From the moment McConnell dribbled a ball at a local YMCA, he was hooked. 8/10 Indiana, Earned All-Met Player of the Week (Dec. 6), Named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, First Rutgers player to win conference Defensive Player of the Year award since Hamady Ndiaye in 2009-10, Also named Named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten and to Big Ten All-Defensive Team. He is averaging 6.5 points per game, 5.2 assists and 2.3 rebounds. https://rutgerswire.usatoday.com/2022/03/02/caleb-mcconnell-is-a-semifinalist-for-naismith-mens-defensive-player-of-the-year/, Naismith Mens Defensive Player of the Year. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. He is the only Big Ten player to make the semifinalist cut. Zi5wYXJlbnROb2RlLmluc2VydEJlZm9yZShqLGYpOwogICAgICAgIHdpbmRv Then Pikiell inserted McConnell into the starting lineup, the Scarlet Knights won five of their next six games and eventually squeaked into the tournament, ending a 30-year drought. Baker was sensational. McConnell is a tremendous defensive presence, blending natural athleticism with instincts and intelligence. Hes not soft. Assisted by Caleb McConnell. A return to Rutgers would be big for the program as head coach Steve Pikiell is looking to retool after losing Geo Baker and Ron Harper Jr., both of whom were instrumental in the programs resurgence. Photo credit Rutgers Athletics. You cant replace 114 games of college experience and the intangibles he brings in terms of leadership and basketball IQ. Latest on Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Caleb McConnell including biography, career, awards and more on ESPN We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. bjsKICAgICAgICB3W2xdPXdbbF18fFtdO3dbbF0ucHVzaCh7J2d0bS5zdGFy He was previously selected to the watchlist last month. dmVyc2lvbgogICAgcy5zcmMgPSAiaHR0cHM6Ly9zLnlpbWcuY29tL2N4L3Z6 VE0tTUY2UFhYQycpOwo8L3NjcmlwdD4KPG5vc2NyaXB0Pgo8aWZyYW1lIGhl 13 Michigan State and No. Caleb McConnell is a semifinalist for Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. The Scarlet Knights will have to work to earn a bid to the tournament. Having him on the floor automatically improves Rutgers on both ends, especially when it comes to defense. I feel like little stuff like that made me a bit tougher and have some more grit.. 16 Buckeyes, Played in 20 games (eight starts), averaging 5.7 points and career-best 4.3 rebounds with career-high 29 steals, Did not make season debut until Jan. 2 against No. and Caleb McConnell then made one of two for Rutgers. All it takes is perseverance, keeping my head down and keep going.. January 22, 2023 7:47 pm ET. With two steals tonight Caleb McConnell has officially moved into 5th all-time at Rutgers. It will be the final home game of fifth-year senior Caleb McConnells career as he runs out of collegiate eligibility after this season. My Rutgers family helped me grow from a unrefined freshman to the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and I thank you all for that from the bottom of my heart!. Right now its there for some stability.. But the other three scholarship Scarlet Knights who are walking in the ceremony guard Paul Mulcahy, forwards Oskar Palmquist and Aundre Hyatt all have at least one year of eligibility remaining, and thus have the option to return to Rutgers next winter. Rutgers basketball has seen a slide in the latest analytics updates from KenPom. Rutgers is the last team in the NCAA Tournament? His cousins story was similar to thousands across the country a good kid, McConnell believed, who got caught in a bad situation and was paying the price for it and he was about to see him for the first time in four years. Man, it felt good," McConnell said. Was perfect 12-12 at free throw line against Purdue (Jan. 28), tied for most ever by a RU player in a Big Ten game. And just like that, it became McConnells mantra, too, something he repeated over and over to himself in tough moments on and off the court. IHMuYXN5bmMgPSB0cnVlOwogICAgLy8gbG9hZGluZyB0aGUgZXZlcmdyZWVu INCREDIBLE BLOCK BY @caleb_mccoWhat a spark for @RutgersMBB! With less than two full weeks left in January, he has 16 steals this month, including a season-high four on January eighth. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 0:49. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. UNBREAKABLE.. 22 on the court for the first time this season. Pikiell and his staff loved what they saw on tape. 25 Ohio State a 67-66 victory over Rutgers on Thursday night. According to a former coach, he is also toughest damn dude in the Big Ten.. ZyAtLT4KCgo=, Enjoying TheKnightReport? . We miss having you out there. He is rarely the Scarlet Knights top scorer, but he creates scoring chances for himself and his teammates because of his defensive ability. His movement looked fine, although he seemed a gear short of his typical explosion. ewogICAgYzE6ICIyIiwKICAgIGMyOiAiNzI0MTQ2OSIsCiAgICBjNTogIjIw Box Score MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - The Scarlet Knights took a tough loss in Minneapolis on Thursday night. He always wanted to get better.. pic . Woolfolk, the backup center, tallied 9 points on 4-of-4 shooting and added four boards and two steals. Kristian Dyer. Afterward, hed put up shots late into the night. Rutgers men's basketball's fifth-year captain Caleb McConnell has been named to the 2023 Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist, consisting of 10 of the top defenders in the country. McConnell is coming off his best season yet, as he is the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of The year. All rights reserved (About Us). Head coach Patrick Sellers and Steve Pikiell were assistants together at Central Connecticut State for two years around the millennium. Garcia added 19 points and Pharrel Payne had 15 for Minnesota (8-20, 2-16 Big Ten), which shot 54 percent (15 of 28) in the second half and made 11 of 24 3-pointers overall. It will eventually come off. Cam Spencer (18 points on 6-8 shooting, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals) looks fully in the flow of Rutgers schemes. b3ItMjAyMi0yMy1zZWFzb24mYzU9MjAyMjczMzE0MCZjdj0yLjAmY2o9MSZj Caleb McConnell made the second of two free throws for Rutgers with 5.8 seconds left before Battle stole the . Ron Harper Jr. spent a good portion of his childhood in the city where his famous father, five-time NBA champion Ron Harper Sr., grew up. McConnell, who led the conference with 70 steals last season, decided for one last ride with his beloved Scarlet Knights after working out with several NBA teams this offseason. "It felt good to be back out there with my teammates, my brothers, and hear the crowd cheering.. Latest on Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Caleb McConnell including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. Not too bad. ESPN's projections for Rutgers basketball and their NCAA Tournament outlook? 16 Ohio State 66-64 behind a 10-0 run in the final 3:48 of the game. In fact, it was a voice from the crowd that helped him shake off some rust. The 2022 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and one of the best players in the conference is back. Laser Tattoo Removal clinics in Taipei City at the best price. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. It was a match made in heaven, Briski said. Eventually, the outdoor courts in Jacksonville and Dayton became his home. McConnell has posted a 42.0 field percentage after only shooting 39.7 percent from the field last season. Sophomore guard Jalen Miller has been a defensive specialist to this point, but he broke out on the offensive end Saturday, scoring a career-high six points on 2-3 shooting to go with three rebounds. McConnell embraced the physicality and the competition, quickly going from the skinny kid everyone wanted guarding them to their first choice when picking teams. Even by Rutgers basketball's historically painful standards, Thursday's loss at Minnesota ranks among the most infamous. There were many big plays, including Geo Bakers clutch drive with the game on the line to draw the foul and knock down the pair of free throws. Pikiell told McConnell to take his time, but McConnells mind was made up: He was coming back to help this team. I really fell in love with the game, with competing and learning new stuff, McConnell said. Rutgers basketball has seen a slide in the latest analytics updates from KenPom. Chris Corso, A post shared by Rutgers Basketball (@rutgersmbb). His senior year in high school, the question about him was, Are you soft? and now, he might be the toughest damn dude in the Big Ten, which might be the toughest conference in the country. Along with all that, McConnell also racked up a couple of different postseason honors. He is one of two seniors named as a semifinalist. Caleb Mcconnell gets the layup to fall vs. Penn State Nittany Lions. Gambling problem? Feb 20, 2023. When the Scarlet Knights opened 7-1, he was dying to join them. 339 in Kenpom, but the Scarlet Knights did make it through an injury-riddled November without taking a Lafayette-type loss. In unserem Vergleich haben wir die unterschiedlichsten 70413 lego am Markt unter die Lupe genommen und die wichtigsten Eigenschaften, die Kostenstruktur und die Bewertungen der Kunden abgewogen. McConnell was the kind of prospect they wanted a tough kid with lots of upside who loved basketball. aWdodD0nMCcgc3JjPSdodHRwczovL3d3dy5nb29nbGV0YWdtYW5hZ2VyLmNv 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Climbing RU's all-time leader board forcareer steals. Legendarypic.twitter.com/T5jWZ81x4c, Matt Sugam (@MattSugam) February 10, 2022. Get a yearly subscription for $99.95/year or $9.95/month. But not until he played two possessions on it, including a cross-court sprint into a contested lay-up. Hes been as good a player as there has been in the conference," Pikiell said. Averaged 5.5 points and 2.5 rebounds with 26 steals and 32 assists, Led team in 3-point percentage (35.7%) and was second in team in steals, Among Big Ten freshman, ranked fifth in steals, Scored in double-figures six times, five of those coming against Big Ten foes, including a career-best 25 points at Illinois (Feb. 9), Averaged 11.8 points over the final four games of the season, A 247Sports and Rivals three-star prospect who attended SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio, helping the team to a 22-6 record in 2017-18 under head coach Dave Briski, Averaged 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals-per-game as a senior, Scored 30 points with seven assists against Our Savior Lutheran (N.Y.), Ranked the No. McConnell logged more than 10 points during each of his last three games started. Verified. The kids a dog.. 16 Ohio State. They said he was tough to project because he played more than one position. Hes just tough. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Scarlet Nation continues to hear things are trending in that direction as McConnell could use an extra year to improve his draft stock. dmFyIHMgPSBkb2N1bWVudC5jcmVhdGVFbGVtZW50KCJzY3JpcHQiKSwgZWwg Without McConnells miraculous play, the eventual 10-0 run is erased and Rutgers would have trailed by six points with just over two minutes to play. Simply put, it changed the game. Rutgers Wrestling Prepares for Big Ten Conference Tournament this Weekend. McConnell isn't the only Scarlet Knight with Dayton roots. Contact him atjcarino@gannettnj.com. The Scarlet Knights are now 14-9 overall and 8-5 in Big Ten play. to be the Big Tens defensive player of the year. That is the furthest thing from his mind. The caption read: Proverbs 3:5-6. Here is another angle that shows the authority in which McConnell blocked the ball but also that the play was clearly a clean stop. Rutgers guard Caleb McConnell is not expected to play in Thursday night's meeting with Michigan due to the back injury he suffered during pregame Read more on nj.com. The reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year is pulling his name out of the NBA Draft pool and is returning to Rutgers for his final season . caleb mcconnell rutgers tattoogeorgia foraging laws. 113. There is still the option to withdraw up until June 13th, as per the NBA rules, but that would not allow them to retain their college eligibility. "We've been trying to let these guys know we need more from them with me and Paul out, and theyve been bringing it," McConnell said. He tallied 4 points on 2-of-5 shooting and added four rebounds, three assists and a block. #1. 28,939. I always think in my head, Im unbreakable. I can overcome all those things. Of course, he was ultimately named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. The freshman had 19 points in the game and was a problem for the Scarlet Knights all night. Freshmen Derek Simpson and Antwone Woolfolk, who will be needed in Big Ten competition, have gotten valuable time and shown growth this month. A mistake. 71 posts. Im so grateful to have been blessed with this group of teammates. Baker scored the final five points for Rutgers after the Scarlet Knights built an 11-point lead and nearly gave it all away. Golden Gophers forward Jameson Battle hit a game-winning buzzer-beater as the horn sounded to give Minnesota the 75-74 victory. I couldnt imagine not having graduated high school and youve already had to adjust a couple of times, missing your family because of something you wanted so bad, something that you believed in so bad for yourself. It was their own fault and the play started with a blown coverage. Hes going to go out and play.. Senior Caleb McConnell was the first Rutgers player since Hamady N'Diaye to win a Defensive Player of the Year Award. That has made Rutgers a tough matchup regardless of the opponent. I wouldnt say 100 percent, but definitely healthy," McConnell said. Meanwhile, McConnell developed and grew as a player. JyZndG1fcHJldmlldz0nKydlbnYtMScrJyZndG1fY29va2llc193aW49eCc7 The senior guard came through on the defensive end to save the game for Rutgers in the upset of No. photo: Creative Commons / Gage Skidmore https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2./deed.en. After being spurned by just about every Big Ten school, McConnell is now a key member of Rutgers basketball renaissance who, with eight games remaining in his senior season, is a top candidate for the conferences Defender of the Year award.