How free agency changed the rivalry

On By Littum

The Garden State Hardwood Classics trophy, a distinctive prize made up of Asbury Park boardwalk planks, has sat in the Rutgers basketball practice facility since the Scarlet Knights won last year’s rivalry game with Seton Hall.

Jordan Derkack refuses to go near it.

“I’m not going to touch it until I get it — until we win,” the junior guard said.

The Colonia High School graduate grew up nearly halfway between Rutgers and Seton Hall, but he’s never attended the annual showdown. That will change on Saturday when the Pirates (5-5) visit the Scarlet Knights (6-4) at

“Being in New Jersey, those are the two biggest programs and I’m excited to be out there for it,” said Derkack, who transferred to Rutgers from Merrimack this spring.

He is not alone in being new to the series. Only three guys who will take the field Saturday played in last year’s contest – Jamichael Davis for Rutgers and Dylan Addae-Wusu and Isaiah Coleman for Seton Hall. This used to be a grudge match that got into the contestants’ bloodstreams and lasted forever—long after graduation day. Now, with free agency sparking massive roster turnover each spring, coaches must explain the series and what it means for their charges.

“Usually the players let it be known to (younger) players — not coaches,” Hall coach Shaheen Holloway said. “We had Ish (Sanogo) and Angel (Delgado) and Khadeen (Carrington) and Isaiah (Whitehead) — those guys made the other guys understand what this game was. It wasn’t Kevin Willard or myself. Now you have not the (veteran) players, so the coaches have to do it.”

He added: “It’s hard to have a rivalry when you have a new team every year.”

Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell has the advantage of three New Jerseyans in his rotation, which helps, but still, at some point Friday, he will bring the trophy in front of the team to hammer home the point. For most of Pikiell’s tenure at the banks, he didn’t have to.

“I hate to say that’s the way it’s going to be from here, but that’s what we’re looking at in the world of college sports,” he said. “It’s kind of crazy.”

Don’t get the wrong idea: The rivalry is still a big deal among fans, who have sold out the contest nine years in a row. The official capacity of Jersey Mike’s Arena is 8,000, but if you look at the attendance figures for Seton Hall games there over the years, many of them are well over that number – going as high as 8,500.

“I definitely have the most assistant coaches’ advice (from fans) coming out of this game, without a doubt,” Pikiell said with a laugh. “The most ticket requests I ever get are for this game. I know if they open the upper bowl at the Prudential Center, I know we’d sell it out with our people, too.”

Fox’s main network, knowing the atmosphere will be a circus, picked up the broadcast on Saturday. And both head coaches care deeply about it.

“This game definitely means something to me,” Holloway said.

“I’m grateful to Sha for playing it,” Pikiell said. “We will continue this as long as I live.”

Former Seton Hall forward Marcus Toney-El, who went 5-3 against Rutgers as a player and was famously ejected from the 2002 classic at the RAC, still to this day gets comments from fans about these violent affairs. Today, he said, the only way for newcomers to understand the rivalry is to experience it for themselves.

“When you go into it and you really don’t know what to expect, you think it’s just another game, and under no circumstances is the Seton Hall-Rutgers game just another game,” he said. “It’s almost like you’re not indoctrinated in the state until you play in that game … The fact that these two schools are able to compete for bragging rights for who’s king of the state is a beautiful thing.”

The best player taking the floor Saturday, Rutgers point guard Dylan Harper, has an idea. He sat behind the Scarlet Knights’ bench during their 20-point romp in the Hall at the RAC in 2019 — a result ignited by an opening sequence involving his big-time tormentor Ron Harper Jr.

“The game is cool,” Dylan Harper said Tuesday after leading Rutgers past Penn State. “Knowing the history of the rivalry, it’s going to be a great game.”

Holloway was impressed by Harper’s IQ

Holloway knows a thing or two about elite point guard play, having excelled at the position in high school and college. He knows the pirates will have their hands full with Harper.

“I’m super impressed with Dylan’s basketball IQ,” Holloway said. “A lot of guys don’t have the basketball IQ as a junior and senior that he has as a freshman.”

Holloway said Pikiell is “doing a good job” of handling the challenge of integrating two superstar freshmen with four transfers and three holdovers. And he praised Rutgers associate head coach Brandin Knight for “a tremendous job” in recruiting Harper and star forward Ace Bailey.

“He had relationships with both of these guys for a very long time,” Holloway said of Knight, who is a cousin and close friend.

Holloway hopes Seton Hall’s spirited comeback attempt in Sunday’s loss to Oklahoma State will carry over to Rutgers.

“One thing I was encouraged by was that we played with life and played with urgency,” he said. “That’s what I want from my guys — to play with urgency and energy.”

Pikiell does not think that will be a problem on Saturday.

“They’ll be ready,” Pikiell said. “I love their toughness. Every time we’ve played them in this game, they’ve played their (arses) off.”

He is well aware that the last two meetings have resulted in disturbances for the visitors – and the favorite has lost four of the last six in the series.

“Anytime you’re in a rivalry game, throw everything out,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who is good and who is not.”

Rutgers players visit Children’s Hospital

On Wednesday morning, 12 hours after their 80-76 victory over Penn State, three Rutgers players walked the halls of Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital in New Brunswick, spreading cheers. Dylan Harper, Tyson Acuff and PJ Hayes signed basketballs, handed out team gear and spent time talking to young patients and encouraging them to stay positive.

Rutgers athletes have visited this hospital for years, but it was the first time through its halls for these three newcomers.

“Meeting these kids and seeing their smiles was the best part of today,” Harper said.

Clinic for a good cause

Toney-El is hosting a free basketball skills clinic to collect toys, coats and hoodies on Saturday, Dec. 21, at Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair, where he is an assistant coach. Attendees are asked to donate a toy, coat or hoodie at the door to gain entry. All items collected will be given to local charities.

The clinic will take place in two parts: for ages 8-10 from 10:30 a.m. to noon and for ages 11-13 from 12:30-2 p.m.

Jersey Jump Shot: At the top of this story, watch the latest episode of the Jersey Jump Shot podcast, as Jerry Carino and Steve Edelson interview former Rutgers forward Jonathan Mitchell and former Seton Hall forward Marcus Toney-El about the Rutgers-Seton Hall Rivalry, past and present.

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at [email protected].