First off... Mad props to the Jersey boys. Seriously handling business this year. But here's the rub, Coach Pikiell has done a fantastic job bit by bit. It's not like Rutgers went out there and took on a head case that panned out. On the contrary, Pikiell has been building this thing brick by brick. Recruiting, developing, and coaching his azz off. Next year the "integration plan" is done so payouts from the league go way up which will help with retaining good coaches and upgrading facilities but this Jersey Renaissance got me to thinking (hmmmm).
1. Kentucky has a ton of Jersey kids on their roster and they are always good. What if Rutgers started to keep some of those guys at home... Could they be as good and as consistent as Kentucky?
2. The RAC is proving to be a formidable venue. That place may be little but so are the Palestra and Cameron Indoor Stadium. Those places are legit comparisons to the RAC when it is sold out and Rutgers is good.
3. Pat Hobbs knows what the heck he is doing. Looking from afar, as long as that dude is at the helm, Rutgers athletics is in good hands. I don't fault him for football as of yet. Whereas you can go from terrible to great with one recruiting class in Basketball. You can not expect to change a football program without back to back to back solid classes. The time and commitment are just bigger in football to make a winning program.

Maybe I'm romanticizing a superb year from Rutgers and it all crashes to the ground should Pikiell leave. But I will say that in all cases where a program is good there is a good coach leading the program. The question I pose to you is: Is the current status as a solid and rising program sustainable only as long as Pikiell is there or is the structure built of firmer stuff that weather's the loss of a coach and would still be considered a good program? I for one think that Rutgers had a lot of natural assets in a college basketball crazy part of the country. I mean seriously, it wouldn't take long to start recruiting traditional talent rich Big East areas like: New York, Philly, DC, and Boston. Rutgers is by far the largest University in a densely populated State. There is only one other seriously contending in state school in Seton Hall. If I had to place a bet especially with the money coming from the B1G... I'd bet that Rutgers will be a middle to upper tier B1G program moving forward.

Decent article published January 21, 2020 on NJ.Com

‘We did the deal on a handshake’ over coffee and eggs | The inside story of how Rutgers hired Steve Pikiell to rebuild its men’s basketball program

https://www.nj.com/rutgersbasketball/202...ogram.html

Keep New Jersey recruits home and you have a championship caliber team. The high school talent is phenomenal there.

https://247sports.com/Season/2020-Basket...l&State=NJ

(01-30-2020 09:49 AM)cubucks Wrote:  Keep New Jersey recruits home and you have a championship caliber team. The high school talent is phenomenal there.

https://247sports.com/Season/2020-Basket...l&State=NJ

You could say that about every sport. Rutgers has been historically unable to reach their potential. As to the original question, it all depends on who is hired after Pikiell leaves. One poor hire and all is lost. It's not like a Kentucky or North Carolina that can withstand a few turds in a row. But even the greatest such as UCLA is in a tough spot and Indiana isn't much better after years of non-elite performance. Duke is interesting based on who follows Coach K.

(01-30-2020 09:53 PM)GE and MTS Wrote:  

(01-30-2020 09:49 AM)cubucks Wrote:  Keep New Jersey recruits home and you have a championship caliber team. The high school talent is phenomenal there.

https://247sports.com/Season/2020-Basket...l&State=NJ

You could say that about every sport. Rutgers has been historically unable to reach their potential. As to the original question, it all depends on who is hired after Pikiell leaves. One poor hire and all is lost. It's not like a Kentucky or North Carolina that can withstand a few turds in a row. But even the greatest such as UCLA is in a tough spot and Indiana isn't much better after years of non-elite performance. Duke is interesting based on who follows Coach K.

Rutgers has the Big Ten money to ward off all potential suitors. The only question is would Pikiell take less money in going back to his alma mater, UConn, out of loyalty if Dan Hurley doesn't live up to his billing.

(01-30-2020 09:53 PM)GE and MTS Wrote:  

(01-30-2020 09:49 AM)cubucks Wrote:  Keep New Jersey recruits home and you have a championship caliber team. The high school talent is phenomenal there.

https://247sports.com/Season/2020-Basket...l&State=NJ

You could say that about every sport. Rutgers has been historically unable to reach their potential. As to the original question, it all depends on who is hired after Pikiell leaves. One poor hire and all is lost. It's not like a Kentucky or North Carolina that can withstand a few turds in a row. But even the greatest such as UCLA is in a tough spot and Indiana isn't much better after years of non-elite performance. Duke is interesting based on who follows Coach K.

Good points!
My post is directed more to the "Sleeping Giant" part of the post.

Pike has done a fabulous job building this program up from NOTHING. When he was hired, all he had to sell was a BIG schedule, early playing time and staying home so Mom can still come watch you play. Our facilities, fan base and administration support were all on CAA level.

If you look now, there have been major changes that have taken place, particularly in the last year. We are on a role, being ranked and probably making the NCAA for the first time in a generation. We aren't just being competitive in one of the toughest basketball conferences in the country, we are winning. The new practice/training facility just opened in September, which will be a game changer for M/WBB, as we finally have a building equal to any top tier modern building in the P5. The winning has lead to a record10 strait sellouts of the RAC, which is now the best home court advantage in the country. AD Pat Hobbs and new UP John Holloway have both proved that they want to be all in on sports.

So I think it is both. Pikiell has been that good of a coach. But since his hire, the situation atRUhas changed so that the sleeping giant has awaken.

Rutgers, whether basketball, football, wrestling, lacrosse, etc - will be a big-time competitor as long as the school's leadership is onboard and willing to spend the money required to keep up in the conference.