By JACOB POLACHECK
Rutgers men’s basketball head coach Steve Pikiell announced the signing of four-star center Cliff Omoruyi on Wednesday.
“Cliff checks all the boxes for us,” Pikiell said. “He will be a great addition to the Rutgers University community. He is a great kid, a great student and is driven to reach his full potential on and off the court. He is extremely competitive and has a proven track record as a winner. He is a hard worker that will take full advantage of the 24/7 access to our beautiful RWJ Barnabas Health Athletic Performance Center. We are excited to add the top player in the state of New Jersey to our core of talented returners and signees that we already have in place. Rutgers Nation is going to love cheering for Cliff next year at The RAC.”
Omoruyi, the 6-foot-11, 237-pound center from Roselle Catholic (NJ), committed to Rutgers on March 29 over Auburn and Arizona State.
“I’m familiar with the coaches, the staff, as well as the players and they’ve been there since my freshman year,” Omoruyi told NJ.com following his commitment.
He added: “Mostly I’m doing it for what is best for me basketball- and education-wise. The fans love me, I’m familiar with the players and the coaches, too.”
Omoruyi becomes the most significant recruit of Pikiell’s tenure and the most important at Rutgers since Mike Rosario committed as a McDonald’s All-American out of St. Anthony’s in 2007.
A dominant defensive presence in the paint and an emerging offensive force, he averaged 14.6 points, 11.1 points and 5.6 blocks this past season while shooting 57 percent from the field en route to being named the Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year. Omoruyi also maintains a 3.48 PGA.
“I’m so happy for Cliff and his family that he’s going to be at Rutgers,” said RC coach Dave Boff, who has won three New Jersey Tournament of Champions titles. “They are a close family and I know he’s excited that they will be able to be there to support him. I think Rutgers is a great spot for Cliff. He will have a chance to play right away in a great league and Rutgers and Coach Pikiell do a nice job with big guys.
“This is huge for Rutgers and New Jersey basketball to have a player like Cliff choose to stay home. It shows how the program has grown over the last few years.”
Omoruyi joins a recruiting class that includes small forwards Oskar Palmquist and Mawot Mag and power forward Dean Reiber.
Photo: Rutgers Athletics
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