Rutgers vs. Princeton was a good showcase
TRENTON — College basketball desperately needs some juice in its opening week, when most of the matchups are awful. That’s especially true in New Jersey, where the sport — despite exporting some of the best March Madness stories ever these past two years — flies under the public’s radar before Thanksgiving.
So the Jersey Jam, which debuted with Princeton beating Rutgers 68-61 Monday, has the right idea. With a couple of adjustments, it could become a perpetual hit on the hardwood calendar.
“I think there’s an opportunity here,” said Rick Giles, whose Gazelle Group brokered the matchup at CURE Insurance Arena. “We’ve had some discussions with other teams within the state and some Philly teams that would like to see this expand into more than just a one-game event.”
Giles mentioned adding Seton Hall and Monmouth to the mix. He spoke of a doubleheader and a tripleheader, or perhaps doubleheaders on back-to-back days.
“If the fans and finances support it, I think we can and would gladly expand it,” he said.
Rutgers supporters came through, accounting for most of the crowd of 6,000 in the 8,600-seat venue. Princeton’s anemic turnout was a huge disappointment given the Tigers’ run to the Sweet 16 and their fans’ takeover of the South Regional at Louisville’s Yum Center. The athletic department did the team no favors Monday by scheduling the women’s basketball program’s opener simultaneously at Jadwin Gym and declining to bus students 15 minutes down the road.
“The Princeton team was so good and had such a great run, you would think the fans would respond a little bit better,” said Giles, a 1983 Princeton grad and friend of the late, legendary Tigers coach Pete Carril. “This team has earned the support of their fans – from the start of the season to the end. People have to wake up to the fact that basketball season starts in early November, and not in January when Ivy League play starts. Princeton has such a hard time scheduling non-conference games, so to have this and not support the team is a missed opportunity.”
Some tweaks are in order, like moving the event to the first weekend of the season instead of a weeknight. For it to remain in Trenton, the city and venue must vastly improve the traffic flow into the parking lots, which by many accounts was a nightmare (Giles was aware of the problem). Would Newark’s Prudential Center be an appropriate site, with the upper deck curtained off to add intimacy? How about Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall (capacity: 10,000)?
Giles has a long history with these things. He helped bring a high school senior named LeBron James to Trenton in the 2003 Prime Time Shootout — one of the state’s most memorable hoop moments ever. With Rutgers struggling to draw high-major non-conference opponents to Piscataway, he booked the Scarlet Knights’ Dec. 23 matchup against a quality Mississippi State squad for Newark.
“For this event to carry forward, we need to have support from both teams, and if there’s four teams playing, we need support from four teams,” he said. “The Rutgers crowd was terrific. If we can get a number of teams to come and make this an opening-ofthe-season festival of college basketball in New Jersey, that would be great for everybody.”
This was a test run. Give Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell credit for sticking his neck out when others want no part of Princeton. Pikiell sees the big picture. There is no shame in losing a good game to a talented, experienced and gritty Tigers squad. It probably will help his Scarlet Knights, after an off-season of turnover, to toughen and grow as a unit.
And it might be the start of something really good for Garden State hoop-heads.
When asked if he’d play Princeton again, Pikiell said “absolutely.” Maybe the timing or site will change, but the principal remains — this is much more interesting than the one-sided, no-buzz slop that typically gets served this time of year.
“I’m just so appreciative that Rutgers would play us,” Princeton coach Mitch Henderson said. “And it is good for the game, especially in this state.”
Amen to that. Jersey’s hardwood brand is strong right now. Why wait until March to showcase it?