PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers men’s basketball program has officially signed graduate guard Noah Fernandes from the transfer portal. 

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound guard from Mattapoisett, Mass. shot 45.2 percent from three-point range last season at UMass Amherst and a career-high of 48 percent from the field. Fernandes averaged a team-leading 13.4 points, 4.1 assists and averaged 2.5 rebounds in 11 games started in 2022-23 following an ankle injury on Dec. 5. 

During his last full season in 2021-22, Fernandes averaged a team-high 14.9 points and 5.3 assists for the Minutemen, while shooting 43.5 percent from the field.

“I chose Rutgers because of the winning culture that Coach Pikiell has built,” Fernandes said. “It’s so exciting to join a program that has had so much success. I am just excited to get down there and play in front of the fans and get it rocking.”

Fernandes provides Rutgers with a downhill, scoring threat at the point guard position. Fernandes has shown the ability to create his own shot, make plays for others as a distributor and shoot the ball from deep range. The Mass. native can knock down shots from beyond the perimeter at an elite level and will provide RU with strong depth at the guard position alongside a possible backcourt of Paul Mulcahy, Cam Spencer, and Derek Simpson. Fernandes has one final season of eligibility remaining.

Fernandes spent his last three seasons at UMass, before transferring over from a first season at Wichita State. He has scored 738 points and has 275 assists in his college basketball career. He has shot 37.3 percent from three-point range and 46.6 percent from the field in his four-year career. 

“The past two years I have been the decision-maker and the scorer,” Fernandes said. “Sometimes when you are younger that’s what you dream of and that’s what you want to do in college basketball. For me, I’ve always won, and I took that for granted. The last few years have been tough on me not winning.”

Fernandes visited campus Friday, April 7 and met with the Rutgers coaches and staff. Fernandes visited alongside his girlfriend Kya. The couple just had a son named Theo and the family looks forward to a successful year in New Jersey.

“For me it was so great to meet Coach Pikiell, Coach (Brandin) Knight and the rest of the staff,” Fernandes said. “I just had a son and I wanted to make sure we were coming to a great area. I also just wanted to play at the highest level. I think Rutgers provided my family with both of those opportunities.”

Rutgers fans can remember the game-winning buzzer beater that Fernandes hit on Nov. 21 in 2021 when the Scarlet Knights visited Amherst at the Mullins center. Fernandes hit a three-pointer to stun RU 85-83 as the clock expired. The Mattapoisett, Mass. native remembered the competition of that game against the Scarlet Knights.

“It was an opportunity that you wanted to embrace against a high-level team,” Fernandes said. “I was lucky to have the ending to it of course. Having played against Rutgers and knowing a few guys that played against me in that game for the program played a part in my decision.”

Fernandes enjoyed getting a chance to chat with and meet Rutgers legend Geo Baker recently, who played in that game. Baker helped guide Fernandes on what it’s like to play guard at Rutgers.

“I talked to Geo a little bit before and after the visit,” Fernandes said. “Just because he’s from the New England area and going to the tournaments growing up and watching him play. I didn’t think he was going to have any bad things to say, and he didn’t. He’s one of the greatest players to every play at Rutgers and I wanted to hear what he had to say. Just having that conversation and having that relationship with him meant a lot.”

Fernandes was asked what Rutgers Nation is getting in himself as a basketball player.

“They are getting a gritty, tough player who is going to come to compete every night and make winning plays,” Fernandes said. “Hopefully we can get the crowd rocking and making some exciting plays at Jersey Mike’s Arena.”