The Scarlet Spotlight

The Scarlet Spotlight is pumped to be joined by Rutgers men's basketball head coach Steve Pikiell for Episode 66. The 5th year head coach's third appearance on the podcast was his most confident to date, as he looked back at the '19-'20 season (which Danny believes ended the NCAA drought), discussed offseason COVID-19 protocols and ran through his roster player-by-player. Pikiell also touched on the social justice action that his team has taken since the spring. He mentioned the idea of a RAC without fans and how the Scarlet Knights will look to respond to Top 25 expectations in 2020-2021. In the Scarlet Six, Danny and Jon talk about Greg Schiano's roster, the Rutgers football depth chart, eligibility votes for winter athletes and the next podcast episode.

Learn more and stay up to date at thescarletspotlight.com Email - [email protected] Join the Facebook Group - The Scarlet Spotlight Follow the show on Twitter - @scarletspotRU Instagram - @thescarletspotlight/ Follow Danny Breslauer on Twitter: @DannyBreslauer Follow Jon Newman on Twitter: @jonnew

The Scarlet Spotlight is pleased to be joined by former Rutgers football wide receiver and athletic administrator, and current NJCU athletic director Shawn Tucker. The 2007 RU graduate discusses his time On the Banks under Greg Schiano, including an emotional 2006 season when he missed most of the historic run following a broken ankle. Tucker also touches on his work at NJCU as an AD, and how he's addressing the current social climate with his colleagues and the athletes in his programs. After the interview, Danny and Jon take a chunk of time to cover the Big Ten's decision to start the football season on October 24 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and the implications for the University, the conference and the NCAA.

Learn more and stay up to date at thescarletspotlight.com Email - [email protected] Join the Facebook Group - The Scarlet Spotlight Follow the show on Twitter - @scarletspotRU Instagram - @thescarletspotlight/ Follow Danny Breslauer on Twitter: @DannyBreslauer Follow Jon Newman on Twitter: @jonnew

The Scarlet Spotlight is happy to be joined by The Star Ledger, NJ Advance Media & NJ.com's Keith Sargeant and James Kratch for what would have been our Rutgers football preseason roundtable. Instead, Sarge, Kratch, Danny and Jon discuss the Big Ten's decision/vote to postpone the fall season, the future of the Rutgers athletic department, Greg Schiano, the national college football media, winter sports decisions, eligibility, the NCAA Power 5, OPRAs and more! The NJ.com duo even provides insight into what their jobs might look like this fall.

Learn more and stay up to date at thescarletspotlight.com Email - [email protected] Join the Facebook Group - The Scarlet Spotlight Follow the show on Twitter - @scarletspotRU Instagram - @thescarletspotlight/ Follow Danny Breslauer on Twitter: @DannyBreslauer Follow Jon Newman on Twitter: @jonnew

The Scarlet Spotlight is happy to be joined by The Boston Sports Journal's Greg Bedard for Episode 63 of the podcast. Bedard is a Rutgers alumnus who played for the RU baseball program before shifting to a role at The Daily Targum. In his two-decade sports journalism career, he has covered iconic coaches, players and franchises in the NFL, including Nick Saban with the Miami Dolphins, Brett Favre with the Green Bay Packers and Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots. Bedard shared stories about all of those experiences, as well as Belichick's affinity for Rutgers players. He noted the difficulties of navigating a tumultuous time for employment in the field, and dove into what 2020 NFL training camp will feel like for him. After the interview, Danny and Jon jump into the Big Ten's postponement of the football season, media coverage of pandemic-related decisions and the future of the show if there are no games to talk about.

Learn more and stay up to date at thescarletspotlight.com Email - [email protected] Join the Facebook Group - The Scarlet Spotlight Follow the show on Twitter - @scarletspotRU Instagram - @thescarletspotlight/ Follow Danny Breslauer on Twitter: @DannyBreslauer Follow Jon Newman on Twitter: @jonnew

The Scarlet Spotlight is thrilled to be joined by former Rutgers All-American basketball player Roy Hinson for Episode 62 of the podcast. Hinson, who is second all-time in blocks in RU history, led the Scarlet Knights to the 1983 NCAA Tournament (their last win in the NCAAs) as Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. He discussed his path to Piscataway, which included time in Trenton, Princeton and Franklin, as well as why he never expected a life in basketball. Hinson then dives into his time as a player in the NBA, which spanned 8 years and more than 7,000 points, as well as an appearance in the 1986 Slam Dunk Contest. He also touches on his current job with the National Basketball Players Association as a Senior Regional Director in Florida, advising players on financial strategy. Before and after the interview, Danny and Jon run through feedback on the Gov. Murphy episode, recap the Hinson interview and discuss the quarantine of the Rutgers football program after 10 positive COVID-19 tests in detail.

Learn more and stay up to date at thescarletspotlight.com Email - [email protected] Join the Facebook Group - The Scarlet Spotlight Follow the show on Twitter - @scarletspotRU Instagram - @thescarletspotlight/ Follow Danny Breslauer on Twitter: @DannyBreslauer Follow Jon Newman on Twitter: @jonnew

The Scarlet Spotlight is honored to be joined by the Governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, for Episode 61 of the podcast. The Governor discussed the multi-faceted approach to the COVID-19 pandemic in NJ, including testing, tracing and phased reopenings of businesses and schools. He discussed the future of athletics crowds in 2020-2021, athletics quarantine exemptions, Rutgers' overall campus reopening plan, social justice protests, Greg Schiano, marijuana legalization and his presidentially-endorsed infrastructure project. After the interview, Danny and Jon recap the discussion, touch on their thoughts about playing college sports this year at all, and note the financial impact of potential cancellations.

The Scarlet Spotlight is happy to be joined by Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano for Episode 60 of the podcast. Schiano returned to Piscataway in December, nearly eight years after leaving RU for the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Schiano discusses the process that led to his return, what operating his program remotely has been like during the COVID-19 pandemic, the #Chop4Change initiative for Black Lives Matter and more. After the interview, Danny and Jon get into what college sports might look like in 2020-2021, and highlight a huge commitment for Rutgers wrestling.

Learn more and stay up to date at thescarletspotlight.com Email - [email protected] Join the Facebook Group - The Scarlet Spotlight Follow the show on Twitter - @scarletspotRU Instagram - @thescarletspotlight/ Follow Danny Breslauer on Twitter: @DannyBreslauer Follow Jon Newman on Twitter: @jonnew

The Scarlet Spotlight is excited to be joined by one of the greats in Rutgers men's soccer history, Alexi Lalas. The former National Player of the Year at RU discusses his time in New Brunswick and Piscataway, his path to the United States National Team and experiences overseas. Lalas also touches on his time as a soccer executive and broadcaster, while providing insight into the return of Bundesliga to FOX Sports post COVID-19. He analyzes the current state of U.S. soccer, while also commenting on current events. After the interview, Danny and Jon give a full breakdown of Rutgers Athletics' statements about racial injustice and police brutality, as well as their own longform thoughts following George Floyd's murder.

Learn more and stay up to date at thescarletspotlight.com Email - [email protected] Join the Facebook Group - The Scarlet Spotlight Follow the show on Twitter - @scarletspotRU Instagram - @thescarletspotlight/ Follow Danny Breslauer on Twitter: @DannyBreslauer Follow Jon Newman on Twitter: @jonnew

The Scarlet Spotlight is happy to be joined by Rutgers alumnus and the Voice of Army Athletics, Rich DeMarco, for Episode 58 of the podcast. DeMarco, who served as WRSU sports director and worked at WCTC after graduation, discusses his career progression -- which involved seminal moments at RU in the classroom and calling the 1998 Big East men's basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden. DeMarco conveys the importance of covering Army/Navy football, and having a connection to the service academy that has superseded that of his connection to his alma mater. In the Scarlet Six, Danny and Jon go over Greg Schiano's May burst in Rutgers football recruiting, post COVID-19 plans from other Big Ten schools and more.

Learn more and stay up to date at thescarletspotlight.com Email - [email protected] Join the Facebook Group - The Scarlet Spotlight Follow the show on Twitter - @scarletspotRU Instagram - @thescarletspotlight/ Follow Danny Breslauer on Twitter: @DannyBreslauer Follow Jon Newman on Twitter: @jonnew

The Scarlet Spotlight is excited to collaborate with The RU Screw Podcast for a special, two-hour edition of the show. This episode was a live Twitter broadcast on Mon. May 11, 2020. Guests on our Zoom included: former Rutgers men's basketball head coach Bob Wenzel, former RU football players Eric LeGrand, Devin McCourty & Jason McCourty, and RU alumna radio host Carla Marie. Danny and Jon are joined by Adam Helfgott, Max Scheiner and Mike Vorkunov as hosts.

If you can contribute to our fundraising initiative for Middlesex County Food Bank (MCFOODS) & #FeedRVillage for meals for healthcare workers, you can do so at this link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/RUScrewPod-ScarletSpotlight-Covid19

Learn more and stay up to date at thescarletspotlight.com Email - [email protected] Join the Facebook Group - The Scarlet Spotlight Follow the show on Twitter - @scarletspotRU Instagram - @thescarletspotlight/ Follow Danny Breslauer on Twitter: @DannyBreslauer Follow Jon Newman on Twitter: @jonnew