Rutgers star center Cliff Omoruyi was named the 20th most influential person in New Jersey sports in a recent article by Steve Politi of nj.com.
Big Cliff was included on the website’s “Juice List” because of the impact he will have on the court for the Scarlet Knights in the 2022-23 season, but also because of the impact he continues to have off the court for his community both in New Jersey & in his hometown of Benin City, Nigeria. The article highlighted the shoe drive that Cliff organized in April, which resulted in hundreds of pairs of shoes being donated and sent to Benin City.
When asked about his motive behind the shoe drive, Omoruyi said, “I wanted to do a giveaway for every kid who also has the dream of playing basketball just to help them out. Also, the less-fortunate people back home, I want to help them too. Getting (kids who love playing basketball) more shoes will be great for them.”
Big Cliff is ready to make his biggest impact on the court yet. Politi wrote “As Rutgers basketball is losing its two stars from its back-to-back NCAA Tournament teams, the future will center on the center.” Cliff is set to be the focal point of the Rutgers offense and is ready for the challenge.
The big man is ready to use his influence to lead his team to a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance that goes deep into March. Cliff was named to the Juice List along with the likes of Phil Murphy, Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll, Sydney McLaughlin, and Steve Pikell. After getting this recognition, Cliff is ready to back it up with a big 2022-23 season.
