Playing his first game at Rutgers as a member of the Scarlet Knights, Mike Rosario didn’t disappoint in RU’s 91-56 exhibition rout of Division 2 Caldwell College Monday night.
The McDonald’s All-American out of St. Anthony in Jersey City poured in a game-high 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including 5-of-8 from 3. He added 4 steals, 3 assists and 3 turnovers.
Junior center Hamady N’Diaye (pictured courtesy Jim O’Connor/NJ Sport Pics) posted a triple-double of 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks.
Yet the news was not all good for Rutgers.
Sophomore guard Corey Chandler sat on the bench in street clothes and is out for an indefinite period with “personal issues.” It remains unclear if he will play in the season opener Friday against Marist.
“Corey has some personal issues that he’s going through and we anticipate that he’ll get those things cleared away and we can’t wait until we get him back,” Rutgers head coach Fred Hill said.
Asked if there was a timetable on Chandler’s return, Hill said: “No, those are personal issues that he has to deal with, so when he’s ready to return, we’re looking forward to getting him back as soon as possible.”
A Newark native, Chandler averaged 11.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals as a freshman.
Seniors JR Inman and Jaron Griffin also wore street clothes because they are facing a suspension for an undetermined amount of games. Hill announced the suspension of Inman and Griffin prior to the season.
Without Chandler, Inman and Griffin, Rutgers’ other super-frosh, Gregory Echenique of St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, added 14 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Senior guard Anthony Farmer added 13 points and sophomore wing Earl Pettis had 10 points.
“What I saw tonight was a group of guys that gave unbelievable effort and played with enthusiasm and passion,” Hill said. “They did a great job of playing together and sharing the basketball. We played hard on the defensive end and we were able to get out and run a bit.”
Rutgers scored 27 points off turnovers and 24 on fastbreaks.
Rutgers also announced that Farmer and N’Diaye had been named team captains.
“Anthony and Hamady are not only gifted basketball players, they are exceptional young men,” Hill said. “I am very proud of the team’s selection of them as captains. I have every confidence in their abilities to provide the leadership we will require to be successful.”
For more on N’Diaye and his extraordinary journey from Senegal to the U.S., read my feature on SNY.tv
(Thanks to Jeremy Kenter for supplying the quotes on Corey Chandler from Coach Hill)
