There is quite the lengthy history when it comes to men’s college basketball for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The school has had a men’s basketball team now for well over a century. While there were a lot of lean years recently as they did not reach the NCAA Tournament each year from 1992-2020, things have been improving. They reached the tournament in back-to-back years in 2021 and 2022, reaching the second round in the former. Now the RAC’s excitement level is near all-time highs as Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey will be joining the Scarlet Knights in 2024-25. While many expect them to be one-and-done players before entering the NBA, they are the type of high school prospects that Rutgers is not used to landing.
In the 1975-76 season, Rutgers made their lone Final Four appearance in what was an undefeated regular season. When looking at the Scarlet Knights all-time starting five, two players from that team are listed below, and two just missed out (Eddie Jordan and Hollis Copeland).
Rutgers Men’s Basketball All-Time Starting 5
Guard – Bob Lloyd (1964-65 until 1966-67)
Playing at a time when freshman couldn’t play for the varsity team, Bob Lloyd is arguably the best scorer in Rutgers history. He averaged 25.0 points in 1964-65, 26.5 in 1965-66, and 27.9 in 1966-67. Lloyd’s 26.6 scoring average in 77 career games is easily the highest in school history. Sharing a backcourt with famed future head coach Jim Valvano, Rutgers went a combined 39-14 in his last two years. Lloyd was a consensus First Team All-American in 1966-67.
Guard – Quincy Douby (2003-04 until 2005-06)
The most recent Scarlet Knight to make this all-time team, Quincy Douby had a remarkable junior season in 2005-06. Despite being the main focus of every opponent’s game plan, Douby averaged 25.4 points per contest (sixth in the nation). No one else on Rutgers averaged in double figures. In his freshman year, Rutgers reached the finals of the NIT. The six-foot-three guard shot over 40% from beyond the arc in two of his three years before entering the 2006 NBA Draft.
Forward – Phil Sellers (1972-73 until 1975-76)
Phil Sellers was a consensus Second Team All-American in 1975-76, the season Rutgers reached the Final Four. In his four years with the Scarlet Knights, Sellers averaged 21.0 points and 9.8 rebounds. He averaged a double-double in both his freshman and senior seasons. His 2,399 career points and 1,115 career rebounds are both school records.
Forward – James Bailey (1975-76 until 1978-79)
James Bailey was a freshman on Rutger’s Final Four team. While it was easily his least productive scoring year, he still averaged 7.1 rebounds and 3.0 blocks. He became much more of a scorer in the following three seasons posting a career-high 23.5 scoring average as a junior. His final averages in his four years included 16.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 2.5 blocks.
Center – Roy Hinson (1979-80 until 1982-83)
A shot-blocking menace, Roy Hinson averaged an incredible 4.7 blocks per contest as a senior (single-season record for Rutgers). That year saw him named Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year as he also averaged 16.6 points and 8.6 rebounds. The Scarlet Knights reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament that season. The six-foot-nine center/forward is second in school history with 356 blocks and sixth with 858 rebounds.
