PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers men's basketball program officially signed it's fourth additionfrom the transfer portal on Wednesday afternoon.
P.J. Hayes, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound guard from Waconia, Minn., will join the Scarlet Knights for his final year of eligibility. The sharpshooter spent last season at San Diego University, where he averaged 10.5 points per game, shot 42.5 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from three-point range.
"We are excited to officially welcome P.J. Hayes to The Knighthood," Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said. "We are adding another great student-athlete, from a great family, who can shoot the basketball. P.J. is a player who has shown the ability to hit nine three-pointers in a game and he can pass it as well. I love the basketball journey that he's taken, and I am proud to add another elite student-athlete to our program."
"I just know this team is going to be really good next year," Hayes said. "I met a bunch of the guys and they are all great. I think with my shooting ability, I can really space the floor for them and I know that they'll find me when I'm open. I haven't played with a program that has this much talent coming in, and I think I can help make these guys better than they already are."
Hayes ranked first amonghis teammates at San Diego in made three-point field goals (73) and three-point percentage (.397, min. 8 attempts) last season. He was second among his team in free throw percentage (.791, min. 10 attempts) and third in scoring in 2023-24.
"I can shoot the lights out," Hayes said of his strengths on the court. "You can expect that every shot I shoot is with confidence and I think it's going in every time. I think I can be sneaky and athletic and I am good at finding my teammates and making them better. I think I can bring an energy the fans will love."
Hayes showed off his hot hand when he made a USD-record nine threes on January 23 at Portland, leading the Toreros to a thrilling comeback win by shooting 9-for-15 overall, 9-for-14 from three, and a perfect 6-for-6 from the line as he totaled 33 points, which marked the third-most in a single game by a WCC player in 2023-2024.
Hayes credited the relationship he created with Pikiell and the staff for his decision.
"I could tell from the moment I got to New Jersey that this was a family," Hayes said. "I just knew that the coaches wanted what was best for me and they were looking out for my future as well. Not a lot of coaches think about that. Coach Pikiell is looking out for me for the rest of my life and this is a coach I want to play for."
Hayes laughed he only knew a few things about Rutgers before his visit this month.
"I knew Ron Harper Jr. and that run they went on a few years ago," Hayes said. "I knew how good he was. I knew that the fans knew how to make a gym look real bigger than it should be. I wasn't even on the team yet and they were going crazy. I can't wait to see thisfan base in that gym!"
Hayes transferred to San Diego after three seasons at Black Hills State (Division II) where he shot 42.8 percent from beyond the arc. He shot 45 percent in his final year at Black Hills State which was good for 13th in the nation.
As a junior at Black Hills, he received CSC Academic honors and was named to the South-Central Region All-Tournament Team. Hayes was a regular season and tournament champion his sophom*ore season while advancing to the Final Four of the National Tournament. He returned Black Hills State to the Final Four his junior season.
Hayes attended Waconia High School in Waconia, MN. His father, Pat, played small forward at Winona State University and Pat finished his career in the top five in games played.
"I'm appreciative of all the stops on my journey," Hayes said. "We won a lot of games at Black Hills and that allowed me to show I could compete at a higher level at San Diego. For my fifth year of college basketball at Rutgers, I am going to make sure it's my best one yet."
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers men's basketball program officially signed it's fourth addition from the transfer portal on Wednesday afternoon. P.J. Hayes, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound guard from Waconia, Minn., will join the Scarlet Knights for his final year of eligibility.
The Rutgers men's basketball team had a disappointing 2023-2024 season as several players struggled. With the Rutgers men's basketball team's loss to Maryland in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, its season is now over.
Sir Henry, the Scarlet Knight is the current mascot of the team. Coach Harman is said to have bought the first "Scarlet Knight" mascot costume for the 1955 season, which was to be his final season as football coach at Rutgers.
Rutgers–New Brunswick is part of the Big Ten athletic conference and competes at the NCAA Division I level for men's and women's sports. Scarlet Knights provide thrills and excitement all season, and the grand tradition of supporting the team is a big part of the Rutgers experience.
The team lost 32 consecutive Big Ten conference games, and set the longest losing streak in program history this season at 17 games. An argument has been made that Eddie inherited a fractured roster and needed more time to recruit.
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As the “Birthplace of College Football,” Rutgers is steeped in tradition in the sport. Thanks to the school's membership in the Big Ten, powerhouse football programs such as Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State visit SHI Stadium in Piscataway on an every-other-year basis.
Rutgers competes as a member of the Big Ten Conference. Prior to joining the Big Ten, the Scarlet Knights were a member of the American Athletic Conference (formerly the Big East Conference) from 1991 to 2013. Rutgers plays its home games at SHI Stadium, in Piscataway, New Jersey.
The Princeton–Rutgers rivalry is a college rivalry in athletics between the Tigers of Princeton University and Scarlet Knights of Rutgers University – New Brunswick, both of which are located in New Jersey. The rivalry dates back to the first college football game in history in 1869.
Standing among the nation's leading research universities, Rutgers is acclaimed for the excellent achievements of our people and for their contributions to society in the pursuit of education, research, and health care.
Rutgers football played in the first ever American football game in 1869. They played against Princeton. In fact, Rutgers played against Princeton twice in 1869. Rutgers claims an 1869 National Championship, the only National Championship in school history.
And Cornell University dates from 1865, making it no slouch in the age category. (The other two colleges founded before the revolution, Rutgers University and William & Mary, are not Ivy League schools because they are public, not private, universities.)
Rutgers was chartered in 1766 as Queen's College, a private institution affiliated with the Dutch Reformed Church. Queen's College was renamed Rutgers College in 1825 after philanthropist Colonel Henry Rutgers, a Revolutionary War hero and son of colonists from the Netherlands.
Jersey Mike's Arena, commonly known as the RAC (an initialism for Rutgers Athletic Center, its former official name), is an 8,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Piscataway, New Jersey on Rutgers University's Livingston Campus. The building is shaped like a truncated tent with trapezoidal sides on the north and south ends.
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