Who Stays: Will Rutgers Retain any Big Men?
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To many fans’ surprise, the 2025-26 edition of Rutgers men’s basketball isn’t done playing this season, as the team has accepted an invitation to the College Crown Tournament. One can argue whether a Scarlet Knight squad that is 14-19 overall deserves an invite to a postseason tournament, but with a crucial offseason ahead, the extra practices and time will allow head coach Steve Pikiell and staff to continue to evaluate the current players on the roster and decide who’s worth trying to retain and who they likely move on from.
We previously discussed the current roster of Rutgers guards and who are likely to return, with Tariq Francis, Darren Buchanan Jr., and Kaden Powers likely candidates. This week, we look at the forwards and centers.
The Forwards
Dylan Grant
The 6’8 sophomore power forward out of Mississauga, Canada, was expected to be Rutgers’ best player on the court this season, and showed signs of being able to dominate early in the non-conference season. Grant was derailed by illness in early January, losing nearly 10 pounds.
The hustling, aggressive player who returned struggled to make an impact during the remainder of the season, looking lethargic and disinterested during many games but showing flashes - notably in consecutive late January games against Michigan State, where he dropped 11 points in a crushing overtime defeat against a top ten Spartans squad. He followed that up in the next game on the road against USC, grabbing ten boards and scoring 14 points for the double-double Scarlet Knight fans have come to expect from him.
Considering the way the top preseason player struggled down the stretch and the minimal impact he made, regardless of the illness, it’s hard to imagine Rutgers ponying up the money to retain Grant.
Prediction: Going
Rutgers Basketball forward Dylan Grant (@iamDylanGrant) has announced his return to the banks. https://t.co/AP5sATjRQP pic.twitter.com/mCrINacH2i
— Rutgers Scarlet Knights | The Knight Report (@RutgersOn3) April 12, 2025
Bryce Dortch
The 6’9 sophomore from Sommeville, MA, was noted by coach Pikiell as being a tenacious defender who gets after loose balls and can disrupt an offense. Dortch showed promise in a late December home game against Penn, pulling down nine rebounds and tallying five blocks. He logged a season-high 28 minutes and four steals shortly thereafter in an early January win over Oregon.
Outside of those two games, Dortch was essentially a non-factor, finishing the season averaging 2.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. There is little reason to believe Dortch wants to return to the Banks, and Rutgers will make any aggressive attempt to retain him.
Prediction: Going
Denis Badalau
Early in the season, the 6’8 Romanian freshman forward was noted for his excellent practices, and that was rewarded with ample minutes, logging at least 20 minutes per game in six of his first seven contests. Unfortunately, those minutes didn’t translate on the stat sheet, and as other young players grew, Badalau found himself relegated to the bench.
He finished the season providing little impact, averaging 3.1 points and 1.7 rebounds. Similar to Dortch, there’s little reason to believe Badalau will be back in Piscataway next season.
Prediction: Going
Chris Nwuli
The 6’8, 215-pound freshman forward out of Chatsworth, California, showed growth as the season progressed, demonstrating his willingness to grind it out on defense, dive for loose balls, and go after rebounds. His impact on the stat sheet, though, was minimal, averaging 2.2 points and 1.4 rebounds per game, and that leaves one to believe he will not be wearing a Scarlet Knights uniform this fall.
Prediction: Going
The Centers
Emmanuel Ogbole denies the shot 😤 @RutgersMBB
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 13, 2026
📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/opjMhInsiH
Emmanuel Ogbole
Rutgers celebrated the mammoth center during Senior Day festivities earlier in March. Ogbole has been one of the most polarizing players among fans.
Ogbole, like many of the guards, showed significant growth in his senior season, pulling down rebounds and becoming more of a presence down low against the bigs in conference. That said, when one looks at Ogbole’s physique, one wonders how he doesn’t dominate on the court, but the 6’10 Nigerian center didn’t start playing basketball until he was 18. That was evident on the court, with his lack of offensive playmaking to finish at the rim and his inability to protect the rim on defense.
Ogbole has expressed interest in applying for another year of eligibility, but if this happens, it won’t be in Piscatway.
Prediction: Going
Gevonte Ware
The Roosevelt, NY freshman center looks the part physically at 6’9, 255 pounds, but with so little playing time, only Pikiell and staff may know what the future holds for Ware. Recruited by the likes of Alabama, Wake Forest, Duquesne, and Arizona State, Ware could be a nice developmental piece further down the bench that blossoms into an effective second big man for teams that can afford two of them. That team isn’t Rutgers.
Prediction: Going
Baye Fall
The 6’11 lightweight junior from Senegal was a five-star recruit and 2023 McDonald’s All-American. Fall was heavily recruited by Rutgers but signed with Arkansas in 2023 before transferring to Kansas State in 2024. He came full circle in 2025, signing with coach Pikiell’s squad.
Unfortunately for Fall and Rutgers, he had nearly zero impact. Fall logged a season-high 11 minutes in a blowout loss against Michigan in early December, where he scored a season-high two points. The only other notable stat was his five rebounds against American in November. Needless to say, it’s doubtful there’s a scenario where Fall is back in Piscataway this fall.
Prediction: Going
It’s clear under the new Athletic Director, Keli Zinn, that the 2026-27 season is a make-or-break one for coach Pikiell and staff. With his NIL budget nearly tripling this offseason, Pikiell won’t be in a position to retain players that are projects, like Fall, or need significant development, like Nwuli and Ware. That leads to the overall prediction that no forwards and centers from the current roster will return next 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.