Rutgers basketball lost the first leg of its West Coast swing, a hard-fought 78-75 decision at USC Saturday, but head coach Steve Pikiell gained a supportive nod from his boss, first-year athletics director Keli Zinn.
Zinn made the trip and was the guest at halftime with Rutgers radio voice Jerry Recco. They discussed shoring up roster budgets and Recco asked her in particular about her thoughts on the men’s basketball program.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“You take a look at everybody from a historical perspective, and (I) was able to see the progress that Coach Pikiell and his crew had, particularly for a couple of years there, and then the world of NIL comes along and was a little bit of a disruption or him,” Zinn said. “We’re going to put him in a spot where we’re more on the same page with folks around the country who are his competitors.”
Jan 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Jamichael Davis (1) shoots the ball against Southern California Trojans guard Chad Baker-Mazara (4) in the first half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesA cynic could say Zinn wouldn’t say anything negative about coach in the midst of a long season, but there’s no way she does an interview like this if she doesn’t have a message to share. She didn’t have to do the interview at all.
“Biggest thing that has probably happened over the past six months surrounds the progress we’ve made, which has been the main focal point, of investment in our rosters,” she said. “You won’t see that immediately, but you’re going to see it show up in 2026-27 and more specifically in 2027-28. Thrilled with the amount of support, particularly on the corporate side of things.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAsked about her impressions of Jersey Mike’s Arena, she made it clear that tweaks – not a massive overhaul or demolition – is the goal.
“It’s incredible: I had a number of people tell me about it before I got to experience it live, and it exceeded every expectation,” she said. “As a gal who came into this business in the old Big East days, it reminded me of that level of basketball atmosphere, and that is really special.”
She added: “We’re taking a closer look at that (arena) infrastructure right now. One of the things that’s been real clear is, let’s figure out how to bring some things online, for fan amenities, but preserve that bowl. To think there’s only 8,000 in there and it sounds like 16,000 – we’re going to work really hard to not mess that up.”
Speaking generally about her effort to install NIL infrastructure that was badly neglected by disgraced predecessor Pat Hobbs, Zinn said, “From an internal standpoint, what you’re seeing beyond the field and court competition, it has gone really well. We’re making a lot of progress. We need to see that show up in the midst of winning, and certainly I’m expecting to see that in the future.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Rutgers AD pledges to get Steve Pikiell roster budget help
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