Rutgers basketball adds PJ Hayes, transfer wing from San Diego

Rutgers basketball’s 12^th, and possibly final, addition to its 2024-25 roster is a shooter on a meteoric rise through the collegiate ranks.

PJ Hayes, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound transfer wing from San Diego, has committed to the Scarlet Knights for his fifth season.

Here are three things to know about Hayes, who is the program’s fourth transfer commitment this spring.

1. He played three years of Division 2 ball

Hayes hails from Minnesota’s Waconia High School, where he scored nearly 2,000 points and played goalkeeper on the soccer team. His first three collegiate seasons took place at Division 2 Black Hills State University in South Dakota. There, he averaged 8.0 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 42.8 percent from 3-point range. He helped the Yellow Jackets reach the Division 2 Final Four twice.

Side note: Hayes also plays piano and ukelele.

2. He transitioned well to Division 1

In one season at San Diego, Hayes averaged 10.5 points and 3.1 boards in 25 minutes while shooting 39.7 percent from 3-point range and .791 from the free-throw line. He was clearly cast as a 3-point specialist, with a whopping 75 percent of his field goal attempts coming from beyond the arc.

San Diego finished 18-15 overall and 7-9 in the West Coast Conference. Hayes’ most notable game was a 23-point, six-rebound effort in a win over Arizona State (he shot 5-of-12 from 3-point range and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line). In two contests against Gonzaga he averaged 10.5 points and 1.7 boards while shooting 3-of-13 from deep.

3. He fills a need

Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell stated priorities when attacking the transfer portal this spring were experience and shooting. Here’s how his four imports stack up there:

PJ Hayes, fifth-year wing, shot .397 from deep and .791 from the stripe in 2023-24

Zach Martini, fifth-year forward (.385, .833)

Tyson Acuff, fifth-year guard (.292, .811).

Jordan Derkack, rising junior guard (.275, .724)

So Pikiell clearly checked the boxes for free-throw shooting and experience, but you can see the need to bring in Hayes from a 3-point shooting perspective. Deep threats come at a premium in the portal; Rutgers already tried to land Long Beach State guard Jadon Jones (.377, .852) but lost out to Oklahoma.

Rutgers’ 2024-25 roster projection

Here is an approximate depth chart with one open scholarship, which may or may not get filled. If it does, it’s more likely to be from the high-school ranks or overseas than the transfer portal.

Guards (5): Dylan Harper, Jeremiah Williams, Jordan Derkack, Tyson Acuff, Jamichael Davis

Wings (2): Ace Bailey, PJ Hayes

Bigs (5): Zach Martini, Lathan Sommerville, Emmanuel Ogbole, Dylan Grant, Bryce Dortch

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 basketball adds PJ Hayes, transfer wing from San Diego