Rutgers football student-fans go nuts before kickoff vs. Iowa
Rutgers football student-fans go nuts before kickoff vs. Iowa
In a sport increasingly shaped by transfers, Rutgers basketball coach Steve Pikiell continues to welcome freshmen.
The Scarlet Knights’ 2026 recruiting class began to take shape Friday with the commitment of Imahri Wooten, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard/wing who attends high school at Redemption Christian Academy in upstate New York.
Here are three things to know about Wooten.
1. He was widely recruited by high-majors
In addition to Rutgers, Wooten had visited Missouri and Auburn announced scholarship offers from Mississippi State, Arizona State and Georgia Tech.
He is rated three stars and ranked the No. 168 prospect in the Class of 2026 by Rivals/On3 and three stars and the No. 219 prospect by 247Sports.
Assistant coach Marlon “Smoke” Richardson was the lead recruiter for Rutgers.
2. He’s known as a shooter
Wooten’s 3-point shooting ability has been hailed as his biggest strength, but he’s also regarded as a multi-positional defender, which is something Pikiell values highly in his evaluation process. At 180 pounds, he’ll have to bulk up at Rutgers for the rigors of the Big Ten.
Wooten hails from a family of hoopers. His uncle, Kevin Simmons, was a 6-foot-8 forward who played two years at UC-Irvine and two years at UNLV, averaging 13.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game over a collegiate career that spanned from 1994-99. His aunt, Malanie Massey, played one season at Syracuse and one at Liberty and currently coaches at Redemption Christian Academy.
3. He’s the latest example of Pikiell’s approach to roster-building
After last season, everyone at Rutgers is painfully aware of how difficult it is to win with freshmen in the current transfer-ridden environment. But Pikiell has not given up on bringing freshmen in – seven of this year’s 14 Scarlet Knights are freshmen.
Why is he doing this? A few reasons. First, freshmen cost less than proven transfers, and Pikiell has been working on a tight budget relative to his high-major peers. Second, the longer courtship in the high school recruitment process, as opposed to the speed-dating of the transfer portal, increases the odds of a good fit. Third, he’s placing a bet on player development, which is how he built Rutgers from the ashes earlier in his tenure.
The challenge now, of course, is retention. With a general manager finally in place soon, Rutgers will have a better chance of keeping freshmen who show promise and reaping the benefits their experience in the program.
“Hopefully these guys will stay a little bit,” Pikiell said recently, explaining his philosophy. “We’ve got to find that (development) niche in a league where teams have $10 million for their rosters.”
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.