Rutgers-Seton Hall women's hoops: Charise Wilson's commitment flip could have ramifications

A graduate transfer signing with the Seton Hall University women's basketball team, then flipping to Rutgers days later, could have ramifications for the future of the series between the in-state rivals.

On April 25, Seton Hall sent out a news release stating the women's basketball team had signed University of Rhode Island graduate transfer Charise Wilson to a grant-in-aid agreement for her final season of eligibility in 2018-19.

"We talk all the time about having the best players from New York and New Jersey in our program, and this is yet another example of that," Seton Hall coach Tony Bozzella said in the release. "Charise is a terrific basketball player and more importantly, a wonderful young lady from Long Island who we are extremely excited to bring home for her final year."

Keep in mind that only incoming freshmen sign binding National Letters of Intent. The grant-in-aid scholarship paperwork Wilson signed was nonbinding.

On Saturday, Wilson tweeted out two pictures of herself in a Rutgers uniform, indicating she had committed to Hall of Fame head coach C. Vivian Stringer and the Scarlet Knights.

On Wednesday, Rutgers sent out a news release to announce the additions of Wilson and Israeli guard Noga Peleg.

“Charise is a Rutgers type guard with superb skills,” Stringer said in the release. “She is lightning quick, her ball-handling skills are outstanding, she can shoot the three, as well as drive and get to the rim. In talking with everyone who has ever coached her, there’s nothing but praise and respect."

It's not unusual for a recruit to switch commitments, but to do so less than two weeks after the first school announced the signing is practically unheard of.

The addition is significant. Wilson averaged 17.0 points, 3.7 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game over the course of her career at Rhode Island. In November she racked up a program-record 38 points against Stanford.

The details as to how Wilson committed to Seton Hall, signed paperwork, then flipped and did the same thing with the in-state rival is up for interpretation, but either way, there could be repercussions.

Gannett New Jersey has learned that this may interrupt the Rutgers-Seton Hall series. The current home-and-home deal will conclude next season, with nothing agreed upon or signed beyond next season. Rutgers and Seton Hall have met 46 times, with the Scarlet Knights holding a 36-10 advantage, including a 70-45 decision at the RAC on Dec. 8.

The series had been one-sided for more than a decade before Tony Bozzella arrived at his alma mater for the 2013-14 season. Since then, the Pirates are 2-4 against the Scarlet Knights. That includes a 91-79 double-overtime loss in the third round of the 2014 WNIT, and a first-round loss in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

Seton Hall's last win in the series came via a 77-49 decision on Nov. 16, 2015, at Walsh Gymnasium.

The women's rivalry has not enjoyed the same longevity, or ferocity, of the men. On that side, the Pirates hold a 39-30 advantage in a series that dates to 1916, but got a shot in the arm when Rutgers joined the Big East in 1996.

The men's programs recently signed a contract to extend the annual Garden State Hardwood Classic six more years, through 2026. The original eight-year deal runs through 2020.

Staff Writer Josh Newman: jnewman@app.com