Steve Pikiell’s 10th season at the helm of Rutgers basketball begins at a time of wholesale change.
With a new athletics director, new rules on roster composition and player compensation, and 10 new faces in his locker room – plus the impending hire of Rutgers’ first general manager for basketball – Pikiell is navigating uncharted waters.
Here is what he had to say about those changes and his 2025-26 Scarlet Knights as preseason practice gets rolling.
Q. What’s been the message to you from new athletics director Keli Zinn?
A. “I have someone in the room that understands the world I’m living in (in terms of player compensation and fundraising). I’m so thankful for that. She’s in the fight with me – and it has to be a fight.”
“We got the GM job posted in one day after I met with her. We start off every meeting with NIL. She got (newly hired chief revenue officer Todd Knisley) from Ohio State who is part of fundraising. And she’s getting a lawyer (to handle player contracts). We need a lawyer. I took business classes, but I was handling contracts because I had to.”
Q. What are the biggest things you’re looking for out of a general manager?
A. “Two years ago, the one quality was raise money. Because I can divide zero, I didn’t need a GM to divide zero. Then this past year, when I was up against every legal entity with contracts and agents, I wanted a guy who was a lawyer. Now Keli is hiring people to do that for the department, so now I can get back to someone who understands revenue share, roster management, who has a background in basketball, the scenarios I’m going to have in terms of (future) roster slots, salary slots. We’ve still got to raise money as part of it, and they’ve got to understand NIL Go, how to get NIL deals through the clearinghouse.”
“Eventually where we’re going with this is you’re going to need a GM team – an analytics expert, an agent expert, essentially what NBA teams do (with front offices). That’s where this thing is headed. I’m interviewing NBA people, I’m interviewing G-League people, I’m interviewing college GMs and I’m interviewing agents. Our contracts are done for this year, but I need someone waking up every day thinking about the future while I’m trying to prepare my team for this season.”
Q. What have you discussed with Keli Zinn in terms of your vision for the future of Jersey Mike’s Arena?
A: “I love it there, it’s a notable home court advantage, and I hope we find a way to keep that. But I haven’t spoken with her about that. We’ve spent all of our time on NIL, rev share, the GM spot. Do we need amenities there? Yeah, that’s the next step in terms of generating revenue.”
Q. What are your early impressions of this team?
A. “We’re going to be physical, we’re going to play defense and we’re going to rebound. Darren Buchanan is a man. He can defend multiple positions and he’s a good passer. Dylan Grant and Bryce Dortch have gotten bigger and stronger.”
Q. How much are you going to press defensively?
A. “A lot. That’s what we’re going to do. And they want to play like that. Chris (Nwuli) is built for that, picking up full court. Lino Mark is the fastest dude; he’s built for it. Kaden (Powers) is really athletic. Darren Buchanan is built for that.”
Q. What have you seen from Nwuli so far?
A. “Really coachable high-energy, never a bad day of practice. He’s gained 13 pounds since June from eating right and being focused in the weight room. And he really wants to guard people. I’ve got two guys in (Buchanan) and him who can guard any position, which is great to have.”
Q. How are your international players fitting in?
A. “Harun (Zrno) and Denis (Badalau) are freshmen but they’re grown men, they’ve played with pros, and those guys can make shots. Denis reminds of Nadav Henefeld (a former standout UConn guard from Israel who was Pikiell’s college teammate) – could really pass the ball, had great feel, never got sped up, had good size. He was a man. With both of them, their communication is tremendous; they speak three or four languages.”
Q. Who has emerged as leaders so far?
A. “J-Mike (Jamichael Davis) and Tariq (Tariq Francis) have been consistent as leaders, and Baye Fall has some leadership about him. He can do a lot of different things – he just needs some playing time.”
Q. Who’s taking the lead in terms of playmaking and scoring?
A. I’m comfortable with all of these guys handling the ball except Emmanuel (Ogbole) – he’s got to set screens and roll hard. Tariq can create his own shot; Harun and Dennis can get their own shots. Dylan Grant has spent a lot of time on his ball-handling, being able to get to the basket. Gevonte Ware is huge, but even he can handle the ball. I love watching them all try a few things now – prove to me that you can until I see you can’t.”
Q. You added freshman guard Dorian Jones to the roster in August after he decommitted from Ohio State amid reports of academic eligibility issues. What’s his status?
A. “We’re putting a waiver in for him (with the NCAA, to be game-eligible). Dorian Jones reminds me of Kerry Kittles – he’s fast and can shoot.”
Q. New rules expanded roster scholarships from 13 to 15. For this season you brought on 14 scholarship players, which is the most you’ve ever had, after preferring to carry no more than 12 in the past. Why the change?
A. “I used to look at things in terms of (development) down the road, but it’s all about this year now. Everybody fights for their spots this year and that’s all you worry about. Because you don’t know what kid is leaving at what spot (next offseason).”
“Hopefully these guys will stay a little bit. 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.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Rutgers basketball: Steve Pikiell 2025-26 preseason Q&A
