ARDSLEY, N.Y. — Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell and assistant Jay Young spent Sunday recruiting younger players at the Elevate Hoops event here, but are also very excited about the new players they recently added.
Pikiell says newcomers Matt Bullock, Candido Sa and Issa Thiam are “multi-positional” guys who should help Rutgers as it continues to try to move up the ranks in the Big Ten Conference.
“All three of them can pass, shoot and dribble,” Pikiell told SNY.tv. “They’re all very athletic. Matt Bullock is a multi-position guy. Issa is a multi-position guy. I think he can play the 3, the 2 and the 1. He’s 6-9, he’s a really good shooter. Candido is 6-9 1/2 with a long wingspan and he can really shoot the ball. And he’s a shot-blocker. He can play the 4, the 5, the 3 even a little bit. He’s got 3 skills, he’s a multi-position guy.
“They’ve all been working hard, the whole group, but the three new guys give us tremendous length and tremendous athleticism. They’re all multi-position, which is good for us because when your roster’s not that deep, you want those guys that you can move around.”
The 2015-16 Union County Player of the Year, Bullock completed his career at Roselle Catholic with two Tournament of Champions titles, three Non-Public B crowns and four sectional trophies under head coach Dave Boff. As a senior, the 6-4 forward averaged 11.6 points per game to earn First Team All-State and First Team All-Non Public accolades.
A noted big game performer, Bullock posted 26 points and 11 rebounds against Linden, 16 points and five rebounds versus Montverde (Fla.), 22 points and 10 rebounds against Huntington Prep (W.V.) and 19 points and 14 rebounds versus the Patrick School last season. The No. 13-ranked prospect in New Jersey according to ESPN, he competed on the AAU circuit with Sports U.
Though there has been some question about what position he is best suited for, Pikiell says Bullock can play the 2 and the 3.
“He handles the ball,” Pikiell said. “If we go small ball, I can play him at the 4 a little bit. He can guard 4s, he’s strong enough.”
Coming from his background, Pikiell said that helps, too.
“I think that helps tremendously,” the coach said. “He’s got a little edge to him, he really thinks he can play. And that comes from confidence from the kind of schedule they play, and the kind of program he comes from.”
Pikiell mentioned that Bullock is getting his body in shape with the strength and conditioning staff, while Thiam “has to gain weight.”
“There’s always challenges,” he said. “Some gotta gain some [weight], some gotta lose some.”
Sa ranked second nationally among junior college players last season with 123 blocked shots, an average of 3.8 per-game, to earn All-Region XIV South Zone honors at San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas under head coach Scott Gernander. In addition to leading his league in rejections, the 6-9 forward averaged 9.8 points and 7.6 rebounds to help San Jac to a 22-10 overall record and a semifinal berth in the Region XIV tournament.
A native of Lisbon, Portugal, Sa scored in double figures in 16 of 32 games last season, including a season-high 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting at Jacksonville College. He had five or more blocks eleven times, including nine rejections on two occasions.
Thiam averaged 14 points and eight rebounds as a senior in 2015-16 at Arlington Country Day School in Jacksonville under head coach Shaun Wiseman. A three-star prospect according to ESPN, Rivals and 247 Sports, he was the No. 13-ranked recruit in Florida according to ESPN. Thiam was previously enrolled at the Canarias Basketball Academy in Spain under director Rob Orellana, where he was a teammate of Shaquille Doorson.
A 6-9 forward who competed on the AAU circuit for the Jacksonville Warriors, Thiam becomes the third RU player from Dakar, Senegal, joining Ibrahima Diallo and former team captain Hamady Ndiaye (2006-10).
“I’m really excited about those guys,” Pikiell said. “They’re still freshmen, they got a long ways to go.”
Meantime, Rutgers returns guards Corey Sanders, Nigel Johnson and Mike Williams.
“They’ve been in the gym working, excited,” he said. “They’re taking on some good leadership roles. They’re defending, which I’m excited about, so they’ve been good. All our veterans have really bought into the weight program. Our workouts have been real competitive and everybody’s healthy, knock on wood”
RECRUITING UPDATE
On the recruiting front, Rutgers watched 6-8 Class of 2018 PSA Cardinals big man Mamadou Doucoure on Sunday. In the Class of 2017, they are focusing on point guard Jose Alvarado, guard Geo Baker, forward Hasahn French and Makhtar Gueye.
