Ace Bailey’s dunk and other training highlights from the Rutgers basketball team
Ace Bailey’s incredible dunk and other highlights from Rutgers basketball practice
Rutgers University basketball coach Steve Pikiell was on vacation abroad on Friday when he received news that his athletic director Pat Hobbs had resigned, effective immediately.
Like everyone else, Pikiell said he was shocked by the news.
“He’s done a lot of good for Rutgers Athletics and especially for men’s basketball,” Pikiell said by phone Saturday. “It’s a tough job. I’m thankful he’s taking care of himself now.”
Hobbs is said to have resigned for health reasons, but no reason was given in the university’s brief statement about his resignation.
The leadership change is especially notable for the Rutgers men’s basketball team, as Hobbs – who arrived with a reputation as a basketball expert after hiring both Tommy Amaker and Kevin Willard at Seton Hall – turned his focus to the once-underachieving Scarlet Knights program, hiring Pikiell in 2016, extending his contract several times and building a state-of-the-art training facility.
Thanks to institutional support, Pikiell was able to retain associate head coach Brandin Knight, who had turned down offers to be the head coach at a mid-major team, to stay in Piscataway and lead the recruitment of the breakthrough 2024 recruiting class that positions Rutgers as a potential preseason top-25 team next season.
It’s a long time since Pikiell arrived. Back then, the RAC didn’t even have air conditioning, the shooting machines were all broken, and the dorm beds were too short for Rutgers’ tallest players – their feet dangled over the edge every night.
“When Pat took over, the world was very different and Rutgers didn’t have much to offer,” Pikiell said. “He brought enthusiasm at a time when we needed it.”
Pikiell returned the favour by supporting Hobbs during a difficult period in 2019, when the failure of his hand-picked football coach Chris Ash led his fans and supporters to demand a change at the top.
More recently, Pikiell and Hobbs have been working closely behind the scenes to figure out how and when to renovate Jersey Mike’s Arena, which will be modernized to include more luxury and club-level seating. Hobbs had listened to Pikiell’s concerns about not wanting to push the team out of the building during a season – and about how best to preserve the 8,000-seat trapeze’s home-field advantage while making improvements that will bring in more revenue.
Another hot topic Hobbs had on the table: Now that colleges can choose to share up to $22 million of their annual revenue with athletes, the question is how that pie will be divided. There is no NCAA guidance on whether the amount should be split evenly between men’s and women’s sports to comply with Title IX’s gender equity provisions — signs suggest Hobbs favored an equal split — or whether the pot can be divided unevenly, in whatever proportions an athletic department deems appropriate.
These important unfinished tasks now fall to interim sporting director Ryan Pisarri.
“I’ve worked closely with Ryan – Ryan will do a great job,” Pikiell said. “He’s reliable and smart, he knows Rutgers and has learned from some really good people.”
Another fine-print but telling aspect of the Pikiell-Hobbs partnership: Pikiell’s contract contains a clause that halves his severance pay if Hobbs leaves the role of athletic director. So Pikiell’s severance pay next season will be $5.5 million instead of $11 million – a far more acceptable amount for another major league player seeking to poach him.
Of course, a lot can still happen between now and then. At the moment, Pikiell is trying to reconcile the shock of the restructuring with the task ahead.
“I’m just trying to focus on having a great season,” he said.
Jerry Carino has covered New Jersey sports since 1996 and college basketball since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at [email protected].
