Rutgers Basketball Hosting Four-Star Center Parker Jefferson This Week
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When Parker Jefferson, the 6'10, 235-pound center from Waxahachie, Texas decommitted from the Minnesota Golden Gophers at the end of March, after the firing of head coach Ben Johnson, he immediately popped up on Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell's radar. It's no secret that in a conference featuring seven-foot redwoods, Rutgers suffered mightily this season, rotating a bench player with a true freshman at center, which allowed teams to score at will down low.
An imposing defensive presence under the rim has been a staple in Pikiell's defense-first philosophy on the banks, beginning with Myles Johnson holding down the fort from 2018-2021 and Clifford Omoruyi shutting down the rim from 2021-2024. With Omoruyi departing for Alabama this past season, Rutgers was left without a true rim protector to bang with the bigs in the Big Ten Conference, ultimately wasting the generational talents of one-and-dones Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey.
When the season ended, Pikiell made it clear during his post-season press conference that he plans to return to what put Rutgers on the map - a lunch pail, black and blue, pressure on-the-ball defense. Rutgers hopes to fill that hole this week as they host Parker Jefferson on campus from April 22nd through April 24th, as reported by Richie O'Leary of The Knight Report.
Jefferson, the class of 2025 Inglewood, California four-star prospect, averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds in 27 games played this past season. The one obvious downside is that Jefferson will be a true freshman in a conference of elite centers and will need to adapt to the college game quickly.
5 30+ point games. 17 double-doubles, 1 triple double, 2+ blocks per game. Parker was a nightmare for opponents all season and will be immediate impact player at the next level. pic.twitter.com/RtZxOppkEU
— Jason Crowe (@crowezone5) March 10, 2025
This past season, Rutgers relied heavily on true freshman Lathan Sommerville, whose offensive game developed quickly as the season progressed; however, he lacked the defensive skillset to compete against opposing Big Ten centers. If Rutgers can land Jefferson, coach Pikiell and staff will have to have him ready to play on day one, as current center Emmanuel Ogbole has made little impact on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor this past season.
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John Catapano graduated from Rutgers in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, covering the women’s field hockey and soccer teams for the campus paper, The Daily Targum. After college, he moved to Los Angeles, got a job at Walt Disney Television, and has worked in media ever since. John currently works with the Wasserman Media Group in their Brooklyn, NY office, collaborating with brands, influencers, and athletes across the globe. When the pandemic struck in 2020 and Catapano began working remotely, he resumed writing by contributing to a Rutgers fan blog. He covered various sports, highlighted human interest stories, and focused on topics that Scarlet Nation wanted to discuss. It’s never easy being a Rutgers fan, but with over 500,000 alumni living worldwide and a passionate fanbase, covering the Scarlet Knights is always engaging.