Myles Mack
Photo by Jim Redman
After landing a trio of long, talented forwards during the month of August, Rutgers head coach Mike Rice started September by adding a point guard to the mix.
St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) senior Myles Mack became the Scarlet Knights' fourth 2011 verbal commitment Wednesday.
"Rutgers was the right place for me because it is close to home, my family and friends can see me play," Mack said. "Plus, I had a great bond with the coaches."
Mack is MaxPreps.com's No. 60 overall prospect in the 2011 class. As a junior at Paterson Catholic (Paterson, N.J.), the 5-foot-9, 160-pound floor general averaged 14.8 points, 2.9 assists, 2.8 steals and 2.4 rebounds per game. The Cougars went 28-1 but the school closed at the end of the 2009-10 academic year, forcing Mack's relocation to St. Anthony.
Rice was hired by Rutgers in May and caught fire on the recruiting trail last month by securing the services of South Kent School (South Kent, Conn.) teammates Kadeem Jack and Derrick Randall, as well as Malick Kone of Blue Ridge (St. George, Va.).
"Coach Rice and I have a great relationship," Mack said. "He is an energetic guy and so am I, so we've had a great bond since Day One. I used to talk to him while he was at Robert Morris and it carried over to Rutgers."
Randall was also a member of Paterson Catholic's nationally-ranked team last year.
"It had a big impact on me that Derrick Randall committed there," Mack said. "We are very close and wanted to play together."
With his college decision out of the way, the newest Scarlet Knight will turn his attention toward the upcoming season with Bob Hurley's St. Anthony program. Expectations are always high at the Jersey City powerhouse, but were heightened for 2010-11 with the arrival of Mack and fellow Paterson Catholic transplant Kyle Anderson.
"Our goals for the upcoming year are an undefeated season and possibly national champions," Mack said.
