Muscle Down Front

I will candidly admit that I like old-style, blue-collar basketball. Forget the three-point shot. Give me the big men battling down low underneath the basket, where men are men and it isn’t a foul unless it draws blood. 

              Perhaps the epitome of the Beef Underneath principle were the 2001-2002 Rutgers Scarlet Knights. If you had walked into a practice session, you might have thought that the football team had a scrimmage game going just for fun. 

              In fact, one of the Knights’ basketball players did make the roster of the NFL’s Houston Texans for two seasons. Rashod Kent stood 6-6 and weighed in at 265 pounds, and it appeared that most of that weight was in his massive biceps and shoulders. When he slammed home a dunk, the entire arena seemed to vibrate. Add to that the ferocious scowl that normally adorned his face, and he was a fearsome figure in the low post. 

              However, Kent was not the biggest player in the Knights’ rotation that season. Kareem Wright stood in at 6-9 and 270 pounds, also with biceps that appeared to be bigger than my thighs. A good portion of the time, Wright and Kent would be in the line-up together, and opposing players tiptoed into the lane at their own risk. Add to them a couple of other players in the rotation who were at least 6-8 and 225 pounds, and the Scarlet Knights fully qualified as a physical, intimidating team. 

              The Rutgers Athletic Center (recently renamed Jersey Mike’s Arena) has since 1977 been one of the toughest home venues in the country. Even when the Knights were not having a good season, the crowd would be large and LOUD. The steep, V-shaped construction of the seating funnels the sound back down to the court and creates a daunting home-court advantage. I have read that the decibel level during a game is as loud as an airplane taking off fifty yards from you. 

              The Scarlet Knights have not been a great basketball program overall. They made the NCAA tournament this past season for the first time since 1991. However, they are a fun team to root for – if you like blue-collar basketball, black and blue basketball - and I do.