Paul Mulcahy

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Photography: 
Joshua Ni

With his pass-first mentality, knack for the game, and considerable size and talent, first-year point guard Paul Mulcahy may provide the answer to a burning question for the Scarlet Knights men’s basketball team. Who, finally, is going to dish the ball to a team of young, talented players capable of putting up some big numbers? A heralded four-year high school player at Gill St. Bernard’s, the 6-6 Mulcahy, an ESPN Top-100 high school recruit, learned early on the value of passing the ball: during pickup games in his native Bayonne, New Jersey, the older players would choose the kid for their team only if they knew he would feed them the ball. “That’s where I learned to pass,” he told  NJ.com. “I was always looking to pass to the big guys because they picked me.” Last season, Rutgers (14-17, 7-13 Big Ten) played three juniors, four sophomores, and four first-year players. Mulcahy feels he’ll have  the chance to make an impact. “The biggest reason I picked Rutgers was the timing,” says Mulcahy, who some are calling one of the most important Rutgers recruits ever. “Rutgers is doing a lot of things that I’m excited about. I think it’s cool that everyone  is going to be around the same age.”