Rutgers Targeting LSU Assistant as New Women's Basketball Coach
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AD Zinn Zeroing In on Familiar Face
After Athletic Director Keli Zinn fired Coquese Washington following a dismal 1-17 conference campaign this past season, the hot boards on social media began to heat up. Rutgers insider, Alec Crouthamel of The Knight Report, was one of the first to put out a who’s who of coaches Rutgers should target, including successful regional coaches Carly Thibault DuDonis (Fairfield), Tammi Reiss (Rhode Island), Carla Berube (Princeton), and Megan Griffith (Columbia).
Of course, another name on his board and everyone else’s that Keli Zinn would absolutely have to call is current Tiger head coach Kim Mulkey. Mulkey’s Tigers have been nothing short of dominant during her tenure in Baton Rouge, boasting 149 wins against only 24 losses. The reality, of course, is that after 45 years playing and coaching down south, Mulkey is not at the point in her career where she is willing to take a salary cut to rebuild a program.
One of the big debates among fans about the next hire is whether they should go with a successful head coach or roll the dice on a rising assistant. If you are in AD Zinn’s shoes, attempting to rebuild what was once the most consistent and successful program in Rutgers history, your inclination is to target who you know and tap into a successful coaching tree.
Redus II is an Elite Recruiter
NJ Advance Media’s Brian Fonseca and Steve Politi reported today that Rutgers has zeroed in on LSU assistant Redus, who joined Coach Kim Mulkey’s staff at LSU prior to the 2022-23 season as an assistant coach and is wrapping up his fourth season in Baton Rouge.
He’s made his mark in the SEC as an elite recruiter, helping identify and recruit two unanimous No. 1 freshman classes, and was tasked by Mulkey to work daily with LSU’s guards, running an offense that can score at all three levels and prioritizes defense.
“Gary is someone I have watched from afar in the recruiting circuit,” Coach Mulkey told the media after adding Redus to the staff in 2022.
“When talking with other coaches and recruits, he is always brought up in conversation. His infectious personality has allowed him to create and maintain meaningful relationships with his players and fellow colleagues. Being from an athletic family, his dad having played professional baseball for 13 years, a sister who played basketball in the SEC, a wife who played basketball in the ACC, Gary has a love for the game that shows and is evident in the energy he brings and the knowledge he displays.”
Rutgers Looking For a Spark to Turn Program Around Quickly
Needless to say, after five consecutive non-competitive seasons in the Big Ten Conference, for Rutgers women’s basketball to quickly turn things around, Redus II checks two very important boxes: The ability to recruit at a high level and a high level of success in a culture of winning.
Prior to joining Mulkey’s staff, Redus worked at Vanderbilt and, prior to that, as an assistant at DII powerhouse Delta State in Mississippi.
As a player, Redus played two seasons at South Alabama, averaging over nine points per game, and was a two-time selection to the Sun Belt Conference All-Academic Team. He graduated from South Alabama in 2011 with a degree in health education.
Baseball fans may recognize the Redus name. His father, Gary, was an outfielder for 13 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Texas Rangers.
If Rutgers is able to hire Redus, he would be the fourth head coach in program history, joining Coquese Washington, C. Vivian Stringer and Theresa Grentz.
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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.