Rutgers basketball: PJ Hayes, 'shot-maker,' is opening eyes

PISCATAWAY – During Rutgers basketball’s Sept. 28 intrasquad scrimmage, many fans took note of the sweet bounce pass freshman center Lathan Sommerville threw to cutting teammate PJ Hayes for an open layup.

Watching a replay of the scrimmage in Minnesota, Hayes’ father fixated on the layup.

“Why didn’t you dunk that one?” Pat Hayes asked his 6-foot-6 son the next day.

It should be noted: Pat Hayes is not a typical basketball dad. He coached PJ for four years at Waconia High School and played collegiately at the Division 2 level.

PJ also played D-2 ball, for three years at Black Hills State in South Dakota. His father asked about dunking not because he wanted his son to wow the crowd, but because he knows that once the Big Ten curtain rises in two months, a defender with pogo-stick ups might swoop in and send that layup into the seats.

“These guys are going to be coming a lot quicker than at Black Hills,” Pat Hayes told P.J.

There was not much to nitpick about his son’s performance in the scrimmage. The postgrad wing made all three of his shot attempts, including two 3-pointers that showcased his quick release. He moved the ball well and even defended superstar freshman Ace Bailey serviceably, at one point stripping the future NBA Draft lottery pick as he drove the lane.

But the father-son exchange sheds a little light into how Hayes climbed the hardwood ladder, from D-2 standout to mid-major contributor at San Diego to a key rotation piece for the Scarlet Knights’ highly anticipated 2024-25 campaign. He sweats the small stuff.

Hayes was the last player added to Rutgers’ roster this past offseason, but he will not be the last player on the bench. As the preseason unfolds, he’s probably the biggest surprise.

“His story is kind of unique,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said. “A lot of people didn’t believe in him early on in his career, and he continues to get better.”

'I take everything seriously'

Hayes scored nearly 2,000 points at Waconia, and he also played soccer.

“We knew he could catch a ball, so we recruited him to play goalie,” Waconia soccer coach T.J. Seim said.

Because Waconia boasted an all-state goalkeeper, Hayes mostly sat the bench. He stuck with it regardless, and this past August, Seim invited him to address the current Waconia team during preseason camp. The school doesn’t produce a whole lot of Division 1 athletes, and Hayes had an important message to share.

“He talked to them about being a good teammate,” Seim said. “No matter what your role is, you’ve got to play your role.”

Hayes made the most of his role last winter at San Diego, averaging 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.

“He’s got as quick of a release as any player that we’ve had here,” Pikiell said. “And he makes shots. We have shot-takers in the past; he’s a shot maker.”

Pikiell brought Hayes here for his shooting. What he didn’t anticipate, really couldn’t, was just how hard Hayes would work. He’s lost 20 pounds since arriving on campus in June and routinely leads wind sprints in practice.

“I realize I’m not the most athletic guy, I’m not the fastest guy, I’m not the strongest guy,” Hayes said. “For me to be a player on this team, I’ve got to go above and beyond. I’ve got to show I’m 100 percent in. I take everything seriously.”

He added: “I have to run, I have to sprint corners, I have to rebound – in order to do that I have to be in great shape. I’ve got a lot to prove, a lot to show, and me being in great condition is a big part of that.”

Back home, reading about his son leading the wind sprints, Pat Hayes was not surprised.

“He understands the opportunity he has at Rutgers is not anything that’s going to be given,” Pat said. “It has to be earned.”

Doing the right thing

While Hayes has played catch-up in the fitness department, he’s ahead of just about all of his teammates as a shooter.

“We always stressed having your feet set and having your hands set so you don’t take forever to shoot it,” Pat Hayes said. “He put a lot of work into it.”

PJ’s form is impeccable, and he brings a skill that has been missing from this program for a number of years – the shot fake. He nearly sent Bailey flying into the stands with one during a practice last month.

“Part of that is just being a solid shooter,” he said. “Just the threat of me getting the shot off is enough, I don’t even really have to pump fake at all, I’ve just got to look. With as quick as I shoot, it’s hard to stop me from shooting it.”

Like any coach’s son, Hayes will do things that don’t make the box score. In the intrasquad scrimmage there was one half-court sequence when Pikiell was trying to direct the ball to an open Dylan Harper. A fellow guard instead forced it to Hayes, who then zipped it to Harper, who missed his open shot.

No assist went into the book, but a certain coach/dad in Minnesota noticed.

“You did the right thing,” Pat Hayes told his son. “Keep doing that.”

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: PJ Hayes, 'shot-maker,' is opening eyes