March Madness

by John Renaldo, Career Counseling Officer, Office of Career Management

Congratulations to our RBS next-door neighbors on the Livingston Campus. RU basketball was just one of 26 schools to make both the Men’s and Women’s 2021 NCAA tournament – and one of only five Big 10 schools. It was no surprise the Lady Scarlet Knights made it to the dance again. Head coach C. Vivian Stringer led her squad to a 17th NCAA tournament appearance during her RU tenure and the 26th time overall for the program.

The men’s program, led by head coach Steve Pikiell, overcame last year’s unlikely ending of having the tournament canceled, by earning a bid for the first time in three decades – and just the 7th March Madness appearance in program history. When he took over the troubled program just over five years ago, coach Pikes said “I believe in Rutgers. I believe we will dance.” At that time, the team had lost 33 of its previous 34 conference games and many thought he was crazy. In addition to winning on the court, both programs are getting it done in the classroom, as each program’s cumulative GPA is over 3.2. Just recently a combined 17 student-athletes from RU basketball were recognized by the Big Ten Conference as Winter 2021 Academic All-Conference award winners, including RBS’s Luke Nathan (Marketing ‘21), a three-time Big Ten All-Academic honoree.

Suffice to say, like RBS our Livingston campus neighbors are headed in the same direction – highly ranked among the best schools in the Big Ten and the U.S. – and will continue to aim for greater heights in the future under passionate leadership. When asked to describe his team this season, coach Pikiell stated, “I would say resilient would be a good term for our team”. Perhaps coach Pike saw the writing on the RBS walls!

Top pictures: Matt Peyrek, Program Coordinator, Dean’s Office Student Experience and Engagement, shares pictures taken in Indianapolis during the Rutgers game.

Left Picture: John Renaldo, Tyler Samani, Guilherme Garcez; Front: Sreenish Nair.