Rutgers Basketball: Scarlet Knights will rebound from Paul Mulcahy departure

The hits keep coming for Rutgers Basketball this offseason.

After quietly withdrawing from the 2023 NBA Draft at the deadline, it seemed guard Paul Mulcahy was coming back to college – and he was. Just not to Piscataway.

On Friday morning, Mulcahy took to social media to thank coach Steve Pikiell and Rutgers Nation for everything that’s happened in the last four years. He also announced his decision to hit the transfer portal, removing arguably the heart and soul from the Scarlet Knights.

The loss of the Bayonne native will be hard for many to swallow. His do-it-all play – he averaged 8.3 points, 4.9 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game this season – was only dwarfed by his attitude and leadership.

His departure is the latest in a series of activity that has blindsided the basketball program, or at least its fans. It was only a few weeks ago when Cam Spencer suddenly hopped into the transfer portal – he has since landed with the defending national champions, the UConn Huskies.

Both of these losses are significant for Pikiell’s team. Those losses are also on top of the eligibility expiration of defensive ace Caleb McConnell.

But don’t think they mean Rutgers’ isn’t in line to compete for another NCAA Tournament bid.

Despite some tough breaks in the transfer portal, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights should again compete for a postseason berth.

For starters, there are a few players who are back that weren’t necessarily guaranteed. Despite walking on Senior Night, forward Aundre Hyatt decided to come back for another go-around. Rutgers struggled down the stretch after forward Mawot Mag tore his ACL last season, but he should be back and healthy.

Most importantly, big man Cliff Omoruyi withdrew from the NBA Draft process for another season with the Scarlet Knights. The potential of the center has always been off the charts and this should be the season Rutgers basketball revolves around him.

Derek Simpson should be able to take another step forward and become the lead guard of this team. And four-star shooting guard Gavin Griffiths arrives as arguably the best prospect in the history of the program.

This is a reassuring post about 2023-24, but look beyond that and things get even brighter. The Scarlet Knights are currently in line to have one of the best recruiting classes in the entire nation. Airious Bailey, Dellquan Warren, and Lathan Somerville have already. Dylan Harper, Ron Harper Jr.’s brother, may soon follow suit.

Plus, don’t forget about the addition of Noah Fernandes in the transfer portal.

There’s been plenty of chatter on social media about how Rutgers isn’t going to be able to compete with its Big Ten brethren in the era of rampant NIL deals. Some of the criticism is warranted, as it doesn’t seem the Scarlet Knights are getting the same backing as other programs; the pull of NIL is what helped send Spencer to Storrs.

But Pikiell put his heart and soul into building a real program in Piscataway, one that can withstand the personnel moves that now dictate the headlines in college basketball. That can’t be discounted.

It’s a huge bummer for Rutgers to see such well-respected veterans depart. But that’s the reality of college basketball today. It’s no reason to project doom and gloom on to the Scarlet Knights for all eternity.