June 24.
“We sold out a section at the Barclays for Rutgers fans (on draft night), which I think is very, very cool,” said Pikiell, who will be attending along with members of his staff.
Harper and Bailey were only on campus for a short while, but their association with Rutgers will have a long tail if they make it big in the NBA. The only Rutgers alum to do anything notable in the league over the past 15 years was a guy who associates with Duke – Dahntay Jones. The program’s only first-round draft pick in the lottery era (which began in 1985) was Quincy Douby, who went 19th overall in 2006. Its only top-10 pick ever was James Bailey in 1979.
There are a ton of eyeballs on the NBA, from every corner of the world, and it won’t hurt Rutgers to be linked to two potential megastars, even if one of them (Bailey) is taking arrows right now from ESPN analysts and others over his refusal to work out for teams during the pre-draft process.
“It’s the most amazing thing – some teams saw these kids 30 times between practices and games,” Pikiell said. “I’ve had GMs tell me the guy with the most upside in the draft is Ace. I guess this is a boring draft and they’ve got to generate some stuff to talk about.”
Whatever happens down the road, Bailey and Harper will always be Rutgers guys. This isn’t Dahntay Jones, Cam Spencer, or even Cliff Omoruyi. There’s only one college they will ever call their own, and if you’re wondering if they’ll return to their alma mater and sit courtside when their schedule allows, consider Pikiell’s response when asked about that last week.
“Dylan is downstairs right now, working out,” he said from his office phone. “Ace is coming here to work out tomorrow.”
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.