Last week, Rutgers commit Paul Mulcahy officially became a Scarlet Knight by signing his N.L.I. The Gill St. Bernard's (NJ) senior is Rutgers' only 2019 commitment as of now, but that doesn't take away from how impactful of a get it is for the program. Mulcahy has the talent to play major minutes when he arrives his freshman year and could help create a winning tradition. He spoke with HG Insider on what it meant to sign his N.L.I. and what his future holds at Rutgers.
Q: What impact do you hope to make at Rutgers?
A: “I just want to have a positive impact on the program and school. I really just want to help the team win and win at a high rate. I've set a lot of goals for myself in order to accomplish that.”
Q: Describe the feeling of finally signing your NLI to Rutgers. What are some of the first feelings that came to mind?
A: “It's a relief, when I first committed last school year it was an awesome feeling. That feeling still hasn't changed but, it was nice to make everything official in front of my friends, family and school.
Q: Looking at the way they play now, where do you see yourself fitting in?
A: “The ball is really starting to move a lot more this year and I feel like I can add a lot to that. Also, I think that I can help on the defensive side by being a versatile defender guarding one through four. I've been trying to go to as many games as possible to learn more and more about what works and what doesn't.”
Q: You took a different path than most, in the final days of making your decision. What made you realize Rutgers was home?
A: “I'm not “trying” to be different, I'm being myself. I know my big picture and that's key for me. I knew in my heart that I wanted to be a part of Rutgers and they believed in me more than any other school. During the recruiting process I learned that “fit” is more important than the “name.” More and more kids are starting to realize that too now. Rutgers is family to me, and they've been for a while.”
Q: What are some of your goals when you get there in terms of changing the culture and moving the program in the right direction?
A: “I'm a big goal setter. I set short term, long term, personal and team goals. With all respect I like to keep that stuff to myself. I'll always set my goals high though, higher than most in my opinion. Like I said before I just want to help add to the program on and off the court. The entire coaching staff and team are doing a great job right now with “changing the culture” and I think people are slowly starting to notice that.”
Watch Paul Mulcahy and Gill St Bernads at Hoop Group's NJ Tip Off December 14-16
