'This year, we just gelled a lot more': Rutgers—Newark men's basketball remains optimistic for future despite losing record in 2023-2024
The Rutgers—Newark men's basketball team finished the 2023-2024 season with a losing record, but development is at the forefront of the team's performance this year.
The Scarlet Raiders ended with a 12-13 overall record after a 13-point loss to The College of New Jersey on February 14. Although not up to prime standard, they improved from the 8-17 record they owned in the 2022-2023 season.
Despite its losing record, Rutgers—Newark outscored its opponents in the second half in a handful of its games, demonstrating the Raiders' adaptability and resilience.
Graduate assistant coach Michael Strazza said the team played hard and had great energy, but that zeal wasn't always sustained throughout individual games.
"We can definitely get a little bit more consistent in our energy and willingness to defend for 40 full minutes," Strazza said after a 78-59 win to William Paterson on February 7. "What I mean by that is there are some lows sometimes in terms of the energy (being) down, and that affects our guys mentally, and it kind of shows sometimes."
While improving its conference record from 6-12 to 8-10 this season, Rutgers—Newark could not substantially change its status in the New Jersey Athletic Conference. The Raiders ended up eighth in the conference standings, while Rowan, Stockton and Montclair State maintained their positions as the top three teams for the second straight year.
Junior forward Kelvin Marshall said he viewed the season as a success for Rutgers—Newark.
"Last year, we only won seven games and then a couple games inside NJAC," Marshall said. "This year, we just gelled a lot more, and we got a lot closer. Last year, it was more one-on-one, but this year, we were actually playing for each other."
Before the team's last two games, Marshall hoped to finish with a winning season and will now look ahead to next year.
"One thing we can improve on is staying consistent, keeping our energy up, especially for away games. At home, we've been dominating, but away we haven't had that same energy," Marshall said.
The Raiders did have spurts of success at the beginning of the fall. As the season went on, though, they could not continue that momentum.
Throughout the season, coaching was key for Rutgers—Newark and will continue to be a staple for it in the future.
"What I use to motivate these guys is I bring a lot of energy to practice. I'm very, very vocal at practice," Strazza said. "And I bring a positive attitude every day (with a) next-play mentality. Whenever these guys are getting down on themselves, I always pick them back up."
On the positive side, the Raiders saw some great play from junior guard Levi Holton, who was the team leader in points, rebounds and blocks per game, showing his ability to play both sides of the ball.
For the second season in a row, Holton was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year. He also earned his first Second Team All-NJAC nod.
Holton finished the season strong with a double-double in each of the last three matchups.
"At all three levels, (Holton) is the best athlete I have ever seen up close," Strazza said. "He is extremely talented, as I said, very athletic, and his energy, his passion and his focus really drives this team. He is one of our greatest leaders. He is one of our most vocal leaders, and he is one of the sparks that we have that just picks up the energy during the game."
Strazza and Holton, as well as the rest of Rutgers—Newark, will now look to keep a steady climb up heading into the 2024-2025 season.
For more updates, follow @TargumSports on X.
