It's fertile, but there are a lot more programs in the area that will be fighting for those recruits, and Rutgers isn't at the top of that food chain. Programs like UConn and Syracuse would still get top billing, and then you have programs such as Seton Hall, Providence, Georgetown, Maryland, etc. that still historically carry more weight than a Rutgers would. And that doesn't include the more national type programs like the Duke's of the world that come up there to take the elite players. Meanwhile, Florida may not have the quantity (ignoring IMG and Montverde) that the NYC to DC stretch has, but if locking down in-state talent is your goal, you really are only fighting with Florida and Florida St. outside of the odd Vernon Carey-type recruit where the blue bloods would be coming down here. That would require us to actually go after local kids, but that is for another thread.
Until last season, the last time Rutgers even had a winning record in conference play was 1991 (that was also the last time they made the NCAAT). Miami has 9 NCAAT appearances and 10 seasons having a winning record in conference play during that time frame.
There are reasons to stay at Rutgers opposed to going to Miami if you are Pikiell - he's a Northeast guy with Northeast connections, he has a more established roster currently at Rutgers, and he doesn't want to take over what is currently a mess when he is just in the process of getting a program that was an even bigger mess to respectability. But on a macro level, it has been much easier for a coach to win it at Miami than at Rutgers. ****, Perry Clark and Frank Haith accomplished more at Miami than any Rutgers coach of the past 30 years did until Pikiell arrived.
