Rutgers Scarlet Knights Basketball 2023 - Andrew Mills/NJ Advance Media
If there is one thing that Rutgers needs, it is to do a better job pushing for players through the transfer portal. This is throughout all sports, but specifically for men’s basketball. The Scarlet Knights basketball team can do something special for the school, but retaining players have been a struggle. Even their baseball team could do better than they are. With this, Rutgers needs to make a bigger push in the transfer portal.
Why Rutgers Needs to Start Making a Transfer Portal Push
This is not to say that the University needs to fight for the top guy every time someone enters, but there needs to be more evidence of effort. When teams are reportedly looking at players in the portal, Rutgers is not always listed. Of course, if the position is filled, why bother, but the teams need help. A good example of why is to look at the Rutgers baseball team.
The Scarlet Knights were off to a slow start and then made a big push in the final stretch of the season. The team qualified in the Big Ten tournament, despite losing quickly. When the university sees that certain programs are showing signs of success, they need to make that extra push. The team is rarely on lists of what schools are showing interest in players in the portal. Even if they are unable to get these players, now is the perfect time to try.
If Rutgers is able to add more players to their baseball roster, they can make a much deeper push in next year’s Big Ten Tournament. The Scarlet Knights have a fairly young team, as they did well with recruiting. They just need that extra help from players with experence.
Even their Basketball team is projected to be a good team. They ended up losing players in the transfer portal, which did hurt them. They should make a push for new players knowing that they can make the 2024 March Madness Tournament if they stay healthy next year.
Why the Scarlet Knights Struggle With This
There is a reason that Rutgers is struggling to retain and add new players through the transfer market. Players can make NIL deals now, and Rutgers is not the best school for that. Now that players can make these deals, many are choosing where they play based on where they can sign better deals.
At the end of the day, Rutgers needs to be more aggressive in the portal. They need to push to bring in the best so they can go further in any tournament, no matter the sport. Once they begin to win more games and make deep tournament runs, players will want to play for the Scarlet Knights.
