Greg Echenique, a sophomore forward at Rutgers who was part of head coach
Fred Hill’s heralded recruiting class that also included former St. Anthony guard
Mike Rosario, is transferring.
The 6-foot-9 Echenique has been given a conditional release that includes a limited number of schools.
“Gregory has been a valuable member of our program,” Hill said in a statement
. “We are appreciative of his contributions at Rutgers and wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
A native of Guatire, Venezuela who starred at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, Echenique started all seven games in which he played this season. He averaged 12.6 points and 7.7 rebounds-per-game, while shooting 61 percent (28-46) from the field with 16 blocks.
Echenique is the fourth member of the Rutgers program to leave in the last year.
Corey Chandler was
dismissed from the team in August, and
Christian Morris (December 2008) and
Earl Pettis (May 2009) both transferred.
Echenique was accidentally poked in the left eye Nov. 16 by a teammate during the preseason in a unofficial scrimmage at Rutgers. He then underwent successful surgery Dec. 9 to repair a detached retina. His surgeon told him not to touch a basketball for eight weeks and he would not have been eligible to return to action until at least mid-February.
On Dec. 19, Rutgers announced that he would seek a medical redshirt.
Echenique’s parents, Maria and Jose, came up from Venezuela to meet with the Rutgers staff. After a meeting earlier this week with Hill, his staff and the medical staff, Echenique opted to transfer.
Needless to say, this is a blow to Hill and his staff, who are already feeling the heat from much of the fan base. The program has won a total of eight Big East games over the past three-plus seasons, including a 2-16 mark last year.
Echenique was meant to have been a cornerstone of the program’s future, along with Rosario, sophomore
Pat Jackson and freshman
Dane Miller.
Without Echenique for the season, the Scarlet Knights already had to rely more on senior center
Hamady N’Diaye, as well as freshmen
Austin Johnson and
Brian Okam.
Now the Knights won’t have Echenique at all going forward.
