Rutgers gets Rice first win
From the moment he arrived at Rutgers, Mike Rice talked about changing the culture of a losing basketball program, preached about teamwork having to overcome talent and defending every possession from the first to the last. In last night’s home opener, his Scarlet Knights took those sermons to heart.
The images of Gilvydas Biruta, Jonathan Mitchell and Dane Miller all diving for rebounds despite a double-digit lead with just four minutes left told the tale of Rice’s first home victory, a 68-53 throttling of Fairfield at the RAC.
“We were locked in, all on the same page,” said Mitchell, who had a team-high 15 points, five boards and two blocks. “He [Rice] told us if you don’t win at home, the next four days would be [tough]. He’s big on protecting home court and we took care of business.”
That Rutgers (1-1) did, holding the MAAC favorites to 29.1-percent shooting, including 23.1 in the second half. The Scarlet Knights led 35-27 at intermission and opened the second half with a Biruta dunk and 3-pointers by Mitchell and point guard James Beatty (six points, six assists, one turnover). Only 39 seconds had ticked off in the second half, but at 43-27, the game was over.
“Princeton was a regular game, but I had jitters [last night],” said Rice, who replaced Fred Hill Jr. after four straight losing seasons. “It was exciting in the RAC, exciting to win in front of our home fans. Our guys really did step up.”
Perhaps none more than Miller, easily the most gifted player on this thinned roster. In addition to his dozen points last night, Miller had six rebounds, five blocks and two steals. He didn’t pout over three missed lay-ups, but dove on the court by the seats for a loose ball up 60-47 with the game decided.
“That’s our thing; they should just put ‘defense’ across our jersey,” Miller said. “We have to know the scouting report. The day before the game he asks questions like it’s a final. You’re not taking a school final; it’s a Mike Rice final. ‘What does he do, what hand does he play with, what’s the offensive key?’ You have to know all that. If you don’t, I feel bad for you.”
