Rutgers-Newark Athletics

By Jim Hague

Pedro Burgos’ journey through a life in basketball has taken him to a host of different ports of call, from Fort Lee to Ocean County to Mercer County to Delaware.

“The last couple of years have been crazy,” Burgos said.

Burgos was a brilliant high school player at Fort Lee High School, graduating in 2006, totaling nearly 1,700 points there and becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer, before younger brother Sandy broke Pedro’s mark last year.

The elder Burgos thought he was headed to Fairleigh Dickinson University on a basketball scholarship, but academic difficulties prevented that from happening.

“I wanted to stay close to home, but I couldn’t,” Burgos said.

So he went to Ocean County Community College for one year, then transferred to Mercer County College for another year.

At Mercer, Burgos was an All-Garden State Conference honoree and was second in the country among junior college scorers, averaging nearly 28 points per game.

Burgos always had the dream of playing Division I basketball, so when Delaware State offered him a chance to play there, Burgos jumped at it.

There was only one problem. He never got to play at Delaware State. There was a snafu regarding eligibility and credits earned at the other two junior colleges.

“It was very frustrating for me to sit on the bench in street clothes all the time,” Burgos said. “I wanted to play.”

When Burgos eventually earned his eligibility at Delaware State, the athletic department informed him that there were no scholarships to be had.

“I couldn’t believe what was happening to me,” Burgos said. “I had to leave there.”

But Burgos still had the passion to play basketball. He wasn’t about to give up.

He remembered that Rutgers-Newark head coach Joe Loughran was interested in him from his days at Mercer, plus R-N assistant coach Bill Zasowski recruited Burgos to go to play at Ocean before Zasowski left Ocean to join Loughran’s staff.

“I called Coach Loughran and told him that I was eager to play,” Burgos said. “I thought it was going to be a good fit for me. I already knew him and Billy. I’ve known Billy since I was in high school. Rutgers-Newark was going to be a good place for me.”

Loughran agreed.

“We always left things on good terms,” Loughran said. “He reached out to Billy and I and we were happy to find a place for him. We know that usually a kid’s first choice is not going to be Rutgers-Newark. But we can always find a place for a kid like Pedro if he wants to come here.”

Because, plain and simple, Burgos is an impact player, someone who is going to fit in right away in Loughran’s rebuilding plans.

Burgos has tremendous shooting range and will be a perfect compliment at guard along with returning point guard Al-Don Muhammad and fellow sharpshooter Greg Moore.

“But it’s not just his shooting range, which is tremendous,” Loughran said. “He is also very quick and quick with the ball. He can get to the rim and it’s nice to see. Pedro can do some things that will really help us. It’s comforting to get a kid like him, because we lost so much from last year in terms of scoring. Guys like Pedro can help us right away. He’s going to make us better and that’s important.”

Loughran said that the 5-foot-11 Burgos will provide a lot of instant offense.

“He also never gets tired,” Loughran said. “He can play a ton of minutes for us. He’s in great shape, considering he hasn’t played a game in two years. I also think he’s a hungry basketball player. He’s looking to make a statement.”

Burgos is really looking forward to the chance to play for the Scarlet Raiders.

“It’s going to be great playing closer to home, playing in front of my family and friends,” Burgos said. “I have two years left here and I’m going to make the most of it. I’m going to play well and make my family happy.”

Burgos said that he has a lot of motivation.

“Every time I step on the court, I feel like I have to prove people wrong,” Burgos said. “I feel good here. I like playing with guys like Al-Don, who is a good playmaker and can penetrate and kick. Greg is a great shooter who can knock down shots. I think we can help each other out. I’m a very competitive guy and I like to compete, even in practice. I haven’t played for two years, so that’s the No. 1 motivation for me, to prove to people I can still play.”

Burgos is a criminal justice major at Rutgers-Newark. He’s certainly going to be one of the most influential newcomers to the Scarlet Raiders’ roster this year.

“We’re glad to have him for the next two years,” Loughran said. “He’s going to be very comfortable here.”

It means the basketball vagabond has finally found a home.

“The journey has been unbelievable,” Burgos said. “I’ve always believed that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. This is going to be a good fit for me.”