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Finally, the Rutgers basketball coaching search has come to an end.
In a move first reported by Steve Politi of NJ.com, it was reported that Pat Hobbs set his mind on Steve Pikiell, the 48-year-old coach of Stony Brook. The Sea Wolves recently returned home after suffering an 85-57 loss to Kentucky in the NCAA tournament.
BREAKING: Rutgers will hire Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell. Story to follow.
— Steve Politi (@StevePoliti) March 19, 2016
Pikiell was a name that we focused on from the beginning of the search and he was constantly listed in Aaron's lists of candidates from day one. He turned around the Stony Brook team in drastic fashion, as the Sea Wolves were 4-25 in his first season and now have 5 straight seasons of 22+ wins.
Pikiell led his teams to consistent dominance in the America East, though they always seemed to find a way to fall short in the conference tournament championship, This year, they finally broke through and Pikiell brought this team into the Big Dance for the first time in school history. Pikiell was also named Coach of the Year in the America East Conference.
As a player, Pikiell was a point guard for the UConn Huskies for four years under coaching legend Jim Calhoun, who had hight praise for PIkiell.
It's the Steve Pikiell era for @RutgersMBB. At Big East Media Day, Jim Calhoun once told me he's "a coaching stud." https://t.co/MA7vZk0QaH
— Danny Breslauer (@DannyBreslauer) March 19, 2016
One of the first questions that will face Pikiell is who, if anyone, he wishes to retain from the previous coaching staff. Retaining Shoes Vetrone would be huge in keeping the team together, as star freshmen Jonathan Laurent and Corey Sanders both have loyalty to him.
The specifics of the contract are unknown, and the move still needs to be approved by the Rutgers Board of Governers, which could happen by Monday.
Stay tuned as we add more information as it becomes available!