Big East Report Team Blog: Seton Hall

SETON HALL ROLLED BY LOUISVILLE AS WILLARD FACES FORMER MENTOR

2011-01-06T11:14:00.001-05:00

After a Preston Knowles steal and a Mike Marra three-pointer at the 10:19 mark of the first-half, Louisville was up 24-2 on visiting Seton Hall in a BIG EAST conference game. Kevin Willard had already burned two of his timeouts and used two media timeouts to frantically make adjustments, but nothing was working as the Yum! Center crowd was put into a frenzy by the opening run of the Cardinals.

In those first 9+ minutes, SHU turned the ball over 7 times and missed on 14 of their first 15 field goal attempts. Quite the rude homecoming for Willard, who served as an assistant and associate head coach to Rick Pitino for six seasons at Louisville and is the son of Ralph Willard, the Pitino's current Director of Basketball Operations.

"We got off to a great start," Pitino said afterwards. "A lot of good things happen for you defensively when you get off to a start like that, but believe it or not, there are so many times in a game of basketball when you see a team up 18-2, 19-2, and the other team comes back. We did a very good job of making sure we kept that distance."

The Pirates were never able to get within 12 points the rest of the game and after taking a 36-21 lead at the half, UL quickly pushed the lead to 28 points, 56-28, when Marra connected on three foul shots with 12:19 left in the game.

"It was hard coming back," said Willard. "We knew coming in after the Kentucky game that they would be ready to go and they did a good job at jumping on us and taking advantage of mistakes we made. It's tough to come back when you're down 24-2."

Freshman Fuquan Edwin led SHU with 18 points and 9 rebounds.

"Fuquan has continued to play well all year," said Willard. "He brings a lot of energy in practice. He brings great energy in games. He going to continue to get better as the year goes on."

The Pirates fall to 1-2 in the conference and just 7-8 overall. Next up for SHU is a home date with undefeated Syracuse, Saturday at noon. Seton Hall is 15-44 all-time against the Orange. The Pirates have dropped their last four meetings with the Orange, including an 80-73 setback last year at the Prudential Center. As expected, no rest for the weary in the BIG EAST and the former mentor had some advice for his pupil, whose team has now lost four of their last five games.

"Coach and I talk quite often," said Willard. "He just said keep your head up and keep working. The same thing he always says."

PATERSON CATHOLIC DUO LEADS SHU TO VICTORY

2010-12-14T11:37:00.000-05:00

Paterson (NJ) Catholic products Jordan Theodore and Fuquan Edwin paced the Pirates in a 78-51 win over Longwood at the Prudential Center in Newark (NJ) Monday night.

Theodore scored 17 points and added 7 assists while Edwin also scored 17 and grabbed 9 rebounds. Jeff Robinson contributed 15 points of his own.

After the Pirates saw their 17-point halftime lead cut to nine, 56-47, with 10:20 remaining, SHU put the game away with a 16-0 run and cruised home to their second straight win and improved to 6-4 on the season.

SHU scored 28 points off of 22 turnovers and held a 42-30 advantage on the glass.

The Pirates return to action on Sunday, December 19, against NJIT. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

SETON HALL CAN'T COMPLETE COMEBACK; POPE SITS FOR DISCIPLINARY REASONS

2010-12-09T10:32:00.000-05:00

The Big East has been flexing its muscles in the early part of the 2010-2011 college basketball season as the dominant conference thus far. Last night the SEC took a small bit of wind out of the sails of the conference by sweeping both contests in the DirecTV SEC/Big East Invitational played at Freedom Hall in Louisville (KY). In the opening contest, Arkansas got past Seton Hall by the score of 71-62 and the evening was closed out with No. 17 Kentucky using a strong second half to put an end to the undefeated start of No. 23 Notre Dame, 72-58.

In the evening's earlier contest, Arkansas used an 11-0 second half run to regain control of the game after watching Seton Hall erase a 17-point 1st half deficit to take a 51-50 lead with 7:05 left on a pair of Jordan Theodore free throws.

Theodore led the Pirates with a career-high 24 points and the junior point guard also added five assists and four steals in the contest.

After starting the game on a 7-2 run, the Pirates fell apart and the Razorbacks took advantage with a 29-7 run to take a 31-14 lead with 5:39 left in the half. During the 10:18 stretch, Seton Hall was just three of 14 from the field and committed four costly turnovers.

Already playing without leading scorer Jeremy Hazell, who had surgery to repair a broken bone in his non-shooting wrist, coach Kevin Willard sat starting power forward Herb Pope for the first half due to a violation of team rules. Pope finished the game with 8 points and 9 rebounds in just 17 second-half minutes and, along with Theodore, sparked the SHU second-half comeback.

A Pope dunk sparked the 15-5 run that helped put SHU back in the lead, but Arkansas made key plays down the stretch while Seton Hall failed to execute and finish off their comeback. The Pirates are now just 1-3 without Hazell.

Arkansas outrebounded Seton Hall 45-38 and had 42 points off the bench, led by Julysses Nobles scoring a career-high 19 points and Marshawn Powell adding 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Seton Hall will continue to play away from home on Saturday night when they take on UMass in a non-conference road contest.

SETON HALL SUFFERS KNOCKOUT PUNCH IN HOME LOSS

2010-03-01T09:19:00.004-05:00

Forgive the Seton Hall fan you know if he is a little cranky this morning. After all, his beloved Pirates took one in the gut yesterday on their home floor in the Prudential Center in an 84-83 overtime loss to Marquette. For the Golden Eagles, it was their third consecutive road win, all coming in overtime. When their three-game stretch began, they were 7-6 in the conference and very much on the NCAA Tournament bubble as SHU, who was 6-7 with two of their next three at home at the same point.

But the Pirates lost two of their three and yesterday's loss dropped them to 0-4 in overtime games as the scene unfolded in a familiar pattern on Sunday. Seton Hall's Bubble Pops After Coach Loses Cool (NY Post) and Bobby Gonzalez added to his league leading total of technicals in the first half, costing his team a point, one I am sure he wished he had back.

For Pirate fans the loss seemed to be as agonizing as seeing the dealer pull 21 from the deck in a hand of blackjack to better your hand of 20. This was a game that Seton Hall needed for their NCAA Tournament chances as they were facing another bubble team on their home floor with an emotionally charged crowd on senior day.

Following the Bubble Burster (Hoops Haven) there was fingers pointed for the loss, mostly from the coach in direction of his two front court starters (quotes provided by Jerry Carino):

“John Garcia is a wonderful guy, it’s Senior Day and I’m glad I started him," Gonzalez said after the game. "Unfortunately this might have been the worst team in the league to start him against because of the match ups. We really didn’t have anybody to put him on. Lazar Hayward took full advantage of that and made threes. I had to make a change right away. We got off to a rough start at home in a very important game, and then we played from behind pretty much the whole afternoon.”

--John Garcia played two minutes. Watched a Marquette game about a week ago against Pittsburgh, Gary McGhee, not the most nimble player defending on the perimeter, was a dominant force at 6'10, 240 against the Golden Eagles and Hayward struggled.

“I’m a little disappointed we didn’t get more out of Herb today," said Gonzalez. "I don’t know what it was. He kind of had an uneventful game. I keep asking him if he’s fresh, he looked fresh in practice. We gave them a couple of days off after the Rutgers game. He seemed bouncy. I don’t know . . . I expected Herb to do more.”

--Pope would seem to be the player that would give MU the most fits inside with his size, but the Pirates have no understanding how to get him the ball, and haven't all season.

Marquette plays small and if you play to them, they take advantage. SHU got a big game from Jeff Robinson, but Robert 'Stix' Mitchell, often their best all-around player this season, only got nine minutes. Keon Lawrence, their best perimeter defender, only played eight minutes. Lawrence seems over-used in most games, then nearly disappears today while the MU back court players carry the Golden Eagles offensively. Lawrence was in during the final SHU possession, done by three, despite being a 13% shooter from beyond the arc on the season, while Jordan Theodore, who was four of four on the day on three's, was not on the floor.

The Pirates are 7-9 in a season with high hopes. They could win their last two and finish 9-9 and have the talent to make some noise in Madison Square Garden. However, they have to go on the road against Rutgers and Providence in what will be emotional atmospheres as both teams look to send off their seniors in style, liking nothing more than to beat the rival Pirates. The heart-breaking loss on Sunday can have this team go in many different ways. Can Gonzalez survive two losses and another 7-11 conference mark? 7-11 was not good enough for a NIT bid last season and might not do it again this year. That would be four consecutive seasons of not making the NIT as well as an NCAA. Do not forget, his predecessor, Louis Orr, made the Big Dance in two of his last three seasons, including the year he lost his job...

SETON HALL GIVES BOBBY GONZALEZ BIGGEST WIN YET

2010-01-27T12:09:00.002-05:00

by RAY FLORIANI

NEWARK, NJ - Seton Hall’s 64-61 over Pitt at the Prudential Center on Sunday victory was significant on several counts.

It was the first victory over a top ten (Pitt is ninth) team during Bobby Gonzalez’s tenure in South Orange.

It was the Pirates second straight win, just three days after a thriller over Louisville.

It was a game the Hall beat Pitt at what the Panthers normally do best, defend in a ‘grind it out game’, per Gonzalez.

Possessions / Offensive Efficiency
Pitt...........66...................92
Seton Hall.......65.................99

The offensive efficiency (points per possession multiplied by 100) signifies a defensive battle but one where the Hall defense was notable better. The Pirates forced 20 turnovers by Pitt (13 the first half) and held their opponents to a 35% shooting afternoon. The turnover situation was especially troublesome to Pitt coach Jamie Dixon considering the Hall did not utilize full court pressure. The miscues were forced through some tough half court defense. “We made some bad decisions especially in shot selection,” Dixon said.

Jeremy Hazell of Seton Hall went to the bench with his third foul with 13 minutes left in the half. He returned after halftime but picked up his fourth foul six seconds into the half. Hazell retuned late and made a few big plays in the stretch. Overall Gonzalez had his junior guard only 16 minutes but he did score 9 points.

In Hazell’s absence Herb Pope had a huge game. Setting up on the blocks Pope muscled his way for a team high 19 points , 9 rebounds. He shot 8 of 12 from the field, a significant mark as evidence the Hall was not solely perimeter oriented. In fact only 13 (23%) of their field goal attempts came from beyond the arc.

Pitt trailed 30-19 with two minutes left in the half and closed out on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 30-26 at the break. The Panthers fell behind by eight the second half but battled back to make it a one possession game in the stretch. Ashton Gibbs missed a contested three with seconds left then missed a desperation heave near half court after getting a loose ball.

Gibbs, a New Jersey native who starred at Seton Hall Prep, led all scorers with 23 points. He was 14 of 14 from the line and shot onl 4 of 15 from the floor.

“We need guys to make shots,” Gonzalez said. “With Jeremy (Hazell) on the bench that long and winning , it shows we are a good team and can play different ways.”

Dixon frequently referred to ‘execution’ as his team’s problem. “We have tp get a better understanding of how to play,” he said. “We still have some improvement to make.”

The 66 possession pace is a half court tempo as Gonzalez pointed out. The Seton Hall mentor noted it was different than the faster paced Louisville game. Actually that contest was only two possessions faster but it did have more transition opportunities and breaks. The Pitt game was mainly half court with few transition possessions.

Hall now faces a tough stretch, South Florida, Villanova and Pitt, all on the road.

SHU IMPROVES TO 7-0 WITH ROUT OF UMASS

2009-12-08T10:44:00.001-05:00

There is not much bite in the Seton Hall pre-conference schedule this year, so their Monday night match-up with UMass had some urgency to it as the Minutemen have a solid resume as a college basketball program. The Pirates played with the sense of urgency as well as Seton Hall Dominates UMass 86-68 in a Game Players Saw as a 'Must Win' (Star-Ledger). SHU, which improves to 7-0 on the season, raced out to a 44-19 halftime lead and cruised in the second half for the win.

Sophomore transfer Herb Pope led the charge with 22 points and 15 rebounds, with 16 and 10 coming before halftime as Pope Propels Seton Hall in a Laugher (NorthJersey.com) despite battling a stomach virus that left some doubt prior to the game of his availability.

Jeremy Hazell added 21 points and Robert Mitchell scored 13 and Jordan Theodore added 12 for the Pirates. The SHU defense held UMass to a sub 30% shooting percentage, 22-75, from the field and forced 16 turnovers, many in the first half that set the tone early.

Melvyn Oliver, who was recently 'removed' from the team to concentrate on academics, returned to the team this week and played 9 minutes Monday. Oliver scored three points and grabbed three rebounds.

Seton Hall is back in action at the Prudential Center this Saturday when they host VMI. After a week off the Pirates host Temple (12/19) in a game that will mark the debuts of transfer students Keon Lawrence (who has been suspended indefinitely from the team) and Jeff Robinson (sitting out NCAA mandated period as a transfer student) as Pirates in a regular season game.

SETON HALL IMPROVES TP 6-0 WITH ROUT OF HARTFORD

2009-12-04T12:02:00.001-05:00

Seton Hall continued their unbeaten start, moving to 6-0 on the season, as the Pirates Overcome Slow Start to Take 89-56 Win Over Hartford (Star-Ledger). Senior guard Eugene Harvey scored 11 points and added 14 assists and four steals, leading the balanced SHU attack. Jordan Theodore provided 17 points off the bench, and Jeremy Hazell and Robert Mitchell each added 15.

Up next for Seton Hall is a contest with UMass at the Prudential Center in Newark on Monday. The Pirates close out the first semester 12/12 by hosting VMI and a week later, December 19th, SHU will host Temple. The Temple game is interesting because mid-year transfer Jeff Robinson, who was previously at Memphis, and Keon Lawrence are eligible to play. Lawrence found out yesterday that his team suspension will be lifted prior to the game with Temple and he can rejoin the team on the court.

As coach Bobby Gonzalez awaits his reinforcements, he has been trying different combinations on the court as the Seton Hall Men Audition in Victory (NorthJersey.com) by playing in different roles and combinations.

"In games like this you can do that," said Gonzalez in The Record. "You can shuffle guys in and out. You can send messages to guys. You have leeway."

PIRATES ROUT NJIT; MORE SHU NOTES

2009-12-01T09:43:00.001-05:00

Seton Hall improved to 5-0 by devouring the holiday pastry, otherwise known as NJIT, 93-53, before an announced Prudential Center crowd of 5,540. Herb Pope (22 points) and Jeremy Hazell (21 pts) Combine for 43 Points in the SHU Win over NJIT (Star Ledger). Jamel Jackson connected on five three pointers to account for his fifteen points.

In the game, Eugene Harvey got a quick hook and was replaced by Jordan Theodore, who also started the second half as Seton Hall Overpowers NJIT (The Record).

“He [Harvey] started the game with three turnovers and we had a little exchange,” SHU coach Bobby Gonzalez said of Harvey in The Record. “That’s part of Eugene’s makeup. Sometimes he just gets down on himself. Now I can push a button and put somebody else in. He’s got to handle that.”

Also, Ferrakohn Hall replaced John Garcia in the second half starting line-up and the Pirates put the game away with a 21-4 run after the break against the smaller NJIT line-up.

The Pirates are in action again on Thursday at home against Hartford (2-4). They are still unlikely to have Keon Lawrence in the line-up as he remains on indefinite suspension for violation of team rules which resulted from his involvement in a 2:30 AM parkway crash where he was charged with DUI. Also, Seton Hall Center Melvyn Oliver is 'Temporarily Removed' from the Team to Concentrate on Academics (Star-Ledger). The announcement came prior to the SHU win over Long Island Saturday night. The Pirates will have Jeff Robinson, a mid-year transfer from memphis, available in just over two weeks after the first semester ends, which I believe is their December 19th game with Temple, most likely their biggest test before playing Syracuse and West Virginia to open conference play later in the month. That is also the timeframe that we are hearing for Lawrence's return, although nothing officially has been announced.

The Pirates are still looking to get deeper and better...

KEON LAWRENCE UPDATE AS INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING

2009-11-12T11:04:00.001-05:00

The situation of Seton Hall guard Keon Lawrence continues to be a hot topic with internet reporters and other media outlets as Police are Processing Lawrence's Blood Test (ZagsBlog.com) as evidence in the two-car accident Lawrence caused while driving the wrong way on the Garden State Parkway early Monday morning. Lawrence sat out last season after transferring from Missouri and the news is also being talked about in Columbia (MO) where Steve Walentik writes that the 'Latest News on Keon Lawrence Makes Me Sad' (Columbia Tribune).

At CBS Sports, Gary Parish weighs in On His Clash With Bobby Gonzalez over his questioning the character of some of the Pirate players in his recent Big East preview, where he picked Seton Hall to finish 10th. Apparently, the SHU coach and Parish have discussed the topic and Gonzo has also discussed the topic with local media members while defending his players. After the Lawrence incident, which, according to Jerry Carino in his Lawrence Update at mycentraljersey.com, sources close to the program have said Lawrence has had multiple disciplinary issues that have been handled internally over the past year, including being suspended for the team's recent exhibition game against Fordham, don't expect a retraction or an apology from Parish.

The case and investigation continues on...and, for the Pirates, Friday night's opener with St. Peter's College probably can't get here soon enough so they can move on and get to playing basketball.

SETON HALL'S LAWRENCE INVOLVED IN WRONG-WAY CRASH

2009-11-10T10:27:00.002-05:00

While they are celebrating in central New York, the mood is much different around the Seton Hall program with police reporting that a Seton Hall Player was Drunk in a Wrong Way Crash (Bergen Record) just before 3 AM Monday morning.

According to New Jersey state police, Keon Lawrence, 22, of Irvington was driving with a suspended license and had two outstanding traffic warrants when he struck a car driven by a 56-year-old Newark man.

Lawrence was charged with driving while intoxicated and driving with a suspended license according to Sgt. Steven Jones.

Lawrence played for the Missouri as a freshman and sophomore, averaging 11.0 points per game in the 2007-08 season. He made his debut with Seton Hall on October 30th, scoring 13 points in an 89-62 exhibition victory against Carleton University. NBE Sports learned that this came after Lawrence sat out of a scrimmage with Fordham as part of a suspension for violating team rules.

Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com also followed up on the story with Sgt Jones in his entry this morning that SHU's Lawrence was Arrested and Suspended indefinitely from the team. Sgt. Jones told Zags in an interview that Lawrence is facing a DWI charge, although results from the blood test administered at the hospital are not in with an exact BAC.

We will follow the story as it continues to develop. Not the way Bobby Gonzalez and the Seton Hall administration was hoping their promising season would kick off.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: SETON HALL

2009-04-24T09:08:00.002-04:00

April 24, 2009

Commitment Alert: Ferrakohn Hall, 6'8 F from White Station HS of Memphis (TN)

Seton Hall picks up their second commitment in a week as they add a solid prospect in the spring recruiting period with Memphis White Station F Ferrakohn Hall committing. Hall to The Hall (ZagsBlog.com) comes a week after a visit to the Seton Hall campus. Hall also considered UAB, Oklahoma, Baylor and others.

2009-2010 Projected Roster

Seniors: Eugene Harvey (PG), John Garcia (C),
Juniors: Jeremy Hazell (G/F), Brandon Walters (BF/C), Keon Lawrence**** (G), Robert Mitchell (G/F), Jeff Robinson*** (F), Jamel Jackson (G)
Sophomores: Jordan Theodore (PG), Herb Pope* (PF)
Freshmen: Melvyn Oliver** (C), Ferrakohn Hall (F)

* After sitting out 2008-2009 per NCAA transfer rules, Pope has three years of eligibility left

** Oliver was ineligible to compete in the 2008-2009 season, but will have four years of eligibility beginning in 2009-2010 per the NCAA

*** Per NCAA transfer rules, Robinson must sit out until end of Fall 2009 semester. Robinson, by definition of eligibility rules, will have two years of eiligibility left unless he is granted a medical redshirt for his sophomore season as he missed a few games because of an injury before leaving Memphis

**** After sitting out the 2008-2009 season per NCAA transfer rules, Lawrence will have two years of eligibility left

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Seton Hall and Bobby Gonzalez scored again on the recruiting trail, adding Ferrakohn Hall to their 2009 recruiting class. Hall stands nearly 6-foot-8 and weighs in about 200 pounds and is an athletic player that has the athletic ability to play away from the basket and the skills to go inside.

Hall is an interesting prize as far as late period signees go. The 6-foot-7+ forward teammed with elite 2010 recruit Joe Jackson on Jesus Patino's state championship club this past season. While he is a 'tweener' at forward, trying to improve his ability away from the basket, he has excellent athletic ability and is a player of potential upside. While his size might be a disadvantage in the Big East as a power forward, as shown in the Bojangles shootout when he had a tough time against Pitt-commit Talib Zanna, his improving skills away from the basket could have him develop into an athletic and strong wing able to take opposing forwards inside and out.

Hall had planned to take official visits to Baylor and Oklahoma before making a decision, but decided Seton Hall offered him the best opportunity and jumped on the offer, canceling his other planned visits according to ZagsBlog.com.

Earlier this week, the Pirates add a familiar name as 2008 commit Jamel Jackson came back to the fold. Jackson has a specialty, and that is long-range shooting. As a sophomore at Technical Career Institute in Manhattan (NY), Jackson averaged 21.5 points a game.

The Brooklyn native played at famed Lincoln HS for coach Tony Morton in what seemed like a career ago. After playing on a championship team with the Railsplitters, Jackson began an oddysey that led hom to the now defunct Boys to Men Academy in Chicago for two years of prep school and the last two seasons at TCI in a quest to make it into a Division 1-A program. That quest is now complete as Jackson will provide guard depth for the Pirates next season and an additional source of perimeter shooting to take some pressure off of Jeremy Hazell.

Jackson had hoped to finish his JUCO requirements after just one season at TCI, but one of his courses last summer was not accepted by SHU and Jackson returned to the JUCO ranks for a second season, leaving him two years to compete as a Pirate. Jackson will in effect replace Paul Gause on the roster, who graduated after the 2008-2009 season. Ironically, both were members of the high school senior class of 2005 and one is just starting his 1-A career while the other just finished his...

While Jackson is currently the only newcomer signed for 2009-2010, the Pirates will have plenty of new faces attempting to mesh together on the court to get the Pirates to the post-season for the first time under coach Bobby Gonzalez. Much-anticipated transfers such as Herb Pope, Keon Lawrence and Jeff Robinson will take the floor as will big man Melvyn Oliver, who sat out the 2008-2009 season due to academics.

Lawrence probably never should have left New Jersey out of high school. The 6'2, 175 lb guard from Newark (NJ) Weequahic High School chose Missouri, although second thoughts entered his mind often. After a sophomore season where he led the Tigers in minutes played (29.2) a game, starting 20 of 32 games and leading Mizzou in field goal attempts (307), Lawrence took his 11 points a game average and transferred back home to SHU and will play a significant role in the backcourt next season.

Pope is the mega-talented forward from Aliquippa (PA) but has run into trouble on more than one occasion in recent years. Pope was sent home from his final AAU Tournament as a member of the Pittsburgh Jots for an altercation with a coach, an incident that did not seem to surprise many familiar with his past. Things actually got worse from there as Pope was shot several times outside a party in the Pittsburgh-area in April of his senior year of high school after being in an altercation outside the party. Pope survived the gunfire and headed off to school at New Mexico State. While at New Mexico State, Pope was having trouble clearing the NCAA eligibility department as an online course he took in high school as a core course was challenged by the NCAA. While NM State worked to get him cleared, Pope was arrested for DUI when police found him asleep behind the wheel of a car with the engine running in a traffic lane.

Pope finally did make it onto the court at NM State after a court order was issued. Pope played well after all of the trials and tribulations that followed him in the recent past and he averaged 11 points and nearly 7 rebounds a game in the 16 games he was deemed eligible for at New Mexico State.

Pope then decided to leave New Mexico late this past summer to be closer to home. He ended up enrolling at Seton Hall and hoped to be granted a hardship waiver to play this season. However, that was denied by the NCAA and Pope will sit out the 2008-2009 season and be ready to suit up next year, giving the Pirates a much needed talent boost at power forward next year.

Another forward likely to make an impact next season is former St. Patrick's star Jeff Robinson, who left Memphis in the middle of his sophomore season. By rule, Robinson has to sit out one year as a transfer student and will be eligible in the second half of the season next year. Since he played with the Tigers early on in the 2008-2009 season, Robinson will have just two years of eligibility. He did miss a few games because of injury prior to leaving the Memphis program, so there is some thought that Robinson could apply for a medical redshirt and get that lost year back. Robinson is an athletic specimen that should fit well in the style of play the Pirates prefer, but added skill level will definitely help his game a lot.

Melvyn Oliver's long wait on his qualifying status from the NCAA is finally over. Oliver was declared ineligible for the 2008-2009 season, however, the NCAA did rule he was eligible for a scholarship and after sitting out this season, he will have four years of eligibility left. The situation is similar to Louisville redshirt freshman George Goode, who had a similar ruling from the NCAA last season. it is unclear how these two situations get around the Big East rule on partial qualifiers, but apparently it does.

The Pirates have also hosted another forward in recent days and remain in the hunt for Hutchinson CC forward Cliff Dixon, who verbally committed to the Pirates last November before withdrawing that commitment.

At the time of his commitment, Dixon had been recently suspended by HCC head coach Ryan Swanson for a violation of team rules. With his future uncertain, Dixon tells Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com he made a hasty decision.

``I got worried and Seton Hall tried to rush me into saying I was committed,” Dixon told Goodman. “They pressured me into it and I panicked.”

Even though Dixon Decommits from Seton Hall (ZagsBlog.com), he still considered the Pirates, and with the Pirates still needing a forward, hightened by the decision of sophomore Mike Davis to transfer, the Pirates hosted Dixon on a visit recently.

Dixon is also considering, per ZagsBlog.com, Missouri, Western Kentucky, Memphis and Kentucky and has yet to make a decision.

Hall left SHU after his visit without making a commitment and is likely to take a visit to Baylor and, possibly, Oklahoma, before deciding.

The Pirates have also been quite active in the class of 2010 already, being among the leaders for local standouts Fuquan Edwin of Paterson Catholic and Kyrie Irving of St. Patrick's. More players will emerge as top targets in the 2010 class including New Heights forwards Devon Collier, Ashton Pankey, Derrick Williams and Jayvaughn Pinkston.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: SETON HALL

2009-04-21T11:35:00.005-04:00

April 21, 2009

Commitment Commitment Alert: Jamel Jackson, 6'3 SG from Technical Career Institure (NY)

2009-2010 Projected Roster

Seniors: Eugene Harvey (PG), John Garcia (C),
Juniors: Jeremy Hazell (G/F), Brandon Walters (BF/C), Keon Lawrence**** (G), Robert Mitchell (G/F), Jeff Robinson*** (F), Jamel Jackson (G)
Sophomores: Jordan Theodore (PG), Herb Pope* (PF)
Freshmen: Melvyn Oliver** (C)

* After sitting out 2008-2009 per NCAA transfer rules, Pope has three years of eligibility left

** Oliver was ineligible to compete in the 2008-2009 season, but will have four years of eligibility beginning in 2009-2010 per the NCAA

*** Per NCAA transfer rules, Robinson must sit out until end of Fall 2009 semester. Robinson, by definition of eligibility rules, will have two years of eiligibility left unless he is granted a medical redshirt for his sophomore season as he missed a few games because of an injury before leaving Memphis

**** After sitting out the 2008-2009 season per NCAA transfer rules, Lawrence will have two years of eligibility left

In an annual rite of spring, Jamel Jackson commits to Seton Hall for the second spring in a row. So, on the same day the staff learned they had missed out on top target Jarrid Famous, the sting is dulled slightly with the news of Jackson to Seton Hall (Again) (ZagsBlog.com).

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

It looks like you can finally score one for Seton Hall on the 2009 recruiting scoreboard as the Pirates add a familiar name as 2008 commit Jamel Jackson is back in the fold. Jackson has a specialty, and that is long-range shooting. As a sophomore at Technical Career Institute in Manhattan (NY), Jackson averaged 21.5 points a game.

The Brooklyn native played at famed Lincoln HS for coach Tony Morton in what seemed like a career ago. After playing on a championship team with the Railsplitters, Jackson began an oddysey that led hom to the now defunct Boys to Men Academy in Chicago for two years of prep school and the last two seasons at TCI in a quest to make it into a Division 1-A program. That quest is now complete as Jackson will provide guard depth for the Pirates next season and an additional source of perimeter shooting to take some pressure off of Jeremy Hazell.

Jackson had hoped to finish his JUCO requirements after just one season at TCI, but one of his courses last summer was not accepted by SHU and Jackson returned to the JUCO ranks for a second season, leaving him two years to compete as a Pirate. Jackson will in effect replace Paul Gause on the roster, who graduated after the 2008-2009 season. Ironically, both were members of the high school senior class of 2005 and one is just starting his 1-A career while the other just finished his...

While Jackson is currently the only newcomer signed for 2009-2010, the Pirates will have plenty of new faces attempting to mesh together on the court as the Pirates hope to improve their college basketball odds and reach the post-season for the first time under coach Bobby Gonzalez. Much-anticipated transfers such as Herb Pope, Keon Lawrence and Jeff Robinson will take the floor as will big man Melvyn Oliver, who sat out the 2008-2009 season due to academics.

Lawrence probably never should have left New Jersey out of high school. The 6'2, 175 lb guard from Newark (NJ) Weequahic High School chose Missouri, although second thoughts entered his mind often. After a sophomore season where he led the Tigers in minutes played (29.2) a game, starting 20 of 32 games and leading Mizzou in field goal attempts (307), Lawrence took his 11 points a game average and transferred back home to SHU and will play a significant role in the backcourt next season.

Pope is the mega-talented forward from Aliquippa (PA) but has run into trouble on more than one occasion in recent years. Pope was sent home from his final AAU Tournament as a member of the Pittsburgh Jots for an altercation with a coach, an incident that did not seem to surprise many familiar with his past. Things actually got worse from there as Pope was shot several times outside a party in the Pittsburgh-area in April of his senior year of high school after being in an altercation outside the party. Pope survived the gunfire and headed off to school at New Mexico State. While at New Mexico State, Pope was having trouble clearing the NCAA eligibility department as an online course he took in high school as a core course was challenged by the NCAA. While NM State worked to get him cleared, Pope was arrested for DUI when police found him asleep behind the wheel of a car with the engine running in a traffic lane.

Pope finally did make it onto the court at NM State after a court order was issued. Pope played well after all of the trials and tribulations that followed him in the recent past and he averaged 11 points and nearly 7 rebounds a game in the 16 games he was deemed eligible for at New Mexico State.

Pope then decided to leave New Mexico late this past summer to be closer to home. He ended up enrolling at Seton Hall and hoped to be granted a hardship waiver to play this season. However, that was denied by the NCAA and Pope will sit out the 2008-2009 season and be ready to suit up next year, giving the Pirates a much needed talent boost at power forward next year.

Another forward likely to make an impact next season is former St. Patrick's star Jeff Robinson, who left Memphis in the middle of his sophomore season. By rule, Robinson has to sit out one year as a transfer student and will be eligible in the second half of the season next year. Since he played with the Tigers early on in the 2008-2009 season, Robinson will have just two years of eligibility. He did miss a few games because of injury prior to leaving the Memphis program, so there is some thought that Robinson could apply for a medical redshirt and get that lost year back. Robinson is an athletic specimen that should fit well in the style of play the Pirates prefer, but added skill level will definitely help his game a lot.

Melvyn Oliver's long wait on his qualifying status from the NCAA is finally over. Oliver was declared ineligible for the 2008-2009 season, however, the NCAA did rule he was eligible for a scholarship and after sitting out this season, he will have four years of eligibility left. The situation is similar to Louisville redshirt freshman George Goode, who had a similar ruling from the NCAA last season. it is unclear how these two situations get around the Big East rule on partial qualifiers, but apparently it does.

While the Pirate staff but a ton of effort into recruiting Westchester CC center Jarrid Famous since early last fall, the Pirates have also been hosting a couple other forwards in recent days and remain in the hunt for Ferrakohn Hall of Memphis (TN) White Station HS and Hutchinson CC forward Cliff Dixon, who verbally committed to the Pirates last November before withdrawaing that commitment.

At the time of his commitment, Dixon had been recently suspended by HCC head coach Ryan Swanson for a violation of team rules. With his future uncertain, Dixon tells Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com he made a hasty decision.

``I got worried and Seton Hall tried to rush me into saying I was committed,” Dixon told Goodman. “They pressured me into it and I panicked.”

Even though Dixon Decommits from Seton Hall (ZagsBlog.com), he still considered the Pirates, and with the Pirates still needing a forward, hightened by the decision of sophomore Mike Davis to transfer, the Pirates hosted Dixon on a visit recently.

Dixon is also considering, per ZagsBlog.com, Missouri, Western Kentucky, Memphis and Kentucky and has yet to make a decision.

Hall is an interesting possibility as far as late period signees go. The 6-foot-7 forward teammed with elite 2010 recruit Joe Jackson on Jesus Patino's state championship club this past season. While he is a 'tweener' at forward, trying to improve his ability away from the basket, he has excellent athletic ability and is a player of potential upside. While his size might be a disadvantage in the Big East as a power forward, as shown in the Bojangles shootout when he had a tough time against Pitt-commit Talib Zanna, his improving skills away from the basket could have him develop into an athletic and strong wing able to take opposing forwards inside and out.

Hall left SHU after his visit without making a commitment and is likely to take a visit to Baylor and, possibly, Oklahoma, before deciding.

Former South Florida commitment Eugene Teague, a 6'7 power forward, also had made it onto the SHU radar. Teague, who failed to qualify as a 2008 recruit, is now enrolled at the Apex Academies for another year of prep and took an unofficial visit to Seton Hall for an exhibition game last year, but seemed to have since cooled on Teague. SHU has an attractive offer to spring recruits of playing time and a chance to play in the Big East.

Also, the Pirates are interested in Florida transfer Allen Chaney and could have some interest in Quintrell Thomas, who recently left Kansas. Chaney was a player that they pursued while in high school and could be a strong fit for their program.

The Pirates have also been quite active in the class of 2010 already, being among the leaders for local standouts Fuquan Edwin of Paterson Catholic and Kyrie Irving of St. Patrick's. More players will emerge as top targets in the 2010 class including New Heights forwards Devon Collier, Ashton Pankey, Derrick Williams and Jayvaughn Pinkston.

QUINCY HANKINS OFF THE BOARD

2009-03-30T23:02:00.003-04:00

March 30, 2009

A source with knowledge of the situation has informed us that Seton Hall men's basketball target Quincy Hankins has committed to Nebraska of the Big 12. The 6-foot-8, 230-lb power forward was in his second year at Polk CC in Florida.

Hankins, a native of Roosevelt (NY), helped lead Polk CC to the Suncoast Conference championship this season and a final record of 25-5. Hankins had expressed an interest in returning to school in the Northeast. However, according to sources, Hankins was not offered by Seton Hall and others did not have scholarship room for him at this time.

The Pirates remain hopeful they can close the deal on Westchester CC center Jarrid Famous and are also involved in the recruitment of JUCO guard Jamel Jackson of Technical Career Institute and Memphis White Station forward Ferrakohn Hall.

Some will remember that Jackson, who originally played at Lincoln HS in Brooklyn before spending two post-graduate years at the now defunct Boys to Men Academy in Chicago, signed with the Pirates last spring, but did not have enough accepted credits from TCI in summer school classes to gain acceptance into the University. Jackson is a deep shooting threat that was supposed to re-open his recruitment, but it is unclear who else is involved at this point.

It appears that SHU is no longer involved with prior verbal commitments DeAndre Kane of the Patterson School nor JUCO forward Cliff Dixon of Hutchinson CC.

BET GAME PREVIEW: SETON HALL VS SYRACUSE

2009-03-11T13:23:00.003-04:00

March 11, 2009

Seton Hall just will not go away. And, if you think Syracuse is in for a walk through Central Park tonight, think again. The Pirates dispatched South Florida in the Bulls Garden debut last night, 68-54, as NYC natives Jeremy Hazell (23), Eugene Harvey (16) and Robert Mitchell (13) combined for 52 points as the Pirates rallied from a two-point halftime deficit. With friends and family in the stands again tonight, look for SHU to give the Orange everything they have left.

Syracuse comes into the 2009 Big East Tournament as the #6-seed, having won four in a row, highlighted by Saturday's overtime victory at Marquette. Syracuse aims to increase their momentum heading to the 2009 NCAA Tournament as they look to make their return after back-to-back NIT appearances.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on tonight's nightcap:

Orange Survived, Then Thrived (Syracuse Post-Standard)
Orange Scouting Report: SU vs. SHU (Syracuse Post-Standard)
SHU Knocks off USF in Big East Tournament (Star-Ledger)
Seton Hall Coach Bobby Gonzalez Surviving, Maturing (Star-Ledger)

This is a game that Bobby Gonzalez can not wait to coach in. These two teams met to open Big East play just prior to the New Year, but 'Gonzo' was not on the Pirate bench due to a one-game suspension for remarks and actions following a loss to Rutgers to conclude the 2007-2008 regular season. The Pirates were embarrassed in the Carrier Dome that night, in a game that was really not even that close.

While SHU was firing away blanks from beyond the arc, going 2-27 from three-point range, they were letting Syracuse do anything they wanted to on the offensive end. The Orange put five in double figures, led by Andy Rautins' 26 points.

That was then, this is certainly 'the now.' The Pirates were without John Garcia in that game and they are a much better team with him available. His size and experience will allow him to go toe-to-toe with SU big man Arinze Onuaku. The Orange definitely have the size advantage as they also start 6'9 sophomore Rick Jackson, and although SHU will use a smaller line-up, SU will not likely be deterred as they will employ their standard 2-3 zone defense against SHU.

In the first game tge SU zone led to the Pirates just bombing away from three-point range to no avail. Tonight, in order to compete, it will be imperative for Eugene Harvey to run an efficient zone offense, attacking the seams and finding players in position for good shots.

In the first game, SHU also pushed tempo and the game quickly turned into something you would see in the summer on the AAU circuit. It is a style that the Orange love to play with Jonny Flynn, Paul Harris and Eric Devendorf attacking the basket in transition for lay-ups and if, by chance, SHU got back on defense, Andy Rautins was open for the three. And, on the rare occasions they missed, Jackson or Onuaku were there to gobble up second chance opportunities.

SHU simply can't afford to let the game turn into that kind of track meet against the Orange again. They will need to play defense, try and keep SU off the boards and strike quickly, but intelligently on offense.

Syracuse is playing pretty well right now and they are mighty confident. While that trait seems to be pretty consistent with this group, their play has been backing up the confidence they have in themselves of late. In the end, they are the better, deeper and more experienced team, and that will lead to a solid win, but expect SHU to make their share of runs at them.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Syracuse 81
Seton Hall 72

BET GAME PREVIEW: SOUTH FLORIDA VS SETON HALL

2009-03-10T14:22:00.001-04:00

March 10, 2009

Another recent rematch from two weeks ago takes place in the nightcap of the opening round of the 2009 Big East Tournament when Seton Hall faces South Florida.

Seton Hall earned the 11th seed in the conference tournament when they rallied in the second half and ended up beating Cincinnati in overtime on the road Saturday. Bobby Gonzalez's team has continued to play hard all season with just seven eligible scholarship players and will look to earn a Big East Tourney win at the Bulls' expense.

Tonight is a first for the USF program as they are competing in their very first conference tournament game since joining the Big East. Previously, the Big East only invited the top 12 finishers to Madison Square Garden for the annual 'Garden Party', but with the expansion of the conference tourament to all 16 teams, the Bulls have been welcomed in.

Here are some pregame stories and previews from around the internet:

At Last, USF Bulls Feels they Belong in Big East (St. Pete Times)
Bulls Back at Garden (Tampa Tribune)
Seton Hall Enters Postseason with chip on their Shoulder (Star-Ledger)
Bulls Arrive in 'Garden' in Good Spirits (Tampa Tribune)

The Bulls are coming off a pitiful performance on Saturday afternoon when they lost at Rutgers 45-42. USF shot just 29.8% from the field as they fell to 4-14 in the Big East. While the four wins represented the most in a single Big East season for USF, they still have a long ways to go to become a challenger in this conference.

On February 25th, USF saw Seton Hall pull away from a two-point halftime lead to beat the Bulls 75-60 at the Prudential Center, just across the river from NYC in Newark (NJ). In that game, Dominique Jones (20), Augustus Gilchrist (20) and Alex Rivas-Sanchez (18) combined for 58 of the USF 60 points. Only Eladio Espinosa added another two points to the total.

The Bulls will need similar games from that trip as well as some production from Chris Howard and senior Jesus Verdejo, who has missed much of the last three weeks because of injury. Verdejo gave it a go against SHU the first time, but the Bulls second leading scorer was held scoreless in 21 minutes.

Jerem Hazell led SHU in the first meeting, scoring 20, and he also had help from Robert Mitchell (17) and Eugene Harvey (15) in the win. While the Pirates are not deep, neither are the Bulls, and the top five or six that Seton Hall will use is more talented, especially offensively.

The NCAA Basketball Odds have Seton Hall favored by 5 1/2-points tonight. This should be a relatively easy win for Bobby Gonzalez's team.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Seton Hall 78
South Florida 68

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SETON HALL @ CINCINNATI

2009-03-07T08:20:00.001-05:00

March 7 , 2009

Cincinnati will host Seton Hall in the Big East regular season finale for both teams on Saturday afternoon. The Bearcats will look to finish the regular season at .500 (9-9) in the Big East and hold out hope that a few wins next week in the 2009 Big East Tournament will get them back into the NCAA Tournament discussion.

For Seton Hall, hopes of at least an NIT bid seem to be fading and a loss in this contest will certainly put those dreams to rest. The Pirates are 6-11 in the Big East, losers of five of their last six, and 15-14 overall.

Here are some pregame stories and previews found on the internet:

Unusual Senior Day for UC (Cincinnati Enquirer)
Bearcats Plan Includes more Fans (Cincinnati Enquirer)

This game will bring a contrast of style as Seton Hall will look to push the pace and outscore their opponent while Cincinnati will work for good shots and create opportunities with their defense.

One area Seton Hall can exploit Cincinnati is with their fullcourt press. The Bearcats are a little short on ballhandlers as Deonta Vaughn is forced to double as the point guard and top scoring threat, leaving him surrounded by young backcourt mates that could get in a hurry as Seton Hall pushes the pace towards frantic levels.

On the other hand, SHU does not have much depth inside and Yancy Gates is a strong freshman in the paint that could have a very big game. Even with the absence of Mike Williams, UC has size and depth in the paint.

The Pirates will have Jeremy Hazell bombing away from the outside with Eugene Harvey breaking down the defense and Robert Mitchell scoring in a variety of ways. This is a game with the amount of offensive talent SHU has, they can compete and even win if they were to dedicate themselves on defense and finding one more player to help on the boards inside.

However, in the season finale, expect the home team to be able to play the game on their terms and this will lead to a win for UC.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Cincinnati 73
Seton Hall 67

SETON HALL FALLS TO LOUISVILLE IN BIG EAST ACTION

2009-03-05T15:37:00.000-05:00

March 5, 2009

Louisville fans got to send out seniors Terrence Williams, Andre McGee and Will Scott, as well as junior Earl Clark, in style as the Cards Rock a Couple of Halls (Louisville Courier-Journal) with a 95-78 win over Seton Hall last night in Freedom Hall.

Earl Clark had a career-high 27 points and added 14 rebounds, Terrence Williams finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks and Williams surpassed the 500-assist mark in the game, making him the only player in U of L history to reach 1,400 points, 800 rebounds and 500 assists. Rounding out the night's honorees was Andre McGee added 11 and Will Scott chipping in two points.

Seton Hall fell to 6-11 in the Big East and will close the regular season at Cincinnati Saturday before heading over to New York City for the 2009 Big East Tournament (& Tickets) beginning on Tuesday. The Pirates got 24 points from Robert Mitchell in the loss.

SETON HALL LOOKS TO HALT CARDS' BIG EAST TITLE CHASE

2009-03-04T09:56:00.001-05:00

March 4, 2009

Louisville has (T-)willed themselves into position to claim the Big East regular season crown and there is going to be a lot of emotion in Freedom Hall tonight as the fans take the opportunity to bid farewell to the seniors on the UL roster. They will also get a chance to honor Earl Clark, a junior, who has made his intentions of heading to the NBA after this season very clear.

Terrence Williams, Andre McGee and Will Scott will be the trio of seniors playing their final game in Freedom Hall and the Louisville faithful will be very determined to help send them out on a high note with a win over visiting Seton Hall.

The Pirates also have something to play for as they hope to do enough in the regular season to have a shot at a bid to the NIT following the 2009 Big East Tournamant next week at Madison Square Garden. The Pirates are 15-13 overall, 6-10 in the Big East, so the odds are quite slim as a win over Louisville or Cincinnati, both road games, will likely be needed prior to NYC.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on tonight's game:

Farewell to four Who Fared Well (Louisville Courier-Journal)
Louisville’s Scott Closing in on MBA, Not NBA (SportingNews.com)
UL Senior Day: Feast for the Eyes, Ears (Courier-Journal)

Last season Seton Hall upset Louisville in the Prudential Center, a fact that Rick Pitino will likely use to help motivate his squad, who last season finished one-game behind Georgetown in the regular season standings. This season, Louisville can claim at least a share of the regular season crown by beating the Pirates and West Virginia this week to close out the regular season. So, with senior night and the regular season title on the line, not to mention the possibility of a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament as well, there is plenty at stake for the Cards.

Seton Hall seemed to unravel a bit against Pittsburgh in their final home game before a sell-out crown Saturday night at 'The Rock' in Newark (NJ). The Pirates lost 89-78, but Pitt led by as much as 19 before a surge in the final minute against the Panthers' walk-ons made the final a bit more cosmetically pleasing. Seton Hall was assessed three technical fouls in the game and their frantic team personality seems to wear on opponents, officials and, even in some cases, each other at times.

The Pirates will likely try and create a frantic pace against UL and turn Cardinal miscues into quick points, usually with Jeremy Hazell firing away from the three-point line. However, unlike most nights, SHU will see a team looking to press them as well, so while the pace of the game may be in the SHU comfort zone, UL just has more players, and more talented players, to make it work for them.

The college basketball betting odds list UL as a 16 1/2-point favorite in tonight's game. With the emotion and high stakes for the Cards, expect them to put forth a strong effort, especially on the defensive end of the court.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Louisville 85
Seton Hall 67

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: PITTSBURGH @ SETON HALL

2009-02-27T23:22:00.002-05:00

February 28, 2009

Seton Hall and Pittsburgh meet Saturday night at the Prudential Center in Newark (NJ) in front of a sellout crowd as the Pirate faithful hope to send off senior Paul Gause a winner in his home finale. In order to do so, they will have to do a first in their history, knock off the #1 team in the country.

While Pitt may be ranked #1, it certainly seems to have been forgotten as the Panthers were stunned on Tuesday night in Providence. The Frairs swarmed a lethargic group of Panthers, closing the first half on a 15-1 run to take a 44-26 halftime lead and held off a charge from Pitt that was too little too late in a 81-73 upset.

While it took Pitt nearly 30 minutes to wake up on Tuesday as they cut a 20-point deficit to five, that lack of focus to begin the game costs them. They will be heading into another charged atmosphere on Saturday night, but you can definitely expect the Panthers to be playing with a little more urgency on both ends of the floor to begin the game Saturday.

Seton Hall is likely to come out and try to push the Panthers into a frantic pace and hope to draw some fouls against the Panthers, especially big man DeJuan Blair. The Pirates are very thin, but they have some offensive talent and could cause some problems for Pitt on defense with dribble penetration and spreading the floor. If they can get Pitt on their heels and able to break down the defense off the dribble, they could challenge Blair and possibly get him in foul trouble.

The other aspect offensively that SHU will hope to have clicking is the three-ball, especially from Jeremy Hazell. If Hazell can knock down a few three’s, it could cause Pitt to go to a smaller line-up to match-up with the Pirates and it will also get the crowd in a frenzy. Hazell has the ability to get on a big time roll from the arc, and if that happens, look out.

Pitt will need Levance Fields to control the tempo and feed Sam Young and Blair on offense. Those two should be nearly unstoppable near or around the basket and SHU will likely have to concede some points in the paint. The dangerous one is Young, when he gets his offense going, his all-around game seems to pick up considerably. If he attacks the basket and knocks down some mid-range shots early, he is tough to stop and opens more room for Blair to dominate the offensive boards. John Garcia will have his hands full against Blair, who is bulkier and more athletic than Garcia.

Seton Hall is likely to put up one of their best efforts of the season in this game. However, Pitt coming off the loss at PC will likely have the Panthers ready to put forth a big effort on their end. While SHU will excite the home crowd at times, look for Pitt to slowly take control and use their depth and strength inside to come up with a win.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Pittsburgh 78
Seton Hall 72

Seton Hall Determined to Make Postseason for Paul Gause (Star-Ledger)
Pitt Hopes to Avoid Deja Vu Against Seton Hall (Tribune-Review)
Young, Fields Flying Under the Radar (Tribune-Review)

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SOUTH FLORIDA @ SETON HALL

2009-02-25T09:52:00.003-05:00

February 25, 2009

Seton Hall, 5-9 in Big East and 14-12 overall, hostsd South Florida, 3-11 Big East and 8-18 overall, in a Big East conference match-up Wednesday night at the Prudential Center in Newark (NJ).

The Pirates look to return home after a road loss at St. John's Sunday evening and snap a three-game losing streak at the expense of the Bulls. After dropping their first six conference games, SHU rebounded with five straight wins to build some momentum and reach 5-6 in the Big East. It was the second straight year the Pirates have had a five-game winning streak in Big East play, the hope to make sure those are not the only five wins in the conference.

USF had a season highlight win over Marquette earlier this month. They have matched their Big East-best three conference wins by also sweeping DePaul in their home and home and now will try to get their fourth conference win tonight as they travel to Newark.

Last season the game between USF and SHU went right down to the wire with Seton Hall pulling out a 79-75 win at USF. If the Bulls are able to reverse the tables and grab a win on the road they will need Dominique Jones to carry the load offensively and also a healthy Jesus Verdejo to be a strong offensive contributor.

Despite a thin roster, SHU does possess some offensive firepower, led by shooter Jeremy Hazell and will look to push the tempo and get the Bulls into a track meet. If that gameplan is to be successful in the Big East, they will need a strong floor game from point guard Eugene Harvey, who is coming off a horrible game at St. John's. Feeling the effects of an allergic reaction, Harvey finished the game scoreless and committing five turnovers. SHU can not afford for Harvey to go into a tailspin to close out the season, similar to last season, so a bounceback game from Bobby Gonzalez's point guard is needed.

All in all, SHU has more talent than USF and should find scoring to be quite easy against the Bulls. While USF is certainly going to put forth the effort, they simply do not have the size or the depth to take advantage of the SHU shortcomings.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Seton Hall 76
South Florida 63

USF Continues to Fight as Season Nears End (St. Pete Times)
Bulls' Guard Verdejo Probable for Seton Hall (St. Pete Times)

SETON HALL FALLS TO ST. JOHN'S IN QUEENS

2009-02-23T13:56:00.000-05:00

February 23, 2009

Recruiting Rivals Reuinited in Queens before a sell-out crowd in Carnesecca Arena to witness St. John's Hold Off Seton Hall (Newsday), 70-65.

St. John's dominated the backcoards, outrebounding Seton Hall by a 49-31 margin and overcoming their 36.5% (23-63) shooting performance by accumulating 27 offensive boards, an astounding number.

Justin Burrell (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Sean Evans (10 points, 13 rebounds) each posted double-doubles in the game and DJ Kennedy had a team-high 21 points as St. John's Beats Seton Hall (Star Ledger), handing the Pirates their third straight loss and dropping them to 5-9 in the Big East.

Jeremy Hazell led SHU with 22 points and the Pirates have a date with South Florida at the Prudential Center next prior to a home date with No. 1 Pittsburgh this weekend. SHU finishes the regular season with road games at Louisville and Cincinnati prior to the 2009 Big East Tournament.

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SETON HALL @ ST. JOHN'S

2009-02-22T10:29:00.000-05:00

February 22, 2009

In a rematch of a February 5th contest, won by Seton Hall 91-81, St. John’s looks to even the score between the two teams when they meet on the SJU campus in Carnesecca Arena Sunday afternoon.

Once again it is a season of streaks for SHU. After beginning conference play 0-6, the Pirates rattled off five straight wins against the lower third of the Big East. Since that streak, SHU has lost two in a row, although they played fairly well, against UConn and Marquette. Now, with USF coming to Newark on Wednesday, the Pirates hope to build some momentum for a tough finishing stretch.

St. John’s made a late rally to make the final score in Thursday’s match-up with Duke look closer than the game really was. The Redstorm are 3-10 in the Big East and are currently mired in a five-game losing streak.

This is a key game for both programs who recruit many of the same players in the NYC/NJ metro area. Bobby Gonzalez has made it pretty clear he circles the local rivalry games and thus far this season they have already swept NJ-rival Rutgers and are looking to complete the sweep against SJU, but much to his dismay, it will have to be accomplished on the Queens campus at Carnesecca Arena and not at Madison Square Garden.

The Redstorm has been hit hard by injuries all season long. They are likely as healthy as they will be for this game with Malik Boothe, Justin Burrell and Rob Thomas all in the line-up after missing some time throughout the season. Their best player, Anthony Mason Jr, was lost for the year in November.

The key to this game will be the Redstorm defense on Jeremy Hazell. A good strategy would be to put DJ Kennedy on him and make his assignment to contest everything. SHU does have other scoring options outside of Hazell, but his three’s seem to ignite the Pirates and for them to win on the road he is likely to need to be ‘on’.

This should be a pretty intense game, but the SHU pressure defense really pushed the pace in the first meeting, leading to the SHU win. If the Redstorm do not get better guard play and control the pace, the same thing is likely to happen.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Seton Hall 80
St. John’s 75

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SHU LOOKS TO KNOCK OFF MARQUETTE

2009-02-17T01:02:00.000-05:00

February 17, 2009

Marquette broke their brief two-game slide Saturday by returning home and bouncing St. John's, 73-59, behind a strong defensive effort, much better than the one that allowed 102 points in their previous game. After beginning conference play 9-0, Marquette lost on the road to South Florida and Villanova before the win of the Redstorm this weekend.

Seton Hall started conference play 0-6 before a five-game win streak breathed life back into the Pirates. That streak was ended on Saturday in a 62-54 loss on their home floor to UConn. Despite a valiant effort by junior John Garcia, the Pirates fell as Hasheem Thabeet dominated with 25 points, 20 rebounds and 9 blocked shots.

Marquette is led by the school's all-time leading scorer Jerel McNeal and his senior classmate backcourt partners Dominic James and Wesley Mathews. They will be tested by the SHU trip of Eugene Harvey, Paul Gause and Jeremy Hazell. Each team will use a small forward as their 'big' forward with Lazar Hayward of the Golden Eagles matched up with SHU's Robert Mitchell. John Garcia has a favorable match-up in the paint in this one, if the pace of the game is played more in his favor, like it was on Saturday.

Seton Hall went to a more deliberate pace against UConn this weekend, something out of the norm for the Pirates. While they never really threatened in the game, they kept it close and fought to the end. Marquette will look to push the tempo and if SHU gets pulled in, it will be very interesting, because this is one game where SHU would have an advantage in size AND depth in the paint.

However, the home team with the veteran backcourt is usually more effective in dictating the pace. If that is the case, Marquette should be very comfortable in this game and score a lot of points. The track meet could make Garcia a non-factor and lead to a Golden Eagles win.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Marquette 91
Seton Hall 77

UCONN CONTINUES MASTERY OVER SETON HALL

2009-02-14T23:10:00.001-05:00

February 15, 2009

Hasheem Thabeet showed why he might be the biggest game-changer in the college game today. With the Connecticut perimeter offense stalled in their first game without the injured Jerome Dyson, UConn Gets 25 Points, 20 Rebounds & 9 Blocks from Thabeet in Win over Seton Hall (Briston Press). The Husk defense limited the Pirates to 31% shooting, despite a career day from John Garcia, in the 62-54 win.

Seton Hall had won five consecutive games after starting the season 0-6 in Big East play. However, their perimeter offense went south in this one as Robert Mitchell (4-19), Jeremy Hazell (3-13) and Eugene Harvey (5-22) combined to shoot 12-54 from the field.

Garcia hit 10 of 13 shots from the floor and grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked 6 shots himself, to go along with 22 points.

Thabeet's partner in crime Jeff Adrien added 14 points and 15 rebounds as UConn overcame their own perimeter scoring troubles as both AJ Price and Craig Austrie shot 2-10 from the floor. Husky fans will hope the duo got that out of their system with Pitt coming to Hartford on Monday.

Seton Hall falls to 5-7 in the Big East and travels to Milwaukee to face Marquette on Tuesday night.

UCONN CONTINUES MASTERY OVER SETON HALL

2009-02-14T23:10:00.000-05:00

SETON HALL TRIED TO KNOCK OFF NO. 1 UCONN

2009-02-14T01:29:00.000-05:00

February 14, 2009

The two hottest teams in the Big East collide in a high noon showdown at the Prudential Center in Newark (NJ) on Saturday. The Connecticut Huskies, winners of 12 in a row and currently ranked No. 1 in the nation take on…Seton Hall? Yes, that’s right folks, outside of UConn’s 12-game win streak, the SHU win streak of five is the second longest in the conference now after Villanova’s loss last night.

Connecticut enters Saturday’s contest with an 11-1 Big East mark and a 23-1 overall record. The Husky defense has been devastating in recent weeks and they have not allowed more than 61 points in a game since January 21st, a stretch of six games where opponents are averaging just 55 points a game and just 0.815 points per possession.

With college basketball’s most intimidating eraser in the post, 7-foot-3 Hasheem Thabeet, the game plan and preparation of opponents is altered as often as their shots on gameday.

“For Thabeet we’re going to use a hockey stick for a couple of days to try to get ready for it,” SHU coach Bobby Gonzalez said this week in the coach’s conference call with media members.

For Seton Hall, 5-6 in the Big East, a date with the Huskies can be a true measuring stick of their progress this season. The Pirates began conference play 0-6, but have rebounding with five consecutive losses. However, UConn has more conference wins (11) than the aggregate total of the five SHU victims (9-48).

Seton Hall began their streak as the worst (statistically) defensive and rebounding team in the Big East. However, in their five wins, they have limited opponents to 63.4 points a game and a point per possession ratio of 0.97, which is a bit better than their seasonal mark of 0.996 according to www.kenpom.com. In their six losses, SHU allowed 90.5 points a game and 1.23 points per possession. How bad is that mark? Well, of the 344 teams in Divison 1-A basketball, the worst ratio for any team on the season is 1.21.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on the contest:

Huskies Get First Look at What Life After Dyson Looks Like Today (Middletown Press)
Seton Hall Coach Bobby Gonzalez has Never Seen Anything like Hasheem Thabeet (Star-Ledger)
UConn Begins Life After Dyson (Connecticut Post)
Seton Hall Center Leads With His Legs (NY Times)
UConn Men: Stand or Fall (Journal Inquirer)

So, on Saturday we will get a chance to see where SHU is. There are some factors in their favor. One, UConn is dealing with an injury situation as junior guard Jerome Dyson is out indefinitely after tearing the lateral meniscus of his right knee in Wednesday’s 63-49 win over Syracuse. Two, UConn likely can’t help but peek at least a little bit toward Monday’s huge top five showdown with Pittsburgh. And, three, Seton Hall is a confident crew that has their coach believing big things are ahead.
“Seton Hall has been playing basketball for 105 years and they’ve never beaten a team that’s No. 1 in the country, not ever,” Gonzalez said in the conference call. “[UConn] is always going to be great, I’m sure. But eventually we’re going to beat them.”

Will that eventually come on Saturday? That is probably too tall of a task right now for SHU. Although they have a starting five that can play with anyone straight-up, it is when adjustments need to be made and different looks that SHU has no answer for while other teams can go to their bench or call on a different style of play.

SHU guard Jeremy Hazell is the league’s second leading scorer and will be looking to bomb away and he has the confidence to get hot and keep the Pirates in it. But in the end, Thabeet and Jeff Adrien are too much muscle inside and AJ Price is a steadying influence on the perimeter and veterans Craig Austrie and Stanley Robinson have stepped up before when Dyson missed time due to a suspension last year, look for them to do it again this season.

NBE Blogger Preview:

Connecticut 78
Seton Hall 64

SETON HALL WINS FIFTH STRAIGHT IN BIG EAST

2009-02-11T12:32:00.000-05:00

February 11, 2009

For the second season in a row, Seton Hall has put together a five-game win streak in Big East play. After starting conference play 0-6, SHU upset Georgetown (4-7) on their home floor and then finished off a four-game home stand with wins over Rutgers (1-10) and St. John's (3-8). They have now extended the streak by hitting the road to complete a sweep over Rutgers on Sunday afternoon and can now add DePaul (0-12) to their list of victims after Seton Hall Downs DePaul, 72-49 (Star Ledger) in Allstate Arena on Tuesday night.

Eugene Harvey had an efficient 19 points to go along with 6 assists to lead SHU. 'Stix' Mitchell added 16 points and a team-high 9 rebounds and Jeremy Hazell contributed 13 for the Pirates, who shot 51% from the floor as a team and turned it over just six times all game against a listless Blue Demons squad.

Dar Tucker led DePaul last night with 19 points and Mac Koshwal added 11 points and 16 rebounds.

So after building a 5-game win streak on the backs of team's with a combined aggregate conference record of 9-47 (.161), SHU faces a pair of stiffer tests in front of them when they host No. 1 Connecticut this weekend and then travel to Villanova next week. The Pirates have done what was needed to seperate themselves from the bottom of the conference.

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SHU LOOKS TO EXTEND WIN STREAK AT DEPAUL

2009-02-10T11:25:00.001-05:00

February 10, 2009

Will DePaul win a Big East game this season? Tonight might be their best opportunity when Seton Hall visits Allstate Arena. If the Blue Demons were to play the Pirates, this might be the best time to do so. Seton Hall is coming off a hard-fought road win over rival Rutgers, 65-60, on Sunday and has a quick turnaround to play DePaul. SHU is not a deep team, playing six players for the most part, and this will be their third game in a six-day span.

DePaul is coming off a 92-69 home loss to Pittsburgh. At times, the Blue Demons looked ok, but they could not sustain good play for stretches and had no answer in the paint for DeJuan Blair.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on tonight’s game found on the web:

DePaul’s Jabari Currie Done for the Season (Chicago Tribune)
Blue Demons Still Searching for Big East Win (Courier News)

So, will DePaul win a Big East game this season? The odds of a team, with some talent like the Blue Demons, going 0-18 in the Big East are long, but if anyone can do it, DePaul looks like a perfect candidate. They are already well on their way, being swept by USF in a home and away series and losing to Rutgers and St. John’s by double digits. They have lost their last four games by an average of 20 points, including the last two at home, by 15 to Marquette and 23 to Pittsburgh on Saturday. Now, Seton Hall, who has won four in a row, will pay a visit as DePaul looks to salvage something in this three-game home stand.

Seton Hall, a 2 ½-point favorite on the road, started Big East play 0-6, but has turned the ship around winning four straight. While the wins have come against the bottom of the Big East with two over Rutgers (1-10 in the Big East) and victories against St. John’s (3-8) and Georgetown (4-7), teams with a combined conference mark of 9-35, SHU seems to have separated themselves from that pack. Now, they look to make 0-11 DePaul their next victim.

Everyone knows SHU is not deep, especially in the frontcourt where gimpy John Garcia guts his way through games, but DePaul is not very deep either. The starting line-up for SHU is definitely talented, sometimes inconsistent and prone to curious decision-making and shot selection, but they love to pull teams into a playground-type of frenzied play. DePaul’s biggest problem, one stretching Jerry Wainwright’s entire tenure in Lincoln Park, has been the inability of their point guards to control the pace and dictate the game. If they fail to do so tonight, they could be run out of their own building, once again.

DePaul has some talent, led by sophomore’s Dar Tucker and Mac Koshwal, but the drop-off to the rest of the team is steep. Outside of Will Walker, their top duo has little help at all. That line-up can not get it done in the Big East.

Seton Hall, playing better, is a 2 1/2-point favorite on the road…’nuff said.

NBE Blogger Preview:

Seton Hall 76
DePaul 67

SETON HALL SWEEPS RIVAL RUTGERS

2009-02-09T11:29:00.000-05:00

February 9, 2009

The Jersey grudge match that is Seton Hall and Rutgers took place for the second time in 10 days, this time at the RAC on the Rutgers campus, on Sunday afternoon. As expected, it was a tight and intense affair that came down to the final minutes.

The Pirates finished the game on a 7-0 run as Seton Hall Beats Rutgers, 65-60, to Sweep Season Series (Star-Ledger). After starting Big East play 0-6, SHU has now won four straight and have a date at DePaul next. The Rutgers season of improved expectations and momentum from some recruiting success is turning into another disaster as they fall to 1-10 in the Big East and 10-14 overall.

Jeremy Hazell had a game-high 19 points and John Garcia gutted out a 13-point, 8-rebound performance to lead the Pirates as Seton Hall Beats the Scarlet Knights for Second Time this Season (Asbury Park Press).

Rutgers did not help themselves down the stretch as they turned the ball over, missed free throws and shot after shot. The Loss to Seton Hall Shows Rutgers Coach Fred Hill, Jr. is Getting Outcoached (Star-Ledger) and his Big East head coaching record is 6-41 in his third season. The third season is the year where a coach is supposed to make his move and the direction of the program is established. With Rutgers scheduled to have a new athletic director in place in the near future, Hill better show some progress in the near future. As the losses continue to pile up, the recruiting momentum that was built last summer seems to dwindle rapidly.

Mike Rosario led RU with 15 points, but the tough defense of SHU senior Paul Gause made him work very hard for each of those points and forced him into 5 turnovers. Gause has Become the Senior Leader for Seton Hall (Gloucester Times) and he added 10 points and 4 steals in the win yesterday.

While RU's struggles under Hill continue, maybe Bobby Gonzalez is point the Pirates in the right direction. While the four game win streak has not come against teams with a 9-35 (.205) combined Big East record, it looks like Gonzalez Rights Seton Hall (NY Daily News) after the 0-6 start and has positioned them above the other conference bottom-feeders, something many believed Fred Hill was going to start doing this year.

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SETON HALL/RUTGERS REMATCH

2009-02-08T09:35:00.000-05:00

February 8, 2009

It is already time for the rematch between Garden State rivals on Sunday when Rutgers and Seton Hall square off at high noon at the RAC. Just 10 days earlier, Seton Hall held off a late Rutgers rally for a 70-67 win in the always hotly contested match-up.

Seton Hall is riding the momentum of a three-game winning streak in the contest which has been largely thanks to the extremely hot hand of Jeremy Hazell. The sophomore scorer-extraordinaire scored 35 in the win over Rutgers, with 28 coming in the second half. In his last outing, a 91-81 SHU win over St. John’s, Hazell scored 31 more.

Rutgers finally got their first Big East win of the year as they beat up on punching bag DePaul last weekend. They followed that up with a 57-47 setback at Georgetown and now face their rivals, looking for revenge from the earlier defeat.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on the game:

Friendly Rivals (Asbury Park Press)
Mike Rosario is Still Working Hard for Rutgers as SHU Comes to the RAC (NJ.com)
RU vs. SHU: The Sequel (mycentraljersey.com)

We keep waiting for Rutgers to show some progress and improvement in Fred Hill’s third season as head coach. The Scarlet Knights were 2-14 and 3-15 in his first two seasons and there was some hype surrounding this year’s club with the additions of Mike Rosario and Greg Echenique. However, it has not translated into success on the court as RU is just 1-9 in the Big East this season.

Rosario has done his part as one of the top freshman in the Big East, unfortunately, the team around him often plays in a dysfunctional manner with little flow on offense and often playing into the opponents preferred style.

Seton Hall will try and get Rutgers into their manic style of basketball. That is often easier done at home than on the road where the crowd and officials can be more favorable to tilt the game in their favor. Now, they will have to get back onto the road and see if their momentum of three straight wins will carry over.

The Pirates just finished a four-game home stand, winning their last three, and now face RU and DePaul on the road before the schedule toughens once again. They certainly have some impressive offensive talent, now they will have to come together on the road for a win.

The college basketball lines this morning show Rutgers as a 1 ½-point favorite on their home floor. While SHU looks to be the better team, Rutgers is likely to play this game as it is their season on their home floor. Look for the Knights to come out with a win, in a very intense battle between the two Jersey schools of the Big East.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Rutgers 73
Seton Hall 70

SETON HALL SPEEDS TO WIN OVER ST. JOHN'S

2009-02-06T13:12:00.003-05:00

by Ray Floriani

NEWARK, NJ – Mark it down as three straight for Seton Hall. The Pirates defeated St. John’s 91-81 at the Prudential Center on Thursday evening. A tempo free breakdown…

Final totals…

Team.............Possessions.............Efficiency
St.John’s............71.....................114
Seton Hall...........73.....................125

What Seton Hall did well. Impose their ‘will’ on the game. Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez noted that getting an uptempo team to slow things down as opposed to doing the reverse, force a slower team to kick it high gear. Seton Hall did just that. St.John’s prefers a low sixty possession outing but by going small and applying some pressure defense, the Hall increased the tempo and built a significant early lead.

What St. John’s did well. Operate effectively inside. In the second half when they trimmed a 17 point deficit to a two possession game, the Red Storm got in the paint. DJ Kennedy (20) points was particularly effective. For the game, St. John’s enjoyed a strong 41% offensive rebounding percentage and won the battle of the boards 40-33.

Jeremy Hazell, the Seton Hall sharpshooter, led all scorers with 31 points. These evenings are becoming a regular occurrence for the scintillating soph.

Seton Hall even shot better from three than two point range.

Two point shooting................Three point shooting
21-42 (50%.............................8-14 (57%)

St. John’s was led by Paris Horne’s 21 points and is now 12-10 (3-7 Big East). Seton Hall improved to 12-9 (3-6 Big East).

Quotes:

“A lot of people look at points allowed to determine if a team is good defensively. Points allowed is affected by the pace of the game, we prefer to look at points per possession. That gives a better indication of a team’s defense.” –Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez

“We looked at this four game home stretch and hoped to get three. We lost the first one in overtime to Providence in a game we should have won. Coming back to beat Georgetown and getting that first conference win was huge. You need that first win to start a streak and now our kids are more confident. To win three straight after starting 0-6 in this league is something.” – Gonzalez

“We dug too deep a hole to come back. We didn’t defend very well but no excuses, they just outplayed us.” – St. John’s coach Norm Roberts

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: ST. JOHN'S @ SETON HALL

2009-02-05T08:13:00.003-05:00

February 5, 2009

The Seton Hall Pirates, on a current two-game win streak, host Norm Roberts and his St. John's Redstorm at the Prudential Center in Newark (NJ) tonight in a Big East match-up. SHU beat Rutgers, 70-67, in their last game behind 35 points from Jeremy Hazell and are 2-6 in Big East play.

The Redstorm have won two of three, beating Rutgers, 70-59, and South Florida, 65-48, at home and losing 75-52 at West Virginia in between. SJU is 3-6 in the Big East.

Pregame stories and previews:

St. John's & Seton Hall Ready for Battle (NY Daily News)

The 'storm received a nice lift to their line-up with the return of Malik Boothe and Rob Thomas from injury in their last game, a win over USF. Boothe had not played since a December 21st loss to Virginia Tech because of an injured thumb. Being the lone SJU true point guard, coach Roberts was anxious to get him back on the court and the sophomore logged 37 minutes against USF.

Thomas provides an offensive lift off the bench, and had scored in double digits in four of five games before injuring a groin in the 1st half of a loss to UConn on January 15th. He had six points in 18 minutes in his return.

SJU had already lost Anthony Mason Jr for the season, so this is probably as full of a compliment of players as they will have this season. Boothe moves back into a backcourt that has a very hot player next to him, Paris Horne. The 6'3 sophomore is averaging a team-best 14.4 points a game, but that number is 18.8 in the last six contests. Fellow sophomore DJ Kennedy, a 6'6 wing, averages 13 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds for SJU.

Seton Hall is led by Jeremy Hazell, one of the nation's top scorers at 23.4 points a game. The 35-point performance was one of his five 30-pt plus games this year and he averages 24.8 points in Big East games. Hazell has the green light to launch from nearly anywhere at anytime and has the confidence to make them in any situation, no matter how many he has made, or missed, previously.

Robert 'Stix Mitchell adds 15.7 points and game and point guard Eugene Harvey averages nearly 13 points and 5 assists a game. Much is made of the short SHU roster and lack of depth that really hurts their frontcourt, but they definitely have some guys that can fill it up offensively.

The 9 PM contest is being shown by ESPN and the early college basketball odds have Seton Hall favored by 5 1/2 points on their home floor.

Being at home, you have to believe the Pirate offense will outshine the St. John's defensive effort. Their is not a lot of room for error for Seton Hall with a thin roster, but Hazell can certainly carry the load offensively and the frantic pace will likly take St. John's out of their game.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Seton Hall 76
St. John's 67

HAZELL POURS IN 35, SETON HALL BEATS RUTGERS

2009-01-30T09:32:00.000-05:00

January 30, 2009

In the first have, Seton Hall scored 26 points and found themselves trailing Rutgers 27-26 at the Prudential Center.

In the second half, however, Jeremy Hazell exploded for 28 points himself and the Pirates held off a late Scarlet Knight rally as Seton Hall Knocks off Rutgers, 70-67, Behind Hazell's 35 Points (Star-Ledger).

Hazell finished with his first career double-double as he also added 10 rebounds in the contest. He was effecient offensively, scoring 35 points on 17 field goal attempts (10-17), connecting on three of four from beyond the arc and made 12 of 13 free throws.

It was SHU's second consecutive win after beginning conference play 0-6. Robert Mitchell added 11 points and Eugene Harvey fought off strept throat to add nine points and nine assists in the win.

The Struggle Continues for Rutgers, Now 0-8 in Big East, After Loss to SHU (Star Ledger) and are now 5-37 in the Big East under Fred Hill Jr.

The hope of the RU program is that freshmen Mike Rosario and Greg Echenique lead them to better days. Rosario scored 25 points last night and Echenique added 13 points (all in the second half) and 8 rebounds, but they can not do it themselves. Their teammates shot just 12-35 from the floor, good for just 34%

With No Love Lost Between the Jersey Coaches (SNY.tv), the game was full of subplots, but in the end, it was settled on the court in a game that tightened up in the last 30 seconds with Rutgers failing to get off a potential game-tying three before the buzzer sounded after a SHU turnover.

With two wins in a row, SHU now has a stretch of winnable games, starting February 5th when they host St. John's and then hit the road for the rematch with Rutgers and a date with DePaul, who is winless in the Big East.

Rutgers will match-up with winless DePaul on Saturday, but their schedule is looking much tougher here on out.

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: RU-SHU GARDEN STATE RIVALRY RENEWED

2009-01-29T08:55:00.000-05:00

January 29, 2009

The battle of New Jersey in the Big East will commence tonight in Newark at the Prudential Center, aka 'the Rock', as Seton Hall will welcome in Rutgers.

This is as true of a rivalry game as there is. In many cases, it is the fans that get worked up for a rivalry game, but this is one that the players, coaches and everyone else associated with each school and program has a deep desire to win.

Last season the two teams split their two meetings, each winning on the other's home court in thrilling fashion. The second meeting, the RU win at Seton Hall, set off quite an interesting post-game with Bobby Ganzalez's tantrum toward the officials that led to his one-game suspension that was served in their conference-opening loss to Syracuse last month. From the handshake between the coaches after the game to the postgame comments, this was a rivalry game that meant something.

Here are some pregame stories and previews from the internet this morning on the game:

Rutgers' Farmer is Approaching 1,000 Points, but all he Wants are Wins (Press of Atlantic City)
Rutgers, Seton Hall Reunite at the Rock (Asbury Park Press)
Rutgers, Seton Hall Excited to Renew Rivalry (Star-Ledger)
Scouting Report for Rutgers-Seton Hall (Asbury Park Press)
SHU Not Taking Rutgers Lightly as RU Looks for First Big East Win
Rutgers Freshman Rosario Makes Most of Transition (NY Times)

Never mind the fact that Rutgers and Seton Hall have a combined Big East W/L record of 1-13. Records will mean very little for the two+ hours that the Scarlet Knights and Pirates will battle tonight in Newark. One could be undefeated and the other winless and this game would still be a battle that will have fans from both schools at the edge of their seats.

There is no question that Rutgers has been a disappointment. While most reasonable prognosticators felt Rutgers would win six, maybe seven in the Big East this season, they are looking like a team that will struggle to exceed last year's total of three conference wins, even matching that will be difficult if they do not find a way to pull out a win very soon.

With star Jersey recruits in Mike Rosario and Greg Echenique making the highly publicized decisions to stay in the Garden State for their college careers, Fred Hill's program was one many thought would begin to rise from the ashes of the Big East cellar. The duo was to join sophomores Corey Chandler and Mike Coburn, junior Hamady N'Diaye and seniors JR Inman and Anthony Farmer to form a line-up capable of playing with the top teams, winning their share against the middle of the pack and pulling themselves out of the bottom. So far, none of that has happened.

While the schedule has not been much of a help, RU has not helped themselves by losing by double-digits on the roas to St. John's and Cincinnati. When looking at RU, you can't really pinpoint their biggest weakness other than they do not have 'it.' What exactly 'it' is can vary from one explanation to the next, but this team seems to have some form of a dis-connect somewhere, which leads to the poor results. Progress was needed in the third year of Fred Hill's tenure, not an 0-7 start with a season looking to be going down the drain quickly like his previous two, and with it is likely any recruiting momentum built with the signings of Echenique and Rosario.

Seton Hall picked up their first conference win on Saturday with a 65-60 win over slumping and floundering Georgetown. The Pirates have also not had much luck with a tough early conference schedule, but they also had lost two of their last three out of the conference to the likes of IUPUI (home) and James Madison (away). The schedule eases significantly now with Rutgers twice in 11 days and St. John's at home in the middle and DePaul following the second meeting with RU. That is as winnable of a four game stretch any team will face in the Big East this season and the Georgetown win has given Bobby Gonzalez's team a new thrust of energy.

The Pirates are led by long-range bomber Jeremy Hazell and forward Robert 'Stix' Mitchell going inside and out. Point guard Eugene Harvey runs the show with defensive dynamo Paul Gause, the lone SHU senior, teamming in the backcourt with him.

Where the Pirates are really thin is the frontcourt where oft-injured John Garcia, the under-performing Mike Davis (fouled out in two minutes against Georgetown) and the still-developing Brandon Walters make up the ranks. Walk-on Matt Cajuste has been getting playing time lately to help counter the lack of depth.

Will Rutgers take advantage of their size advantage with JR Inman, Echenique and N'Diaye inside? They have been too content much of the season to let Rosario shoot them into, or just as easily, out of games. Rosario will likly bethe target of the SHU defense and the fans. If RU can find some sort of balance offensively, they would be helping themselves out tremendously.

In the end, SHU seems to have the confidence in themselves and each other, despite the losses. I do not see that with Rutgers. If RU is off to a slow start, it could be lights out for the game...and their season...

Seton Hall is a 7 1/2-point favorite in this game tonight.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Seton Hall 74
Rutgers 65

SETON HALL REMEBERS '89 TEAM, STUNS HOYAS

2009-01-26T09:44:00.001-05:00

January 26, 2009

Jeremy Hazell shoots 5-21 and 0-10 from three-point range. In fact, Seton Hall shoots 0-13 as a team from three, Mike Davis fouls out in two minutes of game action and combines with fellow big men John Garcia and Brandon Walters to commit 13 fouls in 37 minutes. The Pirates were also out-rebounded, 40-30, yet…they stun Georgetown, 65-60, in Big East action on Sunday afternoon at the Prudential Center. So, on the day that the Pirate community honored their 1989 national championship runner-up squad, there proved to be Still Some Magic Left as SHU Beats No. 12 (Star-Ledger).

Hazell did connect on 13 of 17 from the foul line and the Big East’s second leading scorer finished with 23 points as the usually defense-deficient Pirates stifle the Hoya offense, limiting them to 32.7% (17-52) from the field and 3-22 from the three-point arc as it appeared there was a Jersey Barrier (Washington Post) on the basket.

After being roughed up by WVU on their home floor on Thursday, once again, the Failure to Follow Plan (Washington Times) costs the Hoyas dearly as they fell to 3-4 in Big East play.

Besides Hazell's 23 points, Robert Mitchell added an effecient 20 points and 7 rebounds for the Pirates. Freshman Greg Monroe was the lone bright spot for the Hoyas, scoring 17 points, but he only attempted 7 shots (making 6 from the field. Outside of Monroe, the rest of the Hoyas were a combined 11-45 from the field...oh my.

It was an emotional day at the 'Rock' in Newark as the Reunion of Seton Hall's 1989 Team Brings P.J. Carlesimo to Tears (Star-Ledger) during the video tribute shown at halftime.

SETON HALL CHECKS IN ON SHERROD WRIGHT

2009-01-25T23:46:00.003-05:00

Mount Vernon unsigned senior G/F has a variety of schools looking

January 25, 2009

Sherrod Wright cemented his place as the NYC-area's top unsigned 2009 college prospect by scoring 60 points over the two games in leading Mount Vernon to the SNY Invitational title this past weekend at NYU.

Wright, the events MVP, took time-out after his 32-point performance in the opening night win Friday to update NBE on his current recruiting situation.

“Everything is coming along, I’m getting a couple new schools here and there,” he explained to NBE on Friday. “I don’t have a top four or anything, there’s new colleges coming in I can’t even cut down. Big East, ACC, Big Ten.”

Wright listed Providence as a school that’s been in active pursuit of him and his high school coach, Bob Cimmino told ZagsBlog that Oklahoma State and South Carolina are highly involved.

“Those are the two leaders right now,” Cimmino told Zags.

However, it looks like more schools will take a look between now and the April signing period. One Big East school stopped in earlier last week.

“Seton Hall just came down to the gym the other night actually," Wright informed NBE. "St. John’s is here and there. I’m not even sure yet, I’m just trying to see what’s going to be the best fit for me.”

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: GEORGETOWN @ SETON HALL

2009-01-25T10:21:00.001-05:00

January 25, 2009

At 2 PM in Newark (NJ), two Big East teams will tangle and both are looking to gain some footing in the conference. Seton Hall will host Georgetown and the Pirates look to avoid their 7th straight conference loss to start Big East play. On the other-hand, the Hoyas look to keep their head above water and avoid falling below .500 in Big East play.

After Pulling Off UConn Upset, Hoyas Fading Quickly (FoxSports.com)
’Blip’ Exposes Hoyas Lack of Leadership. Experience (Washington Times)

We have seen a pattern with Georgetown. Hit the boards hard and play physical defense with an athletic line-up, you will have success against them. Add in depth, and you could rough them up, even on their home court. See examples of Pittsburgh, West Virginia.

Luckily for the Hoyas, none of that is the strength of the thin and defense-challenged Seton Hall Pirates. The Pirates will score, but even with their lack of depth, they look to play fast-paced and frantic from tip to horn.

When an opposing team re-focuses and gets away from the pick-up game style to play some defense and set-up a halfcourt game, they get just about what they want. Look for Georgetown to do that often against SHU today. They Hoyas are 8 ½-point road favorites.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Georgetown 78
Seton Hall 68

ROCK NOTES: PC OUTLASTS, OUTWITS PIRATES

2009-01-23T10:08:00.002-05:00

January 23, 2009

By Ray Floriani

NEWARK, NJ – A day after NJIT ended their streak in this city, another one, though not as severe, goes on. Seton Hall is still searching for their first Big East win of the season following last night’s 98-93 OT loss to Providence at the ‘Rock’. A few notes or points of emphasis…

• Attacking the basket. Providence got into the three point game the first half. Actually both teams (PC 9-12 and Hall 6-12) shot the ball very well from beyond the arc. The second half Seton Hall defended the perimeter players better and PC coach Keno Davis made it a point to attack the basket. Davis was especially pleased with his club’s second half game plan execution. “A month or so ago if teams defended us outside better we still would have shot the three,” Davis said. “We would have moved back and still shot the three. Tonight we adjusted in the second half and went inside.”

• Jeremy Hazell. The Hall sharpshooter had a game high 30 points including 7 of 12 from three. Later in the first half PC led by 14.Midway in the second, the Friars had an eight point lead. Both times Hazell sparked a Pirate rally by burying a few treys. In overtime though, he was defended very well by the Friars. Hazell got a few looks but not uncontested in that extra session. To no surprise the Pirates look to Hazell as a primary option. But they have Paul Gause, Robert Mitchell and Eugene Harvey willing to take perimeter shots so you cannot spend all your defensive focus on one player. That gives Hazell more room to roam and get open.

• Attrition. Seton Hall does not have the bodies. As noted Davis made a concerted effort to attack the basket the second half. It worked as John Garcia, the Hall’s lone starting big man’ fouled out(as did Robert Mitchell and Paul Gause). PC shot 42 free throws to the Hall’s 22. In post game interviews Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez didn’t criticize the officials but wondered how Providence shot 20 more free throws than his club. At the half the Hall attempted 6 to PC’s 5 so it is quite obvious that the Friar change in offensive philosophy was a major factor in the free throw disparity as well as in wearing their hosts down inside.

• Friars had five players in double figures led by Jeff Xavier’s 20 points.

• Tempo Free…..

................POSS...................EFF
Providence........80...................123
Seton Hall........81...................115

Very high offensive numbers, largely due to the three point shooting of both teams.

..................eField Goal Pct
Providence............60%(11/20 from 3)
Seton Hall............58%(13/27 from 3)

Quotes: “We have an incredibly trying part of our (Big East) schedule coming up. What helps us is we have off until our next game Wednesday against Syracuse. That will give us a chance to ‘get our legs’ and work on a few things…We are 6-2 in conference and that puts us in a good position.” – Providence coach Keno Davis

“We have to keep fighting. We have been playing some good basketball but we just have to find a way to win. Nothing in this league is automatic.” – Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SHU HOSTS PC FRIARS

2009-01-22T13:44:00.001-05:00

January 22, 2009

The Prudential Center in Newark (NJ) is the site to an interesting Big East contest tipping off at 7 PM. The Providence Friars, who were victorious on their home court over Cincinnati on Monday, return to action to meet the Seton Hall Pirates, who are getting desperate for a win.

The Friars completed a two-game sweep of Cincinnati this season as the rebounded from a disappointing loss at home Saturday night against Marquette, where they squandered a 13-point lead.

The Friars bounced back on an extremely short turn-around to get a win over Cincinnati to keep their conference record above .500. A road win tonight would give PC a little cushion ahead of a demanding three game stretch with games against Syracuse, Connecticut and their first of two with Villanova.

For the Pirates, they have lost seven of eight games after a surprising 8-1 start to their season. The losses were not limited to the Big East either as IUPUI came into the Prudential Center and won and they dropped a road game to James Madison. With a winnable stretch of games ahead, finding confidence in being able to win in the Big East will be a must.

Here are some pregame stories and previews on tonight’s game:

Xavier’s Toughness no Lost on SHU’s Gonzalez (Providence Journal)
PC at Seton Hall Preview (Providence Journal)

Here are two teams that are probably a little bit glad to see each other. Neither team tends to match-up very well with the brute force of many of the Big East’s top teams and both would rather get out and push the pedal to the medal a bit offensively and score some points.

With that, defense and rebounding will likely decide the winner and which team accepts the call to dictate the game in those areas will likely come out on top.

I actually believe that Providence does put their effort in on the defensive side of the ball. It will be challenged as Seton Hall will look to outscore them, but players like Geoff McDermott, Weyinmi Efejuku and Sharaud Curry have the potential to make life tough for Robert Mitchell, Jeremy Hazell and Eugene Harvey to get their points. No doubt they will get their points, but making them work a little harder for it will make Providence find it easier to get their own points.

PC will also find a little more consistency with their inside game as Randall Hanke and Jonathan Kale, while nothing exciting or special, will play consistent roles in this game. Mike Davis, John Garcia and Brandon Walters certainly could produce and play key roles, but nobody has an idea from game to game what the SHU plan is with the trio.

The linesmakers have the Friars as a slight 1 ½ point favorite. They have more depth and have shown the ability to rise defensively and on the boards to win this year in Big East play. Seton Hall, although they have played tougher teams, have yet to do so. So, until they show it…we will go with the Friars.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Providence 80
Seton Hall 74

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SETON HALL VISITS UCONN

2009-01-18T08:29:00.001-05:00

January 18, 2009

“Right now we’re 0-4…We gotta win. We gotta find a way to win,” said Seton Hall head coach Bobby Gonzalez during this week’s Big East coach’s conference call.

That might be easier said then done. SHU, who have lost six of their last seven overall, must now travel to Hartford to take on Connecticut in a Big East conference match-up.

Since dropping their conference opener, UConn has reeled off four straight league wins, including three straight on the road. The Huskies have a schedule that builds to a crescendo down the stretch, so they hope to avoid any pitfalls along the way.

The difference between these two teams is greatest in the frontcourt. Bobby Gonzalez is well aware of the challenge his undermanned and undersized front line will face.

“They’ve got kind of an NBA front line with [Hasheem] Thabeet and Jeff Adrien,” Gonzalez said this week. “Thabeet can change a game by himself. Jeff Adrien is a warrior.”

UConn can also add 6’9 Stanley Robinson to the floor as well and you have an NBA sized trio. On the other hand, Seton Hall uses a 6’5 forward and a 6’9 center with gimpy knees and three guards…ouch.

Seton Hall will also look to run and gun, playing right into the hands of UConn’s preferred style of play as Jim Calhoun will look for freshman guard Kemba Walker to push the pace as everyone on the UConn team can get out and run. If AJ Price can find his niche with the ball in Walker’s hands more, look out…this is a team that has yet to hit their stride and are 18 ½ point favorites today.

Here are some links to pregame stories and previews found on the web:

Hazell is a Scoring Machine for Seton Hall (Connecticut Post)
UConn Taking Hall or Nothing Approach (Journal Inquirer)

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Connecticut 94
Seton Hall 74

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SETON HALL @ NOTRE DAME

2009-01-10T10:11:00.001-05:00

January 10, 2009

Notre Dame extended their home court winning streak to 44 games on Monday with a win over Georgetown. They will look for win #45 in a row at the Joyce Center when Seton Hall comes to town on Saturday afternoon.

The Irish rebounded from a surprising loss to St. John’s last weekend and are now 2-1 in Big East play. The short-handed Pirates are 0-3 in the conference. They did show some life after blowout losses to SU and WVU to begin conference play by taking Villanova to overtime this week. We will see if they can get their first win in conference play on the Irish home court.

Here are some pregame stories and previews from the web this morning:

Notre Dame Works on Maintaining Intensity (Chicago Tribune)
ND At its Best on Edge (South Bend Tribune)
Irish Try to Avoid Pirate Overthrow (Journal Gazette)

Last year, Notre Dame blitzed Seton Hall on the road, this year they will look to do the same in South Bend. Luke Harangody should have an absolute field day in the paint and the Seton Hall tendency to give wide open shots from the perimeter bodes very well for Kyle McAlarney and Ryan Ayers.

Seton Hall will score points, and the Irish defense is certainly susceptible to yielding points, but Tory Jackson matches up very well with Eugene Harvey and SHU’s penchant for pushing the pace falls into the hands of the preferred style of the Irish. Even with the college basketball lines pointing to the Irish as 14 ½-point favorites, it seems to be a number they will sail past.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Notre Dame 87
Seton Hall 71

PIRATES TAKE VILLANOVA TO LIMIT, FALL SHORT

2009-01-07T21:45:00.000-05:00

January 7, 2009

by Ray Floriani

NEWARK, NJ – This is going to be the norm in the Big East this winter. Seton Hall, 0-2 after being handled convincingly by Syracuse and West Virginia, takes eighteenth ranked Villanova to the wire before losing in overtime. The visiting Wildcats, who lost at Marquette on NewYear’sDay, earned their first conference win of the season with an 89-85 overtime victory at the Prudential Center.

Three keys to the victory….
• In a shootout between Scottie Reynolds of Villanova and the Hall’s Jeremy Hazell, the former got the edge. Reynolds tied his career high with a 40 point effort. He was effective getting in the lane and on the perimeter(5 of 8 from three)and especially in the stretch as he hit a succession of free throws to seal the verdict. Hazell led the Hall with 26 points but took 24 (9 of 24) shots in the process.

• Defense. Outside of banking in a trey to tie the game with eight seconds to play in regulation, Hazell did most of his damage the first half. He finished with 19 of Seton Hall’s 37 points at the break and was 5 of 10 from three. The second half, Reggie Redding was assigned to Hazell defensively and did a nice of of limiting him and not letting him get into a groove.

• Nova led by eight with four minutes to go and proceeded to score one field goal, Antonio Pena in the lane, the remainder of regulation. Again , overcoming a situation like that on the roads and pulling out the win is very significant.

Finally…
• Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez was encouraged by John Garcia’s 12 board night, but ‘Nova’s Dante Cunningham had another sterling performance with 21 points 13 rebounds, and a number of them coming in crucial junctures. Another sign of encouragement for the Hall was freshman guard Jordan Theodore’s 9 points in eighteen minutes. “Tonight Theodore came of age,” said Gonzalez.

• Matchups. “They are guard oriented,” Gonzalez said of Villanova. “They are a good matchup for us in terms of size. They don’t have that size of a Pitt or Georgetown.”

• Quotes : “Everyone here who follows the Big East is not surprised. People around the country were but with nine ranked teams they follow the conference closer and are beginning to understand St.John’s beating a Notre Dame, these things happen all the time in this league. Hey, it’s fun and you never have to worry about getting up for a game.” – Villanova coach Jay Wright

• “In the Big East matchups and scheduling are important. Georgetown wins at UCONN and now they are 1-2. I’m not happy we are 0-3but a lot of it has to do with matchups and scheduling. Everyone in this conference will lose games.” – Bobby Gonzalez

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: VILLANOVA @ SETON HALL

2009-01-06T12:49:00.000-05:00

January 6, 2009

Seton Hall returns to action on their home curt, just three days after being blasted by West Virginia, 92-66, at the Prudential Center. In two Big East games, the defenseless Pirates have yielded an average of 96 points a game while being outscored by a combined 50 points in losses to WVU and Syracuse.

Villanova opened their conference slate on the road on New Year's Day and fell to Marquette in the Bradley Center in a competitive and entertaining game. The Wildcats will look to even their conference record at 1-1 when they take on the Pirates tonight.

Here are some pregame stories and previews found on the web today:

Villanova at Seton Hall (Sports Network)

Villanova makes the short trek from Philly to Newark (NJ) for a Big East conference match-up against the Seton Hall Pirates. Villanova lost at Marquette in Thursday's conference opener as they shot just 41% from the floor and hit ony six of 20 from three-point range in the 79-72 loss. If your offense is ailing, a game with SHU is likely to fix that.

In Big East play (2 games) opponents are shooting 55% from the field in a mix of dunks, lay-ups and open three-point shots (20-40) against SHU. sure, maybe they ran into a couple of hot-shooting teams, but the Pirates try to force tempo without numbers and the results have been a lot of easy baskets for the opposition.

Offensively, SHU is just four of 36 in two games from three-point range. Jeremy Hazell is averaging 26 points a game in the first two league games, but nobody else has been a consistent offensive threat.

A healthy John Garcia provides a big lift for the Pirates and the 'Nova post players do not have anyone with his bulk to match-up. However, the injured knee limits Garcia's effectiveness and the style of play the Pirates lean to also cancels out the effectiveness of Garcia in the paint. Quicker post players like Antonio Pena and Dante Cunningham could pose problems for Garcia and the thin SHU frontcourt.

The Villanova gaurds have not been shooting the ball very well, so it will be interesting if Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher are able to find the mark. The Pirates will try to keep Corey Stokes from getting any open looks, but if the game starts to open up, look for the sophomore shooting specialist to find his spots and dial in from long rage tonight.

The Pirates need to improve their offensive effeciency and not just work on volume in the Big East. Their shots are due to start to fall for others other than Hazell, but will they have enough inside to take advantage of Villanova's small line-up? Probably not...

With Villanova a 6 and a half point favorite according to the latest college basketball odds, the Wildcats are a good bet to even that conference record with a road win.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Villanova 78
Seton Hall 70

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: WEST VIRGINIA @ SETON HALL

2009-01-03T06:52:00.001-05:00

January 3, 2009

West Virginia opens their Big East schedule with a trip to Newark (NJ) and a meeting with the Seton Hall Pirates. SHU opened Big East play on Tuesday and with head coach Bobby Gonzalez serving a one-game suspension, they were left defenseless against Syracuse in a 100-76 loss.

Here are some pregame stories and previews found on the web:

Butler Returns to Garden State (ZagsBlog.com)
Mountaineers Start Big East Play (wvmetronews.com)
WVU-SHU Preview (msnsportsnet.com)
West Virginia Begins Big East at SHU (Martinsburg Journal)
Butler, Others Excited to Be Home (Charleston Gazette)

Seton Hall was not only missing their head coach against the Orange, but their most productive big man as well as John Garcia was out with an injured left knee. The 6’8, 260 pound Garcia would bring a huge lift back to the Pirates in battling the athletic front line of the Mountaineers that love to gobble up second chance opportunities.

SHU has lost three of their last four, including a loss at James Madison and at home to IUPUI in addition to the SU debacle. Garcia has missed all four of the games. With Garcia out of the line-up, SHU is strictly a perimeter team with Jeremy Hazell, Robert Mitchell and co. teeing it up from distance often. Against SU, that was not working, but they kept trying, going two for 27 in three-point attempts. They will need many more of those shots to fall and Garcia’s presence to bring some balance to their attack.

West Virginia is coming off an impressive road win at Ohio State last weekend, 76-48, as they knocked the Buckeyes from the ranks of the unbeaten. Alex Ruoff and Da’Sean Butler have taken turns being ‘the man’ offensively as WVU looks to replace the scoring of Joe Alexander from last year’s Sweet 16 club. Freshman Darryl Bryant has been a pleasant surprise playing point guard for the injures Joe Mazzulla and Devin Ebanks continues to bring a new element to the club each time out. Add in several 6’7+ forwards like Wellington Smith, Kevin Jones, John Flowers and Dee Proby, and you see why the Mountaineers are a tough match-up, especially for a thin team like SHU.

The current NCAA basketball odds list WVU as an 8 1/2-point road favorite. While SHU will play hard from start to finish, Bob Huggins’ team will have just too many pieces in the end to lose this game.

Prediction:

West Virginia 80
Seton Hall 71

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SETON HALL @ SYRACUSE

2008-12-30T09:59:00.002-05:00

December 30, 2008

Syracuse begins conference play at the Carrier Dome tonight when they host Seton Hall at 7 PM.

The 13th-ranked Orange are expected to have Eric Devendorf back in their line-up tonight. Devendorf, who missed the entire conference season last year with a knee injury, missed the last two games (wins at Memphis and vs. Coppin State) after a student judiciary board suspended him for the remainder of the academic year (through Spring of '09) for an altercation with a female student in the early morning hours of November 1st. The Syracuse Appeals Board withheld his suspension, however, they ammended the length and allowed Devendorf to apply for reinstatement after completing community service and other requirements. It appears as everything is in order and Devendorf, who averages 14 points a game, will return to action tonight.

For Seton Hall, their depleted line-up takes a new twist tonight as head coach Bobby Gonzalez will serve a one-game suspension following his outbursts in a regular season loss last season to Rutgers in the final game of Big East conference play in the 2007-2008 campaign. Gonzo's sideline antics have always been a point of contention with officials and administrators and his post-game remarks infuriated Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese. Before the conference acted, the SHU athletic department imposed a one-game Big East suspension on their coach.

Here are some pregame previews and stories found on the web this morning:

Syracuse Hosts Seton Hall in Big East Opener (Syracuse.com)
SU's Second Season Gets Started Tonight (Syracuse Post-Standard)
Orange Scouting Report: SU vs. SHU (Post-Standard)
Beasts of the East (Mycentraljersey.com) - with a SHU-SU preview about halfway in

The odds makers have the Orange listed as 13 1/2-point favorites to run away from the Pirates.

Seton Hall is a painfully think team and with the injury to John Garcia that is likely to keep him out of action tonight, they have virtually no inside game. Paul Harris and Arinze Omuaku should dominate the boards and with SU having athletic options off the bench that include freshmen Mookie Jones and Kris Joseph, they can go smaller, but still be quite a bit bigger than SHU. The emergence of sophomore Rick Jackson also makes the SU zone longer and bigger on the baseline.

The Pirates will most likely be forced by the SU zone to sit on the perimeter and launch three-pointers. Sophomore Jeremy Hazell might find that to his liking and the streak shooter gets more than enough shots to find a groove in nearly every game with the limited options of the Pirates. The key will be how point guard Eugene Harvey attacks the zone and manages the offense, which at times, you wonder if the Pirates have an offensive system, especially in the half court, and that does not bode well against the zone defense of SU, unless they are hitting a high volume of three's.

After losses last week to IUPUI and James Madison, the SHU faithful got something to cheer about with a blowout of in-state foe FDU on Saturday, 101-70, when Jeremy Hazell pumped in 35 points. SHU finished the pre-conference schedule at 9-3 and the fanbase would love a reason to begin scooping up Seton Hall tickets for future games. it will be a tough task to give them a reason with a win tonight in the Dome.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Syracuse 84
Seton Hall 68

GONZO LOOKING TO BRING PIRATES BACK

2008-12-29T11:12:00.001-05:00

By Zach Smart

Bobby Gonzalez’ proclivity for scouring the New York hotbeds for talent was quite palpable during his stay at Manhattan College.

Gonzalez, who recruited a number of highly-touted stallions and got them to stay local—even if it meant a MAAC school in the heart of Riverdale—knows New York like he’s piloting a yellow taxi cab for tourists.

Only Gonzalez’ cab captures coveted players and features stops at Rice High School, Xavierian, St. Raymond’s, Christ The King, Lincoln, and all of the other home city hotbeds.

Gonzalez was also at the helm during Manhattan College’s version of Pax Romana, when a tough-as-nails 6-foot-2 guard named Luis Flores lifted the program from under the bridge of obscurity and gave them the national visibility that the Public Relations dudes would kill for.

In seven seasons at Manhattan, Gonzalez left a lasting legacy. He posted an overall record of 129-77, punctuated by two berths in the NCAA tournament. In 2004, the Jaspers pulled off a mammoth, Godzilla-slaying 75-60 upset over no.5-ranked Florida in the first round.

Four seasons ago, the Seton Hall called for more change than Barack Obama vows to provide for the United States.

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Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

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Disgruntled fans become boo birds, hurling out “Fire Louie!” chants, calling for head coach Louis Orr’s job. Despite the fact that Orr piloted the Hall to two NCAA tourney berths and one NIT appearance during his five-year stay, he was treated to an ashcanning during his fifth year.

Enter, the Gonzalez Era.

Gonzalez’ wild sideline antics, gung-ho attitude, and promise of superior recruiting (highly-touted freshman Jordan Theodore has become a major presence in the passing lines thus far, who’s showed promise during games in which he’s played 25 plus minutes) has renewed firepower and confidence in the Hall.

He’s made it clear that he does not want to become another middle-of-the-pack Big East program and that new heights and uncharted territory need to be explored. He knows what upper-tier he wants the program at and the fans have bought into their game general.
It’s why they were chanting “Bobby G” 20 minutes before tip-off during last season’s Big East tournament.

After a signature early-season upset over USC, the Hall has slid recently. They dropped games to James Madison and IUPUI, which has one of most underrated freshman in the country in 6-foot-5 shootist Alex Young (19 points, 4-for-8 from beyond the arc against Arizona State).

Right now, the Pirates have an established go-to-guy in Jeremy Hazell. The 6-5 guard is averaging a sizzling 22.5 points. Hazell hung 32 in a loss at Memphis and hit up instate foe Farleigh Dickinson for 35 (15-for-26 fg) during a 101-70 blowout.

The Harlem World product averaged 19.5 points and six boards during SHU's back-to-back wins the week of Dec. 15 and is already drawing Terry Dehere comparisons.
The top three scorers—Hazell, 6-5 Robert Mitchell, and Eugene Harvey are all products of the city and Bobby G’s recruits.

The trio helps restore credibility to the Hall, but will they improve on the 30-31 record that Gonzalez has posted in his first two seasons? Is a berth in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2006 (see Copeland, Donald, the pint-sized point guard, for more on that one) and a return to the March Madness betting pools as an upset special in the cards this season for Gonzo?

The Dec. 30 game at Syracuse, which is back in full force now that Eric “Halloween” Devendorf has returned, will be the first test of that. Unfortunately for the animated SHU head coach, he will only be watching on television most fans as he will be serving his one-game suspension imposed by SHU for behavior following a loss to Rutgers in the regular season finale last season.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: SETON HALL

2008-12-21T21:18:00.003-05:00

December 21, 2008

Verbal Commitment Commitment Alert: DeAndre Kane, 6'4 G from Patterson (NC) School

2009-2010 Projected Roster

Seniors: Eugene Harvey (PG), John Garcia (C), Keon Lawrence (G)*
Juniors: Jeremy Hazell (G/F), Brandon Walters (BF/C), Mike Davis (PF/C), Robert Mitchell (G/F)
Sophomores: Jordan Theodore (PG), Herb Pope (PF)
Freshmen: Melvyn Oliver** (C), DeAndre Kane

* currently applying for a hardship waiver that would have him on the court in December for the 2008-2009 season. If granted, he will be a senior on the 2009-2010 roster. If denied, he will be listed as a junior

** Oliver is ineligible to compete in the 2008-2009 season, but will have four years of eligibility beginning in 2009-2010 per the NCAA

*** Will sit out the 2008-2009 season per NCAA Transfer rule, having three years of eligibility beginning with the 2009-2010 season

It was looking like a lump of coal was being left in the Seton Hall stocking this holiday season as Cliff Dixon de-committed from the Pirates, Melvyn Oliver was declared ineligible for the 2008-2009 season, John Garcia will miss up to three weeks with a knee injury and the Pirates lost Saturday night at home to IUPUI. Now, there is news that a Top Recruit is Headed to Seton Hall (MSG.com) with Patterson (NC) School guard DeAndre reportedly verballing to the Pirates after a visit to the school this weekend.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

With at least three scholarships open for the 2009 recruiting class, Seton Hall has might have finally found a taker for one of the scholarships with DeAndre Kane committing to SHU this weekend. Previously, Cliff Dixon was their lone commitment, but he had backed off that pledge, which never seemed to be a commitment set in stone, when the 6-foot-10 Hutchinson CC big man, originally from Maryland, re-opened his recruitment last week.

Kane is a physical and tough guard who is currently at the Patterson School in North Carolina. The school is also where Bobby Gonzalez landed current SHU guard Jeremy Hazell.

Kane was a high school teammate at Schenley High School in Pittsburgh with current Pitt big man DeJuan Blair and St. John's forward DJ Kennedy. Kane had long seemed destined to follow Blair to Pitt, and it was the Panthers coaching staff that helped him find his way to Patterson after he was not able to qualify out of Schenley. However, Pitt is currently out of scholarships and that could have played a role in his looking at other options, which also included schools such as Marquette, Baylor and others with his strong play this fall at Patterson.

Kane made an official visit to Seton Hall this past weekend, taking in their game with IUPUI and also seeing friend Herb Pope, a former AAU teammate. Kane is a streak shooter who can score some points in a hurry and is getting more experience at playing high level competition night in and night out at Patterson. He is definitely a Big East caliber guard with a Big East-type of game.

At the time of his commitment, Cliff Dixon had been recently suspended by HCC head coach Ryan Swanson for a violation of team rules. With his future uncertain, Dixon tells Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com he made a hasty decision.

``I got worried and Seton Hall tried to rush me into saying I was committed,” Dixon told Goodman. “They pressured me into it and I panicked.”

Even though Dixon Decommits from Seton Hall (ZagsBlog.com), he will still consider the Pirates, however, it is our understanding that Seton Hall will not be continuing their effort to land Dixon.

With Kane in the fold, the Pirates are also likely to have three other new faces in their line-up next season.

Keon Lawrence probably never should have left New Jersey out of high school. The 6'2, 175 lb guard from Newark (NJ) Weequahic High School chose Missouri, although second thoughts entered his mind often. Now, after a sophomore season where he led the Tigers in minutes played (29.2) a game, starting 20 of 32 games and leading Mizzou in field goal attempts (307), Lawrence is taking his 11 points a game and going back home.

According to Alif Muhammad, who has helped Lawrence through the recruiting process out of high school and out of Missouri, stated that Bobby Gonzalez has promised to turn the ball over to Lawrence once Eugene Harvey graduates after the 2009-2010 season. Others after Lawrence, reportedly, included Marquette, Providence, Cincinnati and others.

Rutgers was considered after high school, but their roster was a little more guard heavy at this point.

Currently, Lawrence is in the process of applying for a hardship waiver that will allow him to play during the 2008-2009 season instead of having to sit out the entire year as a normal NCAA transfer student. The central position of the waiver is that Lawrence decided to leave Missouri because of a need to be closer to home because of family issues. If the NCAA finds that the reasons of his leaving Missouri were not because of basketball, but because of these family issues, that there is a good chance of a waiver. However, the NCAA usually relies quite heavily on the input from the former school on the reason for the transfer, and it is unclear if Mizzou will completely agree with that reasoning for his transfer. We will see...

Also, Lawrence would not have been eligible to compete in the first semester of the 2008-2009 season as he would not be transferring with enough credits to be eligible as a junior student. That is a common issue for transfers as not all credits are transferable and is one of the reasons for the residency rule making so much sense in regards to transfers.

While the Pirates wait on the Lawrence waiver decision, due any day now (12/21/08), they already have gone through the process with New Mexico State transfer Herb Pope, but were denied the original waiver and the appeal. Pope is the mega-talented forward from Aliquippa (PA) but has run into trouble on more than one occasion in recent years. Pope was sent home from his final AAU Tournament as a member of the Pittsburgh Jots for an altercation with a coach, an incident that did not seem to surprise many familiar with his past. Things actually got worse from there as Pope was shot several times outside a party in the Pittsburgh-area in April of his senior year of high school after being in an altercation outside the party. Pope survived the gunfire and headed off to school at New Mexico State. While at New Mexico State, Pope was having trouble clearing the NCAA eligibility department as an online course he took in high school as a core course was challenged by the NCAA. While NM State worked to get him cleared, Pope was arrested for DUI when police found him asleep behind the wheel of a car with the engine running in a traffic lane.

Pope finally did make it onto the court at NM State after a court order was issued. Pope played well after all of the trials and tribulations that followed him in the recent past and he averaged 11 points and nearly 7 rebounds a game in the 16 games he was deemed eligible for at New Mexico State.

Pope then decided to leave New Mexico late this past summer to be closer to home. He ended up enrolling at Seton Hall and hoped to be granted a hardship waiver to play this season. However, that was denied by the NCAA and Pope will sit out the 2008-2009 season and be ready to suit up next year, giving the Pirates a much needed talent boost at power forward next year.

Melvyn Oliver's long wait on his qualifying status from the NCAA is finally over. Oliver was declared ineligible for the 2008-2009 season, however, the NCAA did rule he was eligible for a scholarship and after sitting out this season, he will have four years of eligibility left. The situation is similar to Louisville redshirt freshman George Goode, who had a similar ruling from the NCAA last season. it is unclear how these two situations get around the Big East rule on partial qualifiers, but apparently it does.

For now, it looks like the Pirates will become very active in the spring signing period filling out their roster. They have been the leader for Westchester CC 7-footer Jarrid Famous for an extended period of time, but Famous has decided to wait until the spring before signing a letter of intent and the interested schools in his talents continue to grow at a rapid pace. Former South Florida commitment Eugene Teague, a 6'7 power forward, has also made it onto the SHU radar. Teague, who failed to qualify as a 2008 recruit, is now enrolled at the Apex Academies for another year of prep and recently took an unofficial visit to Seton Hall for an exhibition game. SHU has an attractive offer to spring recruits of playing time and a chance to play in the Big East.

With transfer students Robert Mitchell, Lawrence and Pope, SHU coach Bobby Gonzalez is not afraid to bring in transfers to increase the NCAA Basketball Odds of his program winning more in the Big East. Another potential transfer this season is Jamie Skeen, a 6-foot-8, 250 lb forward. Skeen Leaves Wake (Huntersville Herald) Forest. Skeen was declared ineligible by Wake for the fall semester after violating university academic policy last spring. Earlier this month, he elected not to file the appeal necessary to return for the upcoming semester and look for a new home for the spring semester. Skeen has visited Seton Hall, VCU and South Florida. A decision shoudl be forthcoming at any moment. He would likely have to sit out the next two semesters and be eligible next spring with a season and a half of eligibility remaining.

**********Late edit: word is that Skeen has chosen VCU...per ZagsBlog.

Skeen attended high school at North Mecklenburg (NC) High, which is also the home of athletic 6-foot-7 forward Andre Marhold who has Seton Hall on his radar for a spring period decision. The 2009 recruit did not sign with a school in the fall signing period and should find plenty of schools interested in his services as a late recruiting addition.

Continuing the transfer theme, former UAB forward Terrence Roderick could be looking at Seton Hall. Apparently Roderick to Seton Hall (Allentown Morning Call) is something he is telling people, but no official word has been announced. Roderick is a big time talent, but academics and other issues has sidetracked his career a few times and looks to have done so once again...

Also, Memphis forward Jeff Robinson is to transfer (ZagsBlog.net), possibly. The former star at Elizabeth (NJ) St Patrick High School would look strongly at Seton Hall if he does leave Memphis.

The Pirates have also been quite active in the class of 2010 already, being among the leaders for local standouts Jayon James, Fuquan Edwin and Shaquille Thomas, all of whom were teammates of current Pirate Jordan Theodore last season at Paterson (NJ) Catholic. St. Anthony's big man Derrick Williams as well as Plainfield's Isaiah Epps are on the Pirates' watch list as well.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: SETON HALL

2008-12-17T08:41:00.002-05:00

December 17, 2008

De-commitment Commitment Alert: Cliff Dixon, 6'10 PF/C from Hutchinson (KS) Community College

2009-2010 Projected Roster

Seniors: Eugene Harvey (PG), John Garcia (C), Keon Lawrence (G)*
Juniors: Jeremy Hazell (G/F), Brandon Walters (BF/C), Mike Davis (PF/C), Robert Mitchell (G/F)
Sophomores: Jordan Theodore (PG), Melvyn Oliver** (C), Herb Pope (PF)
Freshmen: None

* currently applying for a hardship waiver that would have him on the court in December for the 2008-2009 season. If granted, he will be a senior on the 2009-2010 roster. If denied, he will be listed as a junior

** Has yet to be cleared by the NCAA (as of 12/17/08) to be eligible to compete

*** Will sit out the 2008-2009 season per NCAA Transfer rule, having three years of eligibility beginning with the 2009-2010 season

The verbal commitment of Cliff Dixon to Seton Hall has lasted one month as Cliff Dixon is Back Open (FoxSports.com) as he claims the Pirate staff pressured him into a commitment. Now that he has been reinstated as a member of the Hutchinson CC basketball team, he wants to see what other options will arise into the spring.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

With at least three scholarships open for the 2009 recruiting class, Seton Hall has still not found any takers for their offers. Cliff Dixon was their lone commitment, but he has backed off that pledge, which never seemed to be a commitment set in stone from the 6-foot-10 Hutchinson big man originally from Maryland.

At the time of his commitment, Dixon was recently suspended by HCC head coach Ryan Swanson for a violation of team rules. With his future uncertain, Dixon tells Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com he made a hasty decision.

``I got worried and Seton Hall tried to rush me into saying I was committed,” Dixon told Goodman. “They pressured me into it and I panicked.”

Even though Dixon Decommits from Seton Hall (ZagsBlog.com), he will still consider the Pirates.

“It’s a good school,” Dixon said of Seton Hall in a phone interview with Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com. “I’m not saying I’m not going to go there. I’m saying my options are open."

“I’m looking at Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Gonzaga, Missouri, Miami, the list just goes on. I got offers from every school.”

With our without Dixon, the Pirates should have two, maybe three new faces on the court next year.

Keon Lawrence probably never should have left New Jersey out of high school. The 6'2, 175 lb guard from Newark (NJ) Weequahic High School chose Missouri, although second thoughts entered his mind often. Now, after a sophomore season where he led the Tigers in minutes played (29.2) a game, starting 20 of 32 games and leading Mizzou in field goal attempts (307), Lawrence is taking his 11 points a game and going back home.

According to Alif Muhammad, who has helped Lawrence through the recruiting process out of high school and out of Missouri, stated that Bobby Gonzalez has promised to turn the ball over to Lawrence once Eugene Harvey graduates after the 2009-2010 season. Others after Lawrence, reportedly, included Marquette, Providence, Cincinnati and others.

Rutgers was considered after high school, but their roster was a little more guard heavy at this point.

Currently, Lawrence is in the process of applying for a hardship waiver that will allow him to play during the 2008-2009 season instead of having to sit out the entire year as a normal NCAA transfer student. The central position of the waiver is that Lawrence decided to leave Missouri because of a need to be closer to home because of family issues. If the NCAA finds that the reasons of his leaving Missouri were not because of basketball, but because of these family issues, that there is a good chance of a waiver. However, the NCAA usually relies quite heavily on the input from the former school on the reason for the transfer, and it is unclear if Mizzou will completely agree with that reasoning for his transfer. We will see...

Also, Lawrence would not have been eligible to compete in the first semester of the 2008-2009 season as he would not be transferring with enough credits to be eligible as a junior student. That is a common issue for transfers as not all credits are transferable and is one of the reasons for the residency rule making so much sense in regards to transfers.

While the Pirates wait on the Lawrence waiver decision, due any day now (12/17/08), they already have gone through the process with New Mexico State transfer Herb Pope, but were denied the original waiver and the appeal. Pope is the mega-talented forward from Aliquippa (PA) but has run into trouble on more than one occasion in recent years. Pope was sent home from his final AAU Tournament as a member of the Pittsburgh Jots for an altercation with a coach, an incident that did not seem to surprise many familiar with his past. Things actually got worse from there as Pope was shot several times outside a party in the Pittsburgh-area in April of his senior year of high school after being in an altercation outside the party. Pope survived the gunfire and headed off to school at New Mexico State. While at New Mexico State, Pope was having trouble clearing the NCAA eligibility department as an online course he took in high school as a core course was challenged by the NCAA. While NM State worked to get him cleared, Pope was arrested for DUI when police found him asleep behind the wheel of a car with the engine running in a traffic lane.

Pope finally did make it onto the court at NM State after a court order was issued. Pope played well after all of the trials and tribulations that followed him in the recent past and he averaged 11 points and nearly 7 rebounds a game in the 16 games he was deemed eligible for at New Mexico State.

Pope then decided to leave New Mexico late this past summer to be closer to home. He ended up enrolling at Seton Hall and hoped to be granted a hardship waiver to play this season. However, that was denied by the NCAA and Pope will sit out the 2008-2009 season and be ready to suit up next year, giving the Pirates a much needed talent boost at power forward next year.

With the the additions of Lawrence and Pope, the Pirates still have three scholarships open. That number could increase depending on the status of Melvyn Oliver who, as of December 17th, still has not been cleared by the NCAA to be eligible. Oliver has recently been allowed by the NCAA to practice with SHU for the first time in the process. Also, John Garcia will be a 5th year senior in 2009-2010, but chronic knee problems has led to some public speculation that he might not return. However, Garcia's knees seem to be doing well early this season.

For now, it looks like the Pirates will become very active in the spring signing period filling out their roster. They have been the leader for Westchester CC 7-footer Jarrid Famous for an extended period of time, but Famous has decided to wait until the spring before signing a letter of intent and the interested schools in his talents continue to grow at a rapid pace. Former South Florida commitment Eugene Teague, a 6'7 power forward, has also made it onto the SHU radar. Teague, who failed to qualify as a 2008 recruit, is now enrolled at the Apex Academies for another year of prep and recently took an unofficial visit to Seton Hall for an exhibition game. SHU has an attractive offer to spring recruits of playing time and a chance to play in the Big East.

Seton Hall is expected to receive an official visit from Patterson (NC) School guard DeAndre Kane, a native of Pittsburgh and friend of Herb Pope's, this weekend. Kane is a tough wing guard known as a talented scorer.

With transfer students Robert Mitchell, Lawrence and Pope, SHU coach Bobby Gonzalez is not afraid to bring in transfers to increase the college basketball odd of his program winning more in the Big East. Another potential transfer this season is Jamie Skeen, a 6-foot-8, 250 lb forward. Skeen Leaves Wake (Huntersville Herald) Forest. Skeen was declared ineligible by Wake for the fall semester after violating university academic policy last spring. Earlier this month, he elected not to file the appeal necessary to return for the upcoming semester and look for a new home for the spring semester. Skeen has visited Seton Hall and VCU and is taking a trip to South Floride this weekend. He would likely have to sit out the next two semesters and be eligible next spring with a season and a half of eligibility remaining.

Skeen attended high school at North Mecklenburg (NC) High, which is also the home of athletic 6-foot-7 forward Andre Marhold who has Seton Hall on his radar for a spring period decision. The 2009 recruit did not sign with a school in the fall signing period and should find plenty of schools interested in his services as a late recruiting addition.

The Pirates have also been quite active in the class of 2010 already, being among the leaders for local standouts Jayon James, Fuquan Edwin and Shaquille Thomas, all of whom were teammates of current Pirate Jordan Theodore last season at Paterson (NJ) Catholic. St. Anthony's big man Derrick Williams as well as Plainfield's Isaiah Epps are on the Pirates' watch list as well.

SETON HALL SURPRISING THE PUNDITS

2008-12-12T12:39:00.005-05:00

December 11, 2008

When the college basketball season was getting ready to tip-off, many were questioning how Seton Hall would compete with a limited roster.

With just eight eligible players, NCAA Basketball Odds were stacked against the Pirates. However, taking on coach Bobby Gonzalez's style of 'me against the world', Seton Hall has been a surprising team out of the gates this season and their start is being noticed nationally.

"I know they're short on players, but that was a pretty good USC team they beat down in Puerto Rico, and beating Virginia Tech is no automatic task either," Seth Davis of CBS Sports and SI.com told the NBE Basketball Report recently.

In fact, it was their trip to Puerto Rico that opened many eyes. Playingwith just seven available players in a match-up against nationally ranked USC, the Pirates battled back from a 15-point halftime deficit and clawed their way back for a stirring win over the Trojans. The victory was achieved without Robert Mitchell, SHU's second leading scorer and rebounder, who was suspended for breaking an NCAA rule last season when he was sitting out as a transfer from Duquesne.

With Jeremy Hazell leading the way at 23.5 points a game, Seton Hall is off to a 7-1 start.

"Jeremy Hazell is a little streaky for my tastes, but man, when he's on, he's on," remarked Davis.

Coach Gonzalez may take a lot of heat in the press for some of his sideline antics and post-game press conference demeanor, in fact, he will be serving a one-game suspension in the Big East opener at Syracuse for such behavior, but there is little doubt he is getting all he can from his players, which is a compliment to any coach. The players have responded to what he has asked for them very well this season.

"Bobby Gonzalez does a great job of motivating his players and convincing them to play hard," says Mike DeCourcey of the Sporting News. "He's got tough kids."

Jay Bilas has also taken note of the early season success of the Pirates.

"The players have been through it and are more in tune with what it takes to win, and they are more in tune with what their coach wants from them," Bilas told NBE. "Seton Hall has done a good job."

Still, there are just eight players currently eligible. There is some hope that Keon Lawrence, a transfer from Missouri, could be joining the rank of eligible players in the next week or so. The junior, a Newark (NJ) native, has applied for a waiver that would allow him to play this season instead of sitting out per the NCAA transfer rules. Lawrence is trying to show that family issues forced him to transfer from Missouri and called for him to be closer to home. Sources say Missouri rejects to that claim, but that is for the NCAA to decide.

Also, freshman big man Melvyn Oliver has been, finally, allowed to practice with the Pirates while the ongoing investigation by the NCAA into his eligibility status continues. When the rough and tumble Big East begins, the Pirates will need all the bodies they can get, something our national experts were also quick to point out.

"There’s little question that Bobby Gonzalez can coach," FoxSports.com analyst Jeff Goodman told NBE. "He just doesn’t have enough bodies to sustain it throughout the Big East slate."

With an 18-game conference schedule ahead in what some call the 'best conference ever', it will be a tough task night in and night out once the dog days of the season hits, especially if the NCAA denies Lawrence and Oliver.

"I don't know whether it can last given the Pirates' lack of depth and the Big East's strength, but you know they're going to try," added DeCourcy.

Even if the whole of the schedule is tough, look for the Pirates to be a tough out, says Davis, going forward.

"It will be very hard for them to get through the meat grinder of the Big East so short-handed, but their first seven will enable them to compete with anyone."

So, the Pirates have given fans something to be excited about. Will it last? You know Bobby Gonzalez is going to try to get his kids to believe it can and not give an inch. The more people doubt them, the more it will fuel their inner fire, from the coach right down the bench, to prove everyone wrong.

"I think Seton Hall has been better than I had thought, but much of that if probably because of lower expectations," Bilas said. "I know that their expectations are not low (of themselves)."

That belief in themselves could carry them a lot further than many had previously expected, excet of course for their coach and his players.

BIG EAST TEAM OF THE WEEK: 11/24/2008 SETON HALL

2008-11-24T13:08:00.003-05:00

November 24, 2008

The Seton Hall Pirates rallied together and headed off to Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic last week. With just eight scholarship players currently on the SHU roster eligible to play this season, the Pirates will be short-handed all season and facing long college basketball odds, especially in the brutal Big East.. Making things even tougher for Bobby Gonzalez's crew was the fact that starting forward Robert Mitchell would be held out of action for the first two games of the event as he served a suspension for violation of NCAA rules from the previous season. With nationally ranked USC up first on Thursday night and a field that also included Memphis, Xavier, Missouri and Virginia Tech, the Pirates had their work cut out for them.

When the score at the half of their opening contest with USC scrolled along the bottom of ESPN's bottom line on their family of channels, nobody probably thought twice of seeing the score: USC 43, Seton Hall 28.

The second half was a different story. Despite even paring the rotation down even further, to six players, Gonzalez's squad frantically applied pressure, forcing 19 turnovers on the game, and limiting the Trojans to just 18 second half points on 7-29 shooting. USC did their part, making just four of 10 free throws.

Clutch shots down the stretch by Jeremy Hazell pulled the Pirates even and gave them a final lead they would not relinquish as SHU completed an improbable victory, 63-61, over the No. 19 team in the country.

Hazell finished with 15 points and Eugene Harvey led the scoring with 18. Big John Garcia did the work on the boards all game, grabbing 18 to go with his 11 points.

On Friday night, there was no surprising comeback as SHU fell to Memphis 84-70. The defending NCAA runners-up had too much firepower and depth for the Pirates, who got 32 points from Hazell, 21 from Harvey and another double-double from Garcia, but much of it came too little too late as Memphis controlled the game throughout.

After a much needed day off and the return of Robert Mitchell to the line-up, the Pirates completed their stay in Puerto Rico with a meeting with Virginia Tech of the ACC.

Twelve minutes into the contest, things were bleak as SHU already trailed 29-15. The Pirates slowly chipped their way back into the contest, closing to within 40-34 at the break.

When you figured SHU would see their legs give out in the second half, they continued to play strong, finishing a 14-1 run to take a 52-46 lead with 11:51 left in the game.

The Hokies would rally to tie the game at 57-all, but Paul Gause hit big shots down the stretch, scoring 10 of his 14 in the last eight minutes and the Pirates would cap another improbable comeback with a 77-73 victory. Once again, Jeremy Hazell would lead the team in scoring, netting 23, and leading SHU to the third place finish in the 2008 Puerto Rico Tip-off Tournament.

Now, a few days of rest will do the Pirates well, Bobby Gonzalez and his team should return to a warm Prudential Center welcome this coming weekend when they host Delaware at noon on Saturday.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: SETON HALL

2008-11-19T23:05:00.006-05:00

November 19, 2008

Verbal Commitment Alert: Cliff Dixon, 6'10 PF/C from Hutchinson (KS) Community College

2009-2010 Projected Roster

Seniors: Eugene Harvey (PG), John Garcia (C), Keon Lawrence (G)*
Juniors: Jeremy Hazell (G/F), Brandon Walters (BF/C), Mike Davis (PF/C), Robert Mitchell (G/F), Cliff Dixon (C/PF)
Sophomores: Jordan Theodore (PG), Melvyn Oliver** (C), Herb Pope (PF)
Freshmen: None

* currently applying for a hardship waiver that would have him on the court in December for the 2008-2009 season. If granted, he will be a senior on the 2009-2010 roster. If denied, he will be listed as a junior

** Has yet to be cleared by the NCAA (as of 11/19/08) to be eligible to compete

*** Will sit out the 2008-2009 season per NCAA Transfer rule, having three years of eligibility beginning with the 2009-2010 season

According to the Game On! blog at MSG.com, Anthony Fucilli reports that Cliff Dixon Commits to Seton Hall, giving the Pirates and coach Bobby Gonzalez their first commitment for the recruiting class of 2009.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Cliff Dixon has taken the long road to a spot in Division 1-A basketball. Originally attending Douglass High School in the DC-area, Dixon moved on to Suitland (MD) High School as a senior for the 2005-2006 season after academic issues sidelined him at Douglass. Scout.com had Dixon rated as a two-star prospect after his senior season. With qualifying for college a long shot, Dixon decided to take a post-graduate year at the Patterson School in North Carolina, according t reports, but then turned up at the now defunct Philadelphia Lutheran before finishing off at Progressive Christian. After the year as a post-graduate, Dixon then landed at Motlow College playing along side one-time Cincinnati commit Tyree Evans. At Motlow Dixon began to show signs of having a high-major college future, averaging 16.6 points a game and 10 rebounds a contest for coach Bobby Steinburg. After the season at Motlow, Dixon continued his nomadic ways and is now playing at JUCO power Hutchinson Community College in Kansas for coach Ryan Swanson. This far, through eight games in the young season, Dixon is averaging 15.9 points a game and just over 7 rebounds a contest.

Dixon is something that SHU desperately needs to help their college basketball odds of challenging in the loaded Big East: a body with size. Dixon is not the most physical player and he is definitely built more along the lines of his more famous half-brother, Kevin Durant, than some of the brawny Big East post players he will be facing, but Dixon will be an experienced frontcourt player to add to the mix for the Pirates next season. At this point, Dixon is a verbal commitment, expected to sign a letter of intent in the spring signing period.

The commitment is the good news for Seton Hall. However, Jeff Goodman is reporting that although Seton Hall Finally Lands a recruit (FoxSports.com), there are some questions as, according to Goodman, Dixon is currently suspended at Hutchinson. We have made inquiries, hopefully we will learn more tomorrow on Dixon's status with the Hutchinson program.

Although Dixon is the only recruiting commitment for the class of 2009 at this point in time, he will be one of at least two, if not three, new faces on the court for SHU next season.

Keon Lawrence probably never should have left New Jersey out of high school. The 6'2, 175 lb guard from Newark (NJ) Weequahic High School chose Missouri, although second thoughts entered his mind often. Now, after a sophomore season where he led the Tigers in minutes played (29.2) a game, starting 20 of 32 games and leading Mizzou in field goal attempts (307), Lawrence is taking his 11 points a game and going back home.

According to Alif Muhammad, who has helped Lawrence through the recruiting process out of high school and out of Missouri, stated that Bobby Gonzalez has promised to turn the ball over to Lawrence once Eugene Harvey graduates after the 2009-2010 season. Others after Lawrence, reportedly, included Marquette, Providence, Cincinnati and others.

Rutgers was considered after high school, but their roster was a little more guard heavy at this point.

Currently, Lawrence is in the process of applying for a hardship waiver that will allow him to play during the 2008-2009 season instead of having to sit out the entire year as a normal NCAA transfer student. The central position of the waiver is that Lawrence decided to leave Missouri because of a need to be closer to home because of family issues. If the NCAA finds that the reasons of his leaving Missouri were not because of basketball, but because of these family issues, that there is a good chance of a waiver. However, the NCAA usually relies quite heavily on the input from the former school on the reason for the transfer, and it is unclear if Mizzou will completely agree with that reasoning for his transfer. We will see...

Also, Lawrence would not have been eligible to compete in the first semester of the 2008-2009 season as he would not be transferring with enough credits to be eligible as a junior student. That is a common issue for transfers as not all credits are transferable and is one of the reasons for the residency rule making so much sense in regards to transfers.

While the Pirates begin the Lawrence waiver watch, they already have gone through the process with New Mexico State transfer Herb Pope, but were denied the original waiver and the appeal. Pope is the mega-talented forward from Aliquippa (PA) but has run into trouble on more than one occasion in recent years. Pope was sent home from his final AAU Tournament as a member of the Pittsburgh Jots for an altercation with a coach, an incident that did not seem to surprise many familiar with his past. Things actually got worse from there as Pope was shot several times outside a party in the Pittsburgh-area in April of his senior year of high school after being in an altercation outside the party. Pope survived the gunfire and headed off to school at New Mexico State. While at New Mexico State, Pope was having trouble clearing the NCAA eligibility department as an online course he took in high school as a core course was challenged by the NCAA. While NM State worked to get him cleared, Pope was arrested for DUI when police found him asleep behind the wheel of a car with the engine running in a traffic lane.

Pope finally did make it onto the court at NM State after a court order was issued. Pope played well after all of the trials and tribulations that followed him in the recent past and he averaged 11 points and nearly 7 rebounds a game in the 16 games he was deemed eligible for at New Mexico State.

Pope then decided to leave New Mexico late this past summer to be closer to home. He ended up enrolling at Seton Hall and hoped to be granted a hardship waiver to play this season. However, that was denied by the NCAA and Pope will sit out the 2008-2009 season and be ready to suit up next year, giving the Pirates a much needed talent boost at power forward next year.

With the commitment of Dixon and the additions of Lawrence and Pope, the Pirates still have three scholarships open. That number could increase depending on the status of Melvyn Oliver who, as of November 19th, still has not been cleared by the NCAA to be eligible. Also, John Garcia will be a 5th year senior in 2009-2010, but chronic knee problems has led to some public speculation that he might not return. However, Garcia's knees seem to be doing well early this season.

For now, it looks like the Pirates will become very active in the spring signing period filling out their roster. They have been the leader for Westchester CC 7-footer Jarrid Famous for an extended period of time, but Famous has decided to wait until the spring before signing a letter of intent and the interested schools in his talents continue to grow at a rapid pace. Former South Florida commitment Eugene Teague, a 6'7 power forward, has also made it onto the SHU radar. Teague, who failed to qualify as a 2008 recruit, is now enrolled at the Apex Academies for another year of prep and recently took an unofficial visit to Seton Hall for an exhibition game. SHU has an attractive offer to spring recruits of playing time and a chance to play in the Big East.

The Pirates have also been quite active in the class of 2010 already, being among the leaders for local standouts Jayon James, Fuquan Edwin and Shaquille Thomas, all of whom were teammates of current Pirate Jordan Theodore last season at Paterson (NJ) Catholic. St. Anthony's big man Derrick Williams as well as Plainfield's Isaiah Epps are on the Pirates' watch list as well.

SETON HALL EARLY SIGNING REVIEW

2008-11-19T13:13:00.002-05:00

November 19, 2008

Despite at least three scholarships open for the 2009 recruiting class, Seton Hall did not receive a single signed letter of intent in the early signing period, missing out on several prospects along the way.

Recruiting is the obvious lifeblood of a program and is the biggest factor in determining the college basketball odds of success of a program.

Seton Hall has taken an odd approach to filling their roster, hitting the college basketball version of the waiver wire pretty heavily, brining in transfers such as Robert Mitchell (Duquesne), Keon Lawrence (Missouri) and Herb Pope (New Mexico State) and each will be expected to play key roles next season (if not sooner if Lawrence is granted a wiaver).

The Pirates did pick up a verbal commitment from JUCO forward Cliff Dixon at the time of the early signing period. Dixon, whi is currently suspended from the Hutchinson CC team, is expected to sign a letter of intent in the spring signing period.

As for spring targets, the Pirates are looking at Pittsburgh native DeAndre kane, currently at the Patterson School, NC forward Andre Marhold and have also been involved with Wake Forest transfer Jamie Skeen with their open scholarships.

- note: post edited 12/12/2008.

SETON HALL SPURTS PAST COLUMBIA

2008-11-16T23:30:00.003-05:00

November 16, 2008

NEWARK, NJ - The coaching axiom tells us the first four minutes of each half are crucial. For Seton Hall the initial moments of the second half basically settled the issue in a 71-50 victory over Columbia. The win at the Prudential Center put the Pirates at 2-0 on the young season.

Columbia made a late first half run to trim a 15 point deficit to 7. The Hall then opened the second half scoring on their first three possessions. Overall the Pirates scored nine points in their six possessions during the initial four minutes of the final half. Columbia didn’t score a point over their initial half dozen possessions. That’s an efficiency rate of 150-0 in Seton Hall’s favor and sure to increase your College Basketball Odds of winning against anybody. And after those four minutes the Hall lead was at 16 and the momentum largely in their favor.

The totals…

......................Possessions............efficiency
Columbia................68.7.....................73
Seton Hall..............70.3....................101

Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez lauded his team’s defense. The defense also sparkled in Firday’s easy win over 88-61 St.Francis of NY. A tempo free check shows St.Francis had an offensive efficiency of 83 so Gonzalez was right about the defense.

Columbia had 16 first half turnovers (a horrific 31 % of their possessions ending in TOs). They had five the second half but still finished with a 23% TO rate. Over 20% is considered too high.

Columbia came off a win at Fordham on Friday where they dominated the boards. That was a Gonzalez priority and the Hall responded with a 46-34 rebounding edge.

A few notes on the Hall players…

Robert Mitchell - The Duquesne transfer is listed at 6-6 but is more a three or two rather than a banger. Mitchell will hit the three and occasionally penetrate. He had ten against Columbia but was 4 of 15 from the floor.

John Garcia - The senior post player hit the glass hard but struggled to finish in the first half against a front court he enjoyed a size advantage over. Finished with a notable 11 points 14 boards.

Eugene Harvey - Almost became the second player in Hall history to record a triple double (the late Eddie Griffin was the only one). Harvey scored 12 points pulled down 10 boards and handed out 8 assists. Another solid Harvey effort.

Jeremy Hazell - Loves the three but gets to the line. “I think defenders come out fast on him and panic because he can shoot so well,” Gonzalez said. “As a result he shotts threes but gets fouled.” Had a game high 21 points and was 4 of 9 from three and 7 of 9 from the line.

Paul Gause - Added 5 points in 32 minutes. A defensive specialist but not as noticeable because the Hall pressed sparingly.

Jordan Theodore - First off the bench. The freshman guard comes in to run the point which gives Harvey a breather or allows him to shift to the two spot. Theodore added 5 points in 17 minutes.

Overall : Hall attempted 36 % of their shots beyond the arc. Expect that given the starting five of Mitchell, Garcia, Harvey, Gause and Hazell which is basically four guards and a post. Gonzalez mixed up the pressing nicely. He opened with a press then took it off after a few minutes. Later he used it in spots. The Hall coach went zone part of the second half. “It was our second game in three days,” he said, “and we didn’t have the legs yet (for a full game of man to man).”

Quotable: Gonzalez spoke about the 2-0 start noting, “people say we opened with easy teams but those teams are dangerous this time of year. Look what happened to Providence losing to Northeastern and VMI beating Kentucky. Our aim is to win these games at home against teams you are supposed to beat.”

Pete Peregrin, a 6-0 walk-on, one of four on the roster, from South Plainfield, NJ was given a huge ovation when he entered the contest. He missed his only shot attempt from three.

BIG EAST TOP POINT GUARDS 2008-2009: 7) EUGENE HARVEY

2008-11-05T15:23:00.002-05:00

November 5, 2008

Another player sliding down our rankings this year is Eugene Harvey of Seton Hall. At first glance, number of 13 points, 5 assists and 2 steals a game for a sophomore floor general is very solid. However, considering that at the end of December, Harvey was averaging 18.4 points a game, he definitely slid once conference play began.

The worry we had heading into last year was if Harvey would adapt into a point guard looking to make the team better after coming in and scoring a lot as a freshman. His rookie campaign saw him average 16.5 points a game, but with some added talent to help him as a sophomore, Harvey seemed to struggle in managing the game, and it showed as the season wore on and the tough Big East conference began to take its toll.

The Pirates lost eight of their last 10 games and Harvey struggled mightily in those final 10 games, averaging just 7 points a game, shooting 30% from the field, 12.5% from three point range and averaging a tough to swallow 4.6 turnovers a contest. Not numbers you want from your lead guard.

Still, writers for the NBE Basketball Report see promise in Harvey and his playmaking skills from his days at St. Benedict's prep where he showed the ability to be a true point guard. This season, Bobby Gonzalez needs Harvey to step up his leadership, and his appointment as captain this year should be a positive sign he is taking a leadership role. If Seton Hall is to ever improve their NCAA basketball odds of reaching the post-season this year, having their point guard on the same page of the coach is going to play a big role of making it happen.

2008-2009 BIG EAST PREVIEW: 12) SETON HALL

2008-10-03T15:23:00.005-04:00

October 4, 2008

Seton Hall…hmmmm…

When ranking this year’s teams, a long pause begun when I got to Seton Hall. The first issue, and today is October 3rd, is we still do not know the make-up of this year’s team. There is the eligibility question of freshman Melvyn Oliver, the ongoing battle of Michael Glover’s eligibility, which is now being played out in courts, and now the hardship waiver cases opened by Herb Pope and Keon Lawrence as they attempt to be eligible immediately after transferring into Seton Hall. So, Bobby Gonzalez could have as little as eight players available to tackle the brutal Big East, or they could have a very interesting team of eleven or more.

A realistic look at the situation and you might believe that Oliver is granted eligibility and he adds needed depth to their frontcourt. Maybe Keon Lawrence gets a hardship waiver, but since he is short on credits, he would not be eligible to compete until the second semester while Pope and Glover seem to be somewhat unrealistic at this point. It will be a tough order for the Pirates to improve this season, and with a roster of eight, well, that is nearly an impossible task in this conference. Still, there is some hope with some intriguing talent on this club, that if the pieces fall into place with the NCAA, this team could be on a fun roller coaster for fans.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Comings:

The most impressive incoming recruit that Bobby Gonzalez added to the Pirate line-up this year is point guard Jordan Theodore. The 6-foot guard from Paterson Catholic looks like a perfect fit in Gonzalez’s preferred style of play, which is uptempo all the time.

The other freshman on the roster is the aforementioned Oliver. At 6-foot-11 and 340 pounds, the physique of Oliver might not be one expected to fit into the Gonzo scheme. However, Oliver is a very skilled big man and if his weight can be controlled, he would be a steal of a recruit. However, one of the reasons why a skilled 6-foot-11 big man is available in the spring signing period is questions about academics and the NCAA continues to go over his varied academic past that has included a few stops along the prep school world, finishing up at Mississippi Elite Christian Academy last year.

One transfer that IS eligible this year might be the newcomer making the most of an impact, Robert ‘Stix’ Mitchell. After being named the Atlantic 10’s newcomer of the year, Mitchell decided to part ways with Duquesne and Seton Hall was more than happy to add the 6-foot-6 NYC native to their program. Mitchell averaged over 16 points a game as a frosh at Duquesne.

The wildcards for Seton Hall will be Herb Pope and Keon Lawrence. Both players have transferred back east after starting their college careers at other locales. Pope played one season at New Mexico State, averaging over 11 points and 6 rebounds a contest. Lawrence also averaged over 11 points in his sophomore season at Missouri. The Newark (NJ) native has come back home to finish his college career. Both players are attempting to obtain hardship waivers in order to play the 2008-2009 season instead of having to sit out. If either has their waiver granted, they will certainly change the reflection of this year’s team.

Goings:

Seton Hall losses two of their top four scorers from last season as Brian Laing and Jamar Nutter have graduated from the program. Laing will be extremely tough to replace as he provided leadership and toughness despite playing out of position. Laing scored over 18 points a game and was among their rebound leaders despite being just 6-foot-5. Nutter was an inconsistent long range shooter, but came up VERY big in the clutch time and time again last season. His 11 points a game will likely be replaced, but will his ability to hit clutch shots?

Leaving the program prior to their eligibility expiring are Larry Davis, a guard from NYC, and big man Augustine Okosun. Both definitely could have come in handy adding depth, but the unknown situation of the others makes it a tough call.

Net Impact:

It’s a tough call. If the eight man roster is what it is for the Pirates this season, the net impact would be a negative for the Pirates. Adding Oliver and one of the three other unknowns (Glover, Pope or Lawrence) and your moving into, or closer to, the plus territory. It is quite a unique situation being so close to the season and so many question marks remaining for the personnel available of the Pirates.

2008-2009 Backcourt Outlook:

Seton Hall has a backcourt that will definitely compete in the Big East. Junior Eugene Harvey returns as the starting point guard for the third straight season. Harvey struggled as a sophomore at times in grasping the leadership role on the floor and being a true point guard. As a freshman he was asked to score and score a lot, with some added talent around him, Harvey never seemed to take the role of making his teammates better to heart. The great point guards have a knack of knowing when to score and knowing when to be the coach on the floor that runs the offense and gets everyone involved efficiently. That is the area to look for improvement from Harvey this season.

A staple of the Bobby Gonzalez system is pressure defense all over the court. A perfect fit is Paul Gause, one of the elite backcourt defenders in college basketball. Seton Hall was limited last season in extending their full court pressure as Gause suffered a hand injury and then a season-ending knee injury and only appeared in half of the games. This year, they will hope Gause is back at 100% because the 5-foot-11 guard can make a big impact on the defensive end of the floor.

Incoming freshman Jordan Theodore will also see significant time in the backcourt for the Pirates this season. Theodore has a lot of similar skills as Harvey, he is very quick with the basketball and can get to the rim to set up scoring opportunities for himself or teammates. If Harvey continues to struggle running the offense the way coach Gonzalez wants from his point guard, Theodore could see an expanded role. Although the trio of Harvery, Gause and Theodore are rather small, they could be pretty effective in the style of play their head coach prefers.

Also returning for a sophomore season is 6-foot-5, three-point shooter extraordinaire Jeremy Hazell. Last season, Hazell bombed away for nearly 13 points a game, hitting a team high 78 three’s. Hazell will likely find more consistency in his second go-round in the Big East, but he also will not be sneaking up on anyone either. He hit for big games including 30 against West Virginia, 29 versus Louisville, 28 more against UConn and 26 against Notre Dame. This season, Hazell should also become more comfortable in the system and increase his assist total (0.9/game last year), he showed some signs of good anticipation for steals defensively, but all in all, he does need to improve his all-around game for the Pirates to be a better team.

Although he is a true small forward, ‘Stix’ Mitchell might be asked to play the power forward position similar to Brian Laing. If that is the case, signs will not be too favorable for Seton Hall. Mitchell does not bring the physical presence that Laing brought to the table to battle in the Big East on the boards or defensively against the other big forwards of the conference. The Pirates will hopefully be able to use Mitchell in his natural wing position and take advantage of his ability to score the basketball either from long-range or slashing to the basket. At 6-foot-6 and a slight 180 pounds, ‘Stix’ could be swallowed alive inside. But, if the eligibility and waiver applications are not ruled in favor of SHU this season, this is the possible direction they will be forced to move and Mitchell will try to play a role similar to Brian Laing of last season, one I am not sure he can on both ends of the floor.

The final possibility in the backcourt is Lawrence. If he is given the green light to join the team in the second semester he adds an athletic presence with size in the backcourt. He has the game to gel well within the system and adding him to the mix will deepen the backcourt options and really give the Pirates a lift, however, the chances for him to play this year are up in the air.

2008-2009 Frontcourt Outlook:

As of today, the Pirates have three true frontcourt players eligible for the upcoming season in John Garcia, Mike Davis and Brandon Walters. Garcia, a 6-foot-9, 265 pound center from Brentwood (NY), led the Pirates in rebounding last season. Knee injuries have derailed the promising big man’s career and limited the amount of time he can be effective on the floor. Garcia has the skills to be a true back-to-the basket big man in the Big East, but he is not the athletic post player that would be a perfect fit in the preferred style of Bobby Gonzalez.

Davis is an intriguing option for Gonzalez and the Pirates. The 6-foot-11, 255 pounder had a tough freshman year as he never seemed to get into the shape his coach wanted. Davis has always had size and potential, if he can round into shape, he could be a shot-blocking presence at the end of the press to deter teams from attacking the rim. Staying out of foul trouble and improving his conditioning could lead to him having a solid season.

Walters is more of the athletic and versatile big man that would seem to fit in Gonzo’s style of play. At 6-foot-9 and 225 pounds, Walters could be given a long look to fill the hole at the power forward position this season if his game begins to mature and he smoothes out some of the rough patches. He is athletic, can run the floor and has some face-up skills that could be put to good use if he can be more consistent with his efforts.

The frontcourt would become quite strong with the addition of Herb Pope, Michael Glover and/or Melvyn Oliver. Pope and Glover seem like made to order power forwards under Bobby Gonzalez. Oliver, on the other hand, would add depth and another option in the mix at center, but he has a ways to go to round into shape to see more than spot duty in the Big East.

2008-2009 Team Outlook:

It really is unprecedented to be less than two weeks from the start of practice and the availability of 33% of your roster is unknown. Talk about variables in your 2008-2009 College Basketball Odds!! The Pirates could have anywhere from eight to 12 players suiting up by the time the Big East schedule begins, so projecting SHU is a difficult task. The likely placement probably has them finishing either 10th or 15th, with some luck from the NCAA they could be pushing .500 or slightly better, but counting on luck from the NCAA is a stretch.

There are other distractions around the program that could derail their season as well. Last year at the Big East media day another media member wondered aloud about the drama and Seton Hall. At the time, it seemed like a comment from the hip, but with all that has transpired around the program since last year's regular season ending loss to Rutgers, maybe that media member had seen the future. The latest drama has been the two-game suspension of Robert 'Stix' Mitchell for violating NCAA rules by traveling with the team home from Georgetown last season. The suspension came from AD Joe Quinlan, the same person who levied a suspension towards Bobby Gonzalez for the opening Big East game this season. Mitchell's suspension is not for the first two games of the season, but the first two games of their tournament in Puerto Rico, televised by ESPN. As JP Pelzman said in his Green Machine blog the other day, the program resembles a three-ring circus. Every week a new story...

Seton Hall...ohhhh, the drama!

2008-2009 Big East Prediction: 7-11

INTRODUCING ROD ODOM

2008-09-08T12:06:00.004-04:00

Seton Hall offers 2010 prospect, many in Big East coming to take a look

Coming from the rigorous academic setting of the Middlesex (MA) School and the under the radar AAU program of the Expressions Elite, Roderick Odom Jr. is not a name that many fans are aware of from the class of 2010. However, after a stock-boosting summer, the 6-foot-8 guard/forward is a name that college coaches are becoming more and more familiar with, and in turn, basketball fans will be hearing much more of in the near future.

It does not take long to realize that the Middlesex School is not your normal home to high-major basketball talent. With the demanding course work and Saturday class schedule, it can be difficult for a player to find the exposure needed by playing in events in the off-season or to make college trips. However, a very big July on the AAU circuit has college coaches coming to Odum to see more.

"Because of the nature of the prep school he goes to, rigorous academics and Saturday classes, Rod will not take as many visits as he would like," Roderick Odom Sr. told the NBE Basketball Report. "Instead his coach has set up workout dates for coaches to attend."

At this point, it looks like Middlesex head coach Jamie Gallagher has set up four days in September when college coaches are on the road visiting prospects to come by Middlesex.

"So far Louisville, West Virgina, Davidson, Bucknell, Harvard, Stanford, Georgetown, Princeton, Yale, Xavier, GW, Umass, Boston College and Rutgers are just a few of the coaches that have committed to see the workouts this month," Mr Odom said.

One Big East school has taken their early interest to the next step as Mr. Odom informed us that Seton Hall has extended a scholarship offer, which should be just the beginning.

"Rod is just getting his recruiting under way," his father noted.

At 6-foot-8 with perimter skills, expect it also to be just the beginning of what we hear from Roderick Odum Jr. Remeber the name as a player with that mix of size, potential and acadmic prowess is guaranteed to help any school's NCAA Basketball Odds whether advancing deep into the NCAA Tournament and at the same time strengthening the programs APR.

SETON HALL LANDS BIG TIME TRANSFER

2008-09-02T10:31:00.002-04:00

Seton Hall University is becoming ‘Second Home’ University with the amount of transfers Bobby Gonzalez seems to be pursuing and landing for the Pirates. This season they will have Duquesne transfer Robert Mitchell suiting up and are in the process of applying for a wavier to have Missouri transfer Keon Lawrence on the floor by the second semester (has some academic work to be eligible as well). Now, it looks like the biggest name is preparing to transfer into the program: Herb Pope.

According to the Las Cruces Sun-News, Pope Commits to Seton Hall after a brief ‘I am going’, I am coming back’ drama that ended over the weekend when the sides officially parted ways. Pope originally notified New Mexico State he would be returning to the school, but a change of heart of at least one of the sides has now led to him coming east, closer to home.

Pope had a good freshman season at new Mexico State, averaging over 11 PPG and nearly 7 rebounds a contest for coach Marvin Menzies squad. Of course, there is baggage with Pope, from the punching of his AAU coach in his final AAU contest, to the display following their state championship loss to even more serious episodes of being shot following an altercation at a party to a DUI last December back in Pittsburgh, so it is definitely a buyer beware scenario.

The article also mentioned schools such as Pittsburgh and West Virginia showed interest, but it was Seton Hall that had a scholarship available for 6-foot-8 Aliquippa native (our records indicate both Pitt and WVU also have a scholarship open for 2008-2009 season as well).

Pope has a very strong desire to play immediately and once enrolled at SHU he will apply for a waiver to play immediately due to family issues. In his good-bye note in the Las Cruces News article to NM State, he is saying the right things in his pursuit of the waiver…we will see how that plays out…if granted, he is a big piece to helping SHU move up this season in the conference and increase their College Basketball Odds and competing in the post-season this year.

It's A Mystery

2008-08-26T20:03:00.006-04:00

Was driving earlier and saw a bumper sticker that said "Honk if you know SHU's mystery recruit". Car was getting beeped at a lot.

Just kidding. But seriously, are there really that many hard-core SHU/Big East hoops fans that don't know who this player is by now? Enough I suppose that I still won't divulge the player's name here. A careful perusal of certain websites could put one on the right track, though.

There isn't that much more to say about him here, other than that the feeling is that it might be rough for SHU to have him available for this year. It looks like it's contingent upon getting a waiver to play this year (which means one could logically infer that he's actually a transfer and not a recruit).

Speaking of waivers, it looks like Keon Lawrence might actually not be getting one this year. Have heard differing opinions about that. One argument is that it would be better to have him just dive into things at his new school full-bore, fully occupied with schoolwork and basketball, leaving him with virtually no time for much of anything else.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

The other is actually less an argument than a declaration of facts: he needs to take care of business academically in order to be fully eligible and to play. We won't get much more into this other than to say that if he does indeed sit out the upcoming year, then the latter carried much more weight.

That of course leaves the Seton Hall backcourt much less crowded this year. That certainly makes it easier figuring out who'll play the most minutes at three positions for the Pirates, but it's still intriguing trying to figure out just what kind of lineup Bobby Gonzalez will go with when it matters most.

As we all know by now, Gonzo loves smaller lineups and causing chaos. Brian Laing was an ideal player for him in that system, but he's gone now. Stix Mitchell seems destined to get most of Laings minutes, but the question remains: will he get them at the three or the four?

Jamar Nutter is also gone from last year's squad, so with Lawrence most likely unavailable, Jeremy Hazell will almost certainly be a full-time starter. That leaves returning starters Eugene Harvey and John Garcia as the other two definites.

So we have Harvey, Garcia, Mitchell, and Hazell seemingly set for four out of five positions. The only remaining question, and it's a big one, is who is the fifth starter? The two most obvious contenders appear to be a pretty short guy and a pretty tall guy - either Paul Gause or Mike Davis.

Right now, Gause seems to have far more things in his favor than Davis. For one thing, Gause is a senior who has played far more collegiate minutes than the sophomore Davis. Gause is also a guard, a position Gonzalez favors.

Perhaps most importantly, Gause isn't just any guard, but one Gonzo seems particularly enamored with. Gause is a tough-as-nails, pugnacious, supremely athletic defensive terror whose on-court demeanor appears to mirror his coach's real-life demeanor.

Davis, on the other hand, (at least last year) was a somewhat out-of-shape college basketball newbie who was just getting acclimated not only to the college game but to playing organized basketball again. His biggest accomplishments last year were off-the-court (as the young man who was not supposed to be college material made the Dean's List and had the highest GPA on the team).

Most SHU fans feel the Pirates will not go far playing small ball again. Stix Mitchell is indeed talented, but far less suited to playing the four than Laing was (not that Laing was an All-American there either).

Most SHU fans have also felt the Pirates needed to get a servicable power forward this off-season. Thus, the fascination with the "mystery recruit" (OK, he's a power forward and a transfer). However, Herb, I mean he, in all liklihood won't be there this year (or ever - and most likely neither will Michael Glover).

Mike Davis is there though - for three years.

Gonzalez will probably want to go with Paul Gause for most of those minutes, though. (Of course, with Augustin Okosun gone, if Melvyn Oliver doesn't get the green light from the Clearinghouse, Davis will have to play - often alongside Gause. But that's a story for another post).

KEON LAWRENCE TO BEGIN HARDSHIP WAIVER PROCESS

2008-08-12T16:37:00.002-04:00

Seton Hall is hoping that Keon Lawrence will be available for them next season (something discussed previously here) as the Former Missouri Tiger is Seeking a Hardship Ruling to Play this Year (Kansas City Star).

Lawrence was to be Admitted to Seton Hall Monday (ZagsBlog.net) and at that time Lawrence’s advisor, Alif Muhammad, says the process of an appeal for the waiver would begin. The basis for the waiver would be based on the NCAA’s allowing of Julian Vaughn to be eligible to play for Georgetown this season after transferring from Florida State.

Muhammad, according to the Kansas City Star, said several members of Lawrence’s family are facing “serious medical issues.”

The Star continued that in Vaughn’s case, Florida State did not object to the hardship appeal. MU officials might well object to Lawrence’s appeal, based on the way Lawrence left Columbia earlier this summer.

The Star reports that Lawrence sent a letter to the Missouri coaches stating he was unhappy and that he wanted to look around for another school. He later had second thoughts but Coach Mike Anderson, tired of having to talk Lawrence into staying at MU on several occasions, released Lawrence.

Looking at this situation from a distance, another difference in the transfer when Vaughn left FSU it was reported that George Mason was the only other school in consideration which, like Georgetown, is very close to his home. It was reported that Lawrence Chose Seton Hall (Columbia Tribune) over schools such as Providence, Marquette, Houston, Georgia, Virginia, Cincinnati and Morehead State, none of which were too close to his Newark (NJ) home.

We will see if this situation is as clear cut as we previously believed.

2nd Blog Entry (I can't even think of what to call this one)

2008-08-07T17:08:00.002-04:00

Talk about an auspicious debut! Looks like my initial entry on this blog has generated quite a bit of discussion, as you can see HERE. Four pages, and as some on the thread have noted, most of it is actually about basketball!

The thread just shows how passionate and knowledgeable Pirate fans are about their basketball.

As has now been noted now, though, Momo Jones will not be enrolling at St Anthony's. Perhaps the biggest blow this might be to the Pirates (if it even qualifies as such) is simply because he would've been a St Anthony's kid, and thus might 've helped Gonzo with Dom Cheek and the other assorted and various D-1 prospects that regularly populate the Friars roster.

Still, even if the Pirates don't land Jones, the view from here is that with Keon Lawrence possibly being eligible this year (and we'll proceed under that assumption, even though nothing is definite yet), the Pirate backcourt is absolutely loaded.

Keon Lawrence could very well turn out to be one of the most significant and eventful transfers ever for the Hall. A true stud and a perfect fit for Bobby Gonzalez's system, he seems more than able to give a truly big-time talent like Jeremy Hazell a real run for his money (and then some) for a starting position. Add in terrific freshman Jordan Theodore and the return of a healthy Paul Gause, and that should be more than enough to keep the somewhat enigmatic but undeniably gifted Eugene Harvey from wearing down like he did toward the end of last year.

Harvey. Gause. Theodore. Hazell. Keon Lawrence. That's a backcourt potentially as good as any team's in America.

If Bobby doesn't get too hung up on playing former A-10 ROY Stix Mitchell at the 4 (and Stix didn't acquire his nickname because he's a percussionist), and can put some faith in Mike Davis (and even Brandon Walters), the Pirates could be a surprising force this year.

But that last paragraph is a topic for another entry.

News and Notes: Keon Lawrence, MoMo Jones, Mike Glover

2008-08-04T21:03:00.003-04:00

Seton Hall will apparently be filing a waiver (if they haven't already) to see if they can get Newark native and Missouri transfer Keon Lawrence eligible for this season. Sources close to the situation feel it will happen.

Seems like both Keon and the Hall have legitimate reasons to feel this way. For one thing, both his mother and his grandfather are in poor health. What's more, it's not like he transferred to SHU for more playing time - he led Missouri last year in both minutes played and shot attempts.

For those two reasons, this may very well be a slam dunk.

The Pirates are hoping that getting Lawrence eligible for this season will help them in their pursuit of Lamont "MoMo" Jones, who will play his final year of high school basketball at St. Anthony's. If Lawrence plays this year, he will have just one year left after this one. Factor in that Paul Gause will be gone after this year, and the Pirates are hoping that Jones will see that the backcourt won't be overly crowded, and that the opportunity to play immediately will be there.

Some feel however, that the Pirates may not be quite as in with MoMo as they'd like to be (or would like others to think they are). However, if they succeed in getting Lawrence eligible for this year, with Jordan Theodore making his debut this season and Jeremy Hazell back for just year two -aside from the fact that MoMo is a St Ant's kid now -there may not be much reason for despondency should he eventually head elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the Pirates are still working on getting Mike Glover eligible, and are now trying a different tactic. All parties concerned are now taking their case directly to the Big East (although other approaches have not been abandoned). The feeling is that since Glover sat out last year while a student at SHU (in effect a year in residency), perhaps the league might change its rule and allow him to play as a partial qualifier.

Most other leagues would. Stay tuned, as a decision could come as early as next week.

BIG EAST ROSTER UPDATE: SETON HALL

2008-07-07T21:30:00.002-04:00

Transfer Alert: Keon Lawrence, G from Missouri

2008-2009 Projected Roster

Seniors: Paul Gause (G), Austin Okosun (C)
Juniors: Eugene Harvey (PG), John Garcia (C), Keon Lawrence (G)*
Sophomores: Jeremy Hazell (G/F), Brandon Walters (BF/C), Mike Davis (PF/C), Robert Mitchell (G/F), Jamel Jackson (G)
Freshmen: Jordan Theodore (PG), Melvyn Oliver (C)

*will sit out 2008-2009 season per NCAA transfer rules and have two years eligibility beginning in 2009-2010

Keon Lawrence is coming home as Adam Zagoria reports that Keon Lawrence is Transferring to Seton Hall (zagsblog.net) from Missouri.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Keon Lawrence probably never should have left New Jersey out of high school. The 6'2, 175 lb guard from Newark (NJ) Weequahic High School chose Missouri, although second thoughts entered his mind often. Now, after a sophomore season where he led the Tigers in minutes played (29.2) a game, starting 20 of 32 games and leading Mizzou in field goal attempts (307), Lawrence is taking his 11 points a game and going back home.

According to Alif Muhammad, who has helped Lawrence through the recruiting process out of high school and out of Missouri, stated that Bobby Gonzalez has promised to turn the ball over to Lawrence once Eugene Harvey graduates after the 2009-2010 season. Others after Lawrence, reportedly, included Marquette, Providence, Cincinnati and others.

Rutgers was considered after high school, but their roster was a little more guard heavy at this point.

While Lawrence will not be on the floor next season, the Pirates will have four new players helping try to get Bobby Gonzalez into the post season next year including Jamel Jackson, who graduated from Lincoln High School in Brooklyn in 2005 and then spent two years at the now defunct Boys to Men Academy in Chicago. This past season, Jackson played basketball at Tecnhical Career Institute where he averaged over 24 points a game. Reputed as a strong perimeter shooter, Jackson will likely take the role that Larry Davis had with the Pirates last season before transferring. Jackson adds another perimeter scoring threat to go with sophomore Jeremy Hazell. Jackson will have three years of eligibility at Seton Hall.

With big men in the spring recruiting period in high demand, Bobby Gonzalez and the Seton Hall staff have been beating the bushes looking for frontcourt help for a team that was exposed often in the paint last season. It looks as though the Pirates found their man in 6'11, 340 lb Melvyn Oliver out of Mississippi Elite Christian Academy. Oliver averaged 20 points and 9 rebounds last season for the new program in Jackson (MI).

Oliver chose the Pirates over Nebraska, Southers Miss and Baylor.. Oliver is originally from Los Angeles where he completed his eligibility at Leuzinger (CA) in Lawndale (CA), near LA and moved to the Jackson prep school as a 5th year player and consequently the Really Big O Has Had College coaches Buzzing (Clarion Ledger) this past season.

Mississippi Elite Christian Academy’s basketball program has spawned from Genesis One Christian School, which closed last year, as head coach Victor Evans moved from Genesis One to help begin the MECA hoops program. Mississippi Elite headmaster Darel Thigpen also came over from Genesis One and saw Oliver last year and told him about the new school when he heard that Oliver was looking for a post-grad home.

Mississippi Elite is adjacent to the New Dimensions Church in south Jackson. The K-12 school has about 60 students, including about 20 in high school grades (any non-basketball players?) including the 5th year prep players.

Oliver and Jackson will be joined in the incoming class by Jordan Theodore, a 5'11 point guard from Paterson Catholic, who signed last November. Theodore is a lightning quick point guard who thrives in pushing the ball and attacking defenses with the dribble. Theodore should fit in very well with Bobby Gonzalez's high octane attack on both sides of the ball and give junior Eugene Harvey more of a break with the ball-handling and playmaking duties. They could also be used together to help ice the game to beat pressure applied by the opposition.

The trio of Theodore, Jackson and Oliver will not be the only newcomers joining the Pirates next season as Robert "Stix" Mitchell, a 6'6, 185-pound sophomore G/F who was the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year at Duquesne during the 2006-2007 season. Mitchell averaged 16 PPG and 5 rebounds playing in Ron Everhart's 40-minutes of chaos system. Mitchell, originally from Brooklyn, has been a basketball vagabond of late, spending one season at Genesis One Christian in Mississippi where he played for Victor Evans and the 2005-2006 season at Notre Dame Prep, where he played for Bill Barton, now an assistant at Duquesne, before spending a season in the Steel City.

Mitchell sat out the 2007-2008 season at Seton Hall and the plan is for him to step into the role that was filled by gaduating senior Brian Laing, the Pirates very productive small forward.

Mitchell had some difficulty at Duquesne, being suspended one game for violation of team rules and was criticized by Duquesne coach Ron Everhart for a lack of effort in practice and was dismissed from practice a number of times. After being informed his Leading Scorer Planned to Transfer (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), Everhart was not surprised

"[Leaving] wasn't really unexpected. It didn't take me by surprise. But in the big picture I'm more excited about our basketball team and the depth and talent we have than I am disappointed about anyone going."

The Pirates currently have 12 players on their roster for the 2008-2009 season. The Mike Glover saga could re-ignite if Glover decides to take the NCAA to court to be able to play. The Pirates still desperately need to find someone to contribute at the power forward position, either from within their current roster or a player opening up late in the process (which looks less and less as July is upon us).

Seton Hall also must aggresively up their pursuit for the class of 2009 as well. The Pirates are expected to have either two or three scholarships available and, like their pursuit last year of Tyreke Evans, they are setting their sites high in the beginning by going after Lance Stephenson (no longer interested) and Dominic Cheek (slight chance) out of the gate. The Pirates are also pursuing Dalton Pepper out of Pennsbury (PA), Durand Scott of Rice (NY), Omari Lawrence of St. Raymond's (NY), Sherrod Wright of Mount Vernon (NY), Andrew Fitzgerald of Owings Mills and David Bruce of Linden (NJ). Expect more names to come and go from the list as the spring and summer recruiting periods heat up.

SETON HALL 2008-2009 SNAPSHOT

2008-06-13T14:36:00.002-04:00

June 13, 2008

Head Coach: Bobby Gonzalez
2007-2008 Record: 17-15 (7-11 Big East)

Returning Players:
Paul Gause, Senior (Guard)
Eugene Harvey, Junior (Guard)
John Garcia, Junior (Center)
Austin Okosun, Senior (Center)
Brandon Walters, Sophomore (Big Forward)
Jeremy Hazell, Sophomore (Guard)
Mike Davis, Sophomore (Center/Power Forward

Eligible Transfer:
Robert Mitchell, Sophomore (Guard/Forward)
Jamel Jackson, JUCO Sophomore (Shooting Guard)

Incoming Players:
Jordan Theodore, Point Guard
Melvyn Oliver, Center

Graduated:
Brian Laing, Senior (Guard/Forward)
Jamar Nutter, Senior (Guard)

Transferred Out:
Larry Davis, Sophomore (Guard)

Open Items/Issues:
It has been much more quiet of late around Seton Hall after a very tumultuous month following the end of the season. The drama began with a regular-season ending loss to rival Rutgers which featured some tense moments between the coaches and extended into Bobby Gonzalez's post game remarks. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese publicly spoke out against the antics of both coaches and before the league announced any form of punishment, Seton Hall athletic director Mike Quinlan announced a one-game suspension of Gonzalez for the opening Big East contest of the 2008-2009 season. As college basketball's focus shifted to the NCAA Final Four, rumors began swirling that Gonzalez's days as head coach at Seton Hall were numbered. However, those rumors were put to rest quickly with statements from the Seton Hall administration and led to a month of 'hiding' by Gonzalez as he worked to fill the holes on the Pirate roster. The spring recruiting ended with a commitment from Melvyn Oliver to help inside the paint and Jamel Jackson to patch up the perimeter.

The other long-standing issue following the Pirates has been the Mike Glover eligibility saga. At this time, it looks like Glover being deemed eligible at Seton Hall is pretty much the longest of long shots. No doubt making the issue even more difficult is the fact that both prep schools that Glover attended while finishing his high school requirements, American Christian Academy and Boys to Men Academy, are no longer open. At this point, it is not expected that Glover will be in uniform for SHU next year.

Sophomore guard Larry Davis also decided to transfer shortly after the season ended, leaving the Pirates with two open scholarships. They still seem to be turning over any rock they can to find some help, especially at power forward, but at this point, it looks like their roster is pretty much set going into the summer.

Summary:
There seems to be little doubt that the pressure is on Bobby Gonzalez at Seton Hall. After all, the Pirates said good-bye to head coach Louis Orr, even after leading SHU to two NCAA Tournament appearances in three years. If Seton Hall fails to make the Big Dance for a third straight year under 'Gonzo', it probably will not seal his fate one way or the other, however, avoiding another late season collapse and showing improvement might be a must, especially with it known the AD is watching over every step of his.

To close the 2006-2007 season, SHU lost 10 of their last 12 games. Last season, the Pirates closed losing nine of their last 11. Last year's Pirates were definitely an improved team over the previous edition, but being classified as the 'best of the worst' in the Big East is not going to impress anyone if your not showing signs you are moving forward. The Pirates went just 1-9 against the top nine teams in the Big East last season, losing seven of them by 12 points or more. Against the lower portion of the Big East, SHU was 6-2. Furthermore, their 17-15 record was saved by some heroics, either overtime or huge rallies, to beat teams like Monmouth, Robert Morris, Navy and James Madison. Clutch play by Brian Laing and Jamar Nutter saved their season at times.

So, will Seton Hall improve in 2008-2009? Without Laing and Nutter (as well as Larry Davis, representing three of their top seven scorers), improvement will have to come from junior point guard Eugene Harvey. After a spectacular freshman season, Harvey seemed to struggle at times with the added talent around him in running the show and making the team better. Harvey is not a great outside shooter, so learning to adapt in the half court and improve upon setting up his teammates for opportunities will go a long way in helping SHU improve from within. The addition of freshman point guard Jordan Theodore will give the Pirates a legit second option at the point, something they did not really have previously, especially after Paul Gause went down with a knee injury. Gause's health goes a long way in allowing the Pirates to play the frantic style Bobby Gonzalez prefers, as he is one of the best defensive guards in the country.

Once again, it is likely the Pirates will not have a true power forward. Brian Laing was an athletically strong player that was able to make do at the position, but the Pirates always struggled on the boards and preventing easy baskets inside because of a lack of size. Robert Mitchell, a transfer from Duquesne where he was the Atlantic-10's freshman of the year in 2006-2007, should be one of the biggest impact transfers in the Big East, but asking him to play against Big East power forwards night in and night out is asking a lot. Mitchell does not have the experience or strength of Laing, but in order to get their best players on the floor, that looks to be what Gonzalez will have to do. John Garcia and his gimpy knees along with Mike Davis, Augustin Okosun and incoming recruit Melvyn Oliver complete the line-up in the front court. This group definitely can compete, as a committee, at the center position, but finding one of them to help at the power forward position is a key. Sophomore Brandon Walters also will likely get a chance to earn some time in a more traditional looking line-up as a power forward. He has great potential, but showed he had a long way to go last season in realizing that potential.

Rounding out the line-up is perimeter bombers Jeremy Hazell and Jamel Jackson, a pair of well-renowned NYC long-range bombers. They will both fit in well in the frantic style by spotting up beyond the three-point arc and letting shots fly. If they can help out rebounding and defensively at their positions, especially in a half court setting, that will be just as important for the team's success.

It really is tough to figure what to make of the Seton Hall Pirates for next season. The team is not likely to look much different than the club that fizzled down the stretch in 2007-2008 and Brian Laing was their heart and soul, that is a major loss. His numbers might be recouped by some of the new faces, but his toughness and ability to play bigger is not likely to be made up.

Bobby Gonzalez is definitely colorful and intense. There is definitely pressure on him this season, how will he respond to that pressure is probably going to make or break his Seton Hall coaching career and if he can not pass that pressure on to his players will be a major test of his coaching skills. I'd like to say they are heading up this year, but I do not see them closing the gap on any of the nine teams ahead of them last season. Many of those around them are improving quickly, too. Reaching last year's seven conference wins and a winning overall record to qualify for the NIT is likely a solid goal for the team. With only one senior, it could be progress, especially if they are playing better at the close of the season for a change.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: SETON HALL

2008-05-18T00:37:00.002-04:00

May 17, 2008

Commitent Alert: Jamel Jackson, G from Technical Career Institute (NYC)

2008-2009 Projected Roster

Seniors: Paul Gause (G), Austin Okosun (C)
Juniors: Eugene Harvey (PG), John Garcia (C)
Sophomores: Jeremy Hazell (G/F), Brandon Walters (BF/C), Mike Davis (PF/C), Robert Mitchell (G/F), Jamel Jackson (G)
Freshmen: Jordan Theodore (PG), Melvyn Oliver (C)

Jamel Jackson has taken the long road to the high major ranks of college basketball, but he is finally there as Jackson to Seton Hall (zagsblog) became official today when the 6'2 guard from Technical Career Institute verbally committed to Bobby Gonzalez and the Pirates.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Jamel Jackson graduated from Lincoln High School in Brooklyn in 2005 and then spent two years at the now defunct Boys to Men Academy in Chicago. This past season, Jackson played basketball at Tecnhical Career Institute where he averaged over 24 points a game. Reputed as a strong perimeter shooter, Jackson will likely take the role that Larry Davis had with the Pirates last season before transferring. Jackson adds another perimeter scoring threat to go with sophomore Jeremy Hazell. Jackson will have three years of eligibility at Seton Hall.

With big men in the spring recruiting period in high demand, Bobby Gonzalez and the Seton Hall staff have been beating the bushes looking for frontcourt help for a team that was exposed often in the paint last season. It looks as though the Pirates found their man in 6'11, 340 lb Melvyn Oliver out of Mississippi Elite Christian Academy. Oliver averaged 20 points and 9 rebounds last season for the new program in Jackson (MI).

Oliver looks to choose the Pirates over Nebraska, Southers Miss and Baylor and will take his oficial visit to the Seton Hall campus in early May. Oliver is originally from Los Angeles where he completed his eligibility at Leuzinger (CA) in Lawndale (CA), near LA and moved to the Jackson prep school as a 5th year player and consequently the Really Big O Has Had College coaches Buzzing (Clarion Ledger) this past season.

Mississippi Elite Christian Academy’s basketball program has spawned from Genesis One Christian School, which closed last year, as head coach Victor Evans moved from Genesis One to help begin the MECA hoops program. Mississippi Elite headmaster Darel Thigpen also came over from Genesis One and saw Oliver last year and told him about the new school when he heard that Oliver was looking for a post-grad home.

Mississippi Elite is adjacent to the New Dimensions Church in south Jackson. The K-12 school has about 60 students, including about 20 in high school grades (any non-basketball players?) including the 5th year prep players.

Oliver and Jackson will be joined in the incoming class by Jordan Theodore, a 5'11 point guard from Paterson Catholic, who signed last November. Theodore is a lightning quick point guard who thrives in pushing the ball and attacking defenses with the dribble. Theodore should fit in very well with Bobby Gonzalez's high octane attack on both sides of the ball and give junior Eugene Harvey more of a break with the ball-handling and playmaking duties. They could also be used together to help ice the game to beat pressure applied by the opposition.

The trio of Theodore, Jackson and Oliver will not be the only newcomers joining the Pirates next season as Robert "Stix" Mitchell, a 6'6, 185-pound sophomore G/F who was the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year at Duquesne during the 2006-2007 season. Mitchell averaged 16 PPG and 5 rebounds playing in Ron Everhart's 40-minutes of chaos system. Mitchell, originally from Brooklyn, has been a basketball vagabond of late, spending one season at Genesis One Christian in Mississippi where he played for Victor Evans and the 2005-2006 season at Notre Dame Prep, where he played for Bill Barton, now an assistant at Duquesne, before spending a season in the Steel City.

Mitchell sat out the 2007-2008 season at Seton Hall and the plan is for him to step into the role that was filled by gaduating senior Brian Laing, the Pirates very productive small forward.

Mitchell had some difficulty at Duquesne, being suspended one game for violation of team rules and was criticized by Duquesne coach Ron Everhart for a lack of effort in practice and was dismissed from practice a number of times. After being informed his Leading Scorer Planned to Transfer (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), Everhart was not surprised

"[Leaving] wasn't really unexpected. It didn't take me by surprise. But in the big picture I'm more excited about our basketball team and the depth and talent we have than I am disappointed about anyone going."

The Pirates still have two scholarships remaining. They received a visit from Largo (MD) 6'11 C Maurice Sutton. While Oliver tips the scales in the 350-lb range, Sutton is barely pushing 200, but Sutton is deciding between Indiana, Seton Hall and Villanova, where he just visited last week, and a decision is expected this week.

Seton Hall has also spent a lot of time after Chipola CC power forward Gary Flowers, who spent some time at Oklahoma State before being dismissed from the program. Power forward is a spot that really needs an upgrade for Seton Hall in their quest to rise in the Big East standings as Brian Laing, at 6'5, spent much of his time last year as their 'power forward' on the floor. Of course, if Michael Glover, who attended Seton Hall all last year, is ever cleared by the NCAA to be eligible to play, the power forward position gets a great boost as well.

Now that Seton Hall looks to have put the finishing touches on the 2008 class, their pursuit of gaining eligibility for Glover can be put into high gear and recruiting for the class of 2009 can get ramped up as well. The Pirates are expected to have between two and four scholarships available and, like their pursuit last year of Tyreke Evans, they are setting their sites high in the beginning by going after Lance Stephenson and Dominic Cheek out of the gate. The Pirates are also pursuing Dalton Pepper out of Pennsbury (PA), Durand Scott of Rice (NY), Omari Lawrence of St. Raymond's (NY), Sherrod Wright of Mount Vernon (NY), Andrew Fitzgerald of Owings Mills and David Bruce of Linden (NJ). Expect more names to come and go from the list as the spring and summer recruiting periods heat up.

SETON HALL RECRUITING ISAIAH EPPS

2008-05-15T14:47:00.002-04:00

2010 Guard Isaiah Epps is in High Demand and the Seton Hall Pirates are in a battle to keep the Plainfield High School star playing college basketball in his home state.

Competition is fierce already for the young guard as Maryland has been coming aggressively after Pete Vasil's talented player, “Maryland is recruiting him the hardest right now and Gary Williams wants him very much. Plus, Gary told him he can come and play right away. If Isaiah likes the situation there, I would recommend to him that he takes the offer. That way he has a solid foundation for the rest of his high school career. He can concentrate on his academics and making himself a better player, and he no longer has to worry about where he’s going.”

Also, Big East foes like Pittsburgh and Rutgers are aggressively pursuing Epps in hopes of luring them to their campus for his college career.

SETON HALL SIGNS MELVYN OLIVER

2008-05-09T13:52:00.002-04:00

Another player signing a delayed Letter of Intent happened yesterday as Melvyn Oliver Finally Signs LOI (zagsblog) with Seton Hall after a few delays. The Pirates were recently publicly reprimanded by the NCAA for an APR score that resulted in a scholarship penalty.

The delay in Oliver’s LOI could have been additional due diligence by the University into the player who has attended a few high schools, including a newly formed prep school, Mississippi Elite Christian Academy, to insure all the academics were in order. Or, maybe it was just lost in the mail…

Oliver is a BIG body at 6'11 and 340 lbs, so losing weight and reshaping his body will be first priority upon arriving on campus.

2008-2009 Projected Roster

Seniors: Paul Gause (G), Austin Okosun (C)
Juniors: Eugene Harvey (PG), John Garcia (C)
Sophomores: Jeremy Hazell (G/F), Brandon Walters (BF/C), Mike Davis (PF/C), Robert Mitchell (G/F)
Freshmen: Jordan Theodore (PG), Melvyn Oliver (C)

Seton Hall was also involved in the recruitment of Chris Turner and the Pirates Sign the 6’5 Guard (The daily Reflector). However, it was the Pirates of East Carolina who get the signature of Turner on a letter of intent. Again, with Turner, several bigger schools were interested, but questions on his academics as he has been to a few different high schools and prep schools the last couple years clouded the picture.

The Pirates are holding a scholarship open for Mike Glover, who was not cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse last season to be eligible for athletic competition. Seton Hall continues to try to get Glover through the clearinghouse to be part of next year's team. Two additional scholarships are open and Florida transfer Jonathan Mitchell, originally out of Mount Vernon (NY) is a possibility. The final scholarship could go to another wing player or a big man if one of quality is still available late in the recruiting period.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: SETON HALL

2008-04-21T21:47:00.002-04:00

April 21, 2008

Commitent Alert: Melvyn Oliver, C from Mississippi Elite Christian Academy

2008-2009 Projected Roster

Seniors: Paul Gause (G), Austin Okosun (C)
Juniors: Eugene Harvey (PG), John Garcia (C)
Sophomores: Jeremy Hazell (G/F), Brandon Walters (BF/C), Mike Davis (PF/C), Robert Mitchell (G/F)
Freshmen: Jordan Theodore (PG), Melvyn Oliver (C)

Finally some good news for Seton Hall as Bobby Gonzalez and the Pirates as a Top High School Prospect Gives Verbal Commitment to Seton Hall (MSG.com) in the form of Mississippi Elite Christian Academy BIG man Melvyn Oliver.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

With big men in the spring recruiting period in high demand, Bobby Gonzalez and the Seton Hall staff have been beating the bushes looking for frontcourt help for a team that was exposed often in the paint last season. It looks as though the Pirates found their man in 6'11, 340 lb Melvyn Oliver out of Mississippi Elite Christian Academy. Oliver averaged 20 points and 9 rebounds last season for the new program in Jackson (MI).

Oliver looks to choose the Pirates over Nebraska, Southers Miss and Baylor and will take his oficial visit to the Seton Hall campus in early May. Oliver is originally from Los Angeles where he completed his eligibility at Leuzinger (CA) in Lawndale (CA), near LA and moved to the Jackson prep school as a 5th year player and consequently the Really Big O Has Had College coaches Buzzing (Clarion Ledger) this past season.

Mississippi Elite Christian Academy’s basketball program has spawned from Genesis One Christian School, which closed last year, as head coach Victor Evans moved from Genesis One to help begin the MECA hoops program. Mississippi Elite headmaster Darel Thigpen also came over from Genesis One and saw Oliver last year and told him about the new school when he heard that Oliver was looking for a post-grad home.

Mississippi Elite is adjacent to the New Dimensions Church in south Jackson. The K-12 school has about 60 students, including about 20 in high school grades (any non-basketball players?) including the 5th year prep players.

Oliver will be joined in the freshman class by Jordan Theodore, a 5'11 point guard from Paterson Catholic, who signed last November. Theodore is a lightning quick point guard who thrives in pushing the ball and attacking defenses with the dribble. Theodore should fit in very well with Bobby Gonzalez's high octane attack on both sides of the ball and give junior Eugene Harvey more of a break with the ball-handling and playmaking duties. They could also be used together to help ice the game to beat pressure applied by the opposition.

Harvey and Oliver will not be the only newcomers joining the Pirates next season as Robert "Stix" Mitchell, a 6'6, 185-pound sophomore G/F who was the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year at Duquesne during the 2006-2007 season. Mitchell averaged 16 PPG and 5 rebounds playing in Ron Everhart's 40-minutes of chaos system. Mitchell, originally from Brooklyn, has been a basketball vagabond of late, spending one season at Genesis One Christian in Mississippi where he played for Victor Evans and the 2005-2006 season at Notre Dame Prep, where he played for Bill Barton, now an assistant at Duquesne, before spending a season in the Steel City.

Mitchell sat out the 2007-2008 season at Seton Hall and the plan is for him to step into the role that was filled by gaduating senior Brian Laing, the Pirates very productive small forward.

Mitchell had some difficulty at Duquesne, being suspended one game for violation of team rules and was criticized by Duquesne coach Ron Everhart for a lack of effort in practice and was dismissed from practice a number of times. After being informed his Leading Scorer Planned to Transfer (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), Everhart was not surprised

"[Leaving] wasn't really unexpected. It didn't take me by surprise. But in the big picture I'm more excited about our basketball team and the depth and talent we have than I am disappointed about anyone going."

The Pirates still have three scholarships remaining. They are expecting a visit from Largo (MD) 6'11 C Maurice Sutton. While Oliver tips the scales in the 350-lb range, Sutton is barely pushing 200, but has scholarship offers from Boston College, Kentucky and Seton Hall and is also getting increased interest from schools such as Indiana, Syracuse, Villanova and others.

Seton Hall has also spent a lot fo time after Chipola CC power forward Gary Flowers, who spent some time at Oklahoma State before being dismissed from the program. Power forward is a spot that really needs an upgrade for Seton Hall in their quest to rise in the Big East standings as Brian Laing, at 6'5, spent much of his time last year as their 'power forward' on the floor. Of course, if Michael Glover, who attended Seton Hall all last year, is ever cleared by the NCAA to be eligible to play, the power forward position gets a great boost as well. Globe Institute's Rob Robinson, a 6'8 JUCO sophomore, is a possibility as well to add depth to the position.

Much-traveled Chris Turner is a 6'5 wing who is an excellent three-point shooter could also be in the mix again with the Pirates. However, Turner is awaiting his standardized test scores before the 5th year prep player can really narrow down his spring recruitment options. Turner has been on the SHU radar since early last fall and nearly committed to the Pirates at that time. Turner did commit to Oregon State over the winter, but had not signed a letter of intent and re-opened his recruitment when Oregon State underwent a coaching change.

Seton Hall looks to aggressively attempt to fill the remaining openings on their roster in the late signing period. We will keep you updated as much as possible as the Pirates look to improve their standing in the Big East with more depth for next season.

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SYRACUSE @ SETON HALL

2008-03-05T08:43:00.003-05:00

March 5, 2008

Syracuse has lost five of six during a brutal stretch in their schedule and their hopes to dance in the NCAA Tournament hang by a dwindling thread. However, having one of the top SOS ratings in college basketball and the predictability of this year's bubble, the Orange could still make a push for a spot in March Madness with a couple victories to close the regular season and a win or two in Madison Square Garden at the Big East Tournament next week.

Seton Hall has definitely had their shares of ups and downs. At one time, they were riding a 5-game winning streak and were 5-3 in the Big East. However, they have lost six of their last eight games, including some ugly defeats along the way against Notre Dame (home), Marquette (home) and West Virginia. Wins against DePaul and South Florida were nice, but their loss to St. John's last weekend was a big disappointment to the Pirates.

Here are the local media game stories and previews on tonight's match-up:

Seton Hall-Syracuse Scouting Report (Courier News)
No Time to Lick Wounds (Syracuse Post-Standard)
SU Men Look Ahead After Devastating Loss (Post-Standard)
Outside Looking In (Auburn Citizen)
Orange's Harris Weathers Ups, Downs (SportingNews.com)

Syracuse hits the road as a 2.5-pt favorite when they travel to Newark (NJ) to face Seton Hall at the Prudential Center. The Orange are trying to re-group following Staurday's devastating loss where they blew an 11-point lead at the media timeout with 3:30 left. Pittsburgh outscored Syracuse 18-2 to finish the game with an 82-77 victory. Now, Syracuse is facing a must-win two-game stretch to earn a shot at the NCAA Tournament and have to erase the memories of Saturday's meltdown on their home floor from their minds quickly.

Not too long ago, Seton Hall was 5-3 in the Big East and people were whispering about the chances of getting into the NCAA Tournament mix. However, those days seem to be gone, although they have a similar record to the Orange. SHU is also coming off a demoralizing loss where they fell to St. John's on a late three-pointer by Anthony Mason Jr.

Seton Hall will look to get back on track tonight by pressuring the ball. Syracuse is very thin on ballhandlers and if Eugene Harvey can keep the ball away from Jonny Flynn, SU is very vulnerable to pressure. However, not having Paul Gause limits the depth of the SHU backcourt, especially thier defensive pressure.

On offense, the Pirates will look to bomb away against the 'Cuse zone defense. Jeremy Hazell and Jamar Nutter can heat up quickly and if they can spot up against the SU zone they could get comfortable and make big shots. Brian Laing will look to find holes near the coul line and hit his nearly automatic 16-foot jump shot. The size of the Orange frontline will likely dominate the boards and make things very tough close to the basket, but the Pirates will look to pressure the ball and hot from downtown against SU.

Look for a motivated effort from Syracuse tonight. The Orange have a lot of offensive firepower and their big three were clicking Saturday as Paul Harris, Jonny Flynn and Dante Greene put up big offensive numbers. Those three will look to continue their offensive assault and hope Arinze Onuaku carves out space against the Seton Hall front line for rebounds and easy baskets. I think SHU will have a hard time containing the offensive firepower of the Orange, and when they miss, SU is likely to be in position to score on offensive rebounds.

This will likely be a high scoring game. If Seton Hall is hot from the outside, which definitely could happen, they could pull the surprise. However, I look for Syracuse to bring a strong effort on defense and be very active extending their zone on defense and hitting the glass. Look for the Orange to keep their slim NCAA hopes alive tonight.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Syracuse 84 Seton Hall 77

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SETON HALL @ SOUTH FLORIDA

2008-02-26T08:26:00.003-05:00

February 26, 2008

A pretty interesting game down in South Florida pits the Bulls of USF against the Seton Hall Pirates. The Bulls have been playing better of late, but only have one win to show for it in their last three games. The Pirates finally broke a 5-game losing streak with a two-point home win over DePaul on Saturday night.

Here are the local media game stories and previews on the game:

Hall Getting Back its Pillar (Star-Ledger)
Seton Hall-South Florida Scouting Report (Courier News)

In their last three games, South Florida beat Syracuse by double digits at home, had the lead until the last second against UConn in an overtime loss and had three shots at the basket in the final seconds to win at Cincinnati, only to come up short.

For a team that had lost their previous 10 games, with none closer than 8 points, that is progress. The Bulls were so close to ending their road futility record in Big East games at Cincinnati last week, but they couldn't make the big shot at the end. With Kentrell Gransberry struggling offensively (7 pts), Jesus Verdejo (19 pts) and Dominique Jones (16) picked up the slack, but turnovers and lack of scoring options outside their main three did them in.

We were beginning to worry about Seton Hall and where they were headed. While their five-game losing streak was not a total surprise based on their schedule, the way they lost to Notre Dame and Marquette on their own floor and how they were thumped by West Virginia was. The five-game losing streak immediately followed a five-game winning streak where the buzz on the Pirates picked up.

SHU got back into the win column Saturday night with a 73-71 win over DePaul at the Prudential Center. Seniors Brian Laing and Jamar Nutter combined for 37 points and all the key baskets (it seemed) down the stretch to hold off the Blue Demons and earn the win. With a favorable schedule down the stretch, the Pirates will try to make a run at .500, or better, in the conference.

These two teams met back in January with Seton Hall emerging victorious with a 74-64 win at the Prudential Center. Jeremy Hazell scored 22 points and John Garcia posted a double-double for SHU with 10 pts and 13 rebounds. Kentrell Gransberry had 21 pts and 10 rebounds for the Bulls, but he was just 5-12 from the foul line in the contest. Gransberry is likely to find success again inside tonight against the Pirates, but with bodies like Garcia, Mike Davis and Augustine Okosun, SHU can definitely use 15 fouls against him to not allow anything easy for him.

The key to the Bulls is finding help for Gransberry. Dominique Jones has averaged 20 PPG and Jesus Verdejo 18 PPG in their last three outings, providing support for Gransberry in the middle. This also allows Chris Howard to run the show and not have to worry about manufacturing his own scoring opportunities. If this three are able to stay on the floor and in the offense, the Bulls stand an excellent chance.

For the Pirates, they will look to pressure USF into mistakes with their guards and turn those opportunities into quick points. Brian Laing has a great match-up inside as the Bulls lack muscle at the forward position to slow him down. If Nutter and Hazell are hitting their shots from deep, that will open up the lanes for Laing to attack the basket. The senior is leading the way for the Pirates. Point guard Eugene Harvey is coming off a terrific floor game where he had 9 assists and just one turnover in the win over DePaul, if he is in that frame of mind, the Pirates offense runs much smoother.

This really is a tough game to get a feel for. The Bulls have been made a 3.5-pt favorite. I think Gransberry will cause SHU too many problems and the added threat of Verdejo on the offensive end will be just enough to get USF over the hump in this one.

NBE Blogger Prediction: South Florida 74 Seton Hall 71

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: MARQUETTE @ SETON HALL

2008-02-12T09:17:00.000-05:00

February 12, 2008

Only one game separates Marquette and Seton Hall in the Big East standings as they two teams prepare for a rematch of a very close contest from earlier in the season. Seton Hall led for much of th egame at the Bradley Center back in January and took Marquette to the wire in a heated and intense contest that had the coaching exchanging barbs during the game and a hard foul by Jamar Nutter on Dominic James.

As they prepare for the rematch, here are the local media previews and stories on the game:

Marquette Basketball Preview (Appleton Crescent)
Seton Hall Keeps its Focus on Big East Tourney (Star Ledger)
A Quick Looks at Seton Hall (Providence Journal)
Hayward Makes Big Gains in Sophomore Season (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
Seton Hall-Marquette Scouting Report (Courier News)

A couple teams trying to end losing skids meet at the Pridential Center in Newark (NJ) tonight. Seton Hall has lost three in a row and Marquette has dropped a pair. The Pirates pushed Tom Crean's club to the limit in an earlier meeting this season, before losing 61-56 when Dan Fitzgerald iced the contest with a three-pointer as the shot clock expired in the games' final moments. Marquette overcame a 32.8% shooting performance as a series of zones used by Bobby Gonzalez and his Pirates slowed the Marquette attack and forced them to become a jump-shooting team. The Pirates will look to do the same tonight and hope that Jeremy Hazell heats up in his home building and improves on his 1-5 showing in the first meeting.

These teams are pretty similar in terms of personnell. Each team uses three guards and a wing at the power forward slot. They both also cover the post position by committee and would not hesitate to go smaller if they need to.

Marquette has the edge in experience and big-game success, while the Pirates are still trying to create their identity in the Big East. Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews can play both ends of the floor as well as anyone, but look for Eugene Harvey, Jamar Nutter and Hazell to be pumped up for the match-up. Brian Laing is Seton Hall's go-to guy on offense and will be matched with the rapidly improving Lazar Hayward at the forward spot. This is an excellent match-up as both players like to face up and shoot the ball or take it to the basket. In the post, neither really has a player to consistently rely on, but Ousmane Barro has been showing signs of stepping his game up. John Garcia is definitely a load inside, but a gimpy knee and his conditioning will hold him back.

Marquette is a sligh 2.5-pt favorite and both teams should play with plenty of intensity and emotion. If one team doesn't bring that energy level, they will not be able to win tonight. Assuming both teams are ready to play, I think Marquette is the better team overall. Barring Jeremy Hazell going completely off down the stretch of a close game, I think Marquette does enough on the defensive end to come up with another tough win in this match-up.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Marquette 72 Seton Hall 66

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SETON HALL @ NOTRE DAME

2008-02-08T15:50:00.000-05:00

February 9, 2008

Villanova entered Big East play ranked in the top 25 and after a road win at Syracuse they were 3-2 and seemed to be a team on the rise. However, five straight losses since, four in the conference and one snapping their record Big 5 win streak, has the Villanove season crumbling out of control.

Seton Hall raised the level of excitement of New Jersey basketball fans with a 5-game win streak that had the Pirates sitting at 5-3 in the Big East and quietly figuring out how many more wins they needed to get on the NCAA Tournament bubble. However, Wednesday night was a reality check that might have added a more sobering blow to their chances.

Hosting Notre Dame at home, Seton Hall hoped to make an impression on the rest of the country. Instead, the Pirates were completely run out of their own building, 95-69, and saw Paul Gause go down with a torn ACL which will cause him to miss the rest of the season. Gause missed several of the games during their 5-game win streak with a broken hand, but his importance to the SHU line-up as a secondary ballhandler and defensive wizard will be missed in the longrun. Eugene Harvey is asked to play a TON of minutes in Bobby Gonzalez's pedal to the medal style, something without Gause for the season might have to be re-adjusted.

However, the Pirates have little choice but to keep trying to go full-steam ahead. They are a team without a power forward, using 6'5 Brian Laing in the position. Laing is one of the most productive players in the Big East, but he is sometimes asked to play the role of the biggest Pirate on the floor. John Garcia is their (usual) starting center, but his knee problems are not in the past. Mike Davis has not developed to Gonzo's satisfaction, leaving Augustin Okosun as the big man that is the most consistent, yet, the most raw.

For now, the Pirates are likely to become a 'chuck n duck' attack behind snipers Jamar Nutter and Jeremy Hazell. Nutter is a notoriously streaky shooter, but this style should keep him involved and the lack of options will likely keep him from disappearing. Hazell can shoot lights out from anywhere, especially at home, and he loves to play that role, but he can go 2-12 from the arc of 8-12, just not sure exactly which it will be.

Harvey and Laing will continue to produce, and on the games Nutter and Hazell and hitting their quick pop three's, the Pirates will throw a scare into anyone. How long can they keep up the attack? I am not sure...but, their schedule is favorable down the stretch.

As for Villanova, they are going through some serious growing pains. There is not a senior on the roster and losing three senior starters from last season definitely has had an impact. Jay Wright received a lot of attention with his four-guard line-up that went to the Elite 8 a few years ago and his offensive system seems to still be centered around individual guard penetration with kick-outs to the shooters. Problem is, their best penetrator is also their best shooter in Scottie Reynolds and the rest of the team is not very good ad shooting the three-point shot. Freshman Malcolm Grant can be instant offense, or he is nowhere to be found. Classmate Corey Stokes is a deadly shooter, but is having trouble finding a way to get his shot off in the Big East (slow release, not very good at creating his own shot) and Corey Fisher has shown the ability to score, but like Reynolds, the ability to involve others can be improved upon.

Add those factors to the fact that Villanova still lacks any go-to offensive players in the paint and you have a team set-up to struggle until they figure things out. They have several impressive forwards, but the Villanova offensive scheme does not involve them much. Dante Cunningham and Antonio Pena are expert garbage men inside and Shane Clark, who is battling nagging injuries, can spot up for a shot, but the opportunities are limited. I do like the contributions Casseum Drummond can potentially give them, especially in a game like this one, he could be a difference.

With all that said, Seton Hall is likely to bring a style that is comfortable for the Wildcats to play. Villanova has hit rock bottom, following their loss to St. Joe's on Monday night, sometimes that is the most dangerous a team can be. With Seton Hall, Villanova is unlikely to have to worry about long defensive possessions or running a lot of half court sets...if the game plays out in the style both teams tend to play, it should be a high scoring affair and I think Villanova has just enough of a offensive advantage to hold off SHU.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Villanova 83 Seton Hall 75

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SETON HALL @ GEORGETOWN

2008-02-01T14:14:00.001-05:00

February 2, 2008

After losing their first three conference games, Seton Hall has ran off five straight wins and the snowball that Bobby Gonzalez is building is gaining in size and it begins to roll downhill.

Georgetown is also on a roll, winning their last four games, some in dramatic fashion, others, like Wednesday night's destruction of St. John's, with ease. The Hoyas have been the favorite in the conference from the beginning and take everyone's best shot. Only Pittsburgh was able to connect their shot and take down the Hoyas. Now, Seton Hall takes aim and will bring the effort as well.

The Pirates do have a quick backcourt that will look to pressure the Hoyas early and often. With Paul Gause back in the line-up, the Pirates can unleash Bobby Gonzalez's preferred style of attack with full court pressure from end to end. With Chris Wright out with a foot injury, the Georgetown backcourt is a little short on depth and this sort of game, if SHU can control the tempo, does not favor the Hoyas.

However, gaining control of that tempo is not easily down. The Hoyas are a model of offensive effeciency with Roy Hubbert in the paint and four other players on the floor capable of scoring in a variety of ways. Georgetown has an injury concern of their own as sophomore DaJuan Summers missed the game with St. John's with a foot injury. Against the Redstorm it did not matter and with Austin Freeman and Patrick Ewing available to step-up, the Hoyas should be ok if Summers is going to miss additional time. It is a blow, but Georgetown has an impressive stable of players.

Seton Hall will have to create offense off of their defense. They will need to score themselves and stop Georgetown to get into their tempo. That has been the difficult thing to do for Georgetown opponents. SHU is undersized with Brian Laing playing the position of power forward at 6'5 and in extreme mesaures, like OT agianst Rutgers, he finds himself as the tallest Pirate on the court on occassions. Freshman Jeremy Hazell has become the long-distance mad bomber and if he starts lighting it up, the Pirates feed off that energy.

Although I see leaps and bounds of improvement from the Pirates, this might be too tall of an order on the road at this stage. At the very least, this will be a tremendous learning opportunity and if the Pirates go in with that goal, they could steal a win, but more importantly, take a valuable experience into future games down the road.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Georgetown 75 Seton Hall 66

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SETON HALL @ RUTGERS

2008-01-30T11:29:00.000-05:00

January 30, 2008

In this year's version of the Big East, a two game win streak can be considered 'hot'. In this case, the battle of New Jersey features two of the 'hottest' teams in the conference when Rutgers welcomes in-state rival Seton Hall to the RAC.

Local media preview articles:

Rutgers, Seton Hall Begin Turnarounds (Courier News)
RU/SHU Scouting Report (Courier News)
Hall Grows in Gause's Absence (Star-Ledger)
Rutgers/Seton Hall Still a Hot Ticket (Asbury Park Press)

Rutgers enters tonight's game full of surprising momentum after a week that saw them beat Villanova at home and then shock the Big East with a win at Pittsburgh, a win that seemed to shock their own players! Led by freshman guards Michael Coburn and Corey Chandler, with solid post play, especially on the glass and defensively, by Hamady N'Diaye and Byron Joynes, RU stormed past the Panthers on Saturday.

The Scarlet Knights stumbled out of the conference gates by looking completely in disarray, especially on the offensive side of the ball. After dropping thier first five, they were looking pretty hopeless and 0-18 whispers began. However, there is more talent on this team than what was being shown and they showed signs offensively at DePaul before a 2nd half collapse allowed a 2nd half lead slip away. JR Inman is a talented and athletic inside/out forward and Jaron Griffin and Anthony Farmer are also juniors who have logged a lot of Big East time and needed to step up. The freshman pair of Coburn and Chandler hold a lot of promise for the future, but the play of the juniors and the big man duo of N'Diaye and Joynes could determine how tough an out the Scarlet Knights are the rest of the way.

Seton Hall also started off slowly, losing their first three conference games. However, the Pirates have stormed back with aggression, winning four in a row (which matches last year's league total) with impressive wins against Louisville and at Providence included. Senior Brian Laing is consistently putting up big numbers as a do-it-all undersized forward with the heart of a lion and the perimter shooting combo of Jamar Nutter and Jeremy Hazell guarantees someone is on from the outside to help put up points in a hurry. The Pirates fly up and down the court and their ability to score fast and often allows them to rally from nearly any deficit no matter the situation.

Rutgers, who are thin on numbers, would like the game to be played at a slower pace. To force the pace to a speed they prefer, the Pirates will pressure the RU guards to induce quick shots and turnovers, that is where SHU is at their best, creating offense off of their defense. The slower the pace of the game, the less SHU can crank up the pace and use their style to their advantage. However, in a weekend win over Cincinnati, the Pirates showed they can buckle down if they have to.

Usually in this rivalry the home team has the edge. I am not convinced Rutgers is ready to beat a team as equally amped to play the game as they are...yet. You know Bobby Gonzalez will have his Pirates on edge for the game, sometimes that can work against a squad, but with the style of play the Pirates prefer, that is exactly what they need.

The RAC will rock, but in the end, SHU has a little too much offensive talent to get by in this one.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Seton Hall 80 Rutgers 71

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SETON HALL @ PROVIDENCE

2008-01-24T09:07:00.001-05:00

January 24, 2008

An intriguing Big East match-up takes place Thursday night as the Seton Hall Pirates travel to Providence to take on the Friars. The Pirates won back-to-back home games last week over South Florida and Louisville and put their modest two-game win streak on the line. The Friars have not played in over a week, but their last outing was an impressive road win at Connecticut, marking the third straight win for PC.

Here are some local media preview stories on tonight's match-up:

Bobbt Gonzalez' Gang is off to Seton Hall of a Start (Hoops Weiss NY Daily News)
Seton Hall @ PC (Providence Journal)
Seton Hall Looks To Improve Road record at PC (Providence Journal)
Friar News for Wednesday (ProJo Hoops Blog)
Seton Hall's Hazell Finding His Range (Herald News)

Bobby Gonzalez is definitely a very excitable person and he could hardly contain himself Saturday night as Seton Hall rallied from 14-pts down to beat Louisville, 92-82, behind the white-hot shooting of freshman Jeremy Hazell. Hazell keyed a 41-17 run to end the game with an astounding display of deep 3-pt shooting. For the game, the frosh hit 8 three's and finished with 29 points. He scores them in bunches. He was coming off a 22-pt performance in the win over South Florida earlier in the week.

Now that the Pirates have tasted some success at home on conference play, they will need to step it up on the road. The Pirates are 0-10 under Bobby Gonzalez in Big East road contests the last two seasons. Illustrating the highs and lows of playing on the road and at home, in the two previous road games prior to his 51-pt outburt last week, Hazell scored a total of TWO points against Marquette and Pittsburgh the week prior. Last season, SHU lost at Providence 91-68, only to turn around and beat them at home 10 days later.

Now that the Hall has 'shocked' Louisville in Newark, a win Gonzo termed `monumental for our program,' they need to refocus ont he task at hand. In order to move up in the conference, they have to find a way to steal some on the road. Gonzalez is definitely getting a little carried away, but you have to admire his passion. Afterall, Seton Hall was an NCAA Tournament team in 2006 and won on the road against teams such Pittsburgh and Syracuse, so beating an unranked Louisville team on your home court is more on the line of things teams have to do rather than monumental. However, on a personal aspect, the game was HUGE to Gonzo and his excitement is still evident.

To win at Providence the Pirates are going to have to defend the 3-pt shot. The Friars hit 14 of 24 from beyond the arc in their 77-65 win over Connecticut last Thursday, led by Dwain Williams' six of nine and Brian McKenzie hitting all four of his attempts. The sophomore duo have been picking up the slack for injured Sharaud Curry and combined for 43 points in the win. Another player that has been key for the Friars is Jeff Xavier, who played for coach Gonzalez at Manhattan but opted to transfer when Gonzo left for the Seton Hall job. Xavier is leading the team in scoring at nearly 13 a game and has hit 45 three's in 17 games this season.

Each team is pretty thin in the middle and can rotate three big men each in the post. Providence's trio includes Randall Hanke, Jonathan Kale and Ray Hall while the Pirates will counter with an improving group of John Garcia, Mike Davis and Augustine Okosun. One of the better match-ups to watch this season is at the forward spot where Brian Laing and Geoff McDermott will go head to head. McDermott is always among the league leaders in rebounding and assists and Laing is one of the best scorers in the conference.

Eugene Harvey, Jamar Nutter and Larry Davis are the main guards in the Pirate rotation and with Curry out of the line-up for the Friars, they will look to apply lots of pressure on the Friar guards, who lack a true point guard with expereince. They have managed well with Dwain Williams and Brian McKenzie, but the are more of combo guards filling in at the position. If Paul Gause was healthy for the Pirates I could really see them doing some damage with their press.

Providence likes to play a lot of zone defenses (coach Tim Welsh was once an assistant for Jim Boeheim) and if they are in a zone, they MUST key on Hazell. If he gets going, it could be a long night. Weyinmi Efejuku could be the player in charge of defending Hazell and that might be an interesting match-up as the two are familiar with one another from the parks of New York City. Efejuku is a strong and athletic wing that could be a physical defensive answer to Hazell's catch and shoot ability.

With road games on the horizon against Syracuse (Sunday) and Notre Dame (next Thursday), winning at home is vital for the Friars, who are 8.5-pt favorites. I see some areas where Seton Hall can definitely exploit against Providence, but the Pirates are just 1-4 on the road this season. The Big East has developed a pattern this season, win a big game at home, go on the road and be humbled. While I think this will be a pretty good game, it is one that Providence has to have and should have a mental edge going in.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Providence 81 Seton Hall 72

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SOUTH FLORIDA @ SETON HALL

2008-01-17T09:38:00.000-05:00

January 18, 2008

South Florida was looking poised for improvement this season in the Big East, but after a conference opening win over hapless Rutgers, the Bulls have dropped three straght, all by double digits.

It is tough to judge Seton Hall yet as they have lost their three conference contests to teams most-likely to finish among the top handful in the conference and two of them were on the road. This game, especially since it is at home, is a MUST for SHU.

Here are the local media previews on tonight's game:

Bulls Hope to End Conference Futility on the Road (Tampa Tribune)
Men's Hoops: SHU Up Next (St. Petersburg Times)
All at the Hall Glad Laing Decided to Stay (Star-Ledger)
Scouting Seton Hall and South Florida (Courier News)

If South Florida ever wants to make the Big East Tournament before the conference opens the doors to all 16 teams in the 2008-2009 season, they better find a way to win on the road in conference play. The Bulls are 0-18 in their 2+ seasons in the Big East away from home. Tonight, they get a chance to end that streak when they travel up to Newark (NJ) to meet the Seton Hall Pirates.

First year coach Stan Heath will try to take advantage of his biggest weapon, Kentrell Gransberry, against a small SHU line-up. The Pirates will try to counter Gransberry by rotating John Garcia, Mike Davis and Augustin Okosun in the post. The revolving door of fresh bodies, led to the burly Garcia, will hopefully wear down Gransberry along with the frantic style Seton Hall hopes to impose on the game.

The Pirates quest for a frantic game has been limited of late with the injury to Paul Gause. The junior defensive dynamo has a broken bone in his non-shooting hand and he is still out of action. With Gause out of the mix, the SHU perimeter defense suffers quite a bit. The Pirate backcourt is still strong, but their line-up of four guards can take a toll in conference play. Using Brian Laing, who is closer to 6'4, as their biggest forward is definitely taking a toll as opposing forwards continue to have good games against SHU. Eugene Harvey is an offensive threat at the point, attacking the basket off the dribble and getting to the line often. Jamar Nutter and Jeremy Hazell provide a pair of deep threats, but their inconsistency will be a fact of life for coach Bobby Gonzalez. Larry Davis is a versatile guard off the bench that does a little bit of everything, but nothing outstanding to make him stand above the rest.

South Florida is also weak at the power forward position and have been victimized by Sam Young, Geoff McDermott and Dante Greene in their last three games. Orane Chin is a tad over his head at this point in a starting role in the Big East, but the SHU line-up could allow Stan Heath to go small as well and use Aaron Holmes, Ade Saaka and Solomon Bozeman more often as Jesus Verdejo and Dominique Jones have pretty good size for wings in the league. Jones is a dynamic offensive threat, but life on the road for a Big East freshman is tough.

I look for Seton Hall, a 5-pt favorite, to collect the first win for New Jersey in Big East action tonight, riding a big game from Brian Laing to hold off the Bulls.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Seton Hall 75 South Florida 72

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SETON HALL @ PITTSBURGH

2008-01-11T15:21:00.000-05:00

January 12, 2008

On paper, this does not look like a close match-up. Pittsburgh has one of the strongest home court advantages in the country while Seton Hall is still looking for their first road win under Bobby Gonzalez.

However, Pittsburgh, as everyone knows, has injury issues with Mike Cook gone for the season and Levance Fields out for at least another 6 weeks. Seton Hall likes to pressure the basketball the full court for the full 40 minutes, but their own injury issue with Paul Gause makes them much less effective playing that style.

Pittsburgh has shown a lot of resilency since the injury bug has hit. Sure, they have dropped a couple games, but judging by their 1-pt loss in the waning seconds at Villanova and a double-digit road win at South Florida, this team still has a lot left and they are not spending any time feeling sorry for themselves.

Villanova did set a blueprint to be successful against Pitt, pressuring the ball the entire game. It does not have to be fullcourt pressure, but extending the defense on the perimeter will keep Ronald Ramon, not a true point guard, from setting up the offense easily. Once Pitt is set up, they are tough to stop as Sam Young and Dejuan Blair still make up a top frontcourt duo. Zone pressure full court also might not be that effective as Pitt is still a veteran-based team and might even be a better finishing team now with Young, Blair, Gilbert Brown and Keith Benjamin running the floor. Each of their games seem to be stronger in the open court and that was definitely shown against South Florida. Villanova was able to slow the game and force Pitt to run a halfcourt game with heavy pressure on the ball, forcing 22 turnovers, most after Pitt broke the token full court pressure.

Seton Hall has been an interesting team to say the least. They have already played in four overtime contests, including at home against Monmouth, Robert Morris and James Madison. At times, the Pirates play down to their competition and find themselves in HUGE holes, only to use their full court frantic pace to pull themselves out. Luckily, they do play more consistent against the better teams, because that style is not likely to find success against Big East teams when trying to climb out of a big hole.

Seton Hall was very successful in nearly stealing a road win at Marquette this week by settling back into a zone defense and working to keep the score in the 50's against Marquette. To win on the road, you have to be willing to get your hands dirty and be able to grind it out in the half court. If they can do this and turn it into a posession by possession game in the last three minutes, the athletic ability and quickness of Eugene Harvey could give Pitt trouble on both ends of the floor. It might be a tougher task against Pitt as the Panthers will rebound the ball very strong and use their size against a smaller Pirate club, but that is probably the best strategy for Bobby Gonzalez to follow.

The other key for Seton Hall is to make shots, especially on the perimter. Jamar Nutter, who is the only Pirate likely to play that has experienced a Big East road win, is a hot and cold player. If he is hot from the perimeter it will give the Pirates a huge list. Freshman Jeremy Hazell is also very capable of letting them fly from deep, against Pitt, however, that is tough. Ask high scoring freshman wing players such as Dominique Jones and James Anderson, or even experienced shooters like Scottie Reynolds or Jon Scheyer how tough the Pitt perimeter defense can be.

If Seton Hall can put Pittsburgh into a halfcourt game and pressure the ball from there, they could turn this one into a similar contest as they did against Marquette. Pittsburgh is returning home after a couple road games, and they have to avoid looking past the pesky Pirates to a Big Monday date with Georgetown. This wounded Pitt team does seem to be playing with extra motivation as some players who were previously role players want to prove they are capable of succeeding in the Big East.

Seton Hall has not one a road game in the Big East since then-coch Louis Orr brought his team to the Peterson Events Center for the last regular season game of 2005. That win liekly clinched the Pirates a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Can they taste road success at Pitt again? Maybe...but, I would not count in it just yet.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Pittsburgh 74 Seton Hall 67

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: SETON HALL @ MARQUETTE

2008-01-07T23:47:00.000-05:00

January 8, 2008

Tom Crean was not a hapy basketball coach following his team's 79-64 loss on Sunday at West Virginia. The Marquette coach was upset with his player's effort, when a coach calls out his team's effort, you expect to see a big improvement in that area in their next game.

Seton Hall lost thier conference opener a week ago, 98-86, at home to Connecticut. Over the weekend, the Pirates picked up a non-conference victory over Morgan State, 89-81, ridig the hot hand of senior Jamar Nutter, who scored 29 points.

Both teams like to play fast and are very perimeter oriented. Marquette, of course, is led by the dynamic guard trio of Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Mathews. The trio plays both ends of the court, excelling offensively and defensively. They will put pressure on the defense all game long by attacking off the dribble. In two conference games, James has not committed a turnover while dishing out 11 assists to go with the 31 points he has scored.

The Marquette interior game is not one that is feared by too many teams. Ousmane Barro and Dwight Burke split time at center. They combined for 16 pts and 11 rebounds against Providence and nine points and 10 rebounds against WVU.

The forward position is manned by Lazar Hayward with veteran Dan Fitzgerald providing depth behind him. Hayward is one of the most improved players in the league and his 15 PPG in two conference games has shown how much more of a part of the offense he is this season. He was limited by foul trouble in Sunday's loss, playing just 17 minutes (scoring 13 points), and that was a key factor in their loss.

Sometimes Marquette even goes with a 4-guard look with David Cubillan or Maurice Acker on the floor as well. Their backcourt is strong and deep, but they are vulnerable in the paint and on the boards (they had just 5 rebounds in the 2nd half as a team against WVU).

Seton Hall is not likely a team to take advantage of the Marquette shortcomings. Seton Hall will have no interest in slowing the game down to play halfcourt because the Pirates want to be playing fast and furious. The pace could bother some teams, but I do not expect it to unnerve the Golden Eagles in any way.

Seton Hall will try to press often, but without their top defensive guard, Paul Gause, their press will lose a big part of its effectiveness. Once the press is broken, Seton Hall generally lacks a defensive stopper waiting at the basket. Augustine Okosun, Mike Davis and John Garcia form a three-headed monster at the center position with Garcia seeing most of the time. Garcia is a solid big man that knows his limitations, but the uptempo game might not be the best fit for him and he is definitely not the intimidating factor waiting for opponents at the rim. Okosun and Davis add more in the way of shot-blocking, but less in terms of defense, rebounding and offense.

Brian Laing and Eugene Harvey continue to lead the Pirates and they will be face a team that can match their quickness equally. They have help on the perimter with Jamar Nutter and Jeremy Hazell, both capable of scoring in a hurry from the arc, but Seton Hall is far from a strong team on the defensive end of the court.

Seton Hall is going to have their hands full at the Bradley Center facing a Marquette squad that will be playing with quite a chip on their shoulder after Sunday's effort, or lack thereof. Seton Hall plays a style that works really well for Marquette and should let the Golden Eagles score a lot of points.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Marquette 93 Seton Hall 73

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: UCONN @ SETON HALL

2008-01-03T09:14:00.001-05:00

January 3, 2007

An intriguing contest at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ as Connecticut makes the trek to battle Seton Hall. We should learn a lot about each team from this game as the local media beat writers are also anxiously waiting to gain new insight on each club:

Time to Turn it Up a Notch (New London Day)
Time to Turn it Up (Hartford Courant)
UConn Trying to Shed Travelling Blues (Connecticut Post)
UConn Men Hit Road for Big East Opener (Waterbury Rep-Am)
Seton Hall a Mystery (Star-Ledger)
Pirates' Davis Makes the Grade (Courier News)
Seton Hall-UConn Scouting Report (Courier News)

This will be a game to see how much better Connecticut is this year compared to last. A year ago, the UConn season came undone quickly once leage play started and they had to hit the road, an experience very new to their young squad. Thsi year, they have played a few games out of Connecticut and tuned up with a true road game against Central Florida last week.

Seton Hall prefers to play a frantic style of basketball that will try to force quick decisions upon their opponents. Last year, UConn made bad decisions throughout their conference games and once adversity set in, those decisions snowballed and the had some LONG offensive droughts.

This year, they are hoping that AJ Price has taken control of the ship as the point guard. Last year they appeared rudderless too often. Price is averaging 12.6 PPG and has an assist to turnover ratio of greater than three to one. He is showing to be much more effecient with the basketball and becoming the floor leader they lacked last season.

UConn has a decided height advantage and they do not lose any athletic ability with the enourmous frontline of Stanley Robinson (12 PPG, 6 rebounds), Jeff Adrien (13 pts and 9 rebounds/game) and Hasheem Thabeet (10.5 PPG, 8 rebounds and 3.5 blks a contest). On the wing, one of the best all around guards in the Big East, Jerome Dyson (15 PPG), is also a tough match-up.

The Huskies like to run, run and run some more. Jim Calhoun will plead his troops to push the ball at every opportunity, but they also must realize when it is not there to be patient and take advantage of the huge height disparity between the two teams and work that to their advantage.

Seton Hall is a team that is tough to figure. You know they are going to come out and fly all over the court. What they need more of is controlled chaos in their Big East contests as too often their game resembled chaos. When your playing Robert Morris or James Madison and needing to come back from a 20-pt defecit, that might work, but in the Big East, the opponents will take advantage of that situation.

The Pirates really struggle in the halfcourt game. That might not be too much of an issue tonight as the game is expected to be played at an exciting pace. The Pirates best offense is usually generated from their defense and they will try and pressure the UConn guards from tip to horn tonight. Their hope is that the Huskies are still not ready to manage the game to their strengths and they get caught up in the frantic pace of the action.

The biggest challenges for SHU will be converting offensively against the athletic and much taller Huskies. Eugene Harvey (17.4 PPG) likes to drive to the rim and 6'5Brian Laing (20.5) does most of his work in the vicinity of the paint playing as the Pirates power forward, those two will have a tough time scoring over Thabeet and Adrien. Harvey does a remarkable job of drawing fouls and getting to the line, but playing guards more closely resembling his strength and quickness in this contest could make that a more difficult chore.

After the big two, Seton Hall will have to find someone to be a consistent threat. Freshman Jeremy Hazell is a deep threat and Jamar Nutter has been through these games many times before. Paul Gause will generate his offense through his defensive prowess, but the new Pirate frontline is really going to be under the spotlight as John Garcia, Augustine Okosun and Mike Davis will face their biggst challenge of their careers.

I find this a very difficult match-up for the Pirates, and if UConn takes care of the ball, the Pirates will have a long night on their home court.

The oddsmakers still are a little worrisome of the Huskies recent road woes, making them a slight 2-pt favorite. I think SHU will make a spirited effort, but they will come up short and the Huskies will make it 21 of 23 against the Pirates in the series.

NBE Blogger Prediction: UConn 89 Seton Hall 77

2007-2008 BIG EAST PREVIEW: 11) SETON HALL

2007-10-06T04:02:00.000-04:00

October 6, 2007

SETON HALL PIRATE ESSENTIALS:

Official Website of the Seton Hall Pirates

Official 2007-2008 Seton Hall Roster & Bios

Meet Coach Bobby Gonzalez

The Prudential Center: The New Home of Seton Hall Men’s Basketball

2007-2008 Seton Hall Pirates Schedule

OVERVIEW:

Bobby Gonzalez enters his second season as head coach of the Seton Hall Pirates with some increasing expectations for his new program. After struggling with a very thin roster last season, the Pirates look to enter this season with a much deeper squad and a much better opportunity to compete with the better teams of the conference.

Bobby Gonzalez made his name as a very successful recruiter on Pete Gillen’s staffs at Xavier University, Providence College and the University of Virginia. An intense competitor and aggressive recruiter, Gonzalez possesses outstanding contacts and ties to the New York metropolitan area. He was assistant high school coach at Rice High School in the Bronx in 1992-93 and assistant at St. Nicholas of Tolentine from 1988-91.

Gonzalez, 43, came to Seton Hall after a seven-year tenure as the head coach at Manhattan College where he led the Jaspers to four 20-win seasons and two NCAA Tournaments in seven seasons. His record at Manhattan was 129-77 with his best season coming during the 2003-04 season, when he guided the Jaspers to a 25-6 overall record, 16-2 in the MAAC. Manhattan was a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament and defeated No. 5 seed Florida in the first round before losing a close game to No. 4 seed Wake Forest.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Gonzalez has already put those New York City recruiting contacts to good use as he rebuilds the Seton Hall roster. The Pirates were an NCAA team in 2005-2006 and coach Gonzalez is determined not to let the Pirates go too long without a return trip to the ‘Big Dance.’

THE 2006-2007 SEASON:

Following an appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2005-2006, the Seton Hall administration decided on a new direction for their men’s basketball program and parted ways with Louis Orr. With the support of many of the school’s boosters, the Pirates turned to Bobby Gonzalez to take the reigns of the program and make SHU a more viable destination for some of the areas top talent. Being located so close to the fertile recruiting grounds of New York City and the powerful prep programs of New Jersey, Seton Hall fans grew tired of the lack of success in recruiting, especially locally, of Louis Orr and his staff. Despite the success of an NCAA appearance, recruiting was disappointing and a change was made.

The Pirates fall from an NCAA Tournament team to a team missing the Big East Tournament in 2006-2007 was not unexpected. Coach Bobby Gonzalez inherited a program that was low in numbers and did not have any committed recruits in the spring he was hired. ‘Gonzo’ quickly changed that and added St. Benedict’s Prep standout Eugene Harvey, Chris the King star Larry Davis and Rice High School’s Kashief Pratt to help fill the roster. However, the team still had major holes upfront with the uncertain injury status of John Garcia and the transfers of David Palmer and Marcus Cousin. Losing Grant Billmeier early in the season due to injury depleted their front line even more.

An early season loss to Farleigh Dickinson illustrated how far the Pirates had to go and additional out of conference losses at the hands of Oral Roberts, BYU and Virginia Tech signaled a long season ahead in the Big East. The Pirates stumbled to a 4-12 conference mark, losing 10 of their last 11 Big East games. The Pirates showed some early life, beating Rutgers, St. John’s and Providence in their first five games, but as the schedule got a little stiffer, the Pirates’ lack of depth, size and talent was no match for the rest of the conference (seven of the 11 loses were by more than nine points).

Seton Hall did have a pair of impressive individual performers last season with Brian Laing and Eugene Harvey having big years. In conference play, the duo combined for nearly 50% of SHU’s scoring with Harvey, as a freshman, averaging 17.2 PPG and Laing adding 16.9 PPG. The Pirates never quit and Laing and Harvey continued to attack the basket until the very end. There was a lot of fight in the Pirates and this season they hope to have the depth and size to be more competitive for the entire 40 minutes in Big East action night in and night out.

THE BACKCOURT:

Led by Eugene Harvey, Seton Hall has a very promising backcourt whose best basketball is still ahead of them. As mentioned, Harvey was a dynamo in his freshman season, scoring over 17 PPG in conference play while adding 3.6 assists/game. Harvey also averaged 3.6 turnovers, but that was often the result of having to do too much with little to no help in the frontcourt. Harvey’s offensive production was definitely a surprise as he was not known as such coming out of the prep ranks. Harvey will likely have more of a chance to distribute and run the team this year with improved depth throughout the program. Harvey’s next step in establishing himself among the elite point guards is to show he can manage a team and make the players around him better and lead a winning team. He should take steps toward that this season.

Joining Harvey in the backcourt is senior Jamar Nutter, a streak shooting 2-guard. Nutter struggled last season, shooting under 33% from the floor and 31.7% from 3-pt range. He still managed to average 12.2 PPG in league action, but Nutter was a pleasant surprise in SHU’s run to the NCAA Tournament the year before, but last season he was more of an enigma. He will be pushed hard by returning guards Paul Gause and Larry Davis this season. Gause is the energizer bunny coming off the bench. Originally known as instant offense, the small, but tough, Gause has turned into one of the most disruptive defensive players in the conference, fitting perfectly into Bobby Gonzalez’s high-energy, chaotic system. Davis is a player that could take a major leap forward in his sophomore season. He does a little bit of everything quite well for a wing guard and he showed his potential for big performances a couple times last season.

At the wing the Pirates return all-league candidate Brian Laing who should find a comfort zone playing less inside and more on the perimeter. With the lack of bodies upfront, Laing was forced to play a power forward role in the line-up last season. Laing put up big numbers last season and will hope to see that production translate into more wins this season. A newcomer to keep an eye on is dead-eye shooter Jeremy Hazell. Originally headed to Oral Roberts, Hazell instead opted for a season of prep basketball at the Patterson School in North Carolina and turned an excellent season into a free ride to the Big East. You can never fully know what to expect from a shooter as a frosh, but Hazell will certainly push Nutter for the designated shooter role and if he finds his niche this year, he will be a valuable weapon. The backcourt and wing positions are pretty crowded, so getting consistent time to find his shooting rhythm could be his biggest challenge.

THE FRONTCOURT:

The biggest question mark with the Seton Hall program will still remain in the frontcourt, however at least Bobby Gonzalez has options this season with four new faces and one oft-injured returnee in the mix. John Garcia returns after missing his freshman year and most of his redshirt frosh season because of recurring problems with his knee. Garcia is a strong and fundamentally big man that knows what his strengths are and plays within himself. The Gonzo style of play may not be the most conducive for him to put up big numbers, but he will rebound and defend on one end and take advantage of the opportunities as they present themselves on the other end.

As for the newcomers, the much-traveled Mike Davis will finally make his Big East debut this season. The New York City product has taken a long road to the college game and the Pirates were more than happy to add him to their squad. There has never been a question on the court for Davis, it was if he could get everything in his life in order of the court to play in college. He will have to shake off some rust from a lack of big-time game action, but the 21 ½ year old freshman is already a man on the floor.

The Glover name has been around Big East basketball before as Anthony Glover was a productive player at St. John’s several seasons ago. Now, younger brother Michael comes to the Big East as a freshman forward for the Pirates. Glover is a high-effort, yet undersized, forward that will battle on the boards and never give up an inch. Players of his ilk are always overlooked, but end up being very productive. JUCO transfer Augustine Okosun is a 6’11, 240 lb center who played last season at Harcum College in Philadelphia. Okosun is a physical specimen who should be able to provide help on the boards and on defense this season. He is athletic enough to run the floor in Gonzalez’s fast past style, too. The final newcomer to the mix is freshman Brandon Walters, another New York city product. Walters is a player with some exciting potential as he has skills and athletic ability which make him a player to watch in the future. Look for the Pirates to bring him on a little slower as they will work to add strength to his frame. He is a definite player to watch in the future.

2007-2008 PREDICTION:

Looking at Seton Hall this year, I see a similarity to a successful Big East program of the last several years that they might be following a similar path to success: Pittsburgh. The Panthers began building their program with some tough and overlooked talent from NYC and New Jersey, players who might have been a bit undersized, but were at a maturity level that was beyond the typical freshmen they were playing against. They have the tough-willed point guard in Harvey, the long and athletic guard in Davis, the defensive dynamo in Paul Gause. They even have several freshmen entering college basketball over 21 (Hazell, Davis) and are not afraid to add some help via JUCO or prep school. Bobby Gonzalez has left no stone unturned in his quest to improve the talent at Seton Hall. This year is still going to be tough as the Pirates work to find their footing in this conference. The schedule is daunting, but watch out for this team by the second half of the season. I really wanted to place them a little higher, but they had a few more questions than some others and it is still tough to overlook last year’s 4-12 mark in the Big East.

BIG EAST PREDICTION: 7-11

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: SETON HALL

2007-08-30T08:53:00.000-04:00

August 30, 2007

TRANSFER ALERT: Robert Mitchell, 6'6 G/F (Duquesne University)

2008-2009 Projected Roster

Seniors: Paul Gause (G), Austin Okosun (C)
Juniors: Eugene Harvey (PG), Larry Davis (SG), John Garcia (C/F), Chukwuma 'Charles' Okwandu (C)
Sophomores: Michael Glover (F), Jeremy Hazell (G/F), Brandon Walters (BF/C), Chris Smith (G), Mike Davis (PF/C), Robert Mitchell (G/F)
Freshmen: Jordan Theodore (PG)

Not only is Seton Hall in the Running for Duquesne Transfer (NJ Star-Ledger), Robert Mitchell, but according to Adam Zagoria, it is a done deal with Mitchell to Seton Hall.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Robert "Stix" Mitchell, a 6'6, 185-pound sophomore G/F was the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year last season at Duquesne after averaging 16 PPG and 5 rebounds playing in Ron Everhart's 40-minutes of chaos system. Mitchell, originally from Brooklyn, has been a basketball vagabond of late, spending one season at Genesis One Christian in Mississippi and the 2005-2007 season at Notre Dame Prep, where he played for Bill Barton, now an assistant at Duquesne, before spending last year in the Steel City.

Mitchell will sit out the 2007-2008 season at Seton Hall and the plan is for him to step into the role that is filled currently by senior Brian Laing, the Pirates very productive small forward. With verbal commitments from Justin Theodore and Chukwuma 'Charles' Okwandu, Mitchell takes the last scholarship that is currently available. However, in his story on Mitchell transferring to Seton Hall, Zagoria mentions there is a chance the 7-2, 235-pound African big man Okwandu could need two more years at Harcum Junior (Pa.) College, meaning he might not join the team until 2009.

Mitchell had some difficulty at Duquesne, being suspended one game for violation of team rules and was criticized by Duquesne coach Ron Everhart for a lack of effort in practice and was dismissed from practice a number of times. After being informed his Leading Scorer Planned to Transfer (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), Everhart was not surprised

"[Leaving] wasn't really unexpected. It didn't take me by surprise. But in the big picture I'm more excited about our basketball team and the depth and talent we have than I am disappointed about anyone going."

With Mitchell now on-board, it is unclear if the Pirates will continue to recruit for the class of 2008. They have recently hosted Tyreke Evans, Kevin Jones and Patrick Jackson for unofficial visits in the last couple weeks, but Evans and Jones have always been extremely longshots and Jackson was targeted for a position that now goes to Mitchell. If Okwandu is not going to arrive until 2009, which makes that situation questionable, at best in my opinion, than adding another frontcourt player would probably be a wise move, preferably a freshman to balance the classes, but Bobby Gonzalez never leaves a stone unturned.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: SETON HALL

2007-07-11T15:33:00.000-04:00

July 11, 2007

VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Charles Okwandu, C (Harcum Junior College)

2008-2009 Projected Roster

Seniors: Paul Gause (G), Austin Okosun (C)
Juniors: Eugene Harvey (PG), Larry Davis (SG), John Garcia (C/F), Chukwuma 'Charles' Okwandu (C)
Sophomores: Michael Glover (F), Jeremy Hazell (G/F), Brandon Walters (BF/C), Chris Smith (G), Mike Davis (PF/C)
Freshmen: Jordan Theodore (PG)

This one comes out of the blue, Bobby Gonzalez, accoring to Game On! blog at MSG, has landed a BIG commitment for the Pirates as Chukwuma Okwandu Commits to Seton Hall. The 7'1 Nigerian is enrolled to play next season at Harcum Junior College in Philadelphia.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

A year and a half ago Chukwuma 'Charles' Okwandu signed to play at Arizona. However, he never became eligible and after attending Southern Idaho (JC), Okwandu is enrolled to play next season at Harcum Junior College in Philadelphia.

To learn more about Okwandu and his long effort to play major college basketball in America, see this Washington Post article from January of 2006: Opportunity Realized a World Away. The article takes a look at how some junior colleges have been working on bringing Nigerian-born players to the United States.

I am not exactly sure how much eligibility Okwandu will have at SHU, I plugged him into the class with Larry Davis, Eugene Harvey and John Garcia for now. I did not find him on a roster for the 2006-2007 season, so he might have been concentrating on academics last season.

This leaves the Pirates with one scholarship remaining for the 2008 class. Their main priority is to recruit a versatile wing player to complete the class. Target #1 is Mookie Jones of Peekskill (NY) High School. Jones is a high target of several Big East teams, including Syracuse, who seems to be the team to beat for his services. Other wing possibilities include BJ Montario from Waterbury (CT), Patrick Jackson from Xaverian (NYC) High School and David Imes of Boys & Girls (NYC) High School.

We will continue to track the pursuit of a wing player for Bobby Gonzalez and Seton hall.

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: SETON HALL

2007-06-27T16:35:00.000-04:00

June 27, 2007

VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Jordan Theodore, PG (Paterson Catholic)

2007-2008 Projected Roster

Seniors: Brian Laing (G/F), Jamar Nutter (G)
Juniors: Paul Gause (G), Austin Okosun (C)
Sophomores: Eugene Harvey (PG), Larry Davis (SG), John Garcia (C/F)
Freshmen: Michael Glover (F), Jeremy Hazell (G/F), Brandon Walters (BF/C), Chris Smith (G), Mike Davis (PF/C)
2008 Commitments: Jordan Theodore (PG)

Bobby Gonzalez continues to make Seton Hall relevent in the recruiting battles of NYC/NJ again with the verbal commitment today of Jordan Theodore. The Paterson Catholic PG chose the Pirates over Marquette, Gonzaga, Memphis, Maryland and many others. with the news of Theodore to Seton Hall (zagsblog), Bobby Gonzalez has his heir apparent to Eugene Harvey and can begin looking for a top-notch versatile forward with one of his two currently open scholarships for the 2008 class.

WHILE NBE BLOGGER IS ON VACATION...

2007-06-26T08:20:00.000-04:00

some bits to chew on above

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: SETON HALL

2007-05-16T14:52:00.000-04:00

May 16, 2007

COMMITMENT ALERT: Mike Davis, PF/C from NYC

2007-2008 Projected Roster

Seniors: Brian Laing (G/F), Jamar Nutter (G)
Juniors: Paul Gause (G), Austin Okosun (C)
Sophomores: Eugene Harvey (PG), Larry Davis (SG), John Garcia (C/F)
Freshmen: Michael Glover (F), Jeremy Hazell (G/F), Brandon Walters (BF/C), Chris Smith (G), Mike Davis (PF/C)

While many in the world of college basketball have been fixated on the recruiting battles for Jai Lucas and Patrick Patterson as the late signing period came to a close, the fans of the New Jersey Big East schools were closely following the back and forth battle waged by Seton Hall and Rutgers for Mike Davis. According to Jerry Carino's Hoops Haven blog, it looks as a winner was finally crowned as Davis is Headed to the Hall.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Bobby Gonzlazez, the tireless recruiter that he is, added a 6th member to his 2007 recruiting class by getting the long awaited commitment of Mike Davis, the 6'9 BF/C originally from NYC who has bounced around to four different schools since being expelled from Xaverian as a junior. Davis, who at one time looked like he could join the program sometime this January when he finally fulfilled his high school graduation requirements, finally becomes an official member of the SHU recruiting class after a late charge by Fred Hill and Rutgers that took this story right to the end. Davis is another 6'9 230 lb big man that has the ability to run the floor. The big lefty has solid post moves and offers a little more of a low-block game to Walters, so they could compliment each other well. Davis was a top-150 level recruit, but he has bounced around from class to class so much that he could give the Pirates a little more of a lift due to his advanced age than a normal top-150 big man prospect in his first season.

Davis joins Chris Smith, Brandon Walters, Austin Okosum, Michael Glover and Jeremy Hazell in the Pirate recruiting class. Smith committed to SHU a little over a week ago and is the younger brother of former Lakewood High School and St. Benedict’s Prep standout J.R. Smith, who plays for the NBA’s Denver Nuggets. Smith averaged a team-high 18.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.8 steals for the St. Ben's prep team last year (the Gray Beed field two teams). He can fill in at both guard spots and should be able to spell Eugene Harvey, whom Smith played with at St. Benedict's for a season, at the point next season. Walters was the 4th member of Bobby Gonzalez's 2007 recruiting class and also signed his letter of intent this spring. The NYC product from PSAL power Lincoln made his choice to be a Pirate last winter. Walters is a 6'9 BF/C with a solid skill set and enough athleticism to be a good shot-blocker and rebounder in the Big East. He is one of those players you feel has his best basketball ahead of him if he can consistently put forth the effort on the floor and the determination to improve in practice. At 6'9 and 220 lbs, he brings much needed size to the Pirate roster and he is athletic enough to fit in the style that coach Gonzalez wants to bring to the floor with SHU.

Seton Hall previously signed Okosum, Glover and Hazell last fall. Last summer Bobby Gonzalez gained a commitment for the class of 2007 when Nigerian JUCO prospect Austin Okosum committed to Bobby Gonzalez and the Pirates. As a freshmen, Okosum played at NAIA school Georgetown College in Kentucky. Georgetown College is usually a popular place for Division 1-A transfers. Okosum joined Michael Glover in the 2007 recruiting class. Glover is a native of NYC whose older brother played for St. John's in the Big East. Glover is a solid athlete that competes with a high intensity level. A little under-sized for a PF, Glover relishes that disadvantage to bang away inside and is playing for a talented American Christian Academy. The other member of the class is sharp-shooting Jeremy Hazell, regarded as one of the best shooters in the prep ranks this year. Playing for a loaded Patterson School, Hazell has prozen to be a very solid recruit with his play this fall. Also, sharp-shooting prep school wing Jeremy Hazell committed earlier in the process to Seton Hall. Hazell is regarded as one of the best deep threats in the perp ranks in the class of 2007 and will be a nice lift on the perimeter for Bobby Ganzalez's style of play.

Due to the transfer earlier this spring of Kashif Pratt, the Pirates do have another scholarship open, but they'd be wise to hold on and get moving on the talented 2008 local class. They will be looking for some scoring help in the class with the graduated of Brian Laing and Jamar Nutter and more size would be welcomed as well.

Check back often for SHU recruiting news and notes!

SETON HALL 2007-2008 SNAPSHOT

2007-05-07T15:09:00.000-04:00

May 7, 2007

Head Coach: Bobby Gonzalez
2006-2007 Record: 13-16 (4-12 Big East)

Returning Players:
Brian Laing, Senior (Guard/Forward)
Jamar Nutter, Senior (Guard)
Paul Gause, Junior (Guard)
Eugene Harvey, Sophomore (Guard)
Larry Davis, Sophomore (Guard)
John Garcia, Sophomore (Center)

Incoming Players:
Chris Smith (Guard)
Austin Okosun (Center)
Brandon Walters (Big Forward)
Jeremy Hazell (Guard)
Michael Glover (Forward)

Graduated:
Carl Marshall
Grant Billmeier
Stan Gaines

Transferred Out:
Kashif Pratt

Open Items/Issues:
At the moment I typed this up, Mike davis was still an open item as Seton Hall continues to pursue the 6'9 Big Forward in hopes of shoring up their frontcourt for the 2007-2008 season. Davis is also being pursued by Rutgers and a decision should be coming within days, but that has been said for months now. The Pirates have two scholarships currently open after adding Chris Smith and Brandon Walters in the late signing period and parting ways with freshman guard Kashif Pratt and incoming verbal commitment Jamar Greene. For now, it looks like bobby Gonzalez will pursue Davis until the very end and hold any unused scholarships for a 2008 class that has some interesting local talent.

Summary:
In his first year in the Big East Bobby Gonzalez guided Seton Hall to a 4-12 record. The Pirates played with a high amount of energy, similar to their coach's sideline demeanor. He will add some new recruits that are all very agile and the added depth will help greatly in the style of play the Pirates will look to attack with.

In the college game, good guards will keep you in any game and the Pirates appear to have a good stable of guards. Sophomore Eugene Harvey returns to run the show and Larry Davis and Paul Gause are perfect in the high-octane game that Gonzalez likes to unleash on the opponent. There was some question as to whether Jamar Nutter would return for a 5th-year, but it looks like we can count him in for 2007-2008 giving the Pirates an experienced deep threat that will look to rebound from a tough season last year.

The interior game still remains the Pirates biggest question mark. Last year they had to use Brian Laing and even Larry Davis at the '4' position due to injuries to Grant Billmeier and Stan Gaines as well as the slow comebock of John Garcia from his knee injuries. Billmeier and Gaines have graduated leaving Garcia as the only returning frontcourt player. Laing will hopefully be able to play the wing position for the most part, but you can see why the Pirates are going to battle for Mike Davis until the bitter end. It is uncertain how much help Auston Okosun or Brandon Walters will be able to provide next season. Michael Glover will bring his lunch pail every day to work in the Big East, but he will be a bit undersized inside, but he will work extra hard to give the Pirates some depth.

Seton Hall will be better equiped to play the full court defense that Bobby Gonzalez prefers. Their guard corps is deeper and they add some additional skill with Jeremy Hazell and everyone else is a year older. Their inside game is still below par for the Big East, but their backcourt will keep things interesting. They should set their sights on qualifying for the Big East Tournament and an NIT bid, they should be in that group of teams a luck break or two from sneaking out a .500 conference record, but they are going to have to shoot very well to make up for their lack of interior strength (and numbers).

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: SETON HALL

2007-05-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

May 7, 2007

COMMITMENT ALERT: Chris Smith, (G) St. Benedict's Prep

2007-2008 Projected Roster

Seniors: Brian Laing (G/F), Jamar Nutter (G)
Juniors: Paul Gause (G), Austin Okosun (C)
Sophomores: Kashif Pratt (G), Eugene Harvey (PG), Larry Davis (SG), John Garcia (C/F)
Freshmen: Michael Glover (F), Jeremy Hazell (G/F), Brandon Walters (BF/C), Chris Smith (G)

There is One Coming, One Going on the recruiting front at Seton Hall as Jerry Carino reports in his Hoops Haven Blog that Chris Smith of St. Benedict's has committed to the Seton Hall Pirates and will sign a letter of intent this week. With the news of Smith coming to Seton Hall, it is also reported that JUCO Jamar Greene, who verbally committed to the Pirates last winter, will not be part of the 2007 recruiting class.

Read More...Click 'Read More' Below!!!

Bobby Gonzlazez, the tireless recruiter that he is, added a 5th member to his 2007 recruiting class by getting a verbal commitment from Chris Smith, a 6-foot-3 senior guard from St. Benedict’s Prep. Smith is the younger brother of former Lakewood High School and St. Benedict’s Prep standout J.R. Smith, who plays for the NBA’s Denver Nuggets. Smith averaged a team-high 18.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.8 steals for the St. Ben's prep team last year (the Gray Beed field two teams). He can fill in at both guard spots and shoudl be able to spell Eugene Harvey, whom Smith played with at St. Benedict's for a season, at the point next season.

Smith joins Brandon Walters, Austin Okosum, Michael Glover and Jeremy Hazell in the Pirate recruiting class. Walters was the 4th member of Bobby Gonzalez's 2007 recruiting class and signed his letter of intent this spring. The NYC product from PSAL power Lincoln made his choice to be a Pirate last winter. Walters is a 6'9 BF/C with a solid skill set and enough athleticism to be a good shot-blocker and rebounder in the Big East. He is one of those players you feel has his best basketball ahead of him if he can consistently put forth the effort on the floor and the determination to improve in practice. At 6'9 and 220 lbs, he brings much needed size to the Pirate roster and he is athletic enough to fit in the style that coach Gonzalez wants to bring to the floor with SHU.

Seton Hall previously signed Okosum, Glover and Hazell last fall. Last summer Bobby Gonzalez gained a commitment for the class of 2007 when Nigerian JUCO prospect Austin Okosum committed to Bobby Gonzalez and the Pirates. As a freshmen, Okosum played at NAIA school Georgetown College in Kentucky. Georgetown College is usually a popular place for Division 1-A transfers. Okosum joined Michael Glover in the 2007 recruiting class. Glover is a native of NYC whose older brother played for St. John's in the Big East. Glover is a solid athlete that competes with a high intensity level. A little under-sized for a PF, Glover relishes that disadvantage to bang away inside and is playing for a talented American Christian Academy. The other member of the class is sharp-shooting Jeremy Hazell, regarded as one of the best shooters in the prep ranks this year. Playing for a loaded Patterson School, Hazell has prozen to be a very solid recruit with his play this fall. Also, sharp-shooting prep school wing Jeremy Hazell committed earlier in the process to Seton Hall. Hazell is regarded as one of the best deep threats in the perp ranks in the class of 2007 and will be a nice lift on the perimeter for Bobby Ganzalez's style of play.

With the late additions of Walters and Smith, the Pirates are left with one scholarships for 2007 and they remain in the mix for Mike Davis, who at one time looked like he could join the program sometime this January when he finally fulfilled his high school graduation requirements. Davis is another 6'9 225 lb big man that has the ability to run the floor. The big lefty has solid post moves and offers a little more of a low-block game to Walters, so they could compliment each other well. However, once considered a lock for Seton Hall, it looks like Rutgers has made a strong move and might be expecting him to join the Scarlet Knights class in the near future.

Check back and we will keep you posted on the recruiting efforts of Bobby Gonzalez and his hard-working Pirate staff.

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Seton Hall @ Cincinnati

2007-02-28T09:31:00.000-05:00

February 28, 2007

On surface this game has little meaning as Cincinnati (1-13) hosts Seton Hall (4-10), howver for the Pirates, this game could mean their season. Seton Hall needs to win their last two conference games (Cincinnati and Louisville) and hope that Providence can beat St. John's for SHU to qualify for the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden next week. for a team that was in the NCAA Tournament last season, that is quite a drop, but they still have something to play for.

Here are the pregame stories and previews found on the internet:

UC's McGowan Exiting Proudly (Cincinnati Enquirer)
Gentry Plays With Bum Ankle (Cincinnati Post)
Seton Hall vs Cincinnati Preview (Star-Ledger)
Seton Hall-Cincinnati Scouting Report (Courier News)

Seton Hall snapped an 8-game Big East losing streak when they beat South Florida over the weekend. The Pirates were off to a surprising start at 3-2 in the Big East, but once the meat of their schedule got started, the losses piled up. The Pirates are very guard-oriented and are not one of the best shooting teams. They rely on pressuring the ball and pushing the tempo with their perimeter players attacking the basket and hoping that Jamar Nutter is on from the perimeter. In the Big East, not having much of a threat inside is a tough way to live.

Cincinnati continues to limp home down the stretch. The storie program is mired in its longest losing streak in more than 80 years. With only two seniors to honor tonight, it is unlikely that the senior night festivities will really bump up the emotional level as the fans bid farewell to Cedric McGowan and Ronald Allen, both have been here for just two seasons.

Cincinnati is a slight (-2) home favorite tonight and the Pirates have yet to win away from home in conference play. It is the law of averages, look for the Bearcats to put an inspired effort, if just for one night, and use their athletic ability to match-up with the Pirates and scratch out a win. It will be a tight game and I like this Pirate group. Both coaches will have their players playing hard, but th ehome team has just a little more lift tonight.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Cincinnati 67 Seton Hall 64

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Seton Hall @ West Virginia

2007-02-16T15:22:00.001-05:00

February 17, 2007

John Beilein will look take West Virginia to a 20-win season for the third year in a row as the Mountaineers look to earn a season sweep over the Seton Hall Pirates. The Pirates desperately look to break their six-game conference losing streak and their winless record on the road in Big East competition.

West Virginia still has plenty to play for as they are still very much in the hint for a 1st round bye in the Big East Tournament. The competition is crowdes for the bye as they currently trail Marquette and Louisville by a game and are tied with Syracuse and Notre Dame at 7-5. Their NCAA Tournament hopes also would get quite a significant set-back if they were to lose at home to the Pirates.

They played 14 days ago in New Jersey and the Mountaineers came away with an 81-70 victory as New Jersey native Da'Sean Butler scored 21 points in the WVU win. The Mountaineers will look to use their 1-3-1 zone defense and trap to confuse the young Pirates, in the first contest, it led to 18 turnovers by SHU. West Virginia does not match-up with too many teams size-wise, but SHU is one team where WVU actually might have a size advantage.

Seton Hall will look to push tempo and pressure the WVU ballhandlers. If they are unable to force turnovers, they will probably be made to pay by the WVU offense as they look to hit open three's and run backdoor cuts for easy baskets.

The Mountaineers have not been shooting the ball well of late. I have a feeling that streak ends on Saturday.

NBE Blogger Prediction: West Virginia 79 Seton Hall 65

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Seton Hall @ Connecticut

2007-02-14T09:52:00.000-05:00

February 14, 2007

Last year this was a match-up of a pair of NCAA Tournament teams. This year, it is likely that only one of the two will make the Big East Tournament. The Connecticut Huskies have won two conference games in a row to move to 4-6 in the Big East and one-game ahead of Seton Hall, 3-7 in the Big East, for the 12th and final Big East Tournament spot. Last year, UConn was a 42-pt winner at Seton Hall, but this Connecticut team has a lot of trouble scoring points.

Here are the pregame stories and previews found on the internet this snowy morning:

Calhoun Looks to Past for Answers (Danbury News Times)
Huskies Have Endured Hard Times, Hoping Experience Will Help Freshmen (Stamford Advocate)
SHU/UConn Scouting Report (Norwich Bulletin)
Win Can Relieve UConn (Norwich Bulletin)
Playing for the Now at UConn (Bristol Press)
Need for Points by Thabeet Heightened (Hartford Courant)
Freshmen Find their Footing (Hartford Courant)
Seton Hall at UConn (Courant)
Hall's Big East Spot on the Line (Newark Star-Ledger)
Calhoun Worried Huskies Lack Confidence (Connecticut Post)
Seton Hall-Connecticut Scouting Report (Courier News)

Connecticut enters the game as a 10.5-pt favorite, but they hold just a precarious one-game lead over Seton Hall in the race for the 12th and final Big East Tournament spot. Seton Hall has lost five consecutive Big East games, dropping them to 3-7 in the league and they are 0-5 on the road in conference play. Connecticut has won two in a row in the Big East, beating Rutgers (in OT) and Syracuse at home to move to 4-6 in league play and have beaten SHU 19 times in their last 21 meetings, including last year's 42-pt blowout.

Both teams play at a quick pace and there will be a lot of up and down action and, likely, a lot of trips to the foul line. Seton Hall will press all game to make up for their lack of size and depth in the frontcourt. This could take the young UConn guards out of their objective to feed the ball inside where Connecticut has a massive size advantage. The Huskies shoot poorly and if they take quick shots against the SHU pressure, they could play right into the hands of SHU.

Seton Hall is not a great shooting team, either. They do have the potential to get hot with Jamar Nutter and Paul Gause coming off the bench. Freshmen Larry Davis and Eugene Harvey will have plenty of motivation going up against the highly regarded classmates on the UConn side in Dougie Wiggins and Jerome Dyson, as wll as AJ Price. It will be an interesting sidebar to keep an eye on, especially if one side begins to press and try to do too much on their own.

In the end, I think UConn's size will win out as Jeff Adrien will dominate the glass and Hasheem Thabeet and Stanley Robinson will change too many shots inside for the Pirates. However, expect SHU to keep coming at them and make this game very close, especially the way UConn shoots foul shots.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Connecticut 68 Seton Hall 65

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Villanova @ Seton Hall

2007-02-09T15:08:00.000-05:00

February 10, 2007

Villanova, despite being just 4-5 in the conference, is looking strong in their bid for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats have very good numbers in the RPI ratings and, in our conference RPI ratings, they have played the toughest schedule to date in the Big East by a healthy margin. Now, they have to make sure they win the games they are supposed to win and that means getting the job done on the road when they make the short trip to the Meadowlands to face Seton Hall on Saturday.

The Pirates are sinking, losing four straight conference match-ups and their lack of depth is taking a major toll on their team. With Mani Messy recently leaving the club, they are down to just Stan Gaines and John Garcia as their lone big men with Grant Billmeier out for the remainder of the season. As it stands, they have Brian Laing usually playing a big forward position and they rotate four additional guards in and out of the line-up, but freshman Eugene Harvey and Laing rarely leave the floor.

Going small might cause match-up problems for many teams, but Villanova seems to be a team that can handle it. With Scottie Reynolds and Mike Nardi in the backcourt and Curtis Sumpter and Will Sheridan in the frontcourt, they can then mix and match with Dante Cunningham, Shane Clark, Bilal Benn, Dwayne Anderson and Reggie Redding to be a very versatile team. The Pirates will try to speed up the Wildcats and pressure their guards, but Villanova will likely turn around and use a series of traps and 3/4 court pressure right back at them to force turnovers with their length and athletic ability at the forward spots.

Villanova is too deep and can score in too many ways for Seton Hall in this one. The Pirates will likely hang with them because of their all out effort, but over the course of 40 minutes, they will have a few droughts where Villanova will just keep on plugging away and in the end, pull away.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Villanova 76 Seton Hall 68

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: West Virginia @ Seton Hall

2007-02-02T14:51:00.000-05:00

February 3, 2007

This is an interesting game. On the surface it looks like West Virginia all the way, but the Mountaineers need to guard against relaxing after getting the monkey off their back with their road win over Rutgers on Wednesday and keep from looking ahead to next week, where they return home to face Pittsburgh and UCLA. I am sure West Virginia is anxious to make a national statement, and having Pitt and UCLA at home gives them that chance, but they can't overlook Seton Hall in the meantime.

For the Pirates, they had an opportunity to take out some frustrations against Princeton on Monday night after Rutgers ran their Big East losing streak to three games last weekend. The Pirates are a small, perimeter orientated team that could match-up well with the Mountaineers. Seton Hall has the luxury of going small and not being at a huge mis-match, but how their young line-up deals with the intricate 1-3-1 zone defense of West Virginia will be very interesting.

For some reason the Meadowlands has been a difficult place for teams to find a comfort with their perimeter shot. Maybe it is the atmosphere of playing in front of less than 6,000 fans in an 18,000 seat Hockey stadium, but teams can certainly come out cold in Continental Airlines Arena. West Virginia relies on the match of the 3-pter more than any team in the conference. If they are going to launch 40 3-pters, chances are they will made 15 of them, forcing the opponent to shoot over 57% from 2-pt range to keep up. West Virginia rarely turns the ball over and looks to force turnovers with their trapping 1-3-1 zone, putting more pressure on the opposing offense to be as effecient as possible.

On paper, a match-up of Eugene Harvey, Jamar Nutter, Larry Davis, Brian Laing and Stan Gaines against Darris Nichols, Alex Ruoff, Frank Young, Joe Alexander and Rob Summers is not very one-sided for either side. Seton Hall will bring Paul Gause and John Garcia off the bench while WVU has Da'Sean Butler and Jamie Smalligan as their primary bench player...an edge to West Virginia.

I really think Seton Hall is going to go all out for this game and might catch West Virginia off guard early on. West Virginia will likely adjust and get back into the game, and, in the end, I think they have just a little more down the stretch to get a second road win in a row.

NBE Blogger Prediction: West Virginia 77 Seton Hall 75

BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Seton Hall @ Rutgers

2007-01-26T15:17:00.000-05:00

January 27, 2007

We will see what kind of bounce the Rutgers Scarlet Knights have after hitting rock-bottom Wednesday night when they were blown out by South Florida, 62-40. It was the same old formula for Rutgers as their poor shooting did them in.

Seton Hall showed they will not quit as they gave Marquette quite a run rallying from 20 pts down early in the 2nd half to cut the lead to six before running out of gas. The Pirates will play 94 feet and pressure Rutgers everywhere, and frankly, they are not a good match-up for the Scarlet Knights because you know Seton Hall is going to score points.

Being a rivalry game and knowing that Rutgers is looking like one of the worst conference teams in history, I think they will come out with a big effort against the Pirates. It has been a very disappointing season so far for the Scarlet Knights as there was some promise and excitement for the beginning of the Fred Hill era. However, their enemic offense continues to under-perform all expectations.

Seton Hall has been a pleasant surprise as Bobby Gonzalez has played right into the strength of his team with a perimeter orientated attack and style of play. The players have bought into it despite a lack of depth and they never quit. They have the makings of a very promising perimeter group with freshmen Eugene Harvey and Larry Davis, along with sophomore Paul Gause and junior Jamar Nutter, the Pirates will score points. The go undersized with Brian Laing playing the big forward spot and rotating John Garcia and Stan Gaines in the paint.

Seton Hall is the much better team right now. Rutgers will compete hard, but Seton Hall's backcourt should dominate their conterparts and come up with the win.

NBE Blogger Prediction: Seton Hall 74 Rutgers 68