newjerseynewsroom.com

Hardly successful, but never uninteresting

BY MIKE VORKUNOV

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Who knew that mediocrity (that's what Seton Hall's season was) and misery (that's what Rutgers fans felt this year) could make for such good copy?

It's been quite the year in New Jersey college basketball, as its two most prominent members seemed to play a game of one-upsmanship all season long, although hardly ever in a positive way. There was hiring, firing, upsets, upsetting losses, controversies, turmoil, steaks of turmoil, lowpoints, hope, failure, and ultimately just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, it always did.

Hold on for long but wild ride that takes through the final year of fear and self-loathing in South Orange for Bobby Gonzalez to Pissed Off in Piscataway, the unexpected incident that ultimately doomed Fred Hill.

July 6 – Mike Rosario scores 54 points as a member of Puerto Rico's National Team in the U19 World Championships. Can't ask for much more than that, as Rutgers fans start salivating over the scorer that Rosario could become in his second year in the Big East.

Aug. 18 – Corey Chandler is kicked off the Rutgers basketball team, becoming the first of five players to leave the Rutgers program this year.

Sept. 10 – Gonzalez receives a five-year contract extension that, in essence, should grant him immunity for the next couple of years and allow him to build the program that some believe Seton Hall can become under his leadership. But in press conference Gonzalez's antics, which can be considered typical, grab the headlines. He names two writers as previous detractors and says that his new deal "shuts everybody up."

Oct. 21 – Rick Pitino calls out Rutgers. The embattled Louisville coach says what everyone already knows, that the RAC needs to be "upgraded to the rest of us." Maybe just as hurtful he says that Seton Hall is making progress while the Scarlet Knights are not.

Nov. 9 – Keon Lawrence is involved in a wrong-way crash on the Garden State Parkway, hitting another car and is subsequently charged with a DWI. This coming only days before Seton Hall's season opener, putting a national perspective on the program for all the wrong reasons.

Nov. 10 – This one comes out of left field, as many of Gonzalez's rants tend to. In a benign pre-season interview with SNY.tv, he calls out CBS Sports writer Gary Parrish for supposedly negative things that he had written about Seton Hall. Parrish, naturally, responds and undue media attention is brought to the Pirates in addition to Lawrence's troubles from the day before.

Dec. 9 – In an unforeseen twist to the season, Rutgers announces sophomore Gregory Echenique will miss a month with an eye injury after a promising start to the season and no hint of sustaining any injury. Later word comes out that there was a battle behind the scenes between the big man, his parents and the coaches that leads to him being shut down for the year before he decides to leave town.

Dec. 19 – Lawrence makes his Seton Hall debut after month-plus suspension and draws some criticism. Jeff Robinson also makes his Hall debut. Nonetheless, the Pirates absorb their first loss of the year.

Dec. 27 – So close, yet so far. A narrow loss to North Carolina at the Dean Dome may have been the second most exciting moment of the season for Rutgers. After UNC's dismal finish to the season, it became nothing more than a cipher.

Dec. 29 – Two losses in four days for Seton Hall. Close doesn't cut it anymore.

Jan. 8 – Echenique decides to transfer, leaving Piscataway for Creighton.

Jan. 11 – Steak of turmoil. This single line from former RU player JR Inman gains Rutgers more unwanted national attention and humiliation across the Internet. It also leads to a former teammate calling Inman "another blogger on the Internet."

Jan. 27 – After another blowout loss, this time at Marquette, Rutgers drops to 0-8 in the Big East. Speculation swirls that the Knights could be the worst team in conference history.