Rutgers basketball: 3 thoughts on 2024-25 roster as summer workouts tip off

The most anticipated team in Rutgers basketball history is about to take the floor together for the first time.

The Scarlet Knights will tip off their eight-week summer workout program on Saturday, marking the first collective practice for the 2024-25 roster and the first opportunity for head coach Steve Pikiell and company to work with their historic freshmen class led by five-star prospects Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, as well as the four transfers they brought in this offseason.

“I feel really good about all 12 guys,” Pikiell told NJ Advance Media last week.

Here are three thoughts on the 12-man roster heading into the summer:

Two major weaknesses addressed: Throughout Pikiell’s tenure, Rutgers has been one of the worst teams in the sport at shooting from beyond the arc and at the free throw line.

The Scarlet Knights did a great job addressing it.

They added two players (Martini and Hayes) who shot 37% or better on three-pointers, a mark only two players in the Pikiell era surpassed in a single season: Cam Spencer in 2022-23 (43.4%) and Ron Harper Jr. in 2021-22 (39.8%).

They added two players (Derkack and Acuff) who got to the free throw line often and took advantage of those many trips; the duo knocked down 75.4% of their combined 354 attempts last season.

Rutgers has never finished higher than 231st nationally in free throw shooting or 167th nationally in three-point shooting under Pikiell; on paper, it is in good position to surpass both those marks.

One glaring omission: Despite losing star center Cliff Omoruyi to transfer, Rutgers has not — and, barring a surprise, will not — added a center through the transfer portal this offseason. And while things may work out in the winter, there is no doubt that the position is the biggest question mark on the roster entering the summer.

– Ogbole, the only returner at the position, played just 81 minutes across 10 games last season. He missed the first half of the campaign recovering from a torn ACL he suffered the previous March.

– Incoming freshman Lathan Sommerville is a highly-touted prospect, but as the Scarlet Knights learned last season with four-star forward Gavin Griffiths, high school rankings do not necessarily translate to immediate success at the next level. While the Illinois native may thrive in his first season, it is always a risk to put significant responsibility on his plate early in his college career.

– Martini has plenty of experience playing center at Princeton, but the defensive results were not encouraging. The Tigers ranked 313th nationally in two-point defense (53.5%) and 358th in block rate (4.5%) last season, and the difficulty of defending centers will only increase in the Big Ten compared to the Ivy League.

For his part, Pikiell points to the versatility that the Scarlet Knights have at the position.

“These guys are all different,” Pikiell said. “They make free throws, they’re really good passers. … I’m really excited about it.”

Getting back to their roots: Size and length across the board has been a staple of Rutgers’ rosters across Pikiell’s tenure. The Scarlet Knights landed in the top 50 nationally in average height across his first seven seasons at the helm, per KenPom, including top-20 rankings in 2022-23 (16th), 2021-22 (9th) and 2018-19 (6th).

Last winter was an exception to the rule, with the Scarlet Knights ranking 138th nationally with an average height of 77.4 inches (6-foot-5 2/5ths). They made sure to avoid the same mistake this offseason.

All nine players Rutgers added this offseason are listed at 6-foot-4 or above. Star recruits Dylan Harper (6-foot-6) and Ace Bailey (6-foot-9) having elite size for their positions. Their classmates Dylan Grant (6-foot-7) and Bryce Dortch (6-foot-8) fit the mold of tall, lanky wings like Caleb McConnell. Incoming guards Acuff (6-foot-4) and Derkack (6-foot-6) are taller guards similar to Geo Baker. And forwards Zach Martini (6-foot-7) and PJ Hayes (6-foot-6) — big wings who can shoot from deep — are comparable to Ron Harper Jr.

“I’m excited about the size that we have at every position,” Pikiell said. “We didn’t have awesome size last year, so I feel really good about the entire roster.”

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Brian Fonseca may be reached at bfonseca@njadvancemedia.com.