Rutgers basketball’s hard-hat win over UCLA a fitting homecoming for its biggest fan

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PISCATAWAY – He was, quite literally, the biggest fan in the building for Rutgers basketball’s back-to-the-wall triumph over UCLA Monday night.

At 6-foot-10, with another foot-and-change of hair, Myles Johnson stood out in the crowd. His presence was a reminder of the grit that once lifted the Scarlet Knights from the ashes – and maybe can rescue a season teetering on the brink.

Rutgers’ 75-68 victory was decidedly vintage Steve Pikiell – plus-8 on the glass, plus-5 in blocked shots, sharp elbows, unselfish offense. It was something Johnson, whose defense and rebounding anchored the 2020-21 Scarlet Knights as they ended 30-year NCAA Tournament drought, could fully appreciate. He was in from California to see the first Big Ten battle between his alma maters; he earned a master’s degree from UCLA after four years on the banks.

“This team, I know they’ve had some trouble, but all these kids are new,” he said. “I didn’t learn my screen coverage in three months over the summer. They’re still learning as they go.”

This win was evidence that they have it in them.

Former Rutgers basketball standout Myles Johnson is welcomed back to Jersey Mike’s Arena for the UCLA game.

Freshman wing Ace Bailey grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots. Freshman center Lathan Sommerville corralled nine boards, including the game-sealing defensive rebound. Transfer forward Zach Martini kick-started a first-half surge with an offensive board that led to a bucket and had his best defensive effort of the season, allowing his man to score just once while posting the game’s top plus/minus of plus-11. Jeremiah Williams and Jamichael Davis moved from the starting lineup to the bench but delivered on both ends while freshman point guard Dylan Harper, who played gusty in his own right coming off nasty flu, sat with foul trouble.

“To win the Rutgers basketball way, the way Coach Pikiell wants, it alerts everyone in the program how this program is used to playing, how we’re used to…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/rutgers-basketballs-hard-hat-win-035346838.html

Author : App.com | Asbury Park Press

Publish date : 2025-01-14 03:53:00

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