Rutgers basketball: Paul Mulcahy, gifted Gill St. Bernard's playmaker, commits

It’s been years, seemingly ages, since the Rutgers men's basketball program featured a pass-first playmaker who improved everyone around him.

That’s going to change.

Paul Mulcahy, a 6-foot-5 court-vision whiz at Gill St. Bernard’s, announced his commitment to the Scarlet Knights Wednesday evening. Although the junior won’t arrive on campus until the fall of 2019, his decision fills a dire need for Rutgers and rewards a dogged recruiting effort by head coach Steve Pikiell.

“They were my first scholarship offer, and they definitely recruited me for the longest and the hardest,” Mulcahy told Gannett New Jersey. “This is a great opportunity for me to be the guy who helps change the idea of what Rutgers is.”

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Mulcahy also was courted by Northwestern, which made a late push, as well as Seton Hall, Boston College, Virginia Tech and other high-majors. Ultimately he was sold on Pikiell’s vision: Putting the ball in his hands as the program’s point guard from day one.

“I play for my teammates, and I take great pride in that,” Mulcahy said of his unselfish style. “I do think it’s a skill that a lot of people don’t have — that feel for the game, putting people in the right position.”

The first member of Rutgers' 2019 recruiting class, Mulcahy's pledge becomes iron clad once he signs a National Letter of Intent, which he can in November. Barring unforeseen defections — college basketball is transfer-land, after all — he will assume the controls of a deep, promising backcourt that includes Geo Baker, Montez Mathis, Jacob Young, Peter Kiss and Caleb McConnell. Baker, who showed great promise as a freshman combo guard this past winter, played a big role in luring Mulcahy.

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“He’s one of the only kids from any program that reached out to me (during the recruiting process),” Mulcahy said. “We talked a lot, and not just about basketball. That’s what I want to be surrounded by — good people.”

Mulcahy, who lives in Bayonne, averaged 17.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game as Gill St. Bernard’s went 24-5 against a quality schedule this past season.

“He’s a very good get for Rutgers, the kind of kid they’ve got to get,” said NJHoops.com publisher Jay Gomes, New Jersey’s top hardwood talent evaluator. “He’s a unique kind of player. Pikiell could play him as a point guard or a point forward.”

Gomes referred to Mulcahy as “a good team guy” who could help Rutgers’ recruiting efforts going forward.

“He’s the kind of kid other kids want to play with, so I think he’ll help them in that respect, too,” Gomes said. “He’ll try to get other Jersey kids there, saying, ‘We can do something here.’”

Mulcahy is rated at three stars by Rivals and 247 Sports, which rank him at 137 and 171, respectively, in the Class of 2019. Interestingly, one site lists him as a small forward and the other as a shooting guard — evidence of his unique versatility.

“He wants to be with a coach who will put him in a position to live with some freshman mistakes,” Gill St. Bernard’s coach Mergin Sina said. “Pikiell has seen him enough to know the good and the bad. That’s what you want. You want someone who knows exactly what they’re getting.”

The idea of being “that guy” who stays local to help rebuild Rutgers isn’t for everyone. Mulcahy, who just turned 18, embraces it.

“That’s a challenge, of course, but I know who I am and I know I’m going into a great situation, with coaches I trust,” he said. “I definitely want to leave a legacy wherever I go.”

Jerry Carino’s Three Thoughts

1. Mulcahy is underrated by the national scouting websites. His on-ball defense is a concern, and his outside shot is a work in progress, though it has improved. But intangibles don’t always surface on the AAU and weekend-showcase circuit. Mulcahy has shined brightest in big games where the team concept is emphasized, and that should translate to the next level. Plus he might continue to grow; his mother is six feet tall.

2. Pikiell is hitting stride as a recruiter. In his first year at Rutgers, he had some near misses at priority targets like New York City point guard Jose Alvarado (Georgia Tech) and twins Cody and Caleb Martin (Nevada). For the 2018 class he prioritized Mathis and landed him; ditto for Mulcahy in 2019. Credit also to assistant Jay Young, whom Mulcahy praised. He was well aware that Young still speaks with former Stony Brook superstar Jameel Warney most days; that’s the type of relationship he envisions building with Rutgers’s coaches.

3. What’s next on Rutgers’ recruiting radar? Unless a postgrad point guard somehow materializes, it looks like the ever-valuable Baker will handle that role next season as a placeholder for Mulcahy. With plenty of guards in the pipeline now, the onus will be on landing a big man (a face-up four is the priority) and a wing shooter (Rutgers is one of several schools targeting 2019 standout Aundre Hyatt, who could reclassify to 2018). Pikiell has one open scholarship for next season, and he’s not averse to rolling it over.

Postscript: News of Mulcahy's impending commitment was first reported by Piratcrew.com's Treasure Trove.

Staff writer Jerry Carino: jcarino@gannettnj.com.