Rutgers Women's Basketball coach Coquese Washington talks new GM Rob Sullivan
Both Rutgers Men’s and Women’s Basketball have tipped off their respective seasons, and just in time for a new – and sorely needed – executive member of the program.
The Scarlet Knights introduced Rob Sullivan as the General Manager on October 31st, and got his official start in his new role on Monday, following over a decade with Saint Joseph’s (Pa.) in a litany of roles, including a playing career under coach Phil Martelli from 2003-06.
Over the last two seasons, Sullivan had worked as the General Manager for the Hawks, and now comes to Rutgers to fulfill that same role. Though working in the ever-changing landscape of college basketball, what will that role be?
What will Sullivan’s role look like?
“We’ve had a couple of conversations, he’s been here about 15 minutes now,” Scarlet Knights head coach Coquese Washington joked at her weekly media availability Tuesday. “I think his role is multifaceted. [He] certainly will help with roster management in this era of revenue sharing, NIL, and all that kind of stuff.”
The program has described Sullivan’s role as follows:
“In his role, Sullivan oversees strategic and operational initiatives that support both programs, including Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) strategy, alumni and donor engagement, game scheduling, and branding. He works closely with head women’s basketball coach Coquese Washington and head men’s basketball coach Steve Pikiell to further enhance infrastructure and elevate the student-athlete experience across both programs.“
The added intrigue for Sullivan is his involvement with both programs. In Hawk Hill, Sullivan worked solely with the men’s program, but at Rutgers, he will be working as the General Manager for both the men’s and women’s basketball programs. That role has looked different at nearly every basketball program in the country that has one, so the Scarlet Knights will also be learning on the fly, in a sense.
“In some ways, there’s no blueprint for this position,” Washington added. “So it’s definitely going to be one that, as we go along and see what ways he can be impactful for us, those duties will align with what our needs are as the position grows.”
Sullivan outlined his own responsibilities in his introduction to Rutgers.
“In this new era of college athletics, I’m all-in and fully understand the importance that NIL plays in the recruitment and retention of players and crafting a roster for success and sustainability,” he said in a release. “I want to be a resource for Coach Washington and Coach Pikiell to win games, and I know how crucial revenue share and NIL directly impact the team’s success on the court.”
How will Rutgers balance its two programs for one GM?
Given the added twist of working with both programs, it could be easy to see how one could be prioritized over the other, but it is clear from the start of Sullivan’s tenure that the two programs have, and will continue to, work together.
“Steve [Pikiell] and I have a great working relationship,” Washington said. “Our offices are right next door to each other. We see each other all the time. We’re big supporters of each other. And so Rob’s role, working with both programs, is going to be doing what both programs need in that space. So I don’t see there being any kind of issues at all, because our needs are aligned in this GM space.”
Sullivan appears up for that task, particularly standing out to the top of the Scarlet Knights’ athletic department.
“There’s no level of training and things that need to take place,” Athletic Director Keli Zinn said on The Knight Report Podcast. “He was already accustomed to the space. He knew exactly what was expected of the role and had a really good, detailed plan as to how he was going to get there.”
One of the biggest musings of the entire General Manager position over the last year — echoed by Pikiell and Washington — was that the Scarlet Knights were falling behind without one.
“Three years ago was the timeline,” Pikiell quipped during his September media day press conference.
That was a sentiment Washington not only wholly agreed with, but joined her coaching counterpart in supporting.
“Absolutely,” she said candidly. “Steve and I were lockstep in that, like, we need that position. It’s been a long time coming. It’s been a lot of discussions behind the scenes for some years about that position. So to finally have Rob in the building and at work means a lot, and we want him to hit the ground running and get to work for us because we need it.”
Both Rutgers basketball programs have two wins early on in the campaign.
💬 Wondering what other Rutgers fans are saying?
Head to The Round Table and jump into the discussion →
