PISCATAWAY, N.J. — When Steve Pikiell knew he wanted Jameel Warney to join him at Stony Brook, the coach took off his wedding ring and put it down on a table.
“A lot of college coaches want to flirt with you, I want to marry you,” Pikiell told Warney on his visit to campus.
“Obviously, he didn’t give me the ring,” the 6-foot-9 power forward recalled. “But that’s the type of guy he is. He just showed a commitment to you from day one and he believes in you.”
Asked if he put his ring on the table, Pikiell joked, “I don’t remember that. Don’t tell my wife if I did. I could have.”
Warney’s only other offer coming out of Roselle Catholic at the time was from Rider. He chose Pikiell and Stony Brook and the rest is history. Warney and the Seawolves made their first NCAA Tournament ever this year before losing to Kentucky in the first round.
And shortly after their exit, Rutgers hired Pikiell to revive a program that has seen five winning seasons in the last 25 years.
So, Jameel, can your former coach get it done on the recruiting trail?
“He’s one of the hungriest coaches I’ve ever been around,” said Warney, who was on hand at the Rutgers Athletic Center to support Pikiell in his introductory press conference. “I know he’s a great coach because I’ve been a product of him for the last four years. As kids you just have to talk to them one-on-one and just see the dream and you’ll believe it. He’s charismatic. He’s just a great coach.”
Pikiell, 48, has yet to name his staff — “I’m in the process of getting my staff together right now” — but Warney said he’s ready to help his former mentor recruit.
“If he needs a recruiter, he’ll put me on the staff,” joked Warney.
Asked why he came to the press conference, Warney said, “I love the coach and I love Jersey so it’s the best of both worlds coming to Jersey and seeing the coach who believed in you from Day One.”
The NCAA Tournament featured a slew of New Jersey products including four from Plainfield alone: Warney, Justin Sears of Yale, Myles Davis of Xavier and Derrick Gordon of Seton Hall.
How good could Rutgers potentially be if those kids stayed home?
“I mean, Top 25 team in the nation,” Warney said. “There’s a lot of talent in Jersey, so if you keep some guys here it will be great.”
But for years, Jersey’s basketball riches have been plundered by Kentucky, Louisville, Duke, Syracuse, UConn and other schools. How will it be different now?
“Just Pike’s commitment to the program,” he said. “All it takes is one person and you just need one person to believe and it can be a domino effect.”
But Pikiell won’t limit himself to Jersey, which is wise.
“We’re going to recruit the heck out of Jersey but I’ve recruited the D.C. area hard too,” Pikiell said. “I was at George Washington University for five years. What I want is I want kids who really want to be here. That’s how you build it.”
St. Anthony’s coach Bob Hurley endorsed Pikiell on Monday after winning his 13th New Jersey Tournament of Champions and emphasized that developing players was just as important as recruiting — something that’s been sorely lacking at Rutgers in recent years.
“I came my freshman year, I was just maybe a garbage guy, just get my shot off the drive,” Warney said. “And [Pikiell] just challenged me every year to get better and better. I was the [America East] Player of the Year my sophomore year and he still challenged me to get better. Player of the Year my junior year, he still challenged me to get better. So he’s never satisfied, and he just wants to get the best out of you.”
Pikiell agreed that identifying talent and developing players is critical.
“I think developing their bodies is very important,” he said “Strength and conditioning, those coaches get six hours a week. We get two. So that’s a big chunk of this. Player development is going to be a big piece of this. I think evaluation is huge, too. You may see a player that everyone is not sure about that you’re going to have to steal and develop. So I think they are all components of how to build a program and especially when you’re trying to catch up.”
Warney also said Pikiell can be a taskmaster.
“Well, if you’re not playing well, he’ll let you know,” Warney said. “My sophomore year I was being really immature, sophomore wall I guess and he was no nonsense and said the team’s not bigger than one person. He sat me down for a few games, put me on the bench. And that’s one of my Player of the Year award years. He’s no nonsense, he’ll treat you 1-12 as the same so that’s what you want in a coach.”
Now — thanks to Pikiell putting that wedding ring down on the table — Warney is positioned to potentially be an NBA Draft pick, or at worst a free agent for summer league.
“Next week I’m going to start talking to agents and just getting back in the gym and working on my game,” Warney said. “I’m really excited, I think I put myself in the best position I can the last few years to hopefully get drafted.”
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