Rutgers-Seton Hall basketball banquet returns; set for Dec. 9
After a well-received debut last December, the pregame banquet celebrating the Rutgers-Seton Hall men's basketball rivalry is back for a second edition.
The gala featuring eight former players — four from Rutgers, four from Seton Hall — will take place Friday, Dec. 9, 7-11 p.m. at Mamma Vittoria restaurant in Nutley, two days before the rivals meet on the hardwood in Piscataway. The “RU-SHU Hoops Banquet,” is organized by The Front Office, a hardwood events group and features Fox Sports play-by-play voice John Fanta as the emcee. The Boardwalk Trophy also will be in attendance.
Below are the former players participating in the panel discussion, which will be moderated by Fanta and longtime college basketball writer Jerry Carino and open to questions from audience:
Dan Callandrillo: The pride of North Bergen was Big East Player of the Year and a third-team AP All-American in 1981-82 after averaging 25.8 points per game for Seton Hall. He scored 1,985 collegiate points.
Hollis Copeland: The Ewing native helped Rutgers reach the 1976 Final Four and compiled 1,769 points and 850 rebounds over four years. An honorable mention All-American, he played two seasons with the Knicks.
Bryan Caver: Filling in for John Morton, who fell under the weather 48 hours before the banquet, Caver was the point guard on Seton Hall's 1993 Big East title team and played in four NCAA Tournaments.
Rick Dadika: The Milltown resident scored 14 points, including the game-clinching 3-pointer, in Rutgers’ epic victory over Penn State in the 1989 Atlantic 10 Tournament final. His son Jake later played for the Scarlet Knights.
Jerry Walker: The St. Anthony High School legend was Big East Defensive Player of the Year as a Seton Hall forward in 1993 and the leader of the Pirates’ conference championship squad that season.
Geo Baker: The beloved guard ranks among Rutgers’ all-time leaders in points (1,654, eighth), assists (496, second) and steals (180, fourth). He scored the game-clinching bucket in the 2021 NCAA Tournament win over Clemson.
Ike Obiagu: Seton Hall’s all-time leader in blocked shots with 206, the 7-foot-2 Obiagu helped the Pirates win a share of the 2020 Big East regular-season title and was named Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2021.
Austin Johnson: A Rutgers center from 2010-13, the Blair Academy grad is now the analyst for the Scarlet Knights’ radio broadcasts and just made his television debut calling games on the Big Ten Network.
Tickets cost $79 and include a family-style Italian dinner and drinks (alcohol and soft drinks). They can be purchased at http://shorturl.at/deghj.
For more information, email event co-director Pat Lawless at PatLawlessBasketball@gmail.com.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Rutgers-Seton Hall basketball banquet returns 2022
