Just if you were wondering why the heck I haven't posted in so long, the reason is that I've decided to take my talents to SB Nation's South Orange Juice blog. Like LeBron James did minus the media circus.
My author alias there is "JPGuerette" and you can find everything I've written at www.southorangejuice.com.
You can also follow me on Twitter (@JPGuerette) for more Seton Hall Pirate stuff.
Thank you,
Jason Guerette
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Pirates' Preliminary 2010-11 Big East Schedule Released
First of all, how do ya like the new layout? Comments on it are very much appreciated.
Now, on to the meat of the post:
While the big basketball-related event last Thursday was the NBA Draft (an event that 3 Pirates in particular will not be a part of, thankfully), also in the news was the Big East Conference releasing the preliminary conference schedule for the 2010-11 season. This included the locations where each school will play the others, but not the dates or times.
And here is the Pirates' preliminary Big East slate!
HOME: UConn, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Rutgers, St. John's, USF, Syracuse, Villanova
AWAY: Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, West Virginia
As you can see, the Pirates play Marquette and Syracuse twice in addition to in-state rival Rutgers.
The schedule looks similar to the schedule from 2 years ago, with the home dates with the Orange and Golden Eagles replacing home games with Pitt and West Virginia from that season.
Here's some early thoughts on the schedule:
The two 'Cuse games are huge.
Syracuse is the likely favorite to win the conference next season with the addition of a dynamite recruiting class (including 7-footer Fabricio Melo and scoring wing CJ Fair). ESPN rated it the best in the conference, and combined with Kris Joseph, Rick Jackson and a more mature Scoop Jardine and Brandon Triche, the Orange should be in the top 2 at the very least.
The fact that the Pirates get two cracks at them means two shots at a potential upset, one that will look very good on the resume, especially if the Pirates are able to storm the Carrier Dome. Regardless, both games will feature a hearty pro-Cuse cheering section (even at the Rock, as Pirate fans witnessed last year), and that will make both games heated and the atmosphere intense.
Oh, and by the way- the second-ranked recruiting class in the conference according to ESPN? Marquette. There you go.
The issue of 'Nova
Villanova has a LONG history with the Pirates, and most of the recent part of that history isn't stellar from Seton Hall's point of view. Still, with the Two Corey's (Fisher and Stokes) along with Mouphtaou Yarou, Maalik Wayns and McDonald's All-American Jayvaughn Pinkston coming in, 'Nova is also likely to remain in the top echelon of the conference.
The last time the Wildcats played the Pirates at the Rock, an undermanned Pirates team took them into overtime and nearly pulled out the win. But Scottie Reynolds dropped a then-Prudential Center high 40 points, essentially winning the game by himself.
Well, Reynolds is gone, along with Villanova's best wing defender Reggie Redding. That should make for a very exciting game, and since the Pirates are at home, this is another big chance at an upset.
Rutgers, Rutgers, Rutgers
The Pirates have beaten the arch-rival Scarlet Knights 5 out of the last 6 meetings, with the only Rutgers win in that span coming on a JR Inman buzzer-beater. Now, there is new blood in the rivalry, with new head coaches Mike Rice and Kevin Willard. Both games should be, as usual, hotly contested, and I for one am looking forward to it.
The Student vs The Master
When the Pirates travel to Louisville to face off against the Cardinals, it will be a big game for Coach Willard. He and his family are very close to Rick Pitino, and that game will be the first time that Willard will face off against his mentor. It's got a sort of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader vs Obi-Wan complex to it that I am already wanting to see. Couple that with the new KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, and you get a must-see game.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Bobby Gonzalez Breaks Silence
It was bound to happen sooner or later.
In an exclusive interview with the Star Ledger's Brendan Prunty, former Seton Hall head coach Bobby Gonzalez broke his silence about everything- his being fired, his regrets about his time at the Hall, and his team.
From a student perspective (the main focus of this blog), I supported Bobby Gonzalez because he was the head coach of my team. I think that many people tend to forget that the Seton Hall Men's Basketball team and all of the other sports teams at Seton Hall represent us as students. In fact, if I was to be a head coach, my passion for the game of basketball would probably lead me in the direction of Gonzo- fiery on the sideline, passionate and optimistic about the team. I'll admit that.
Many people (other fans, alumni) that I got to interact with didn't like Bobby. They felt that he was too fiery, too demonstrative, with too many technical fouls. But I didn't see it from their perspective, I saw it from mine. I hoped for success in terms of wins and losses because in the end that's what Gonzo's definition of success was. There were negative things that went on throughout his entire coaching tenure, but the team was always competitive on the court, enough so that the positives outweighed the negatives. I stuck with Bobby and the team. I even found myself defending him at times.
But that last week really rubbed me the wrong way. It didn't start with the NIT- it started with the first round of the Big East Tournament against Providence. In that game, the offense was cruising- everyone was playing well, and the Friars' non-defensive, up-tempo style was once again playing right into the Pirates' hands.
But that night ended with as bitter a win as you can possibly get. The team nearly blew a THIRTY point lead in 12 minutes. As I was witnessing it, I truly thought I was witnessing the worst collapse in Big East history. After the buzzer, sitting in the student section at the Garden, I was fuming, frustrated, and embarrassed. As the Friars started to come back, the rest of the crowd cheered them on, making me feel even smaller. It was a microcosm of the season to a point, but with the season, the team would not be as fortunate.
Then they lost to Notre Dame in the second round, a loss that was fitting given the way they played the night before, and one that was also embarrassing, as the Pirates never controlled the tempo, something that I expected them to at least do for some of the game. Then the NIT game happened, and Gonzo was gone.
It was crystal clear after that game that the positives of Gonzo no longer outweighed the negatives. All the wins in the world could not have saved Bobby from termination at that point. In the interview, Bobby called Catholic schools a little "hypocritical" in that they want you to win, but if something goes wrong, they want you out.
This is one of the things that Gonzo misses the mark on. As a catholic institution, Seton Hall wants to win in its biggest sport, but things can go wrong. They just cannot tarnish too much the IMAGE of the institution. Bobby's actions tarnished too much the IMAGE of the school. Sure, it was Pope who punched Darko Cohadarevich, but it reflects on Bobby. He could not have possibly survived that night, and he didn't.
All we can do now is wait for the lawsuit to begin about a week from now, on June 15th according to the Prunty article. Then we'll know who's right and who's wrong.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Melvyn Oliver to Leave Pirates, According to Sources
Big Mel is bouncing.That is the rumor (and until Seton Hall officially announces it, it is just a rumor- let me make that clear) of the day, according to the message board at PirateCrew.com and later addressed by Gonzo Ball.
The 6'11", 340-pound Oliver (or so he's listed) will depart from Seton Hall after just one season playing for the Blue and White, according to the above sources. Oliver, who is a Long Beach, CA native, played in 7 games last season (his Freshman season of eligibility), averaging 1.9 ppg and 1.9 rpg in 5.7 minutes per contest. He shot 45% from the field in that short amount of time.
When Oliver was signed 2 years ago (he sat out his first year at Seton Hall), it was a bit of a head-scratcher due to then-coach Bobby Gonzalez's affinity for playing an up-tempo style of basketball, a style that a man of Oliver's girth would theoretically struggle in. The coaching staff did not lie- he was extremely skilled for his size. But the expectation was that he would slim down in order to better fit the Pirates' style. He never did, and now he will move on, hopefully to a school that can better utilize his talents.
WHAT THIS (could) MEAN: Again, until Seton Hall confirms this in an official release, this is just a rumor.
If it is true, this leaves the Hall with a bit of a void at the center position, literally and figuratively. It means that the Pirates will really have to count on Herb Pope continuing to recover (he was released from the hospital and is "steadily improving each day," according to FoxSports.com's Jeff Goodman).
Plus- and this cannot be understated- this puts a lot of pressure on both Ferrakohn Hall and Patrik Auda to pick up the slack. With a starting front line (theoretically) of Pope and Robinson, Hall will back up Pope and Auda will do the same for Robinson. This is a tall task for the sophomore and freshman tandem.
Oliver potentially leaving also means his scholarship spot potentially opening up, meaning that Seton Hall would theoretically have 2 more spots open instead of the current 1; they could use this to get another big man (Hanner/McCrory, anyone?). So that may be good news.
But (and again, it's only a rumor at this time) it is disappointing that Oliver is choosing to leave rather than continue to work over the summer to slim down. He could have played some meaningful minutes in the coming season. Not to mention the easygoing Oliver was a fan-favorite in his short time at the Hall. A lot of Pirate fans may say "Good riddance," or something similar, but I think the Pirates will end up missing a body like Oliver's when Big East play starts.
GONZO BALL
On a much lighter note, I am pleased to announce that I am the newest contributor to Gonzo Ball- the unofficial Seton Hall Pirates blog. Here's a link to my profile, from which you can see the things I have contributed so far. Check it out!
Photo Credit: NJ.com
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Hall Signs Auda to NLI
UPDATE: According to Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com, Anali Okoloji, a 6'8" forward fro
m Brooklyn and Impact Academy (FL) has also signed with the Pirates. More to come.
Kevin Willard has his newest Pirate, and his name is Patrik Auda.
Seton Hall signed the 6'9" 235-pound Czech forward on Tuesday to a National Letter of Intent, according to Jerry Carino of the NJ Hoops Haven blog. He attends high school in the Canary Islands, which is why a lot of Seton Hall fans probably haven't heard his name until now (I certainly hadn't).
Auda (who definitely should have a nickname while at SHU. My suggestion is "The Czech Mark." Or "The Auda Convertable." That would work, too. I'm taking suggestions.) was a member of the All-Tournament team at the National Prep School Invitational tournament (which included 31 teams, by the way) back in February after he averaged a 17-9. Also on that team were Syracuse signee CJ Fair, Pitt commit JJ Moore, and Jamir Hanner, who gave a verbal to Seton Hall a few months back.
According to his coach, Rob Orellana, he is a lot like Arturas Karnishovas, the former Pirate forward, and has also been compared to Rutgers signee Gil Biruta in terms of skill set. A quote from Orellana, from Carino's article:
“He’s a driver, he’s a shooter, he’s a passer, an unselfish player,” Orellana said. “I was at UNLV many, many years ago and I used to watch Arturas Karnishovas play for Seton Hall. This is a very similar type of player. He hits threes, he puts it on the floor. He’s got toughness and he knows how to play. And he’s passionate about the game. We’ve been done for the last three weeks and today he came in and hit 1,500 jump shots.”
Auda's signing is a big one given the uncertain situation of Herb Pope. His size is not just a good thing, but a GREAT thing- a player of his size with this skill set is very rare (one source in Carino's article mentions him as a steal). ESPN.com classified him as a high-major prospect, who has a “sturdy...build, great energy and physicality and a well-developed lefty skill set from the perimeter." The report adds that he "shot the ball consistently to the 3-point line and was very productive attacking off the dribble from the perimeter, where he has a good handle and efficient economy of motion, taking big strides through the lane.”
On defense, ESPN.com says that he "is extremely physical and even a little mean inside the paint, banging defensively, diligently going to the glass and taking smaller defenders to the low post offensively." It added that "while he consistently made plays, his footwork was his most glaring weakness—he was called for numerous traveling violations throughout the weekend."
So he needs to work on his footwork and his athleticism, but other than that, it is a really solid get that not only helps the team in the short term, but reopens the European recruiting pipeline to SHU. The spring signing period ends on Wednesday, so expect an updated post in the coming days!
Photo Credit: cbacademy.org
m Brooklyn and Impact Academy (FL) has also signed with the Pirates. More to come.Kevin Willard has his newest Pirate, and his name is Patrik Auda.
Seton Hall signed the 6'9" 235-pound Czech forward on Tuesday to a National Letter of Intent, according to Jerry Carino of the NJ Hoops Haven blog. He attends high school in the Canary Islands, which is why a lot of Seton Hall fans probably haven't heard his name until now (I certainly hadn't).
Auda (who definitely should have a nickname while at SHU. My suggestion is "The Czech Mark." Or "The Auda Convertable." That would work, too. I'm taking suggestions.) was a member of the All-Tournament team at the National Prep School Invitational tournament (which included 31 teams, by the way) back in February after he averaged a 17-9. Also on that team were Syracuse signee CJ Fair, Pitt commit JJ Moore, and Jamir Hanner, who gave a verbal to Seton Hall a few months back.
According to his coach, Rob Orellana, he is a lot like Arturas Karnishovas, the former Pirate forward, and has also been compared to Rutgers signee Gil Biruta in terms of skill set. A quote from Orellana, from Carino's article:
“He’s a driver, he’s a shooter, he’s a passer, an unselfish player,” Orellana said. “I was at UNLV many, many years ago and I used to watch Arturas Karnishovas play for Seton Hall. This is a very similar type of player. He hits threes, he puts it on the floor. He’s got toughness and he knows how to play. And he’s passionate about the game. We’ve been done for the last three weeks and today he came in and hit 1,500 jump shots.”
Auda's signing is a big one given the uncertain situation of Herb Pope. His size is not just a good thing, but a GREAT thing- a player of his size with this skill set is very rare (one source in Carino's article mentions him as a steal). ESPN.com classified him as a high-major prospect, who has a “sturdy...build, great energy and physicality and a well-developed lefty skill set from the perimeter." The report adds that he "shot the ball consistently to the 3-point line and was very productive attacking off the dribble from the perimeter, where he has a good handle and efficient economy of motion, taking big strides through the lane.”
On defense, ESPN.com says that he "is extremely physical and even a little mean inside the paint, banging defensively, diligently going to the glass and taking smaller defenders to the low post offensively." It added that "while he consistently made plays, his footwork was his most glaring weakness—he was called for numerous traveling violations throughout the weekend."
So he needs to work on his footwork and his athleticism, but other than that, it is a really solid get that not only helps the team in the short term, but reopens the European recruiting pipeline to SHU. The spring signing period ends on Wednesday, so expect an updated post in the coming days!
Photo Credit: cbacademy.org
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Willard Announces Staff, Recruiting Deadline Coming Up Fast
Head Coach Kevin Willard has announced his staff for the upcoming basketball season.
Leading the way is new Associate Head Coach (1 step above Assistant H.C.) and former Pirate guard Shaheen Holloway. Holloway, who also worked under Willard at Iona, is expected to be the lead recruiter on the staff, also as he was at Iona.
WHAT THIS MEANS: At Iona, Holloway was excellent in recruiting kids from the Metro Area. While the talent level will be tougher to get, being a former Pirate will definitely help him sell the school to that talent. The fact that he is one of the greatest point guards in Seton Hall history (he owns the career record for assists and also ranks 3rd in steals and minutes played) will help him tremendously. It won't happen right away, but in a couple of years, I would expect to see a couple very good point guards come through South Orange.
Next up on t
he list is Chris Pompey, who comes over as an Assistant Coach from Marvin Menzies' New Mexico State staff. Pompey, who is a Pitt alum (although he played football, not basketball), has an excellent recruiting track record as well. At his second coaching gig at Hampton College, in about a month on the job, he helped bring in a top-50 class. After he went to New Mexico State in 2006-07, he helped to reel in a top-20 class in 2007, including current Pirate Herb Pope.
WHAT THIS MEANS: Pompey getting Herb Pope to come to New Mexico State of all places is a good sign. Another recruit from Pope's class that Pompey helped to recruit was Jahmar Young, who is from Baltimore and who finished 1st and 3rd in the WAC the past two years, respectively, in scoring. While Holloway will handle recruiting locally, Pompey figures to be the more regional/national recruiter for the Pirates. Although he never played basketball for Pitt, the fact that he comes from a Big East school should help him diagnose what talent to go after, and perhaps go after an even higher level, considering that he reeled Pope in all the way from Aliquippa, PA. An excellent hire for Coach Willard.
Also coming over from Willard's Iona staff is assistant coach Dan McHale. McHale spent 3 seasons under Willard at Iona, and prior to that he worked with Willard on Rick Pitino's staff at Louisville. In his 4 seasons there, his duties included film breakdown and game preparation.
WHAT THIS MEANS: McHale figures to be the "X's and O's" guy on the staff. He has experience working in game prep and video, so he will most likely bring those skills to the table at Seton Hall. He is fairly young (graduated Kentucky in 2001) and that might help him relate to players as he coaches.
Also sig
ning on are Stephen Sauers (Director of Basketball Operations), Grant Billmeier and Casey Stanley (Coordinators of Basketball Operations). Sauers returns after spending two years as an assistant coach to resume his role as Director of Basketball Operations at Seton Hall, a role he held for two years under former coach Bobby Gonzalez. That experience will help Sauers do a good job this time around.
Billmeier is a former Pirate center and fan favorite among fans of Seton Hall Basketball. This is his first administrative position, as he has spent the last few years playing professionally in Europe. His connection to the school is a good thing, breaking from the Gonzalez tradition and keeping the staff "in the family," so to speak. His hiring will make the boosters and long-time fans happy, something they never quite felt under Gonzo.
Stanley was promoted to video coordinator/graduate assistant at Iona last
season following a 4-year term as team manager, a la Colin Hampton last season for the Pirates.
WRAP-UP: This is a great staff. A GREAT staff. Two strong recruiters, one a former Pirate great with strong ties to the area, an X's and O's guy who is familiar with Coach Willard, a DoBO (Director of Basketball Operations) who has done the job before, and 2 CoBOs, one of which is also familiar with Coach Willard and another who is a well-liked former Pirate. With this staff, Coach Willard can definitely be successful at Seton Hall.
RECRUITING DEADLINE ONE WEEK AWAY
The end of the regular recruiting period is one week from today, and the staff has been hard at work recruiting talent for next season. A basketball team is allotted 13 scholarships, and so far Seton Hall has filled 9 of them (the current roster, plus Fuquan Edwin, who has already signed his letter of intent). That leaves 4 spots open for Coach Willard and his staff to fill in the next week. Here are some of the names being floated around:
-Cleveland Melvin: According to his own coach (and Zagsblog.com), Melvin is "extremely athletic, 6-8, runs the floor... He’s a slasher-type scorer, wing-forward type player. He’s very quick, agile, can put it on the deck and get to the rack. He’s a solid defender on the perimeter and extremely athletic." Melvin, who goes to Notre Dame Prep in Massachusetts, is a Baltimore native, and really enjoyed his visit to Seton Hall earlier this month. He would be a great get for Seton Hall. He is choosing among Seton Hall, Marshall, and Rutgers after de-committing from UConn.
-Anali Okoloji: He has already given a verbal commitment to Seton Hall, so this looks like as much of a sure-thing as any. Committing the day Willard was introduced as the next Pirate head coach, Okoloji is also listed at 6'8", but as you can see from this video, he's a smooth 6'8" who has a pretty nice-looking stroke. He averaged a fantastic 25-11-6 (pts-rebs-asts) in his only season at Impact Academy (FL). He is a New York native who attended Banneker High before going to Impact. He's another wing-type player who could really help the Pirates.
- Torgrim Sommerfeldt/Ozan Dilik: According to Zagsblog.com, the Pirates are involved with both of these guys, the former from Norway, the latter from Turkey. Sommerfeldt (a 6'6" shooting guard) and Dilik (a 6'4" point guard) have both visited the South Orange campus- Sommerfeldt back in April, Dilik with Melvin earlier this month, and both were impressed, according to sources. Sommerfeldt committed to Wake Forest last year, but never played for the Demon Deacons. He is expected to choose from Seton Hall, Rutgers, Farleigh Dickinson and Florida International. Dilik has great size for a point guard, and could help the Pirates in that department if he signs.
-Jamir Hanner/Eugene McCrory: These two Gonzo recruits still have verbal commitments to Seton Hall as well. Both of them are long power forward type players who would have thrived in Gonzo's system. No news on whether either of them will stay with the Pirates.
More news to come in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!
Photo Credits:
Holloway- cgi.cnnsi.com
Pompey: nmstatesports.com
McHale: collegechalktalk.com
Sauers: icgaels.com
Billmeier: pictopia.com
Leading the way is new Associate Head Coach (1 step above Assistant H.C.) and former Pirate guard Shaheen Holloway. Holloway, who also worked under Willard at Iona, is expected to be the lead recruiter on the staff, also as he was at Iona.
WHAT THIS MEANS: At Iona, Holloway was excellent in recruiting kids from the Metro Area. While the talent level will be tougher to get, being a former Pirate will definitely help him sell the school to that talent. The fact that he is one of the greatest point guards in Seton Hall history (he owns the career record for assists and also ranks 3rd in steals and minutes played) will help him tremendously. It won't happen right away, but in a couple of years, I would expect to see a couple very good point guards come through South Orange.
Next up on t
he list is Chris Pompey, who comes over as an Assistant Coach from Marvin Menzies' New Mexico State staff. Pompey, who is a Pitt alum (although he played football, not basketball), has an excellent recruiting track record as well. At his second coaching gig at Hampton College, in about a month on the job, he helped bring in a top-50 class. After he went to New Mexico State in 2006-07, he helped to reel in a top-20 class in 2007, including current Pirate Herb Pope.WHAT THIS MEANS: Pompey getting Herb Pope to come to New Mexico State of all places is a good sign. Another recruit from Pope's class that Pompey helped to recruit was Jahmar Young, who is from Baltimore and who finished 1st and 3rd in the WAC the past two years, respectively, in scoring. While Holloway will handle recruiting locally, Pompey figures to be the more regional/national recruiter for the Pirates. Although he never played basketball for Pitt, the fact that he comes from a Big East school should help him diagnose what talent to go after, and perhaps go after an even higher level, considering that he reeled Pope in all the way from Aliquippa, PA. An excellent hire for Coach Willard.
Also coming over from Willard's Iona staff is assistant coach Dan McHale. McHale spent 3 seasons under Willard at Iona, and prior to that he worked with Willard on Rick Pitino's staff at Louisville. In his 4 seasons there, his duties included film breakdown and game preparation.
WHAT THIS MEANS: McHale figures to be the "X's and O's" guy on the staff. He has experience working in game prep and video, so he will most likely bring those skills to the table at Seton Hall. He is fairly young (graduated Kentucky in 2001) and that might help him relate to players as he coaches.
Also sig
ning on are Stephen Sauers (Director of Basketball Operations), Grant Billmeier and Casey Stanley (Coordinators of Basketball Operations). Sauers returns after spending two years as an assistant coach to resume his role as Director of Basketball Operations at Seton Hall, a role he held for two years under former coach Bobby Gonzalez. That experience will help Sauers do a good job this time around.Billmeier is a former Pirate center and fan favorite among fans of Seton Hall Basketball. This is his first administrative position, as he has spent the last few years playing professionally in Europe. His connection to the school is a good thing, breaking from the Gonzalez tradition and keeping the staff "in the family," so to speak. His hiring will make the boosters and long-time fans happy, something they never quite felt under Gonzo.
Stanley was promoted to video coordinator/graduate assistant at Iona last
season following a 4-year term as team manager, a la Colin Hampton last season for the Pirates.WRAP-UP: This is a great staff. A GREAT staff. Two strong recruiters, one a former Pirate great with strong ties to the area, an X's and O's guy who is familiar with Coach Willard, a DoBO (Director of Basketball Operations) who has done the job before, and 2 CoBOs, one of which is also familiar with Coach Willard and another who is a well-liked former Pirate. With this staff, Coach Willard can definitely be successful at Seton Hall.
RECRUITING DEADLINE ONE WEEK AWAY
The end of the regular recruiting period is one week from today, and the staff has been hard at work recruiting talent for next season. A basketball team is allotted 13 scholarships, and so far Seton Hall has filled 9 of them (the current roster, plus Fuquan Edwin, who has already signed his letter of intent). That leaves 4 spots open for Coach Willard and his staff to fill in the next week. Here are some of the names being floated around:
-Cleveland Melvin: According to his own coach (and Zagsblog.com), Melvin is "extremely athletic, 6-8, runs the floor... He’s a slasher-type scorer, wing-forward type player. He’s very quick, agile, can put it on the deck and get to the rack. He’s a solid defender on the perimeter and extremely athletic." Melvin, who goes to Notre Dame Prep in Massachusetts, is a Baltimore native, and really enjoyed his visit to Seton Hall earlier this month. He would be a great get for Seton Hall. He is choosing among Seton Hall, Marshall, and Rutgers after de-committing from UConn.
-Anali Okoloji: He has already given a verbal commitment to Seton Hall, so this looks like as much of a sure-thing as any. Committing the day Willard was introduced as the next Pirate head coach, Okoloji is also listed at 6'8", but as you can see from this video, he's a smooth 6'8" who has a pretty nice-looking stroke. He averaged a fantastic 25-11-6 (pts-rebs-asts) in his only season at Impact Academy (FL). He is a New York native who attended Banneker High before going to Impact. He's another wing-type player who could really help the Pirates.
- Torgrim Sommerfeldt/Ozan Dilik: According to Zagsblog.com, the Pirates are involved with both of these guys, the former from Norway, the latter from Turkey. Sommerfeldt (a 6'6" shooting guard) and Dilik (a 6'4" point guard) have both visited the South Orange campus- Sommerfeldt back in April, Dilik with Melvin earlier this month, and both were impressed, according to sources. Sommerfeldt committed to Wake Forest last year, but never played for the Demon Deacons. He is expected to choose from Seton Hall, Rutgers, Farleigh Dickinson and Florida International. Dilik has great size for a point guard, and could help the Pirates in that department if he signs.
-Jamir Hanner/Eugene McCrory: These two Gonzo recruits still have verbal commitments to Seton Hall as well. Both of them are long power forward type players who would have thrived in Gonzo's system. No news on whether either of them will stay with the Pirates.
More news to come in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!
Photo Credits:
Holloway- cgi.cnnsi.com
Pompey: nmstatesports.com
McHale: collegechalktalk.com
Sauers: icgaels.com
Billmeier: pictopia.com
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Hazell, Robinson to Return to Hall
UPDATE: Herb Pope, who is still in the hospital, pulled his name out of the NBA Draft as well.
It isn't quite Christmas in May, but the Pirates just got a pretty nice Cinco de Mayo present!
According to FoxSports.com's Jeff Goodman, both Jeremy Hazell and Jeff Robinson will return to Seton Hall to play for Coach Kevin Willard for the 2010- 2011 basketball season.
Hazell, who is returning for his senior season, once again led the Pirates in scoring last season at 20.4 ppg. He experienced slight drops in most of his offensive numbers, including a 2.3 ppg drop, but this can be attributed to the fact that he played on a better team last season than in 2008-'09. He cut his turnovers down by about 1 per game, however, and also averaged better assist/game and assist/TO numbers in his junior season.
Robinso
n didn't become eligible until December due to his transferring from Memphis, but after he did, he was one of the most valuable Pirates down the stretch of the season. He averaged 12.2 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game, both totals good for second on the team. He had two double-doubles in the Pirates' last 5 games: a 23-12 performance in the Pirates' NIT Opening Round loss to Texas Tech (his finest game of the year) and a 16-14 on the road at in-state rival Rutgers.
Now that both appear to be returning to the Pirates, Coach Willard can now breathe what Tim LeCras, Sports Editor of the Seton Hall on-campus newspaper, The Setonian, called "a sigh of relief." Getting these two guys back is huge, because now Willard has some firepower to work with in Hazell's incredible scoring ability and Robinson's toughness and defense. Both of them will almost certainly reprise their roles on next year's team, in terms of their importance and effect they both have on the success of the Pirates.
That leaves Herb Pope as the only Pirate who declared for the NBA Draft who has yet to officially say that he is coming back. This decision, of course, is secondary to the medical situation of the Big East Conference's leading rebounder.
Pope has been in the hospital for about a week now after collapsing following a workout in the Varsity weight room last week. Rumor has it that it is a heart condition, and so that is why it is uncertain whether Pope will come back healthy. It stands to reason, however, that if he can and does indeed return to the Pirates, that Seton Hall will have the firepower to make another run at an NCAA Tournament bid.
Nevertheless, this Seton Hall student and broadcaster hopes that Pope will be ok. As a classmate of his, I have met him, and he is not a bad guy. He is a great guy, intense on the court while laid-back off the court, who has had some very unfortunate things happen to him in his life. I wish him well, and pray that he recovers from this like he has had to do so many times in his life.
In short, the Pirates got some great news, but they are still waiting on the biggest news.
FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT FOR THE BLUE AND WHITE!
(All photos courtesy of SHUPirates.com)
It isn't quite Christmas in May, but the Pirates just got a pretty nice Cinco de Mayo present!
According to FoxSports.com's Jeff Goodman, both Jeremy Hazell and Jeff Robinson will return to Seton Hall to play for Coach Kevin Willard for the 2010- 2011 basketball season.
Hazell, who is returning for his senior season, once again led the Pirates in scoring last season at 20.4 ppg. He experienced slight drops in most of his offensive numbers, including a 2.3 ppg drop, but this can be attributed to the fact that he played on a better team last season than in 2008-'09. He cut his turnovers down by about 1 per game, however, and also averaged better assist/game and assist/TO numbers in his junior season.
Robinso
n didn't become eligible until December due to his transferring from Memphis, but after he did, he was one of the most valuable Pirates down the stretch of the season. He averaged 12.2 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game, both totals good for second on the team. He had two double-doubles in the Pirates' last 5 games: a 23-12 performance in the Pirates' NIT Opening Round loss to Texas Tech (his finest game of the year) and a 16-14 on the road at in-state rival Rutgers.Now that both appear to be returning to the Pirates, Coach Willard can now breathe what Tim LeCras, Sports Editor of the Seton Hall on-campus newspaper, The Setonian, called "a sigh of relief." Getting these two guys back is huge, because now Willard has some firepower to work with in Hazell's incredible scoring ability and Robinson's toughness and defense. Both of them will almost certainly reprise their roles on next year's team, in terms of their importance and effect they both have on the success of the Pirates.
That leaves Herb Pope as the only Pirate who declared for the NBA Draft who has yet to officially say that he is coming back. This decision, of course, is secondary to the medical situation of the Big East Conference's leading rebounder.
Pope has been in the hospital for about a week now after collapsing following a workout in the Varsity weight room last week. Rumor has it that it is a heart condition, and so that is why it is uncertain whether Pope will come back healthy. It stands to reason, however, that if he can and does indeed return to the Pirates, that Seton Hall will have the firepower to make another run at an NCAA Tournament bid.
Nevertheless, this Seton Hall student and broadcaster hopes that Pope will be ok. As a classmate of his, I have met him, and he is not a bad guy. He is a great guy, intense on the court while laid-back off the court, who has had some very unfortunate things happen to him in his life. I wish him well, and pray that he recovers from this like he has had to do so many times in his life.
In short, the Pirates got some great news, but they are still waiting on the biggest news.
FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT FOR THE BLUE AND WHITE!
(All photos courtesy of SHUPirates.com)
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