PHILADELPHIA — Rutgers fans can imagine any number of scenarios for how their program might have taken off in recent years.
One goes like this: What if Greg Echenique and Mike Rosario had both chosen to stay at the school instead of transferring in 2010 during the turbulent Freddie Hill Era?
Echenique was a 6-foot-9 man-child out of St. Benedict’s Prep, and Rosario was the program’s first McDonald’s All-American and had led Bob Hurley’s St. Anthony team to the mythical national championship in 2008.
Hill trumpeted the pair as crown jewels of his recruiting class and cornerstones of the program’s future.
Then it all fell apart.
Echenique suffered a detached retina after he was accidentally poked in the left eye during practice in November 2009 and felt Rutgers didn’t handle it quickly enough.
“It should’ve been faster, but it’s OK,” he said here on Thursday.
In January 2010, he opted to transfer to Creighton, which had recruited him during his time at St. Benedict’s under then-coach Dan Hurley.
A few months later, Rosario jumped off the sinking ship, too, transferring to Florida.
Shortly thereafter, Hill was fired following a bizarre outburst at a Rutgers baseball game.
Now, three years later, Echenique and Rosario are both in the NCAA Tournament while Rutgers still hasn’t been to the Big Dance since 1991.
Echenique is here with a No. 7 Creighton team that faces No. 10 Cincinnati Friday in the Midwest Region, and Rosario is playing well for Florida, the No. 3 seed in the South.
The two former teammates remain friendly and saw one another last summer during Olympic qualifying while Echenique played for Venezuela and Rosario for Puerto Rico.
“We both gave it a shot [at Rutgers] and we tried to do what could and you know then we both decided that it was best to find other places that fit our games and I think it worked,” Echenique said in the Creighton locker room at Wells Fargo Center. “He’s in the NCAA doing great and I’m here enrolled so I think I did the right thing.”
Echenique underwent two surgeries on his eye and called it a “miracle” that everything is fine now. He wears contact lenses and then goggles to protect the eye.
“No pain,” he said. “I get a checkup almost every six months. It’s OK.”
Understandably, Echenique doesn’t enjoy the closest relationship with Hill, who recently lost his job at Northwestern when Bill Carmody was fired.
When Creighton played Northwestern last season, Echenique said the two exchanged little more than pleasantries.
“We shook hands before the game and we talked just a little bit,” Echenique said
“I haven’t seen him in so long, it’s funny how we end up there. We talked briefly and it was just nice, good luck and how you doing.”
In the Cincinnati game, Echenique, who is averaging 9.6 points and 6.6 rebounds, will face former Rutgers assistant Darren Savino, who was on Hill’s staff at Rutgers.
While National Player of the Year candidate Doug McDermott is the unquestioned star at Creighton, Savino likes what Echenique does.
“He plays a good role for them, he screens, he rebounds, he tries to post up because he’s big and strong,” Savino told SNY.tv. “He doesn’t take a lot of shots, but he plays good post defense. Fits really well with what they want him to do.”
Echenique looks like a chiseled man now, compared with the softer player he was at Rutgers. He has transformed his body through diet and discipline.
“You know, the way my body is and my metabolism, I’m just not one of those guys that can eat whatever and just lose weight,” he said. “I have to really sacrifice a lot of things that I like to eat, and I work hard with a strength coach, our strength coach, and nutritionist. That helped me a lot.”
Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin coached against Echenique when he was at Rutgers, but notices a huge change in his body now.
“He’s a relentless, relentless rebounder and a physical player,” Cronin said. “Does a great job in the low post offensively. Does a great job in the pick-and-roll defense. Really impressed with how hard he plays for a guy his size, which is a big transformation for him.
“He’s just in way better shape, he plays way harder and is in way better shape.”
McDermott appreciates the transformation, too.
“Yeah, he looks like a different person from the time I came on to campus, that’s for sure,” McDermott said. “He’s done a great job of committing himself to his body and his conditioning, and he’s been huge for us. He was huge for us down the stretch here in our conference tournament in St. Louis. I think he had a total of 16 blocks or something. He’s just been a presence defensively for us, and we’re not afraid to throw him the ball, either, because when he gets that thing he’s not missing around the rim. He’s been a huge key to our success.”
Echenique sounds like he has really enjoyed playing at Creighton, which gets 17-18,000 fans for many games. He said he dines with several Venezuelan families near campus to get home cooking.
Ironically, Creighton is headed to the new Big East next season, while Rutgers and Cincinnati will play in the America 12 (or whatever it’s called).
By then, this NCAA Tournament run (however long it lasts) and Echenique’s college career will be behind him and he hopes to be playing professionally somewhere.
“I just want to play in the best possible league that I can play and if I’m blessed enough to have a chance to play here I would love to have an opportunity in the summer to work out with somebody,” he said. “If not then I’ll just keep looking for the best possible league that I can play in.”
