Brandin Knight received a message from Steve Pikiell about the importance of enjoying his time on the sideline while coaching Rutgers.
Filling in for Pikiell, Knight enjoyed several things about the season opener, and Rutgers hopes to generate more positive moments Tuesday night when it hosts NJIT in Piscataway, N.J.
Knight, the associate head coach, is leading the Scarlet Knights (1-0) while Pikiell receives treatment for cancer. In his first game, he watched his players roll to an 81-54 home win over New Haven highlighted by different defensive approaches forcing 17 turnovers to go along with a balanced offense.
“It’s funny, he said, ‘Make sure you smile,'” Knight said. “That was one of his big things, like, have fun, enjoy it. It’s always about the guys, but have a good time and smile. That’s the way he is. He can find some positivity in anything.”
Knight saw his team produce several solid individual offensive performances. Tariq Francis led the starting five with 14 points and Rasheed Jones provided 14 points off the bench.
“It was fun to finally get out here and play in front of the fans and everybody, but the biggest thing is we got the win,” Jones said. “That’s really all that matters.”
Knight used 15 players, with eight getting at least 15 minutes. Among them was Jamichael Davis, who finished with 13 points, and Christian Gurdak, who contributed 12.
Francis surpassed 1,500 career points — some of which were for NJIT. He led the America East Conference with 19.2 points per game for NJIT in 2024-25 and averaged 14.8 points the previous season.
NJIT (1-2) is seeking its first win in nine tries against Rutgers. The Highlanders are coming off a dramatic 54-52 victory against Saint Peter’s on Sunday. Brandon Stores Jr. sank a half-court, buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
Stores’ game-winner capped a 15-point performance after he shot a combined 3-of-16 in blowout losses at Dayton and Iona.
The deciding shot also preceded a five-game road trip that includes visits to VCU and Boston College.
“That’s everything,” NJIT coach Grant Billmeier said. “We needed this win. We’ve got a brutal stretch ahead of us. We needed to get this one in the win column.”