Steve PIKIELL

Rutgers hoops coach Steve Pikiell takes a timeout before Selection Sunday for some March Madness Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby. Q: What would you say will make this Rutgers team dangerous in the NCAA Tournament?

A: We play a fun style, first and foremost. Look, this group has been through a lot. So we’re hardened. I think we do as good a job of preparing for games as a staff and as a program. And we have a center in Myles Johnson who can block shots and play anywhere . ... Jacob Young’s as good a defender, Geo Baker can score and assist with anybody . ... Paul Mulcahy is the guy that does a little bit of everything . ... Ron Harper has the ability to score 25 points and grab 10 rebounds ... and we have Montez Mathis, who’s gonna be a 1,000-point scorer coming off the bench ... Caleb McConnell, who’s a versatile guy ... Cliff Omoruyi, who’s a really talented freshman big guy . ... We could be a problem in this tournament. We defend, we do a good job preparing, and I’ve got a bunch of guys that have been through a lot, like Geo. We were in last place his freshman year. You have to fight through a lot to get to where we are now, and there’s no challenge that these guys haven’t faced. The competition in our league is elite, so they’ve faced the best.

Q: Is Sweet 16 a realistic goal?

A: When we are locked in and we are together, we can play. We’re gonna be an interesting team in this tournament. Looking forward to having that opportunity to play someone else, too, from another league.

Q: What do you think your emotions will be on Selection Sunday as the coach of the Rutgers team that is about to go dancing for the first time since 1991?

A: I’m gonna be really excited about our players having this opportunity, and I’m also gonna be very thankful to the players that came before . ... Corey Sanders and the Deshawn Freemans and the Mike Williamses of the world … C.J. Gettys ... guys that believed in us first when we were building it. Look, I’m gonna be most excited for Rutgers University. It’s a great university with great people — my son is a sophomore at Rutgers. It’ll be fun for our great alums and our following to share in some excitement.

Q: What will you tell your team before that historic first game, the school’s first tournament appearance in 30 years?

A: Let’s go out and have fun and play Rutgers basketball. We have some great kids. I want their personalities to show on television.

Q: Can you describe what this basketball team means to Rutgers University?

A: I tell the guys this too: Our guys weren’t even born the last time [Rutgers] went [in 1991]. Do this for yourselves is the first thing, but we have a 3.5 grade point average as a team, we have 16 players with 3.0s or better last semester. We have three kids in graduate school as we speak. We have two kids that started foundations to help the youth in America. Miles Johnson started a STEM foundation raising money for STEM students to apply to engineering. Paul Mulcahy started the Grateful Four Foundation, which is making people understand being grateful for all the things that they do have. So they really are just an unbelievably mature and unique group that thinks about other people, that wants to graduate and represent the school the right way. So they’re not just a basketball team, I think they’re representative of great things that are happening at Rutgers University, and that alums can be proud of.

Q: So this sounds like an easy team to root for.

A: Every day’s a learning experience for me. I learn stuff from them every day, they keep me young, I really do appreciate that.

Q: What is your motivational style?

A: Each kid is different, too. I coach with a little bit of a chip, we have stuff to prove ... and I try to motivate guys differently ’cause every kid is motivated in a different way. But I’m motivated to build programs and have studentathletes enjoy the success that comes with building programs. I’m motivated by giving student-athletes that experience of winning, and cutting down the nets and those kind of things that I was able to do as a student-athlete. Being in the locker room when you celebrate, and doing things for the first time.

Q: Bill Parcells was a master at resurrecting NFL franchises. What is the key to resurrecting a program and changing a culture?

A: There’s a couple of things. One is commitment. You have to have a commitment from the people above you, a huge part of it. They have to be aligned, your vision and their vision. And then you have to surround yourself with people different from you that add to your strengths and weaknesses. I’ve been very fortunate to be a part of a lot of builds as an assistant coach and as a head coach. The leaders above you sharing the same visions, having a realistic approach to how to get those, and surrounding yourself with people that strengthen your weaknesses and enhance your strengths. Then, after you put those two things in place, you gotta find student-athletes that share your same vision, what you’re trying to accomplish.

Q: When you took Stony Brook to the Dance in 2016, what did you tell your players before the first-round tip-off in what ended up an 85-57 loss to Kentucky?

A: I think my line to ’em was, “I wouldn’t want to play anybody else.” Now, that wasn’t true (laugh). Like any good coach, you tell your team, “Hey, I have all the confidence in the world. If I could pick a bracket, I would’ve picked Kentucky. We have 40 minutes to shock the world.” We went out there and tried our hardest, but Kentucky was really good (laugh).

Q: You were successful at Stony Brook, too.

A: The coach, you get credit for some of the stuff that happens on a campus — I’ve never been one of those coaches. You need everything to align at a university, and at Stony Brook, we never had a winning season, and then wehadalotof’em after a while, but it takes housing, it takes admissions, it takes the weight room, it takes the doctors . ... There’s so many things that go into building programs. I’m very fortunate we have those things at Rutgers [too].

Q: If you could coach against any college basketball coach in history, who would it be?

A: I’ve read every Bobby Knight book. When I grew up, Steve Alford was there [at Indiana]. I guess if I had to pick a coach, it would be an honor to coach against him. I’m lucky, I’m blessed ’cause I get to coach against Tom Izzo. I think he’s just a special coach and a special person. He mostly beats up on me too, so (laugh) ...

Q: If you could coach against one college basketball team in history, which one would it be?

A: When I was growing up, it was St. John’s with Chris Mullin, and all those guys that went to the [1985] Final Four with Coach [Lou] Carnesecca, who I admire greatly. I think that would be a team I would be excited about coaching against.

Q: Three dinner guests?

A: Jim Calhoun ... I owe him a lot of dinners, Bill Belichick, Bobby Knight. Q: Favorite movie? A: “Hoosiers.” Q: Favorite actors? A: George Clooney, Matt Damon. Q: Favorite actress? A: Meryl Streep. Q: Favorite singer/entertainer? A: Bruce Springsteen.