After a disappointing 14-20 season but an appearance in the College Basketball Crown postseason tournament (yeah, I know, for what), Steve Pikiell and the Rutgers men’s basketball team have been very busy adjusting their roster. In this age of NIL and the transfer portal, the offseason isn’t just about picking up new players; it’s also about keeping players in the fold before they find greener pastures.
First on the docket was keeping players and Pikiell succeeded in retaining guard Tariq Francis. The guard, who earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors, turned into an invaluable member of the roster last season. He averaged 17 points per game and shot 42 percent from the field in his debut season in Piscataway after transferring from NJIT. Keeping Francis was a must for Rutgers.
Among other returning players is team captain Jamichael Davis. To have and retain a two-year captain is rare in college athletics these days, but Davis was another must-have to keep on the banks of the Raritan. The senior guard will enter the 2026-2027 season off the heels of a season where he had good games against top Big Ten opponents Michigan State, Wisconsin and Oregon. Defense became his calling card throughout the season, but Davis showed that he can score when needed.
Other names returning to the fold are guard/forward Darren Buchanan Jr., guard Kaden Powers, guard Lino Mark, and forward Gevonte Ware. If you notice, the returning players are mostly guards, but the frontcourt is lacking on that list. Of the eight forwards and centers on the Scarlet Knight roster last season, only Ware is returning to the team. The other seven entered the portal with six finding new homes, including Chris Nwuli, who moved on to in-state rival Seton Hall.
With all that movement, Rutgers needed to refill the cupboard, bringing in two centers and two forwards from the transfer portal. The prize of the portal for Rutgers is the reigning NEC Player of the Year, Darin Smith Jr. Fans saw Smith Jr. when Central Connecticut State came to Jersey Mike’s Arena last season and upset the Scarlet Knights, as he scored a game-high 21 points. Needless to say, that was all the scouting Coach Pikiell needed when he started to evaluate players in the portal.
Smith Jr. brings an all-around game that was missing last season for Rutgers. Averaging 20 points and six rebounds per game, the forward adds another dimension offensively to go along with Francis to give the Scarlet Knights a potent one-two punch. While there was doubt as to who would get the ball when the game was on the line last season, adding Smith Jr. brings the answer to that question.
The other big addition was forward Will Sydnor from Manhattan College. Sydnor is a smaller forward in terms of bulk, but grabbing seven rebounds a game as a true freshman showed the MAAC that he was available to bang down low if necessary. A 2024-2025 MAAC Rookie of the Year winner and All-MAAC Second Team honoree, Sydnor averaged 14 points per game and shot 45 percent from the field during his freshman season. He missed all of the 2025-2026 season due to NCAA eligibility issues so rust will be an issue early in the season. However, pairing Sydnor with Gevonte Ware at the forward spots created interesting spacing opportunities with the assortment of guards already on this roster.
Rutgers also picked up 7-foot-2 center Dorin Buca from Kansas State and Christian Gurdak from Virginia Tech to help alleviate the mass exodus of frontcourt players.
Needless to say, Rutgers may not be done quite yet in the portal, but the moves they’ve made have made the team better than last year’s squad. The question, as always, when you bring in so many new players, is how long will it take for everyone to gel and get on the same page?
Time will tell, but a 6-14 record in the Big Ten will not get the job done this upcoming season. The right buttons will have to be pushed for Rutgers to return to the NCAA Tournament.
