Rutgers basketball saw a bunch of its former players leave in the transfer portal after the conclusion of last season, with former Rutgers forward Chris Nwuli being one of them. Many expected Nwuli to drop down a level or transfer to a school closer to his home on the west coast, making it even more surprising where he ended up.
Sunday morning, news was broken by ESPN’s Ani Umana that Nwuli has decided to transfer to Rutgers in-state rival, Seton Hall.
Last season, the 6-foot-8 forward averaged 2.2
points per game for the Knights while shooting 39.1 percent from the field, 50 percent from three, and 68.6 percent on free throws. He also averaged 1.4 rebounds during an average of 9.8 minutes per game across 29 total appearances, where he was mostly coming off the bench.
Nwuli showed flashes last season, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, but his inconsistent play and offensive struggles show that he still needs to develop a lot more. He now hopes to get that development in South Orange.
His transfer to Seton Hall adds another storyline to the heated rivalry between the Scarlet Knights and the Pirates because of the fact that he will spend time playing for both teams. However, on top of that, there is a more personal storyline at play because Nwuli and Rutgers guard Lino Mark played together in the AAU circuit before they made the trip to Piscataway for their freshman season together, which saw both of them come into college rated as four stars by 247sports. After their freshman campaign, Mark, who was seen as a key retention piece for Rutgers, ultimately decided to stay with the Knights despite the transfer portal departures. With Nwuli’s decision to enter the portal and commit to the Pirates, he and Mark will now line up against one another as rivals next season after spending the past few seasons together as teammates.
Other former Knights who have found a new home include forward Denis Badalau, who committed to Towson, guard Dorian Jones, who committed to Ken State, center Baye Fall, who committed to Fresno State, forward Bryce Dortch, who committed to Notre Dame, and guard Dylan Grant, who committed to Charlotte.
