New Jersey Rivals Remain in Opposite Directions
by Ray Floriani
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – It is a few minutes past 11:30 on a Sunday morning. In about a half hour Seton Hall and Rutgers will tip it off at Continental Airlines Arena. Outside the facility, the pre-game festivities are in full swing. Nature has cooperated, so there are a number of tailgaters. Most of the groups stand out in the Seton Hall blue, though a few scarlet-clad Rutgers fans are spotted. In the parking lot a group of tailgating Seton Hall students pose for a picture. “Should we hide the alcohol?” asks one young lady holding a 16-ounce “refreshment”. “Don’t worry,” says the photographer, “you’re all in a good catholic school.”
Entering the arena, the excitement builds and the crowd heading inside suggests this will be a well-attended and colorful afternoon.
Seton Hall-Rutgers is a rivalry. It’s not Duke-North Carolina, but it is an in-state battle for bragging rights. Many of the players know each other. Fans of the respective schools live in close proximity of one another and often work together in the same businesses and schools. The difference that has raised the intensity level is there is something at stake. Seton Hall is riding a winning streak that included recent road wins at NC State, Syracuse and Providence. Talk these days in South Orange is of a possible NCAA bid. Rutgers is coming off a tough loss at Syracuse and is hoping for a gut-check win like they had at home eight days ago against Louisville. Seton Hall-Rutgers is always a rivalry. When something is on the line, like today, it becomes special.
Early in the going the Hall opens an 11-2 lead largely on three treys by Jamar Nutter. The junior guard has been scoring well of late, but on the other end, Quincy Douby, a dangers scorer throughout his Rutgers career, quickly answers with a 7-0 run of his own.
During a time out, there is an announcement of two notable fans in attendance. Ricahard Codey, who just finished a term as interim governor of New Jersey is introduced. A Seton Hall alum, Codey is cheered. Recently elected and sworn in governor John Corzine is also cited. Corzine receives some boos. He’s only been on the job a few weeks but Corzine gets the cold reception probably due to the ever-increasing property taxes in the Garden State.
For the most part, the half is even until the Hall goes on a 17-8 run over the final eight minutes to build a 41-32 lead at the break.
At halftime is a special ceremony to honor the 150th anniversary of Seton Hall University. The arena lights are dimmed and a selected representation of alumni and students enter the floor in blue Seton Hall shirts while carrying lights of the same color. A video presentation highlights the Hall’s beginning, five male students at a school based in Madison, New Jersey (about 10 miles from the current site). The school is named after Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American-born to be canonized as a saint in the Roman Catholic church. After the video, several of those gathered on the floor read tributes about the University. At the end, one or two of the presenters lose themselves in the moment and finish with a “Go Pirates!” exclamation. In all it was a memorable halftime presentation.
The second half saw Seton Hall enjoying a double-digit lead before Rutgers came back. The Scarlet Knights got within one in the waning moments before Kelly Whitney’s two jumpers basically sealed the verdict. Douby led all scorers with 28 points, but in the crucial minutes he came up short. Seton Hall coach Louis Orr constantly switched defenders on Douby for a two-fold purpose, make him earn his points and systematically wear him down by crunch time. It worked, and the Hall had its fifth straight win.
The 73-67 decision saw the Hall paced by Nutter, a solid scorer of late, with 22 points. Whitney added 20, while Donald Copeland had a 12-point effort over the course of a sound Copeland-like 40 minutes.
Seton Hall raised its record to 14-6 (5-3 in the Big East) and Rutgers fell to 13-9. The Scarlet Knights fell to 3-6 in conference, and Gary Waters’ club now to travel to South Bend to face Notre Dame in a must-win situation for both teams.
Following the Hall-Rutgers contest was an officiating assignment at nearby Glen Ridge High School. The level was 8th grade boys travel, but on the sidelines was a familiar face. T.K. Tripucka, who played in the late Seventies at Fordham, was directing the Glen Ridge club. Among those in the stands was Kelly Tripucka, the former Notre Dame star and later a veteran in the NBA.
T.K. played during some lean years at Fordham. The Rams had a number of appearances at Madison Square Garden in those days, but not too many wins nor competitive games. As an alum he’s especially proud of the job Dereck Whittenburg is doing on Rose Hill, and not just on the floor but off of it as a fine representative of the university.
Kelly Tripucka is currently scouting for the New York Knicks. He’s involved in the NBA scouting division. Simply, Tripucka looks at other teams players with the idea of identifying potential free agents or trade possibilities. In today’s NBA, that part of the job can be as crucial as scouting future prospects on the college or European levels. Tripucka was especially pleased with the Knicks adding Jalen Rose to their roster.
“Getting a good experienced player should help,” he said. “Right now it’s important (for the Knicks) to get wins. The team needs to win games, and a successful team in New York is good for the league.”
Prior to coming to the Knicks, Tripucka spent several years as a television analyst for college games. His most fond memories came from the years of working the Patriot League. “I loved the league,” he said. “I think those players can teach these kids (8th graders) a lot about the game. In the Patriot you had guys who would not go to the next level except an occasional diamond in the rough. But the Patriot (league) players approached the game in a way a lot of players at higher level schools could certainly learn from.”
On the Baseline: The Seton Hall cheerleaders were coming off a regional cheer title they won a day ago in Camden, N.J. Still, the only thing on the minds of co-captains Colleen Burns and Aurie Hader was the rivalry with Rutgers. Burns, a sophomore, hails from Sayreville, N.J. (definitely Scarlet Knight territory). “It’s such a big game,” she said, “the fans are really into it and you can feel the energy from the stands when you are on the court.” Hader, a freshman from Jackson, N.J., was impressed by the entire scenario and the crowd of 12,583. “This is something,” she said, “nothing in high school compares to this.”
Especially when your school gets the W.
