The transfer portal is in full effect and Steve Pikiell and the Rutgers Scarlet Knight men’s basketball program is working. With six players out the door including key players and contributors like Dylan Grant and center Baye Fall, there are a lot of new faces filling these roles for the Scarlet Knights.
The headline pickup of the offseason for Rutgers is Darin Smith Jr. Smith Jr. averaged 20.7 points-per-game (ppg) and 5.4 rebounds-per-game (rpg) last season, he shot 37.6 percent from behind the arc and was a reliable free throw shooter shooting 89.8 percent from the line. He heads to Rutgers with two years of eligibility left.
This is the second time Rutgers has got the NEC Player of the Year from the transfer portal. Smith will help the Scarlet Knights a lot this upcoming season because he can create his own shot and that’s where he excels. It should translate with his playing style since he is going to the Big Ten which is a big change in conference competition from the NEC.
Another huge pickup who could fill a vital role in the rotation is Christian Gurdak, a 6-foot-10 center from Virginia Tech. The big man played 31 games and started 10 during his freshman season with the Hokies. He averaged 5.6 points and 4.4 rebounds with 17.2 minutes per game. He shot 63.2 percent from the field as he is coming to Rutgers with three more years of eligibility remaining. He is going to play a much bigger role in his second collegiate season with this pickup. He is going to develop into a great big man to replace Fall since he just departed.
Rutgers also landed an international guard from the Dominican Republic, Lewis Duarte. This pickup is a little bit of a wildcard. He played for Overtime Elite then signed with New Mexico State but never played and then went to the Dominican Republic and averaged 8.9 ppg. He has size at 6-foot-5 and could be a good rotational player but might need some development.
The portal window isn’t closed yet and closes on April 22. Rutgers has shown interest in other guards in the portal but time will tell. Their roster is still fairly thin so far, especially in the front court. But so far this group that’s coming together for Rutgers looks promising, and for Rutgers fans who have been patient, good things are coming.
