Steve Pikiell didn’t spend his media session last week talking up a flashy new transfer or a headline-grabbing scorer. Instead, the Rutgers coach made his biggest offseason endorsement for someone who won’t take a single dribble for the Scarlet Knights.
“The best person in the transfer portal we got, she's 5-6 and her name's Keli Zinn. She is the number one transfer portal person that we have, and because of her, we're able to retain our best scorer, our best leader, our best defender -June (Darren Buchanan Jr.) - our best young talent,” Pikiell said.
“I got to start with her in that.”
Zinn, who is set to finish her first year as Rutgers athletic director in August, has become a central figure in how Pikiell talks about his program. He has repeatedly credited her with helping build the infrastructure around the team and making it possible to assemble this roster.
And the roster has changed in a meaningful way over the last two months.
Rutgers kept important pieces in place, including leading scorer Tariq Francis and freshmen guards Lino Mark and Kaden Powers. From there, Pikiell and general manager Rob Sullivan worked the portal to add center Christian Gurdak from Virginia Tech, forwards Will Sydnor from Manhattan and Darin Smith Jr. from Central Connecticut State, and Rasheed Jones from Coastal Carolina.
Pikiell said the newcomers have fit in quickly, especially the more experienced group.
“The veteran guys have come in, they're pretty mature, and they've blended in,” he said, pointing to the work they’ve done in the weight room before turning to the additions.
“Smitty's been really good from Central Connecticut. From Manhattan, Will's been really good up until his injury.
“Rasheed from Coastal is a veteran guy, they don't flinch with the work and they blend in. They blend in really well, and they're good workers.
So, I like (that) we got guys that work, and I think some of them have a chance to be really good defensively too. So it's a real positive.”
The overall feel around the program is different now than it was a year ago. Pikiell pointed to the support structure around the team as a major reason why, saying Sullivan is now focused solely on the men’s program and that other staff members have been added to help with roster building.
He also drew a sharp contrast with the previous athletic department setup.
“I think we hired 10 people from NIL space, so we were probably short 10 people a few years ago,” Pikiell said.
“So you know, Keli's been awesome, it's all about that. She's a worker and she's figuring things out, so huge, huge difference - just like when you go shopping.”
On the court, Rutgers has clear priorities for the months ahead. Pikiell said improving on the glass was a key offseason goal, and the additions of Gurdak and Sydnor, along with Buchanan’s return, should help in that area.
The bigger challenge now is turning the pieces into a functioning group.
“Right now, we're just trying to figure these guys out a little bit,” Pikiell said.
“One, (we need to) keep them healthy. (Second) They are workers and stuff, but we got to get back to the things we haven't done the last couple years.
Obviously, we have not rebounded the ball, and we brought in guys that are proven rebounders. We have not defended, and I think we brought some guys in that can really defend.
“We got a couple more guys coming (who) I think, can help us in both those areas too. You learn, you got returning guys, you learn from the mistakes that you know were made last year.”
In Other News...
Rutgers Mourns Sudden Loss Of Former Scarlet Knights Captain
Rutgers football is mourning the sudden loss of Jamil Merrell, the former Scarlet Knights defensive end and team captain who died at 36. His death was announced on social media by his twin brother, Jamal, adding a deeply personal note to a loss that has resonated through the program and among those who remember Merrells years in Piscataway.
Merrell was a Rutgers player from 2009 to 2013 and later had a brief professional football career after going undrafted in 2014. He and Jamal made a little slice of school history in 2013, becoming the second pair of brothers in Rutgers history to serve as captains at the same time, a distinction that underscored how central Jamil had become to the program by the end of his college career. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Recruiting Surge Is Starting To Turn Heads Across The Big Ten
Rutgers 2026 recruiting class has quietly become one of the more interesting storylines in the Big Ten, and the numbers help explain why. The Scarlet Knights sit No. 10 in the conference in the 247Sports composite team rankings with 24 commitments and 221.20 points, a mark that reflects steady work across multiple positions and a class that now includes several four-star prospects.
The latest boost came from Aiden Gibson, whose arrival gave the group a clearer headliner and added more momentum to a class that is starting to draw notice beyond Piscataway. Rutgers is still chasing a better spot in the league pecking order, but with the cycle still unfolding and the class already showing real depth, the next move could matter just as much as the last one. [Read more 🡒]