SETON HALL ROLLED BY LOUISVILLE AS WILLARD FACES FORMER MENTOR

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."

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PATERSON CATHOLIC DUO LEADS SHU TO VICTORY

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.

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

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.

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SETON HALL SUFFERS KNOCKOUT PUNCH IN HOME LOSS

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...

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SETON HALL GIVES BOBBY GONZALEZ BIGGEST WIN YET

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.

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SHU IMPROVES TO 7-0 WITH ROUT OF UMASS

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.

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SETON HALL IMPROVES TP 6-0 WITH ROUT OF HARTFORD

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."

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PIRATES ROUT NJIT; MORE SHU NOTES

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...

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KEON LAWRENCE UPDATE AS INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING

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.

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SETON HALL'S LAWRENCE INVOLVED IN WRONG-WAY CRASH

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.

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SETON HALL FALLS TO LOUISVILLE IN BIG EAST ACTION

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.

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SETON HALL FALLS TO ST. JOHN'S IN QUEENS

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.

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UCONN CONTINUES MASTERY OVER SETON HALL

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.

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UCONN CONTINUES MASTERY OVER SETON HALL

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.

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SETON HALL WINS FIFTH STRAIGHT IN BIG EAST

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.

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SETON HALL SWEEPS RIVAL RUTGERS

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.

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SETON HALL SPEEDS TO WIN OVER ST. JOHN'S

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

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HAZELL POURS IN 35, SETON HALL BEATS RUTGERS

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.

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SETON HALL REMEBERS '89 TEAM, STUNS HOYAS

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.

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ROCK NOTES: PC OUTLASTS, OUTWITS PIRATES

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

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