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This week we will be posting a three part series introducing the new contributors of On The Banks. Today is my turn and I am proud and excited to be a part of this site. I will be the main basketball contributor moving forward as Dave White has stepped down to focus on other things. Obviously, I have big shoes to fill as I along with many of you, have enjoyed his coverage over the years. Dave will still be contributing here and there and has already been a big help to me. Thank you Dave and I look forward to celebrating future triumphs of Rutgers basketball with you in the years to come!
As for myself, I have grown up with Rutgers most of my life. My family moved from
I am a true sports fanatic with Rutgers sports being my first love. Over the years I have been to many football games including the inaugural Big East game when we beat
March 9th, 1989: Rutgers defeats TTFP in the Atlantic 10 Championship at the RAC
The first big game I ever attended and the last time
December 7th, 1991:
Rutgers started 2-0 and hosted Coach Jerry Tarkanian the season after leading UNLV to back to back Final Fours. Sure, this team was on probation and all the big stars were gone. However, the week before they took down a Shaquille O’Neal led LSU team by 21 and went 25-2 for the season. They lost to Rutgers that night 91-85 in a wild game. With an exciting start to the season and after winning the A-10 and making the NCAA tourney the previous year, they fell apart. RU suffered a six game losing streak mid-season and faltered to a 16-15 finish.
March 5th, 1998: Rutgers defeats
Simply known as "The Billet Game", I sat in the lower level of the Garden. The last second shot went in right in front of me. Georgetown went down and UCONN fans were celebrating with us, happy to see the Hoyas fall. It was the only time
March 4th, 1999: Rutgers loses to
February 9th, 2000:
It was my senior year and I had the bright idea to get my friends and me to paint ourselves red for the game. It was on ESPN and I guaranteed them all we would be on TV during a big win against blood rival Seton Hall. We were 12-9 at the time and needed this win desperately to keep our NCAA tourney hopes alive. Seton Hall was 16-4 at the time and eventually went to the Sweet 16 that season. The night did not go as planned. We bought the wrong type of paint which became painful. It was packed and we ended up near the top of the student section so we never made it on TV. We lost a heartbreaker 65-63 after blowing an 8 point lead in OT . I can still hear the Hall fans chanting and celebrating as we walked out. I didn’t enter the real world until June with my first job, but it felt like college ended that night.
March 9th, 2010: Rutgers loses to
The last game of the Fred Hill and Mike Rosario era! We were 15-16 entering the Big East 1st round and needed a miracle run to make the postseason. We lost 69-68 to
I am excited to be covering the Rutgers Basketball program on this site. I look forward to celebrating the victories and commiserating over the losses with all of you. Do you remember any of these games? Were you there with me? Did I once spill a beer on you after a bad call? Please share the most memorable