Rutgers has filled another spot on its 2026-27 roster, landing a commitment from Italian forward Diego Garavaglia, according to a DraftExpress report on Tuesday.
Garavaglia, listed at 6-foot-6, becomes the ninth addition Rutgers has made this offseason. He joins transfers Rasheed Jones from Coastal Carolina, Darin Smith from Central Connecticut State, Will Sydnor from Manhattan, Christian Gurdak from Virginia Tech and Dorin Buca from Kansas State, along with high school signee Imahri Wooten and international prospect Lewis Duarte from the Dominican Republic.
The 19-year-old spent this past season as a reserve for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany’s top division. In 33 appearances, he averaged 2.7 points while shooting 51.3% on twos, 22% on threes and 73.3% at the line. He also posted 1.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.6 blocks and 0.5 steals in 12 minutes per game.
Garavaglia’s stronger production came at the Under-18 European Championships last summer, where he averaged 14.3 points on 51% shooting on twos, 42.1% on threes and 70.3% on free throws. He added 7.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.9 steals and a block in 29 minutes over seven games.
With Garavaglia aboard, Rutgers now has all 15 scholarships spoken for on its 2026-27 roster. Even so, the Scarlet Knights are still expected to add one more player after this, based on comments head coach Steve Pikiell made last week.
“We are going to add a couple more pieces to the front court and we’ll be much improved,” Pikiell said. “They are just going to be really good players. I’m excited about them.”
That outlook suggests Duarte may not end up enrolling at Rutgers, as he still has not been ruled eligible by the NCAA.
“I can’t really talk about it,” Pikiell said of Duarte’s situation. “You guys understand all the eligibility things.
It has nothing to do other than the NCAA, the G-League and all that other stuff. I can’t really tell you anything because I don’t know anything.”
Rutgers’ projected 2026-27 roster, based on years of eligibility remaining, now includes three players with one year left: Rasheed Jones, Darren Buchanan and Dorin Buca. The two-year group features Tariq Francis, Jamichael Davis and Darin Smith, while Will Sydnor is listed with three years remaining.
The four-year players are Lino Mark, Kaden Powers, Christian Gurdak and Gevonte Ware. The five-year group includes Imahri Wooten, Martin Tonejc and Garavaglia.
Rutgers’ guard group currently includes Tariq Francis, Jamichael Davis, Rasheed Jones, Lino Mark, Kaden Powers and Imahri Wooten.
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