Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell was on campus the day before his team’s season opener against New Haven, and he sent a message to acting head coach Brandin Knight hours before tipoff.
“It’s funny, he said, ‘Make sure you smile,'” Knight recalled following the Scarlet Knights’ 81-54 victory at Jersey Mike’s Arena. “That was one of his big things, like have fun, enjoy it. It’s always about the guys but have a good time and smile. That’s the way he is. He can find some positivity in anything.
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Pikiell, 58, announced that he was battling cancer in September, and Knight, the 44-year-old who was brought on Pikiell’s staff in 2016 and had been his associate head coach the previous five seasons, was tabbed as acting head coach. While Pikiell focuses on his health, Knight draws inspiration from his boss, who contributes his time and thoughts where and when he can as he cycles through treatments and rests.
“Coach is one of the strongest people I know,” Knight said. “He’s showing up here two or three times. He is showing how tough he is. It’s not easy to get out of bed and do things like that, but he comes around. He’ll sit and watch practice. He’ll give encouraging words.”
Pikiell was not among the spectators at Jersey Mike’s Arena, but support for his fight was evident throughout the crowd with students and fans wearing red T-shirts emblazoned with “Rutgers Tough” across the chest. They were selling for $30, with 100 percent of proceeds going to RWJ Barnabas Health’s efforts in cancer treatment and patient care as part of a fundraiser envisioned by Pikiell.
A video of former players like Caleb McConnell, Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey and Ron Harper Jr. talking about different examples of being “Rutgers Tough”played on the scoreboard above center court. Knight noted that the shirts sold out in the first day. Players will continue to wear them during warmups this season. The first $250,000 of the campaign is coming from Pikiell and his wife, Kate,
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“I hope it’s inspiring not only to myself and all of these guys,” Knight said. “Whatever you’re going through, whatever type of adversity you think you’re dealing with right now, it is nothing like the kind coach and his family has been dealing with.”
Knight carried on the program’s signature approach to defense against New Haven, which is in its second season in Division I and the second year of a three-year transition from Division II. The Scarlet Knights forced 17 turnovers with a mix of different looks, including full court pressure. In all, the team collected 10 steals, three of which were credited to Davis, a senior reserve who finished with 13 points on 5 of 5 shooting.
“We just wanted to be as active as possible,” Davis said. “You know, B Knight just wanted us to speed them up, bring the fight to them. The full court got our energy up, kind of got us going.”
Fifteen players logged at least two minutes as Knight worked to find the best rotation of talent that has been assembled by retaining guards like Tariq Francis and Jamichael Davis and bringing in transfers like Rasheed Jones and Christian Gurdak.
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“I just asked them to take care of each other,” Knight said of his message to the team. “It was just great to be out of exhibition season.”
In the home locker room, players waited for Knight, and then doused him with water to celebrate his first career victory as a head coach. Francis and Davis maintained that Knight, a former Big East co-player of the year, has not changed his demeanor much now that he is making the final decisions during games with assistants Jay Young, T.J. Thompson and Marlon Williamson still on staff.
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“He always coaches the same: he’s a player’s coach,” Francis said. “He’s really creative on offense so he draws up a lot of new plays for us. He’s been great.”
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