Garden State Hardwood Classic

The ninth installment of the Garden State Hardwood Classic took place on Dec. 9, 2023. Since the creation of the trophy, Seton Hall leads the series, 6-3.

Pirates Celebrate With Garden State Hardwood Classic Trophy

THE TROPHY

Erected on a farm in Cumberland County, N.J. by Colin Pezzano, the 32-inch, 33-pound trophy consists primarily of recycled Asbury Park boardwalk planks that were recovered in the rebuilding process that followed Superstorm Sandy.

The main structure has been carved out to replicate the physical layout of the state of New Jersey and is set in a base that resembles the features of a basketball. The numbers "1916" have been engraved in the wooden structure as well, honoring the year in which the teams first met, while the athletics logos of the respective programs have been included in a position that corresponds to their geographic location.

KC Ndefo dunks the ball at Rutgers

THE MVP AWARD

The Joe Calabrese MVP Award is given to the player of the game on the winning team of the Seton Hall-Rutgers game, and the award is named after the former journalist who passed away in 1999 and was a fixture in New Jersey sports journalism for 38 years. He covered Rutgers for 12 years for the Newark Star-Ledger. Below are the award winners since its inception:

2023-24: Cliff Omoruyi, Rutgers
2022-23: KC Ndefo, Seton Hall
2021-22: Bryce Aiken, Seton Hall
2019-20: Ron Harper, Jr., Rutgers
2018-19: Myles Powell, Seton Hall
2017-18: Corey Sanders, Rutgers
2016-17: Angel Delgado, Seton Hall
2015-16: Angel Delgado, Seton Hall
2014-15: Isaiah Whitehead, Seton Hall
2013-14: Eugene Teague, Seton Hall
2012-13: Austin Johnson, Rutgers
2011-12: Dane Miller, Rutgers
2010-11: Jordan Theodore, Seton Hall
2009-10: Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall
2008-09: John Garcia, Seton Hall
2007-08: Corey Chandler, Rutgers
2006-07: Adrian Hill, Rutgers
2005-06: Kelly Whitney, Seton Hall
2004-05: Quincy Douby, Rutgers
2003-04: Andre Sweet, Seton Hall
2002-03: John Allen, Seton Hall
2001-02: Jerome Coleman, Rutgers
2000-01: Jeff Greer, Rutgers
1999-00: Rimas Kaukenas, Seton Hall

GARDEN STATE HARDWOOD CLASSIC RESULTS

Date	Result	Venue	Attendance
Dec. 6, 2014	Seton Hall 81, Rutgers 54	Prudential Center	8,710
Dec. 5, 2015	Seton Hall 84, Rutgers 55	Rutgers Athletic Center	5,631
Dec. 23, 2016	Seton Hall 72, Rutgers 61	Prudential Center	10,481
Dec. 16, 2017	Rutgers 71, Seton Hall 65	Rutgers Athletic Center	8,318
Dec. 15, 2018	Seton Hall 72, Rutgers 66	Prudential Center	10,481
Dec. 14, 2019	Rutgers 68, Seton Hall 48	Rutgers Athletic Center	8,329
Dec. 12, 2021	Seton Hall 77, Rutgers 63	Prudential Center	11,606
Dec. 11, 2022	Seton Hall 45, Rutgers 43	Jersey Mike's Arena	8,500
Dec. 9, 2023	Rutgers 70, Seton Hall 63	Prudential Center	10,481

Scoreboard

Seton Hall University Athletics

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