I interviewed future Rutgers center Greg Echenique of St. Benedict’s Prep earlier this month before he left for his native Venezuela to play with his national U18 team in the upcoming FIBA Championships. You can read the full story here at Rivals High.
In other Rutgers and Seton Hall notes…
**I also spoke with incoming Rutgers McDonald’s All-American Mike Rosario at the Rumble in the Bronx and will have something on him later this week.
**Seton Hall and CBS have teamed up for the Strikeouts for Scholarships program that will provide hundreds of Seton Hall students who have a disability with financial assistance while earning their college degrees. Longtime Jersey Journal reporter Jim Hague has an informative story on the matter. This sounds like a very worthy cause if you’re looking to make a contribution.
**The Hoop Group Showcase tips this weekend at Rutgers with 48 top high school teams. St. Anthony won the event last year when it was held at Seton Hall.
**The Seton Hall boards report that forward Mike Glover likely won’t suit up next season for the Pirates. Sounds like it’s time to move on from this dream. That means the Seton Hall front line will need consistent production and rebounding from incoming recruit Melvyn “Big Mel” Oliver as well as John Garcia, Augustine Okosun and Mike Davis.
**Both Jersey schools would be smart to keep an eye next year on South Kent (Conn.), which already features –Syracuse-bound sophomore Dion Waiters and is bringing in a slew of talent, including Kevin Parrom (St. Ray’s) and Mike Burwell (Cardinal McCarrick) and possibly Danny Jennings (Oak Hill). Both schools are involved with Jennings, and Parrom said he’s considering RU. Jennings was named the U17 MVP at this weekend’s Rumble in the Bronx after dropping in 16 points the Gauchos 76-63 victory over the New York Panthers. The event also featured some extracurricular excitement by Lincoln’s James Padgett of Juice, who thew a punch at a Gauchos player.
**Finally, though this doesn’t relate to RU or SHU, it’s a Jersey story. Read Kevin Armstrong of Sports Illustrated’s Father’s Day piece on Wayne Hills football coach Chris Olsen, one of the toughest, and best, in the business.
