Seton Hall Basketball- a Student's Perspective

I've Moved!

2010-12-01T16:30:00.004-05:00

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

Pirates' Preliminary 2010-11 Big East Schedule Released

2010-06-26T23:43:00.003-04:00

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.

Bobby Gonzalez Breaks Silence

2010-06-06T12:02:00.002-04:00

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.

Melvyn Oliver to Leave Pirates, According to Sources

2010-05-23T14:00:00.005-04:00

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

Hall Signs Auda to NLI

2010-05-18T21:36:00.004-04:00

UPDATE: According to Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com, Anali Okoloji, a 6'8" forward from 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

Willard Announces Staff, Recruiting Deadline Coming Up Fast

2010-05-12T15:32:00.011-04:00

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 the 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 signing 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

Hazell, Robinson to Return to Hall

2010-05-06T00:49:00.009-04:00

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.

Robinson 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)

Gone-zo Sues The Hall

2010-04-09T22:18:00.003-04:00

When you take away a toy from a baby that they didn't want taken away, the baby generally gets upset. And perhaps even throws a tantrum.

Ladies and Gentlemen: meet Baby Bobby.

News broke on Friday that Gonzalez had decided to sue Seton Hall, the school from which he had just been fired. Yes, you read right.

Now there is some stuff about an outstanding loan that is involved in the suit, but since I'm no finance whiz, I'll stay away from that for now.

His argument against the school? He is due payment because he wasn't fired with cause. Understandable. His other argument? That he "satisfactorily performed his duties" at Seton Hall, and thus the school had no basis to fire him with cause.

Until you consider this: the University sent him a letter saying that he had been fired WITH CAUSE. It's dated March 19th, according to the Star Ledger.

That's right- they have WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION that Gonzo was fired WITH CAUSE.

Case closed. End of story. Period. Fin. Done.

This lawsuit is absolutely and unequivocally ridiculous. Anyone in any profession, when they are fired WITH CAUSE, they get NOTHING. ZILCH. ZIP. NADA. Except Gonzo doesn't think the rules apply to him.

Like how you're supposed to stay in the coaches box and not berate referees from the sideline constantly with every breath you take. And how you're supposed to recruit young men to play basketball, not young thugs to rob a house in town. And how you, as a public figure at a CATHOLIC INSTITUTION OF HIGHER LEARNING are supposed to conduct yourself with a certain DECORUM.

I do not believe "Embarrassing a fine, upstanding, Catholic University while subsequently alienating alumni, fans, and your own assistant coaches" was one of his "duties" that he says he performed "satisfactorily."

I don't care about the wins and losses. Gonzo wasn't fired for the wins and losses. He was fired because the off-the-court stuff, which had been tolerated for 4 years by the administration, finally outweighed the on-court achievements. And with Seton Hall having its best season under Gonzalez this past year, that takes some doing.

Gonzalez failed because never got what coaching was all about. Sure, wins and losses are important. But your task as a head coach isn't just about winning games- its about helping young men (and women) reach their dreams and their goals. Many head coaches are sort of like fathers and mothers to their players, building a family and close relationships with them while also building a successful program. The coaches who do this are generally very successful. Gonzalez may have had success on the court, but it was at the expense of the aforementioned things, not fueled by them. Doing it that way eventually comes back to bite you. And at the end of the season, the you-know-what hit the fan.

Gonzalez's lawyer said that Gonzo wanted an "amicable split" with Seton Hall. I think he doesn't realize that an amicable split doesn't involve a frivolous lawsuit. Just like he didn't realize that those rules applied to him. By filing this lawsuit, he's revealing more of his true colors, and all of them seem to be an ugly shade of green.

But the truth is, to Bobby, it's not about the money. It's about trying to slander the name of Seton Hall even more. That's his motivation. Think about it: if he wins, he may end up spending more in legal fees (he hired a pretty expensive, high end lawyer) than he wins in court. And if he loses, not only will he be out the legal fees anyway, he'll never get hired again. It can't possibly be about the money, because if it was, then Gonzo would not have filed the lawsuit in the first place.

This lawsuit is nothing more than this: a baby throwing a tantrum. When babies throw tantrums, sometimes there are weak parents involved, and sometimes there are strong parents involved. Seton Hall is no pair of weak parents.

And Baby Bobby isn't going to get his toy back.

Seton Hall Introduces Willard, Donovan to Begin New Era

2010-03-31T17:07:00.003-04:00

The future of Seton Hall Basketball is a bright one.

That was the feeling that I came away with at the press conference in Walsh Gym, and that is the feeling that everyone in attendance likely came away with Wednesday afternoon.

Both coaches impressed me mightily. Donovan asked the rhetorical question "Are ya' sick of UConn beating up on folks?" getting a cheer from the crowd. Willard made a comment about the 3 players that have declared for the NBA (Jeremy Hazell, Herb Pope and Jeff Robinson), saying wryly that "this is the first team that hasn't won a national championship that has 3 guys declaring for the NBA," earning some more chuckles.

But both of them exuded confidence and poise when they spoke to the crowd. And they both talked not about winning games, but about building programs, something that has to make every Pirate fan feel good about both hirings. Joe Quindlan, the Seton Hall Athletic Director, said that they both had a "love and respect for the game." Monsignor Robert Sheeran, Seton Hall's President, stated that Willard and Donovan "will move (Seton Hall's) great and historic tradition forward."

The cheers of the day came when Willard announced that not only will Shaheen Holloway be coming back, but former Pirates Grant Billmeier and Marcus Toney-El will also be coming back.

Willard seemed like a man with a plan, and Donovan was the same. Both truly want to be at Seton Hall. Willard in particular "gets it." I really think that he is the right guy for the job, and I commend both Patrick Hobbs and Monsignor Sheeran as well as Joe Quindlan for these moves.

I feel fantastic about the future of both the Men's and Women's basketball teams at Seton Hall. There was nothing about the press conference today that led me to think anything negative about both Willard and Donovan.

Onward Setonia! We are bound for Victory!!

Photo credit: NJ.com- Tim Farrell (The Star Ledger)

Kevin Willard Hired as Next Head Coach at Seton Hall

2010-03-28T16:34:00.004-04:00

The search is over.

Within two weeks of firing Bobby Gonzalez, Seton Hall has found their next head coach- Kevin Willard.

Willard's resume isn't loaded with accomplishments, but all of the items on it are impressive. The 34-year old (the youngest head coach in the history of Seton Hall Basketball) played in the Big East at Pittsburgh for his father, Ralph Willard (who is currently an associate head coach at Louisville and the former very successful head coach of Holy Cross). After college, he spent 10 years as an assistant under Rick Pitino, first in the NBA with the Boston Celtics, then with Louisville when Pitino took that job.

Willard then took the head coaching position at Iona College. After two consecutive 7th-place finishes in the MAAC, the Gaels were picked in the Preseason Coaches Poll to finish 9th out of 10 teams this season. Willard led them to a a 9-win turnaround and a 3rd place finish, holding second place in the conference for most of the season before a surge by Fairfield overtook them. Iona, which had a 2-28 record and a 10th-to-last RPI rating when Willard took over, was top-80 in RPI this past season, the biggest improvement of any program over that period. Willard's overall record at Iona was 47-49, including a .500 mark (27-27) in MAAC Conference Play.

This is an interesting hire by the Hall. Willard, who according to Jerry Carino at mycentraljersey.com was endorsed "heartily" by his former boss, Pitino, to Seton Hall Law School Dean Patrick Hobbs, is just 34 years old. He has a squeaky clean image and pedigree, plus a lower-key demeanor. He also has no postseason wins, but his record speaks to the fact that he is a rising star. Not only that, but two of his assistants are Shaheen Holloway, Seton Hall's all-time assist leader, and former SHU Director of Basketball Operations Steven Sauers. Holloway is his chief recruiter, and reportedly is a rising star himself.

I have a feeling that Pirate fans will embrace him, although it may take a while to adjust to the Big East Conference. After the disaster of a few weeks ago, with Gonzalez being fired and two former players being arrested, the school had to take a calculated risk. Seton Hall needed first and foremost to improve its image, and this hiring seems like a decent way to start.

The more I think about this, the more I like it. Seton Hall now has a coach with an excellent image and pedigree, with an assistant/recruiter with ties to the school in Holloway. This is a very good hire by the Seton Hall administration, and I really think that although Willard is young, it is a risk that was rightfully taken.

Kevin Willard- Welcome to the Hall!

Source articles:

http://blogs.mycentraljersey.com/hoopshaven/2010/03/28/all-shu-eyes-turn-to-willard-after-iowa-gets-mccaffery/

Photo credit: Nj.com (from NY Daily News)

State of the Pirates

2010-03-17T16:42:00.004-04:00

It all happened so fast, I don't think anyone really saw this situation coming.

In the span of one week, the Seton Hall Pirates went from being a NCAA Bubble team to being one giant mess of a program. It is March Madness, but not the good kind.

First, the team confidence was sucked dry following a near-choke job in the first round of the Big East Tournament against Providence. Then, Robert Mitchell made the comments that led to him being dismissed from the team on Selection Sunday. Then, Herb Pope was ejected after punching a player in the groin in a really bad loss in the first round of the NIT. And finally, reports surfaced that Mitchell had been arrested. Later, reports surfaced that his accomplice was a former Pirate, Kelly Whitney.

And of course, the news broke that Bobby Gonzalez was fired.

You really cannot say that you saw all of it coming. I know I can't.

Now, the search begins for a new coach, one who can repair the tarnished image of the university. Rumors have flown all around the internet- according to Zagsblog.com, Seton Hall has already reached out to Tom Pecora, the head coach of Hofstra. Another article on NJ.com said that Bob Hurley, the legendary coach of St. Anthony's High School in Jersey City, would "listen" if the Hall came calling.

There's a group on Facebook that is in favor of Bob Knight coming to Seton Hall. After the Pirates' loss to Texas Tech, Pat Knight said that St. John's, Seton Hall, etc... would be nuts not to give his dad a call. Knight said that his dad would be interested in a Big East job. Mike Rice of Robert Morris has also been mentioned, as has Kansas assistant Joe Dooley.

One thing is certain- whoever takes the job will have a whale of a time with the PR nightmare that is Pirate Basketball. People around the message boards seem to favor a coach with college experience over one without, which is understandable. Under that criterion, Pecora would be the favorite, being a head coach of a local program.

Recruiting connections to this area would be key as well. Seton Hall has struggled to recruit local talent in the past several years. Rice, Pecora, and certainly Hurley have loads of those.

Another must is for the new coach to be anti-Gonzalez (not literally, but surely you Pirate fans get what I mean). The new coach needs to be a class act, on and off the court.

Recently, an article on Zagsblog.com reported that Hurley would advise Seton Hall on their coaching decision, and not sign on as the next head coach. The article states that Hurley feels a responsibility to the school because both Seton Hall and St. Anthony's are part of the Archdiocese of Newark, and also because he has played this role with both Seton Hall and Rutgers in the past.

If you had to ask me for a choice, I would have picked Hurley himself, and here's why:

- You will not find a name that is much more respected when it comes to basketball in the state of New Jersey than Bob Hurley. With over 900 wins in his illustrious career, and multiple state and national championships included in that total, his track record is impeccable. His very presence demands respect. In fact, the only people who DON'T like Hurley are the coaches who oppose his St. Anthony squads year in and year out.

- Hurley's teams at St. Anthony's are never out-worked. They play adhesive defense from tip to buzzer, and use their defense to fuel their offense. Sound familiar? It's a style that the Pirates thrive in.

- Hurley's most recent national championship (2007-08) was accomplished with SEVEN Division-1 recruits (one of which was a junior, the rest seniors). This, to me, indicates what kind of coach he would be at the college level. He got a roster full of guys who secured scholarships to D-1 schools (including Mike Rosario and Tyshawn Taylor, as well as Travon Woodall), and got them to play HIS way, to compete hard for 32 minutes every night. I think that he could do the same with a roster of college kids.

- The article on NJ.com (under the Seton Hall Men's Basketball label if you want to check it out) made a good point- since Hurley is 62, what he might be able to do is get his sons, Bobby and/or Danny, to join him at the Hall. After a while, Danny could take over for his dad, a transition that mirrors what Texas Tech did with Bob and Pat Knight. While Bob could repair the image of the school, he could possibly find success while building a program that would continue under Danny. Building a program is the only way to get anywhere in college basketball, and hiring Hurley would be an excellent way to start.

- In terms of recruiting, the Hurley name is known throughout the state. Players come from miles around to play for Bob Hurley. You think players from around the area would come to play for Hurley at Seton Hall? You betcha!

Unfortunately, Hurley is 62 now, and such a decision isn't really his cup of tea. Pecora would be my second choice, based on his reputation as a class guy and his recruiting connections. Hurley, in the aforementioned article, said that Rice would also be a good candidate- someone who is just as intense as Gonzalez, but without the same mentality. If any of you have some more ideas, please feel free to comment below.

The new coach needs to be found quickly, before the April signing period ends, or this team will be in true rebuilding mode. A lost year is something that the program cannot have.

I will be waiting anxiously for the news in the coming weeks, along with the rest of Pirate Nation.

Here are the links to the articles referenced in this post:

http://www.zagsblog.com/2010/03/18/seton-hall-reaches-out-to-pecora/

http://www.nj.com/college-basketball/index.ssf/2010/03/st_anthony_coach_bob_hurley_sr_would_listen_if_seton_hall_came_calling_about_vacant_coaching_job.html

http://www.zagsblog.com/2010/03/20/hurley-will-advise-not-coach-seton-hall/

SHU's Season Ends in Horrid NIT Opening Round Loss

2010-03-16T23:52:00.004-04:00

UPDATE: This post was written in a moment of anger over the fans at the game calling for Gonzo's firing before it happened. I didn't think it was right to chant, so the things I wrote defending Gonzo were written out of anger at the fans. In retrospect, all the things that happened off the court contributed to my being "sick of the team," and when I look back, I was sick of the coach, too. I am glad Gonzo was fired.

-Jason the Pirate

Texas Tech 87; SHU- 69

Thank God it's over.

During the embarrassing performance in front of an equally embarrassing crowd at Prudential Center, I came to the realization that I was sick of this team.

Sick of the unfulfilled promise, sick of the missed layups and rebounds, sick of overpriced Rock food, and most importantly, sick of losing.

And when Herb Pope was ejected for a senseless cheap shot below the belt on Tech's Darko Cohadarevic, I knew that the Pirates were doomed.

The score was tied at 10 when the incident happened, and the blow by Pope triggered a 13-0 run from the Red Raiders to all but put the game away. It was a fitting death knell to the Pirates, who entered the season with so much promise, but could not deliver on that promise.

And it wasn't just the on-court things- first, it was Keon Lawrence's incident on the Garden State Parkway. Then, it was the lounging around in Cancun. Then, it was the dismissal of Robert Mitchell, and now the Pope incident. There were just too many issues to deal with at once.

Jeff Robinson tried his darndest to keep the spirits up with 23 points and 12 rebounds, while Jordan Theodore added 13, but in the end, Texas Tech got open looks galore due to lax (demoralized?) Pirate defense, and they made most of them. Once Pope was gone, the Pirates were devoid of an inside scoring threat, and the Red Raiders loaded up on the perimeter, something the Pirates just didn't have the firepower or the will to deal with at the tail end of a frustrating season.

In their final games in Seton Hall uniforms, Eugene Harvey finished with 12 points, 6 assists, 3 steals and just 2 turnovers, while John Garcia amassed 7 points and 10 rebounds (6 offensive). Both were taken out late in the game to standing ovations from the sparse crowd.

The Pirates shot just 35.4% from the field, including a paltry 5-26 from the 3-point line. Jeremy Hazell had problems all game long with his hand and back, not to mention the size of Mike Singletary, who was defending him.

I am honestly sick of this team right now, so I won't say much more than what I have said already.

Ok, maybe just one more thing: Some people were chanting "Fire Bobby" and "Robert Mitchell" during the game, and I will say this- these people are idiots.

Sure, fans are angry about a season that had so much promise that went so awry. But at the same time, the move is definitely NOT to take 3 steps back by changing coaches. Gonzalez is signed to a contract extension, and that means he won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Not only that, but like it or not, the NIT is progress.

The Pirates in their first 3 seasons under Gonzalez had storylines that went like this: Year one, he was expected to struggle in his first season in the Big East, and he did. Year two: some more struggles, along with a real problem with technical fouls. Year 3: The Pirates were woefully shorthanded, so anything they did in terms of the standings would be gravy. That was a tough year for everyone involved, but you could see the fight in the team. This year, the expectations were probably set a little too high (it set up the team to not meet the expectations), but even so, they made a postseason tournament, and that's something. They had a shot at the NCAA Tournament down the stretch of the season, and that's saying something.

My point is that there is a difference between a true fan and an idiot fan. The people chanting tonight were idiot fans. The true fans weren't chanting- included in them were students (myself and most of the students there) and almost all of the other fans in the building Tuesday night. Basically, real fans show class. Idiot fans do not, and they did not.

And here's my message to the idiots: If you don't like the team, the coach, whatever, then don't bother coming to the Rock to root for them. The real fans don't need your kind ruining the experience of being at a game supporting a team that they care about deeply.

This team as a whole seemed tired of playing about as much as this fan is tired of rooting tonight. It was a great season, with tons of ups and downs. This team made progress, and at the end of the day, that's what matters. Gonzo will have some time to lick his wounds, but after that, he'll be back at it. And I'll be right there next season, with batteries recharged, ready to root on the Pirates. For now, though, some rest and reflection are exactly what this team, and this fan base, needs.

SHU vs Texas Tech- A Preview

2010-03-16T14:49:00.004-04:00

Yeah, its sorta last minute, and being done while in religion class (haha), but here are my best thoughts on the game tonight! Let's break it down, shall we?

SHU Resume: 19-12, 10-10 Big East (overall record, including Tournament)

Scorer: Jeremy Hazell- 20.9 ppg
Windex Man: Herb Pope- 11.1 rpg (led Big East)
Dimer: Eugene Harvey- 4.6 apg

TTU Resume: 17-15, 4-12 Big 12 (again, overall record)

Scorer: Mike Singletary/John Roberson- 14.7 ppg
Windex Man: Singletary- 6.8 rpg
Dimer: Roberson- 5.6 apg

Here are the team stats (asterisks by the team with the better stat):

SHU

80.5 ppg*
75.1 papg* (points allowed per game)
38.7 rpg*
15.3 apg*
10.8 TO/gm*
7.5 stl/gm*
5.3 blk/gm*
.449 FG%*
.688 FT%
.339 3P%

Texas Tech

76.3 ppg
76.1 papg
35.9 rpg
14.1 apg
13.7 TO/gm
6.9 stl/gm
4.3 blk/gm
.439 FG%
.717 FT%*
.373 3P%*

By the numbers, Seton Hall has the edge in every category except for the free throw percentage and 3-point percentage. This is important- Texas Tech goes 7 deep with their regulars, each getting over 20 minutes per game. And 5 of those 7 shoot better than 70% from the line. Seton Hall cannot afford to get in foul trouble with Robert Mitchell now gone, and certainly cannot afford to send the Red Raiders to the line too many times based on the numbers.

The other thing the Pirates have to watch out for is the 3-point shooting. Texas Tech shoots a good percentage because they pick their spots and get open looks. Their point guard, Roberson (who will be coming up in a moment) led the team in attempts with 155, but no other Tech player had more than 85. That's 17 less than SHU's Jamel Jackson. So SHU doesn't need to hound the perimeter, but they cannot lose Pat Knight's squad and allow them to get open looks, because Tech boasts several players who have made over 40% from deep, despite the low amount of attempts.

Now that that's out of the way, here are the projected starters/matchups:

CENTER: Herb Pope vs Darko Cohadarevic

Pope finished the conference season strong, posting strong games against Rutgers and Providence (both times) coming into this game, averaging around 19 points and 14 rebounds in that stretch while increasing his season FT percentage to about .500. Cohadarevic is 6'9", 242 lbs, but the center from Serbia pulls down less than 5 rebounds a game for all that size. Meanwhile, Pope is one of the better rebounders in the country, and he's equally great on both glasses. EDGE- Seton Hall

POWER FORWARD: Jeff Robinson vs D'Walyn Roberts

Robinson may as well be known as "Garbage Man," since he cleans up all the mess on offense with his chiseled 6'5" frame. Robinson's offense depends almost exclusively on these rebounds and put-backs- he's not a very good perimeter shooter, and although his mid-range jumper has shown flashes, it hasn't been on lately. He'll go up against 6'7", 200 lb D'Walyn Roberts, who averages about the same amount of rebounds that Robinson does, although with less points. His percentages indicate that his game on offense is close to the basket, too, so this is an interesting matchup. I'm giving the edge to Robinson because of the fact that he has about 30 pounds on Roberts. And trust me, that's 30 pounds of raw muscle. EDGE: Seton Hall

SMALL FORWARD: Jeremy Hazell vs Mike Singletary

Here's the big matchup of the night. Texas Tech forward Singletary literally does it all, leading the Raiders in scoring and rebounding while coming in second in assists (2.3 per game) His percentages don't jump out at you (especially the sub-.300 3P%), but at 6'6", 217, Singletary has an inch and about 30 pounds on Hazell. Moreover, Hazell, who was among the tops in the nation in 3- pointers attempted, has not been shooting well from out there lately. If Hazell can get going from behind the arc like every Pirate fan knows he can, he could frustrate Singletary because Hazell would be taking Singletary's advantage (his size) away. If Hazell isn't hitting, though, it could be a loooong night for the Pirates' leading scorer. Honestly, Hazell really doesn't get into much of a 3-point slump ever. The problem? Don't look now, but he's in one. EDGE: Texas Tech, barely.

SHOOTING GUARD: Eugene Harvey vs Nick Okorie

This matchup could decide the game. While Hazell will likely find a way to cancel out whatever Singletary does, Okorie could make it null and void. He's a 41% 3-point shooter, and, like Harvey, a senior. Harvey has the quickness to get by basically anyone on offense, but Okorie's shooting ability means that Harvey will have to stay focused in a season where he's had a bit of trouble doing that. If Harvey allows Okorie too many open looks, Keon Lawrence will likely come in, and while that would bottle up Okorie, it would take a big offensive weapon off the floor for the Pirates. This is the matchup that could decide the game- 2 6-footish Seniors. Keep an eye out for this one. EDGE: Even.

POINT GUARD: Jordan Theodore vs John Roberson

Theodore showed off some of that improved jump shot against Providence late in the year, and his decision-making and defense have been positively superb. He leads the team with a fantastic 2.4-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, and plays adhesive defense against everyone he sees. Roberson is a 5'11" jackrabbit who is very quick and is really the only playmaker on the squad. If Theodore can bottle up Roberson (which I think he will), look out, because then Texas Tech will be forced to have someone else make a play. EDGE: Seton Hall.

Pick: Seton Hall. The Hall has been great at home this year, and there won't be many red-clad fans at the Rock. Despite the close seeding, expect Seton Hall to advance if they execute on offense, because we all know what happens when they don't...

Pirates Fall to Irish in Disappointing Loss at Garden

2010-03-11T00:49:00.002-05:00

ND- 68; SHU- 56

It really couldn't get any worse than it did Wednesday night for the Seton Hall Pirates.

Seton Hall raced out to an early lead against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, but once it evaporated, the Pirates started playing like they did down the stretch the night before. And it cost them the game, as well as a possible NCAA bid.

The Pirates really couldn't do much of anything right. I was so disgusted that I sat down for much of the second half. In the student section, where everyone else was standing. Sure, there was a possibility of a comeback, but nothing I saw indicated that this team had a chance of doing that. Here's what happened:

-They shot 2-16 as a team from 3-point distance, with one of those being a Jamel Jackson banker from straight away. Jeremy Hazell, the Hall's best sniper, went 1-9 from beyond the arc.

-Speaking of shooting struggles, the Pirates shot a whopping 35% from the field, while allowing the Irish to shoot over 50%.

-The leading scorer AND rebounder for Notre Dame? Luke Harangody (20 points, 10 rebounds in 24 minutes played). On a bad knee. Embarrassing.

-Herb Pope had 14 points and 9 rebounds, including an impressive 6-7 from the free throw line (the Pirates as a team shot 14-16 from the line), and Hazell finished with 15 points, but Jordan Theodore was MIA (1-9 FG, 5 points, 2 assists) as was the SHU bench (3 total points).

-If you need any evidence of how stagnant the SHU offense was, look to the grand total of 6 assists FOR THE GAME. That's how this team nearly lost yesterday, and how they DID lose today- the offense disintegrated into 1-on-1 plays, and that affected the defense, as well as the team confidence.

Next up is a probable NIT invitation, and honestly, I'm not surprised. The past couple of days, I did not see a team that deserved a shot either to go further in the Big East Tournament or in the NCAA tournament. The NIT is the tournament for those teams who have countless 'woulda-coulda-shouldas' that prevented them from making a possible NCAA run. That describes the Pirates perfectly.

Here we go again...

Saved By the Buzzer- Pirates Nearly Choke

2010-03-10T01:25:00.003-05:00

SHU- 109; PC- 106

Utterly shameful.

I don't care about the numbers- there were quite a lot of them. Actually, I do care about this one:

67

As in the number of points that Providence scored in the second half.

Here's another: 29

As in the SECOND HALF LEAD the Pirates almost blew.

And another: 12, as in the number of free throws missed by the Hall in the second half.

Sitting in the student section at Madison Square Garden, I sincerely thought I was watching the biggest choke job in Big East History. I'm sorry, but even though the final buzzer mercifully allowed the Pirates to survive to play Notre Dame on Wednesday, I can't see anything positive to take away from this game.

This team does not know how to play with a lead. They have not shown it at any point this season. It reared its ugly head on Tuesday night. What should have been a laugher nearly turned into a disaster.

And it falls on Bobby Gonzalez.

The Pirates just played this team on Saturday. In that game, the Friars fouled and fouled until the very end. They don't know the meaning of the word 'quit.' Why the HELL didn't Gonzo realize that? He took out the starters, most notably Jordan Theodore, with about 5 minutes to go. This was an asinine decision to make while facing a team that Gonzalez admitted "can score." It nearly cost Gonzalez and the Pirates their season.

This game was the most embarrassing win ever witnessed by yours truly. I truly felt embarrassed as a fan sitting there in the Garden after the game. Wins in the Big East Tournament should never be embarrassing to the winning team, and that performance didn't help the Pirates' NCAA Tournament hopes one bit. In fact, they miserably failed the so-called "Eye Test."

In short, a win is a win, but only when you can call it a win. I do not. I call this game a survival. Theoretically, that's all you want to do at this stage of the season.

But this team needs to regain my confidence in them against the Irish on Wednesday in Round 2. It doesn't really matter how big of a lead you have. The way to win is that you MUST PROTECT IT. Tuesday night showed that.

Pirates Handle PC, Earn 10 Seed, Rematch in Big East Tournament

2010-03-08T12:22:00.002-05:00

SHU- 92; PC- 80

On a Senior Night in Providence where the lack of energy was palpable, the Pirates took care of business. I went up to scenic Providence to broadcast this game for 89.5 FM WSOU, and the PC student section was behind me, except there were literally no more than 10 students there.

The crowds came, but apart from a fight in the stands late in the second half, this game was a bit of a snoozer in terms of competitiveness.

Seton Hall (which finished 18-11, 9-9 in conference play) led throughout, getting a fantastic performance from both Jordan Theodore (19 points, 5-8 FG, 8-8 FT, 8 assists, a career-high) and Herb Pope (13 points, 11 rebounds, 5 blocks). The Pirates had 6 players in double figures (Eugene Harvey- 12, Jeremy Hazell- 18, Robert Mitchell- 12, Jeff Robinson- 10), but the story of the game in my opinion was the play of John Garcia and Ferrakohn Hall.

Garcia and Hall, two players on completely opposite ends of their Pirate careers, played crucial roles on Saturday. Pope and Robinson both picked up early fouls, and Garcia and Hall had to come in and play some major minutes (by their standards) to pick up the slack. And boy, did they ever! Garcia looked like the John Garcia of old, moving around the court with the most ease I have seen from him this season. He ended up with 4 points and 5 rebounds in 15 minutes of playing time, the most he's had in 2 months. Hall had 2 points, 1 rebound, a block and a steal in 11 minutes of court time, showing off some of his athleticism. Both of these guys played crucial stop-gap roles in this game, and they should be recognized as such.

Now, back to the stats. Here's the one bad one of the night: 51-31 (if you take out the team rebounds, it ends up being 42-27, but that's beside the point). That would be the margin that Providence out-rebounded the Pirates on Saturday night. Bilal Dixon, a freshman from Jersey City (HOLLA!) had 10 offensive rebounds BY HIMSELF. The Friars had more offensive rebounds (28) than defensive rebounds (23). This can partly be attributed to the Pirates getting back on defense quickly, leaving the glass semi- unguarded, but to get out-rebounded by 20 is just ridiculous. The Pirates need to do a better job of cleaning the glass on Tuesday.

And heeeeeeerre's the Preview!!

Seton Hall vs. Providence- 3/9/10, 7 PM, Madison Square Garden

The Pirates, as a reward for beating the Friars on Saturday get to have a rematch at The Garden in the first round of the Big East Tournament. I will be there, in the SHU student section, cheering on my team. Here are some things from Saturday that probably won't happen on Tuesday:

- Jamine Peterson had 6 points, 5 blocked shots, and fouled out with 5 minutes to go in the game. He shot 2-8 from the field. This is a guy who finished 4th in the CONFERENCE in scoring and second in rebounding. He won't have a repeat performance on Tuesday. Indeed, it was his foul trouble that allowed Seton Hall to make a run in the first half; without Peterson on the floor, Providence looked very bad on offense. My guess is that he'll stay on the floor on Tuesday for more than just 26 ineffective minutes.

- The Pirates shot over 50 percent from the field. Games like that are rare, even if much of the buckets were easy ones in transition. I expect the Pirates to not shoot as good of a percentage on Tuesday, because games with over 50 percent shooting just don't happen twice in a row in the Big East, let alone against the same opponent.

- The Friars shot 39 percent from the field, and just 6-22 from 3 point range. Providence is a very good offensive team that could not hit any outside shots on Saturday. I would expect them to shoot a better percentage on Tuesday, partly because Peterson will be on the floor for more of the game. That will open up some better looks for the Friars, as they took some AWFUL shots with Peterson sidelined with foul trouble.

The Final Word: The Pirates can nullify all of the above with solid defense and rebounding. The Pirates played strong D on Saturday, and took Providence's game (up-tempo) and shoved it right back in their faces in the win. I expect both coaches to change up their schemes a little. For Seton Hall, I expect Bobby Gonzalez to maybe send another body to the offensive glass (3 instead of just 2 or 1). For Keno Davis and Providence, I expect them to get more people back on defense to nullify the Pirate's transition game, which was dominant on Saturday. All of this hinges, however, on Providence's ability to make shots, something that, if Saturday's game is any clue, hinges on Jamine Peterson staying on the floor for the Friars. It will be a hard-fought, physical game, as Saturday's contest was. I think the Pirates can take it if they play solid defense and finish it off by rebounding the basketball. It will also most likely be in the 80s-90s again, because both teams are in the top-5 in the Big East in scoring, which means there will be more posessions, more shots, and more rebounds up for grabs.

Prediction: SHU- 87; PC- 83

Pope, Pirates Storm Senior Night at The RAC

2010-03-05T00:14:00.005-05:00

SHU- 85; RU- 74

This one is sweet.

The crowd was rocking in support of Hamady N'diaye on his senior night, there was tension in the air from time to time, and Seton Hall still swept archrival Rutgers for the second straight year, winning for the 3rd straight year at the Louis Brown Athletic Center (what is known as the RAC, but what I like to call "The Trapezoid").

Herb Pope had a MONSTER game against N'diaye, as he was in attack mode from the opening tip. He ended up tying his career high with 22 points on 8-17 shooting (including 2-3 from deep and 4-4 [!] from the foul line) while adding 18 rebounds and 3 blocks. If there was a second Calabrese MVP, Pope would have won it in a landslide.

Jeff Robinson had about as quiet of a 16-14 you could possibly have, as not even I was aware of his numbers until I looked at a box score. Jeremy Hazell added 19 points on 6-18 shooting (including just 1-8 from deep, but 6-7 from the free throw line) for the Pirates, who won for the 5th time in 6 games vs. the Scarlet Knights.

Lost in the scrum was Keon Lawrence, who finished with 11 points overall. That would not be that impressive until you consider that it was on 3-5 shooting with a 3-pointer and a 4-4 performance from the foul line to boot. Keon has certainly had his problems on offense this year, but Thursday's game was the first time this season that he looked in rhythm, especially shooting the ball. The fact that it was in a hostile environment makes it even more impressive.

The Pirates once again held Rutgers to a sub-.400 performance from the field, with Jordan Theodore hassling Mike Rosario into a 4-16 shooting effort. N'diaye had 12 points, 5 rebounds and 5 blocks in his final home game, but it was not enough as the Hall had too many answers down the stretch.

Here are some subplots from the game, which I attended with a bunch of my fellow Seton Hall students:

The Fight (almost)

Jeff Robinson made contact with N'diaye (Robinson said that N'diaye tripped over his foot) and the Rutgers senior went down to the floor. After that N'diaye charged at Robinson, inciting a bit of hostility. From our nosebleed section at the RAC, the Seton Hall students and I had no idea what the call on the floor was (also probably due to the fact that the sound system, like everything else at the RAC, is from the 1970s). What was called was an intentional foul on Robinson (complete bull until I see a replay that says otherwise) and a technical foul on N'diaye (well-deserved). Keon Lawrence and N'diaye both made their free throws, so no harm done on the scoreboard. Just another moment in this great rivalry.

The Dunks

With the shot clock off and the game in hand, Jeremy Hazell and Robinson threw down some dunks at the end of the game. Now here's what I think: Hazell's was justified considering what Dane Miller tried to do at the end of the SHU-RU game earlier this season at the Prudential Center. Robinson's was a bit much, but J-Rob also missed a dunk earlier in the game, so he was going to dunk it anyway. It sure did end the game on a nice note for the Pirate fans!

The Student Sections

I have not seen a replay of the game yet (due to ESPN360 being down at this writing), but according to some people I talked to, their friends called them during the game and said that the ESPN guys caught the Boys in Blue on camera, but more importantly they HEARD the SHU students (of which I was one). This is impressive considering we were up in the nosebleed section of the RAC, where the only thing hotter than the passion in our cheers was the air around us, and also because we were only about 40 strong compared to about 10 times as many Rutgers students! If I hear anyone talking about the lack of students at games anymore, I will point to this game as evidence of their wrongness. Honestly, I thought we were pretty loud, but not THAT loud. We chanted all sorts of things at the Rutgers student section, and apparently they were able to hear us as well. Amazing what a bunch of college kids can do, eh?!

One last point- the RAC needs some freaking AC! Really, how can you not have AC in that place- all that cheering I did was tiring, and it didn't help that the heat up in that level of the place was borderline suffocating. Someone get on this!

FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT FOR THE BLUE AND WHITE!!!

OT? Oh No: Pirates Force OT, but Fall on Senior Day

2010-02-28T20:20:00.004-05:00

MU- 84; SHU- 83 (OT)

The players said it afterwards- this was one tough loss.

After once again rallying in regulation (thanks to some off shooting from Marquette and some remarkable- 65 percent- shooting from the Hall), with Eugene Harvey tying the game in the final minute with free throws, the Hall could not hold on once again, falling to the visiting Golden Eagles in overtime- the 4th time in 4 games that the Pirates have lost after forcing OT this season.

Before the game, John Garcia and Eugeny Harvey got standing ovations from the fans, a sign of class from the fans, and a well- deserved ovation.

Jeff Robinson played splendidly in this game, torching Marquette inside to the tune of 25 points on 11-15 shooting, a career high for the junior from Trenton. The Hall needed every point, as Jeremy Hazell's back locked up on him prior to tipoff, forcing him to come off the bench. He went scoreless in the first half, but adrenaline took over in the second half, or so it seemed. Hazell ended up with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, knocking down some big shots along the way.

Eugene Harvey flirted with a triple- double on his Senior Day, scoring 13 points while grabbing 7 rebounds and dishing out 9 assists with just a single turnover in 39 minutes, while Jordan Theodore shot 7-11 from the field (making 4-4 threes in the process), scoring 18 big points.

But when the OT started, David Cubillan hit a top of the key 3-pointer that was wide open, something that made me think immediately back to when West Virginia's Da'Sean Butler hit the exact same shot that Cubillan did back on December 26th. That shot deflated the building back at the start of Big East play, and this shot did the same.

But the Hall would not quit, as Jeremy Hazell nailed 3 of his 4 threes in the extra session, including a RIDICULOUS 4-point play that nearly brought the Pirates all the way back. That play brought the Hall to within 1, and after two free throws from Marquette made it a 3-point margin again, Hazell pulled up while surrounded by about 4 defenders about 25 feet from the basket, and nearly sent the game to double OT, but the ball went halfway down and bounced out off the glass. The crowd of 9475 groaned collectively as the Pirates let another one slip away.

This loss likely end the Hall's NCAA Tournament Chances for good. The Pirates now can hope for an NIT berth, as well as a strong finish to the season. With road games against Rutgers and Providence left on the schedule (I'll be attending the RU game and going up to broadcast the PC game), the players stressed the importance of finishing strong in postgame interviews in the locker room. And really, the Pirates know no other way to play- to fight, scrap and claw for seeding in the Big East Tournament.

Big First Half, Clutch Plays Key Pirates' Win Over Rutgers

2010-02-23T22:16:00.004-05:00

SHU- 76; RU- 70

In the battle of the alternate uniforms, the gray and blue defeated the black and red.

Thanks to some big plays from Jeremy Hazell and Eugene Harvey (who came back from a wrist injury after a 2-game absence), the Pirates topped their chief rivals, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, at The Rock on Tuesday.

The Pirates used a HUGE first half run to take a 28-10 lead about midway through the first half and never looked back. The run forced Rutgers to call 2 timeouts as Seton Hall put their entire offense on display- drives for layups, Hazell 3-balls, drives and kicks, curls off screens, everything the Pirates can do on offense was seen in that first half run.

On the defensive end, the Pirates were average- they played really solid man-to-man defense, but the field goal percentage for Rutgers (38.2 %) was lower than it should have been due to countless missed layups and put-backs by the Knights.

Jeremy Hazell earned the Calabrese MVP honors by scoring 25 points on 9-22 shooting (5-14 from deep), including several big shots when Rutgers was able to cut the lead to single digits in the second half. Herb Pope stuffed the stat sheet again with 6 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and a steal, while the SHU starting backcout (Harvey and Jordan Theodore) combined for 22 points on 9-14 shooting, with 6 rebounds, 10 assists against just 2 turnovers, and 3 steals. Heck, Harvey even made 2 3-pointers with a soft cast on his wrist!

But it was Harvey combining with Theodore and Jeff Robinson (10 points, 4 rebounds) for the play that put the Pirates over the top. With under 3 minutes to play and Seton Hall up just 4, Harvey hit a layup with the shot clock running down to give the Pirates a 6 point lead. Then, the senior point guard stole the ball from Rutgers' James Beatty and fed Theodore the ball. Theodore then fed Robinson for possibly the dunk of the year over RU 7-footer Hamady Ndiaye to stretch the lead to 8. Seriously, it was right in front of me, and I would love to possibly have it as a screen saver, because it simultaneously shut the Rutgers fans up and sent the Seton Hall fans into euphoria. I should know- I was one of the latter.

Seton Hall dominated the turnover battle, forcing 16 TOs while committing only 6. Mike Rosario led Rutgers with 17 points, but he shot just 7 of 20 from the field (2-10 from three) and committed 5 turnovers. Dane Miller also played well, amassing 16 points and 9 rebounds, but he also got bitten by the TO bug, coughing it up 6 times.

The end result is that Seton Hall keeps its slim NCAA hopes on life support for one more week, while besting the in-state rivals for a 3rd straight time. Next Thursday, they get another shot at Rutgers down in New Brunswick. Last year, I attended the game at the RAC, and joyously left the arena I call "the Trapezoid" chanting "WE OWN JERSEY" with some of my blue-and-white clad brethren. I will attend the game at RU again this year, and look forward to chanting again.

Of course, it won't mean anything unless the Pirates can best Marquette on Senior Day this coming Sunday in a game that has turned into a HUGE game for both teams.

FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT FOR THE BLUE AND WHITE!!!

Kings of Queens- Pirates Win at Carnesecca for First Time in Nearly 20 Years

2010-02-18T00:49:00.002-05:00

SHU- 59; SJU- 50

On a night where Eugene Harvey was unavailable due to a bone bruise in his wrist, the Pirates knew they would be shorthanded against St. John's

What they didn't know is that they also would be minus Jeremy Hazell to boot.

Hazell left the game after 12 minutes with a deep cut in the webbing between his middle and ring fingers on his shooting hand, yet the Pirates showed remarkable resiliency as Jeff Robinson and Robert Mitchell led Seton Hall to victory in Queens, a place where they had not won since March of 1990.

I called this game on 89.5 FM WSOU, and believe me, there were some highlight moments. But there was one sequence that perfectly demonstrated the way the game went.

With under 1 minute to play in the first half, St. John's Omari Lawrence missed a long jumper, Dele Coker got the offensive rebound, and missed the layup. In the scrum for the ensuing rebound, Herb Pope recovered it on his backside and passed it to Keon Lawrence, who outleted it to Jamel Jackson on the other side of halfcourt. Instead of pulling up for a 3, Jackson found Robinson with a no-look pass, and Robinson proceded to POSTERIZE the aforementioned Coker with a lefty slam dunk (Coker, by the way, is St. John's tallest player at 6'10", compared to Robinson at 6'5"). St. John's then came back with a chance to answer before the half, and Paris Horne missed a floater in the lane that looked to be halfway down as time expired in the half.

It was the understatement of the game- the Red Storm could not make a shot for their LIVES. They didn't even make a 3-pointer until the last 2 minutes of the game, content to shoot over a 2-3 Pirate zone, and never going to a consistent Plan B when the shots couldn't fall. Give Seton Hall credit for continuing to play that zone with great energy, and then getting scoring from several sources when Hazell went down.

Robinson led all scorers with 16 points, 9 rebounds, a couple thunderous 'Jam Master Jeff' dunks, and- most suprisingly- 2 threes, his first of the year. Mitchell added 15 points of his own off the bench, and did so with teriffic smart play. Herb Pope turned in another stat-stuffing line of 8 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Heck, Hazell even scored 10 points in his 12 minutes of playing time!

Sure, the Pirates' guards (Lawrence and Theodore) went a combined 3-19 from the field, but they also held that 2-3 zone together on defense. It was a zone that forced every St. John's player not named Sean Evans into missing a combined total of FORTY shots. And it was a defense that earned Seton Hall its first road win in the Big East this year, and first win on the road overall since late November.

Now, the Pirates head on the road to West Virginia with a 3-game win streak and some hard-earned confidence to go with it. This Pirate fan hopes they can get it, what would be their first 'for sure' quality win of the year.

FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT FOR THE BLUE AND WHITE!!!

Pirates Take Care of Business, Dispatch DePaul

2010-02-14T15:25:00.003-05:00

SHU- 79; DePaul- 71

Well, it wasn't the prettiest thing in the world, but it was effective.

The Pirates got it done on Valentine's Day, picking up their second straight win by methodically breaking down the DePaul Blue Demons in a game where it was hard to get emotional either way- excited or angry. In fact, the only thing that stood out from today apart from Melvyn Oliver getting court time was the HORRIBLE officiating from the likes of John Cahill, Sean Hull, and Brian O'Connell.

Jeremy Hazell had 18 points on 6-16 shooting, Jeff Robinson fought through foul trouble for most of the game to add 16 points and Herb Pope was all over the place with 8 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. The Pirates shot 49 percent from the field, and except for the very end of the game, they had about a 10 point lead throughout and cruised to a win, though the officiating nearly made a game of it.

The noontime start, the quality of the opponent, and the lack of any real challenge to Seton Hall's lead (the Pirates led throughout) made this game a bit of a snoozer for the fans. Bobby Gonzalez, apparently didn't get the memo, working the officials almost the whole time, and shouting several things from the sidelines that could be heard clear across the arena. Kudos to Gonzo for not taking the day off, so to speak, on "Bobbyhead" Day.

I think the bobbleheads didn't do him much justice- his skin color on the dolls is a bit too dark- but it was an interesting gimmick from the SHU Marketing Dept., and when was the last time we could say that?

Next up is St. John's at Carnesecca "Arena" in Queens. I'll be making the trip out there to broadcast the game on 89.5 FM WSOU, as the Pirates can (hopefully) stretch their win streak to 3 in a game that they really must get.

Hazell, Pirates get Back on Track, Beat Irish at The Rock

2010-02-11T22:09:00.002-05:00

SHU- 90; ND- 87

Whew! What a stretch of events! First, I embark off to Rutgers to broadcast a women's basketball game on 89.5 FM WSOU on Wednesday, come back to campus early Thursday morning, attend some classes, and then THIS game happens!

A game that I anticipated to be a shootout was indeed that, and when you have a weapon like Jeremy Hazell, you always have a good shot in that type of game.

In fact, the Pirates' offense was clicking like a well-oiled machine against Notre Dame, as Seton Hall finished with more assists (23) than rebounds (22). The Pirates as a team shot 55 percent (including a remarkable 12-19 from deep- more on that in a moment) and committed just 8 turnovers in their most efficient performance of the season, doubling as the most critical performance of the season. The Pirates needed a win tonight, and they went out and got one by finding open teammates and taking care of the ball on offense, while getting just enough defensive stops to come away with the win.

Jeremy Hazell, who couldn't score at all in their last loss at Pittsburgh, exploded for 35 points on an absurdly efficient 12-19 from the field, including 8-11 from downtown. He made tough shot after tough shot in the first half, and was clearly the best player on the floor tonight. He also finished with a team-high 4 steals on the defensive end.

Other Pirates who impressed were Eugene Harvey (who celebrated his return to the starting lineup with a 9-point, 10-assist performance, including 6-6 from the foul line), Jeff Robinson (14 points on 7-10 shooting with 4 rebounds before fouling out, a result of defending Luke Harangody for most of the game), and Keon Lawrence (who, despite shooting 3-10 from the field ended up with 6 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists, along with some stingy 'D').

Tory Jackson led Notre Dame with 25 points and 6 assists, but also committed 6 turnovers. Tim Abromaitis had 18 points for the Irish, including an automatic 12-12 from the foul line. He had a good look at the end, but missed it. Luke Harangody injured his knee on a rebound midway through the second half, and could not return. The nation's 3rd leading scorer finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds.

The Irish had two open looks at the end of the game to tie it, but Abromaitis missed, and then Carleton Scott missed one at the buzzer to seal the win for Seton Hall. The Pirates had a chance to possibly ice it with free throws, but Herb Pope and Lawrence missed the front ends of 1-and-1s, the one blemish on this game; the Pirates finished 12-17 from the line as a team compared to 23-27 for Notre Dame.

Another guy who deserves a ton of credit for this win is Bobby Gonzalez. The foul disparity in the second half was 9-2 in Notre Dame's favor (before the Irish had to foul intentionally late in the game), and there were many controversial calls that went against Seton Hall. But Gonzalez kept his cool on the sideline, and kept in the referees' ears without losing that demeanor. It should be noted that two of the refs on the game were Tim Higgins and Ed Hightower, guys who, shall we say, aren't generally liked by fans of college basketball. Bobby G's demeanor was a big reason, in my opinion, that the Pirates didn't wilt when the Irish made their late run.

It appears a bit of home cookin' was just what this team needed, and they'll have some more of it on Sunday when DePaul comes to town. Seton Hall has been great at home this year, and this win over Notre Dame only reinforces that fact.

FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT FOR THE BLUE AND WHITE!!!

Seton Hall Buries Tournament Chances in Horrendous Loss at Pitt

2010-02-06T20:25:00.002-05:00

Pitt- 83; SHU- 58

Embarrassing? Check.

Head-scratching? Check.

Dooming? Check, Check, and CHECK.

Seton Hall fans should be up in arms over this latest loss, which although it isn't their worst of the season in the sense that it was against a ranked opponent on the road. But it is when you consider that the Hall put forth by far its worst effort of the season.

There is no ifs, ands, or buts about this statement. With this loss, the Pirates' NCAA hopes are DEAD. DECEASED. LIFELESS. SHOT. BREATHLESS. BURIED. DONE FOR. EXPIRED. EXTINCT. NO MORE. NON-EXISTENT.

Did I mention DEAD?

The only Pirate that did his job today was Jamel Jackson. Jackson had 11 points off the bench, including 3 3-pointers, his first long-rangers since the Syracuse game in late December.

Seton Hall got destroyed in every category in the box score that you can think of. The most telling one, to me, is the fact that Pittsburgh had 20 assists on 31 field goals compared to Seton Hall's 9 assists on just 20 field goals. It was indicative of the whole game- Pitt played excellent, knocking down shots, finding open teammates, and controlling the boards. Seton Hall had no energy, no defense, no rebounding, and no scoring.

Let's talk about that last point for a second. When you talk about Seton Hall on offense, all roads lead to Hazell. Now Jeremy was benched for the last 4 minutes of the game for what Bobby Gonzalez called some reckless offense, going 1-on-5 and forcing shots late in that loss. Hazell didn't even start this game.

My question for Gonzo is: WHY?

Theoretically, the types of issues that Gonzalez and Hazell had can be worked out in practice and in conversation. Gonzalez said that he had a meeting with Hazell after the Villanova game. WHY WAS HAZELL STILL BENCHED?!?!?!

This is getting ridiculous. After the loss at UConn, Gonzalez then settled on a rotation: Hazell-Keon Lawrence-Jeff Robinson-Herb Pope-Jordan Theodore as starters, with Robert Mitchell-Eugene Harvey-John Garcia getting main minutes off the bench with a sprinkling of Jackson and Ferrakohn Hall.

Then the loss to South Florida came and went. Then the loss at Villanova came and went. And the roatation has been scrapped in the process.

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE ROTATION THAT BEAT LOUISVILLE AND PITTSBURGH AT HOME TWO WEEKS AGO?!?!?

Seriously. Lawrence was MIA in this game, Hazell was on the bench, and Melvyn Oliver got minutes. Gonzalez seemed to be grasping at straws with his bench again, going away from what worked. I mentioned in a previous post that Seton Hall needed to have a set roatation because when guys know their roles, they can then focus on being effective in those roles. For those two games, the roatation worked.

With the rotation now no more, there is confusion. And there is losing because of it.

Gonzalez said that he wasn't waving the white flag by benching Hazell in the 'Nova game. But after he did it, it sent a message to his team that he gave up on the game. You know what? That was confirmed on Saturday, as the Pirates had the same look and feel to them that they had at the end of the Villanova game.

Now the Pirates come home to face Notre Dame after a NCAA hopes-killing 0-3 road trip. The Pirates have only their pride and possibly an NIT berth to play for now. I sincerely hope that Gonzalez has enough sense to go back to his 'original' rotation again. I also sincerely hope that the Pirates care about themselves enough to play for their own pride.

For Pirates, It's Close, But Once Again, No Cigar at 'Nova

2010-02-02T22:26:00.006-05:00

VU- 81; SHU- 71

Ok, so the Pirates put a serious scare into yet another top- flight team in the best conference in the country on Tuesday night. And once again, that's all they did.

Jeremy Hazell nearly caused a power-outage at The Pavillion, Villanova's on-campus venue, lighting the Wildcats up for 32 points on an efficient 12-23 from the field (including 6-12 from long range). Like King Midas of the old legend, everything he touched, it seemed, turned to gold.

Unfortunately, while Hazell was making everything, the rest of the Pirates did a decent job of staying with the #2 Wildcats, tying the score at 62-62 with 9:41 to go in the second half. It's unfortunate because the Pirates couldn't keep it up.

New Jersey native Corey Stokes nailed a 3 before a TV timeout, and Villanova didn't look back from there. That snowballed into an 11-0 run (including a rather Hazellian 3- ball from Stokes) over the next 3 minutes, and eventually a 19-9 run to close the game.

That's not why this game rubbed me the wrong way. This is why: with about 4 minutes to go, Seton Hall was down 10. Crazier comebacks have happened (West Virginia game, anyone?). The Pirates can put up points in a hurry- I was worried, but not too much.

I looked up, and Hazell, the only reason the Pirates were still in the game, was ON THE BENCH.

"WHAT?!" I thought to myself. If you thought so too, please agree with me in the comment box.

At this writing, I do not know for sure what Bobby Gonzalez's reasoning behind the move was. But it cannot be a very good one.

YOU DON'T LEAVE YOUR LEADING SCORER, THE GUY THAT MAKES THE OFFENSE CLICK, ON THE BENCH WHEN THE GAME IS STILL U PFOR GRABS. YOU JUST DON'T.

If a message was trying to be sent, that is certainly not the time to send it. C'mon Bobby- you had a chance to come back and possibly get the biggest win in the history of Seton Hall's program. Why on earth would you send a message to your team that you're essentially quitting on them? With Hazell out of the game, it was like "waving the white flag," according to the ESPNU broadcasters. You could see it in the offense- after that point, the Pirates didn't have any sense of urgency.

When the coach gives up, the team gives up. It's that simple. If you don't have the belief in your team, your team won't have belief in itself. And that is what happened tonight.

Say what you will about the rebounding deficit (50-31 in favor of 'Nova), or the free-throw shooting (7-12 for SHU; 17-24 for VU), or the lack of help Hazell had on offense (no one else was in double figures; Jeff Robinson and Eugene Harvey each finished with 9 points). The reason the Hall lost this game is not because they could not finish- it's because they didn't feel like trying to finish. And that falls on Gonzo.

It's not even about making the NCAA Tournament anymore- it's about winning enough games to be in the running for ANY postseason berth. To do that, they must win at Pittsburgh on Saturday. And they must win all their remaining games (except maybe at West Virginia). And they must win a game or two (probably 2) in the Big East Tournament. No questions asked. I hope Coach Gonzalez has enough faith in his team to make the necessary run. Because, as we saw tonight, if he doesn't, this team will go nowhere.

Same Old, Same Old- Pirates Fall in Florida Despite Forcing OT

2010-01-28T22:56:00.002-05:00

USF- 76; SHU- 74 (OT)

It came back.

The 'it' in this case is the inability to finish, as Seton Hall suffers its worst loss of the year down in Tampa against the USF Bulls.

Make no mistake about it- this is a crushing loss for the Pirates' March Madness prospects, bigger than Temple, who since that win over the Hall has played very well. Ditto for the Virginia Tech loss, as the Hokies have a very good record on the season.

For the 3rd time this year, the Pirates forced overtime, thanks to some big play down the stretch from Robert Mitchell, who came alive in the late 2nd half, and Keon Lawrence, who did likewise. But as in the first two instances, the Pirates had all the momentum going their way (and on the ROAD, at that), and COULD NOT FINISH. They even got a nice and-1 play from Eugene Harvey to Robert Mitchell to start the overtime, but costly errors down the stretch- a turnover on a bad lead pass from Lawrence, a missed free throw that would have tied the game from Pope, and another turnover with only seconds to go as Mitchell dribbled the ball off his legs- lost this game for the Pirates in the end.

Jeremy Hazell bounced back with a 28 point effort after a foul-plagued 7 point effort against Pittsburgh, but did not score in the overtime period. Herb Pope had a monster game on the boards, finishing with 17 (5 offensive), but he scored only 4 points, shooting just 2-10 from the field. Lawrence had 10 points and 6 rebounds, but he also played sterling defense on Dominique Jones, making Jones (28 points) work for everything he got. Mitchell added 11 points, including a huge 3-ball late in the second half, while Jordan Theodore scored 10 points with 4 assists and 0 turnovers, but it was not enough.

And the main reason it wasn't was Mr. Jarrid Famous. The former Seton Hall recruit out of junior college scored 15 points and grabbed 14 boards, going 7-11 from the free throw line in helping the Bulls to their first back-to-back Big East wins ever.

Seton Hall regressed on defense, allowing the Bulls to shoot 44 percent from the field while forcing only 8 turnovers. The Pirates also grabbed a remarkable 17 offensive rebounds, but made only 11-19 from the free throw line, their worst percentage in quite some time.

Okay, now that we've got the particulars of the game out of the way, on to some juicy rhetorical questions. Here's the first:

WHY WAS JEFF ROBINSON NOT STARTING???

Or, better yet- WHY WAS JOHN GARCIA STARTING???

The Bulls' best low-post threat, Augustus Gilchrist, has been out for a few months and was still out for this game, meaning that true freshman Toarlyn Fitzpatrick, a big man who is more perimeter-oriented, started in his place. You know who the Pirates have who can play both down low and on the perimeter? JEFF ROBINSON. If Bobby Gonzalez was trying to keep Pope out of foul trouble by avoiding having him match up with Famous, it didn't really work because Garcia played only 14 minutes anyway and didn't do much of anything at all when he was on the court.

Since he didn't start, surely Robinson played some big minutes off the bench, right?

WHY DID HE ONLY PLAY 22 MINUTES???

The starting lineup of Lawrence-Theodore-Hazell-Pope-Robinson was coming off of 2 straight wins against quiality Big East competition. Why in hell did Gonzalez change that? It doesn't make much sense to me.

But what does make sense to me is that the Pirates NCAA Tournament hopes stand at slim-to-none after this loss. Here's their remaining schedule:

@Villanova
@Pitt
vs Notre Dame
vs DePaul
@St. John's
@West Virginia
vs Rutgers
vs Marquette
@Rutgers
@Providence

Here's the deal- they need to win every game but the road games against Villanova, West Virginia and Pittsburgh, no exceptions. For the other 3, they have to win at least one of them, and possibly two. After all that, they need to win a few games in the Big East Tournament- if they take two of the aforementioned road games, then 2 wins in the BET should give the Hall a decent shot. If they get only one, they need 2 or more; with 2, it looks extremely bubble-ish, so to speak, but with 3, they'll have the same shot as the first scenario, possibly even more of a shot based on opponent.

Let's just hope that too many Pirates don't jump overboard before the order is given to walk the plank. If the players believe they can do it, they have a shot at getting the chance to play in March. If they get down on themselves, they might as well find a plank to jump off of right now, because they have as much of a shot in that scenario as Melvyn Oliver does of losing 50 pounds by the end of the season- Exactly zero.

No Hazell, No Problem: Hall Gets Signature Win Over #9 Pittsburgh with Defense

2010-01-24T20:52:00.002-05:00

SHU- 64; Pitt- 61

A week ago, if I told you that Jeremy Hazell would finish with 9 points, and that Seton Hall would win the game, you would have called me insane.

Well, that's in the past now, ain't it?!

Hazell was indeed shut down today, but it was by the Zebras, not the Panthers. Hazell (and quite frankly, the entire team- more on that in a moment) was victimized by some of the worst officiating I have seen in my life. Every one of his 4 fouls, except the 2nd, was complete and utter you-know-what. The first was a ticky-tack foul. The second was probably more warranted than the first, but still ticky-tack. When Hazell was called for it, he threw up his hands, knowing he was banished to the bench for the rest of the half. Then he was T'd up for his 3rd. His 4th came just seconds into the second half when the man he was defending, Brad Wanamaker, tripped over his own man's leg with Hazell trailing.

And they STILL ended up with Bobby Gonzalez's best win ever at Seton Hall at the end of the day. It was vindictive to say the least. And they did it with defense.

Ashton Gibbs, the Panthers' leading scorer, led all scorers with 23 points, but only shot 4-15 from the field (he was an unreal 14-14 from the free throw line). Wanamaker, Pitt's second leading scorer, had just 9 points on 3-10 shooting. Pitt 6th man Gilbert Brown had just 7 points on 2-7 shooting. The Pirates guards- Jordan Theodore, Keon Lawrence, and even Eugene Harvey and Jamel Jackson- locked up Pitt's guards (the crux of their offense), and enabled the Pirates to step up as a team in spite of Hazell being on the bench for over half the game, and in spite of the officiating.

Herb Pope, who said before the game that it was the one game he circled on the schedule (playing against the school he originally committed to out of high school), led the Pirates with 19 points and 9 rebounds (8-12 FG and 3-4 FT, including some great dunks) while Jeff Robinson added 15 points and his usual physical defense.

But the unsung hero of the game was Harvey. The much-maligned senior guard came off the bench and had his best game of the season, scoring 9 points on 4-7 shooting, with 2 rebounds, 4 assists, a block and SIX steals. He really was awesome today compared to what he has done so far this season, and he deserves credit for finding his niche as a 6th man for this team- finally.

The Pirates held Pitt to 35.3 shooting in the game, and scored 26 points off 20 Panthers turnovers. It's a welcome change on D since the Georgetown loss- since that game, the Pirates have held their opponents to under 40% shooting in 3 of 4 halves against Louisville and Pitt (3 straight, in fact).

Now the Pirates head to Tampa for the start of a 3-game road trip on Thursday to play the USF Bulls. Last year, the Pirates beat the Bulls twice, and neither game was close. If the Pirates can win 2 of the 3 games (presumably, USF and either Pitt or Villanova), they'll have a very good shot of making the NCAA Tournament, the same shot I said a few weeks ago was gone.

If the Pirates keep on playing like they have against Louisville and Pitt, who knows what could happen?

Officiating Problems

Ok, the officials were just God-awful in this game. They made Tim Higgins look like Gene Steratore. They made awful calls in favor of both teams, but more of them for the Panthers (against the Pirates) and at one point, the crowd cheered a very loud sarcastic cheer after a few of those atrocious calls in a row- certainly the loudest sarcastic cheer I've ever heard. Bottom line is- in Big East games, the officiating has got to be worlds better than it was at the Rock today.

Seton Hall Holds On, Cages Cards in Big Win

2010-01-21T22:08:00.002-05:00

SHU- 80; L'Ville- 73

A few posts ago, I said that Seton Hall would not make the NCAA Tournament. My gut feeling agrees with that statement.

But if the Pirates keep on playing like they did Thursday night, the sky is truly the limit for this team.

The Hall put forth their best effort of the season, the rally towels given to the student sections worked to perfection, and the Pirates survived some late sloppy play to hold on and register their biggest win of the year over the sliding Cardinals.

Jeremy Hazell got Seton Hall of to its first truly FAST start of the season, scoring 15 points in the first half, including several shots that were very 'hazellian,' one of which was a falling- away 3- ball that just beat the shot clock buzzer. He was an absurdly efficient 9-12 from the field for 25 points. The Cards really bottled him up in the second half, but in a wierd twist to this game, Hazell forced only a single bad shot (an air-mailed 3 with 4 minutes to go), playing within the context of the offense for the first time ever (I think- haha).

The Hall also got man-sized performances from their ballhandlers- Jordan Theodore and Keon Lawrence. Theodore was on point from every angle- he committed just two turnovers in 32 minutes against the stingy Louisville press, he was a force on defense himself (3 steals), and really ran the offense well, ending up with 17 points, 2 offensive rebounds, and 4 assists.

Lawrence, meanwhile, rediscovered his jumper, making 4-8 from this field, including a 3-pointer and 2 very long jumpers that were about 1 inch from being two more triples. He turned the ball over 3 times in this game, but he also seemed to be generally in control in his 25 minutes of daylight. His 10 points represented the first time he had scored in double-figures since December 19th against Temple.

The Pirates' starting lineup all scored in double figures, with Herb Pope registering 10 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists despite a foul-out.

But HOW ABOUT JEFF ROBINSON?!

Robinson's line was not unlike others he's put up in Big East play this year- 12 points, 8 rebounds, 5-10 shooting. But what he did for the momentum of this team in the second half was just unreal. With under 6 minutes to go, 'Jam Master Jeff' put back a Lawrence miss over Samardo Samuels, which was followed by a "SEE ME, BIOTCH!" look from Robinson at Samuels that I saw perfectly from my front row seat in the student section.

Then a few possessions later, Robinson took a bounce pass from Theodore, and blew the roof off of the Rock with a THUNDEROUS jam that gave SHU a 13 point lead with 4 and a half minutes to go.

Of course, after that, Seton Hall nearly blew it as free throws just would not go in down the stretch (4-8 in the last 2 minutes), but they made enough plays to finish off the Cardinals, who shot just 36 percent in the second half and went just 7-27 from deep and 14-25 from the free throw line. The Pirates shot 52.7% from the field and 17-25 from the free throw line (their worst performance from the line in 2010 so far), but despite the woes at the line, they had excellent shot selection in the second half- they attempted just 2 3-pointers after halftime after a 5-10 showing in the first half. Because they valued their posessions that much, they were able to hold off the Cards. Perhaps it helped that Hazell was bottled up in the second stanza...

Anyway, this is Seton Hall's most impressive win of the year, not to mention the most exciting. There were 'Cage the Cardinals' t- shirts (I got one!) as well as white rally towels that made the game feel more exciting. There were also students in the second row of courtside seats opposite the Pirates' bench as the student section was extended, which I also think helped the general atmosphere at the Rock. Now, the Pirates move on to their big game on Sunday afternoon against 9th ranked Pittsburgh with a ton of momentum. If they play like they did tonight, there may just be hope yet for this Pirates squad for an NCAA berth.

Of course, they would also have to win.

FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT for the BLUE AND WHITE and the GLORY of SETON HALL!

Pirates Make Run, but Fall Short at Georgetown

2010-01-14T22:04:00.002-05:00

GU- 85; SHU- 73

Well, at least the Pirates had very little chance of winning this game, unlike their other losses.

The Pirates made an impressive run down in Washington, D.C. when they cut a 19- point Georgetown lead to 7 in the span of about 6 minutes in the second half, but ultimately, a mistake-prone first half and some atrocious defense led to yet another loss for Seton Hall in the Big East.

First off, the defense was abominable. Georgetown was allowed to shoot 69.8 percent from the field.

I'll let that set in for a while- the Pirates allowed their opponents to shoot 70% from the field. Sorry, but if you win a game in which you allow your opponents to shoot 70% from the field, you have to either a)ALSO shoot a sky- high percentage (55% or greater); b) be a team that consists of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Dwight Howard (the Olympic Gold Medal team, essentially); or c) hope and pray for a miracle, and then have it happen.

The Pirates shot 43 percent for the game, are NOT Olympic Gold Medalists, and did not pray hard enough.

Instead, they turned the ball over 9 times in the first half, and scored as many total points in said half (28) as they allowed the Hoyas IN THE PAINT in said half. We Pirate fans were in for a long night.

Jeremy Hazell struggled mightily to even get an open look in this game, and although he finished with decent shooting numbers, 8 of his 17 points came at the very end of the game when it was out of reach. But here's my Big Question of the game- with the margin stuck at around 10 points with about 4-5 minutes left in the game (or something like that), Jeremy Hazell, the team's best scorer who can heat up like a microwave TV dinner, was on the bench.

WHY DO YOU ALLOW HAZELL TO BE ON THE BENCH WHEN THE GAME IS NOT YET OUT OF REACH?

It really does not matter that he was having an off-night. It was not because he was getting open looks and missing them- he could barely get any open looks to begin with. Look at what he did in the closing minutes- he pulled up from 25 feet and NAILED two long- range 3- pointers. As he showed tonight, he can get hot with just one made jumper. Why in the world was he on the bench with the game still not decided?

What is clear to me is that this Pirates team is like the Golden State Warriors of the NBA- they have many interchangeable parts, but they don't quite fit together (yet?). I think that Coach Gonzalez needs to go to a starting 5 of- Jordan Theodore, Jeremy Hazell, Robert Mitchell, Herb Pope, and John Garcia. I would also have no problem starting Eugene Harvey over Theodore based on Harvey's experience even though I have blasted him in the past weeks. These Pirates need to know their roles so they can work on being as effective as they can in those roles.

The fact that the Pirates had two transfers come in 8 games ago has made this an even more crucial point. It has also made it harder for the team to adjust, and I understand that. But the Pirates should have been able to get one of these wins against these highly ranked teams, and because the roles are not yet known and finalized for many of the Pirates, they have not come through. Through the first 8 games, everyone knew their roles, and played them well, resulting in 8 wins. Since then, the Pirates are 2-6 and fighting for their lives in terms of postseason play.

Here are the guys whose roles ARE known:

- Hazell: go-to scorer/best long- range shooting option. In short, Hazell is option 1 for the offense.

- Pope: rebounder/ scoring option down low. Pope's role is to keep defenses honest by using his post moves to score down low, as well as to crash both boards with semi-reckless abandon, both of which he has done pretty well this year.

- Mitchell: glue guy. Mitchell does all of the little things- he is an underrated defender and rebounder, and is a jack-of-all- trades type of guy. He does not lead the Pirates in many categories statistically, but is reliable on both ends and an excellent free-throw shooter.

- Ferrakohn Hall: hustler. As a freshman, Hall does not have much experience playing against Big East caliber bigs. But what he lacks in know-how he makes up for in hustle and heart. Hall never ceases to play hard in whatever minutes he is given. He shows flashes of some versatility as well, and he is the type of athlete that thrives in an up-tempo system like Seton Hall's.

- Theodore: runner of the offense/ defender at the 1. Theodore comes off the bench and consistently makes an impact with his perimeter defense and his running of the offense. While Theodore worked on his jumper in the offseason, it isn't there yet, but in the coming years, he could take on more of a scorer's role from the point guard position. He looks like he's almost ready to take control of the offense, an offense he will be given the keys to next year when Harvey graduates. In short, he's right where he should be.

That's it. Everyone else's role is in various stages of flux. Harvey and Keon Lawrence don't know what to do, Jamel Jackson has been utterly useless, and Jeff Robinson and John Garcia just sort of do whatever with the minutes they are given. Garcia and Robinson are closest to knowing their roles out of those guys who don't yet know.

Seton Hall's season now depends on getting this problem ironed out. Bobby G. can spin it any way he wants- it won't hide the truth.

Pirates Use 25-2 Run to Take Control, Best Bearcats in Must-Win Game

2010-01-09T22:58:00.003-05:00

SHU- 83; Cincinnati- 76

Thank GOD for this game, and this win, which snapped the Pirates' 4-game losing streak.

But more importantly, thank God for that amazing first half run that snapped the Pirates out of their slumber!

Saturday afternoon at Prudential Center, the entire team was in a state of sleepwalking, falling behind 26-14 with 11:13 to go until halftime. The crowd did likewise, as they seemed too tired of booing this team to even care. After a timeout (the second of the game used by Bobby Gonzalez), there was some uneven play (missed shots on both ends) that resulted in 4 points for the Hall.

Then Jeremy Hazell woke the crowd up (and the team up at the same time) by stealing the ball from Cincinnati's Dion Dixon and finding Ferrakohn Hall for an alley-oop jam. Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin called a timeout of his own while the crowd awakened.

I doubt that Cronin could have foreseen what was coming next even if he had a crystal ball.

Seton Hall used some stingy defense like none that Pirate fans have seen all year to go on a 25-2 run that included EIGHT Cincy turnovers to take a 39-28 lead and a 39-30 lead into halftime.

I do not understate this one bit- the Pirates NEEDED that run, which included 13 unanswered, then 12 more unanswered after a Lance Stephenson layup. This run was unlike anything I've seen from the Pirates this season, and following such play that occurred in their losing streak, it's no wonder that it woke the lethargic crowd up as well as the team as a whole.

In the second half, the Pirates executed on offense, holding off the Bearcats down the stretch with some shots from Jeremy Hazell that only Jeremy Hazell can make, as well as some clutch free throw shooting.

Hazell finished with a game-high 33 points (10-22 FG, 5-10 3PM, 8-9 FT), including 9 points and 2 assists during what will be referred to on this blog from now on as 'The Run.' He also had 4 of SHU's 10 steals for the game. Herb Pope added 14 points (5-9 FG, 4-5 FT!) and 7 rebounds, providing some very physical play inside in his 35 minutes. Jordan Theodore also helped, providing 8 points and 3 assists with 2 steals, as well as his usual superb defense.

But perhaps the most impressive Pirate was Eugene Harvey. After I blasted him on Hall Line after the loss to UConn for his lackadaisical play, he responded with 7 points, 5 assists and ZERO turnovers in 25 minutes. Harvey was great today- even though he didn't crack double digits in scoring, his 5-0 AST/TO ratio was an indication of his good decision- making. I'd like to think that he was responding the comments I made on Hall Line, but he probably didn't (or DID he??? haha). Anyway, he was fantastic today compared to his play recently.

Lance Stephenson, the Brooklyn prodigy, and senior Deonta Vaughn combined for 35 points for Cincinnati, but committed 10 turnovers combined (against just 4 assists, all by Vaughn). Seton Hall won by dominating the turnover battle, 18 forced to just 7 committed.

But here's the stat of the game. It's not the 25-2 run, or the 18 forced turnovers. It's the FREE THROW SHOOTING. The Pirates made 21-24 free throws in this game, BY FAR their best effort from the line this season. In fact, their last 9 points were on free throws in the last 3 minutes (they shot 9-10, with Herb Pope sinking both ends of a 1-and-1 in the process!). The Pirates committed 3 turnovers with under 3 minutes remaining, making the game uncomfortably close, but converted at the line to win it. Wierd-but-true stat: The Pirates shot 205-329 (62.3%) in 2009, but are shooting 42-52 (80.7%) in the new year. Obviously, this team's New Year's resolution was to make free throws!

Hopefully, the Pirates can build on this win as they go on the road to play Georgetown on Thursday, who just beat UConn in a close game. It should be a close game, but the most important thing is that the Pirates will go down to DC with a win under their belts.

BEATING CINCY

On a side note, the New York Jets got their first playoff win in 5 years with a 24-14 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Not a good day for Cincy, eh?!

Seton Hall can't finish AGAIN, Pirates Fall at UConn

2010-01-07T14:29:00.002-05:00

UConn- 71; SHU- 63

Again? Really?

Here again was an opportunity to finish a game. The situation: SHU was up by 3 points with just over 6 minutes to go, having just quieted a raucous crowd with a Herb Pope put-back after a terrific acrobatic move from Jerome Dyson on the other end.

And once again, it all went to hell. In just a minute and a half.

After misses at the offensive end, the Pirates allowed 3- run outs that resulted in a layup for Dyson, and a layup and dunk for Gavin Edwards, forcing Seton Hall to use 2 timeouts, getting the crowd back in it, and costing the Pirates the game.

Once again, Seton Hall had a chance to pull off an upset, winning both the rebounding and turnover battles to keep themselves in the game, and building a LEAD on the ROAD against a tough team. But once again, the Pirates could not finish. This team had a real chance to win this game- while broadcasting the game for 89.5 FM WSOU, I felt it, and before the run by UConn, the entire arena seemed to feel it, too.

So much for that. The Pirates had numerous easy put-back chances inside in the closing minutes of the game, but could not convert any of them, as another game slipped through their fingers.

The only positive in this game is Jeff Robinson, whose 17 points and 9 rebounds, not to mention his tenacious defense, was the spark in this game for the Pirates, as Jeremy Hazell (guarded by the 6'9" Stanley Robinson the entire game) could not get it going, and no one else really stepping up.

Another positive was that Eugene Harvey did not start, the smartest move made by Bobby G all year. However, even coming off the bench, Harvey was invisible (7 minutes, 0 points, 1 assist, 3 TOs). The most telling stat, however (and the reason that Seton Hall lost) was the fast break points- 26-10 for the game in favor of UConn and 18-4 in the second half. Seton Hall's halfcourt D kept them in the game, while their transition D took them out of it.

People speak about this team needing to find an identity, and they do. But they absolutely need to win a game, a close game, before they can truly know. Because right now, their identity is a very talented team who can't finish. With 2 losses in a weak non-conference schedule, and no signature wins to speak of with only a couple of chances remaining on the schedule (@Villanova, @West Virginia, and possibly @Pittsburgh), their chances of making the NCAA Tournament are slim to none at this point unless they pull off a miracle run. Chances of that in the Big East? Also slim to none.

Hall Absorbs Bad Loss in Cancun, Falls Short in OT

2010-01-02T22:32:00.004-05:00

VT- 103; SHU- 94

It's official- the Pirates are not making the NCAA Tournament. There, I said it.

There is no other possible scenario for this Pirates team other than the NIT (and that's if everything goes according to plan from now on) after an AWFUL loss to Virginia Tech in exotic Cancun, Mexico.

There are really, in reality, more words to describe this loss, but they would probably get me in trouble. Here is the question of the game:

HOW DO YOU GIVE UP 103 TO A TEAM THAT IS MISSING ITS BEST PLAYER?!?!?!?!

SERIOUSLY, HOW?!?!?!?!

Here's another:

HOW THE F*#$ (pardon my French- it bears using some in this question) DO YOU ALLOW A PLAYER WHO AVERAGES A WHOPPING 10 POINTS PER GAME TO SCORE 41 POINTS AND MAKE AS MANY FREE THROWS AS YOUR ENTIRE TEAM?!?!?!

And, finally:

HOW DOES A TEAM THIS TALENTED LACK THE KILLER INSTINCT TO FINISH BASKETBALL GAMES?

I have no answer to these questions. In fact, there is no concrete answer to these questions other than "You don't," "You don't," and "We do," respectively, if teams want to make it to March Madness. There is no other way to put this. The Pirates are not making the NCAA Tournament, despite the fact that, indeed, THE TIME WAS NOW to get a win in preparation for their game in Storrs, Connecticut on Wednesday. The time was now, and the Pirates did not come through. Better luck next season on that one.

Back to the game. Here are the GOOD parts:

- The Pirates came out flat in the first half, falling behind 24-10 at one point, and while Jeremy Hazell and Eugene Harvey (ESPECIALLY Harvey) looked like they were sleepwalking, it was Jeff Robinson and Robert Mitchell who kept the team in contention. Robinson finished with 15 points and 7 rebounds along with 3 blocks, as he brought energy the entire game. Mitchell also earned himself some more minutes with a 16 point performance on 6-11 shooting, including a couple of big 3s in the second half that allowed the Hall to come back to force OT.

- When Herb Pope fouled out in the second half (more on that later), John Garcia came in and asserted himself, ending up with a season-high 14 points along with 5 rebounds on 6-7 shooting. Indeed, if it wasn't for Garcia, Seton Hall would have lost in regulation.

- Seton Hall made 15-20 free throws. Mazel Tov!!

- Jeremy Hazell, who was awful in the first half by his standards, was dynamite in the second, making tough shots that helped keep the Hall afloat. He finished with 24 points on 7-17 shooting, but he made several tough shots that looked like they had no shot of going in. That's J- Haze for ya', I guess...

- Eugene Harvey really made an effort to get the Hall back in the game with his quickness and penetration. Harvey ended up with 17 points on 7-14 shooting with 6 assists, but most of these were in the second half. So kudos to Harvey for the good things he did in the second half. Which brings us to...

THE BAD:

- Eugene Harvey was suicidal with his turnovers, many of which were at critical junctures. He is having an abysmal season, and if it were up to me, he would not be starting.

- Herb Pope was the main culprit, but the referees (who were out of the Big 12, apparently) were atrocious. Not only were they inconsistent, but they made horrible calls left, right, sideways, backwards and diagonally. Pope's last two fouls were phantom, and if I could watch a replay, I bet I could find a ton more.

- Keon Lawrence and Jamel Jackson might as well not have even flew down there, because they were invisible.

- The Hokies did not have their best player, Malcolm Delaney, who averages around 20 ppg. Yet the Pirates allowed the Hokies to score over 100 points and shoot 47% from the field. They allowed Dorenzo Hudson (a player who averages 10 ppg) to score 41 points and shoot 21 free throws. This cannot continue.

The Pirates lack a finishing ability, and it is disturbing. This is a team that has been preaching "THE TIME IS NOW" all season long. But they have lost to Temple, West Virginia, Syracuse, and now Virginia Tech because when they had an opportunity to take control, they have let it slip through they're fingers. If they had had this instinct, they would have 1 loss, not 4. In the past games, you could use the FT shooting as a scapegoat, but in this one, they shot 15-20 for a 75% clip. They honestly can talk about this next game at UConn as a must-win, but they have no shot at winning in Storrs on Wednesday unless they discover this instinct in the next couple of days. Will they do it? I don't think so.

This is a team in transition in terms of finding out who they are. They are a team with some great shooters that can't seem to shoot well enough. This is a tremendously talented and athletic team, yet they can't make free throws. Who are the Seton Hall Pirates?

Now THAT is a question I want answered.

Pirates Lose Control Again, Fall to 'Cuse

2009-12-30T08:48:00.002-05:00

Syracuse- 80; SHU- 73

This one hurts. Badly.

Disregard the fact that Syracuse came in #5 in the nation. Disregard the fact that the largest crowd ever to witness a college basketball game at Prudential Center was there in full force, cheering, jeering and screaming their collective heads off (including me, your faithful Pirate fan in the front row of the student section).

This is a game that the Pirates should have won. Again. And yet again, Seton Hall will have to settle for a close loss that just plain won't be acceptable come March.

A lot of things went right in the first half. Spurred on by the raucous crowd, the Pirates were able to amp up the tempo with their press, forcing 11 Syracuse turnovers and building a 41-29 lead with 4 and a half minutes until halftime. But then the Pirates went cold from the field, while the Orange ripped off a 14-2 run to tie the game at the half.

At this point, some of the energy from the Seton Hall side went away, and I think that this was crucial in the final result. But in the first half (at constant urging from yours truly, perhaps), the Pirates moved the ball beautifully against the zone defense of the Orange, reversing the ball around the perimeter and driving into the lane when given the chance. This generated some open looks and easy buckets down low.

In the second half, it was up and down for the first 6 minutes or so before the Pirates created some distance with a 6-0 run, capped by a strong two- hand jam from Herb Pope at the 12:56 mark.

And then it all went to hell in a hand basket, so to speak.

The Pirates not only allowed Syracuse to go on a 15-0 run over the next 7 minutes, including 3 dunks from Kris Joseph and Wesley Johnson (which I'll get to in a moment), but they committed the cardinal sin of playing Syracuse:

THEY STOPPED MOVING THE BALL.

I cannot stress how much this contributed to the loss. I've said it time and time again, on air and otherwise, that the way to beat a zone is to have movement of the ball and of players. This gets the participants of the zone thinking and moving, creating open shot opportunities and driving lanes. There were none of those in the last 13:00 of the game.

Despite that fact, the Pirates were within 3 with 31 seconds left before another defensive breakdown allowed Joseph to leak out, leading to a 3- point play at the other end, all but sealing the Pirates' fate.

Jeremy Hazell was brilliant once again, netting 38 points on 12-31 shooting (including 6-15 from downtown and 8-9 from the foul line). Herb Pope had yet another double-double with 15 points and 17 rebounds, 7 on the offensive end, but in the second half, the big gorilla in the room showed up again.

FREE THROW SHOOTING.

After a solid 5-7 in the first half, the Pirates shot 9-17 in the second stanza, while the Orange nailed 13-15. The Pirates cannot turn into the 2007-08 Memphis team at the line if they want to be successful this year. It cannot be put any other way.

Where the Syracuse crowd really came into play was on those dunks from Joseph and Johnson, as each of them sucked more life out of the SHU fans and students. All told, the FT shooting, the dunks, and the lack of ball movement were the main reasons the Pirates came away from this one thinking of what could have been.

For me as a fan, and for all of the students, I will say this: We hate losing to Syracuse. Probably even more than Rutgers, we HATE losing to Syracuse, whose fans showed a complete lack of class after the win. I was in Penn Station after the game to go home on the train, and on the adjacent platform were Cuse fans who thought it right to boast and brag, chanting up and down the platform as if they had just won the championship. Not only that, but there were also some Syracuse fans in the next train car who were rowdy and raucous, causing several people to switch cars to the one I was in. Someone needs to teach these people about winning graciously. They were theoretically SUPPOSED TO WIN. So they celebrate like that when they win a game they're supposed to win? Complete lack of class.

The Pirates now head all the way to Cancun to face Virginia Tech in their official last non-conference game, which has turned into a must- win. The Pirates need a victory before traveling up to Storrs to take on UConn in their 3rd Big East Contest. I will be traveling up to provide color commentary for 89.5 FM WSOU for that game, and the Pirates need to give me something positive to talk about.

As a New Year's Resolution, the Pirates should resolve to win those games that they should win, having dropped 3 already this year. Because losing like this is getting old. Real fast. To say that Pirate fans aren't already sick and tired of it is like saying the weather outside the Rock last night was balmy- it just ain't true.

Pirates Can't Close Deal as Miracle Comeback Falls Short

2009-12-26T19:36:00.003-05:00

WVU- 90; SHU- 84, OT

It comes down to free throws and defense, in general, in the Big East, and certainly in this game.

Despite all the woes at the line, Seton Hall stormed back in the most improbable comeback I have ever seen- down 10 with 50 seconds left in the 2nd half, the Hall came back to send it to OT. After two free throws from Eugene Harvey made it 75-67, Da'Sean Butler missed the front end of a 1-and-1, leading to a quick layup from Harvey at the other end. Then Devin Ebanks missed the front end of a 1-and-1, leading to a dunk from Ferrakohn Hall at the other end, making the score 75-71. The Pirates then forced a huge turnover, leading to a Hazell 3-ball to make it 75-74. After two made free throws from Butler, Hazell then hit a miraculous 3 to tie it at 77.

Everyone in the building, and no doubt several thousand Pirate fans around the country, went berserk. It is the loudest I have ever heard the Rock. I was so excited, I jumped on my friend's shoulders in the front row of the packed student section.

But then in overtime, the free throw woes happened again. And it (along with some defensive confusion from Jamel Jackson in the closing minutes of OT) cost the Hall the game.

Here are some good numbers:

- Jeremy Hazell scored a career- high 41 points and kept Seton Hall in the ballgame. He also capped the Pirates' comeback with two HUGE 3- pointers, the first of which pulled the Hall to within 1 with 17 seconds remaining in the second half, and the second of which tied the game with 8 seconds left. He also pulled down 7 rebounds

- Herb Pope had a double- double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, including several big rebounds down the stretch of the second half that kept the Hall alive.

- Eugene Harvey had 10 points and 6 assists, and was one of the more effective Pirates on the floor on Saturday.

- The Pirates took excellent care of the ball, committing only 6 turnovers while forcing 13 from the Mountaineers.

Now here are the bad numbers:

- Hazell, while his scoring really kept the Hall alive, shot just 14-33 from the field, including 4-19 from downtown.

- While the Hall played passable defense against WVU, they could not control Ebanks (22 points, 17 rebounds, 7 assists), Butler (21 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists), or Kevin Jones (19 points, 14 rebounds). Indeed, because of these 3 players, West Virginia seemed to be in control of the game, even when the Rock got rocking.

And, now to the ugly:

- The Pirates shot 16- 33 from the free throw line. Yes, you saw that right- the Pirates AS A TEAM shot only slightly better from the line than Hazell did FROM THE FIELD. The Pirates had WVU in the double bonus for about the last 6+ minutes, yet their collective failings from the line prevented them from taking advantage. If the Hall had made even half of the FTs they missed, they would have won, with relative ease, in regulation. I firmly believe this.

- Herb Pope shot (at this point, I would advise those who are prone to queasiness to find a suitable bag for vomiting into upon reading the conclusion of this sentence)....

ONE OF TEN from the free throw line. 1-10.

This is no longer a concern for Pope and the Pirates. It is a very real problem. The Pirates, with all of their problems last year with depth, shot 71 % from the line as a team, roughly the national average. They need to work on free throw shooting. Seton Hall has an athletic team, and athletic teams have a knack of getting to the line. If the Pirates (especially Pope) cannot make free throws, they will lose many games like this one that they should win because of their heart and will.

The Pirates ended up losing the game, but they gained much as well. The Hall took the number 6 team in the nation to overtime on national TV. Bobby Gonzalez has to be proud of the fact that the Pirates were in the game until the very end because of their fight and heart. In fact, until Jackson's indecision on defense (to foul Butler, or not foul Butler? That was the question that was written all over Jackson's face), Seton Hall had a shot to win the game.

After this game, no one can doubt that the Pirates are to be taken seriously. Now that they will be, what will decide their fate is how they perform against teams that are ahead of them, in other words, how many signature wins can they amass. The front end of their Big East schedule does them no favors- Syracuse comes to the Rock on Tuesday, then after a sojourn to Cancun to take on Virginia Tech (again), they travel to UConn, then return home to face Cincinnati. The Pirates need to win at the very least 2 of those 4 games to remain in the conversation for an NCAA bid.

Only time will tell. And some practice at the free throw line.

Pirates Catch Fire in Second Half, Send Navy Packing

2009-12-23T15:14:00.002-05:00

SHU- 94, Navy- 56

Oh boy was this a fun game, at least for one half.

After an extremely sluggish first half during which neither team shot the ball well (35.7 percent for the Hall, 23.5 percent for the Midshipmen), the Pirates exploded in the second half, outscoring the visitors 64-33, making 12-18 shots from downtown and going on a 20-0 run to put the game out of reach by the 12:00 mark.

The star of the game was unquestionably Jordan Theodore, as he led the Pirates with 18 points off the bench to go along with 6 rebounds and 6 assists (with no turnovers) in what was arguably the best game of his Pirate career. He shot 6-10 from the field and made 3 3- pointers.

Jeremy Hazell also had a bounceback game after his horrid performance against Temple, scoring 17 points on 6-12 shooting (4-10 from deep) with 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Jamel Jackson also chipped in with three 3s of his own and 11 points, while Jeff Robinson threw down some monster jams en route to 9 points and 4 rebounds in just 13 minutes of playing time. I even threw in a nickname for him while calling the game for WSOU- "Jam Master Jeff." I hope it catches on! Eugene Harvey did not score (keeping him tied with Levell Sanders for 19th on SHU's all-time scoring list with 1,399 points), but he led the team with 7 assists.

The Pirates were a mess in the first half- they didn't have a single field goal for the first 8:49. Luckily, while Navy's zone defense confunded Seton Hall, the Midshipmen couldn't hit a shot. They ended up shooting just 31% from the field in the game, as the Pirates heated up while Navy never did. The Pirates ended the game shooting 47% from the field as a team.

There were two things I noticed while broadcasting this game- One was the revolving door of substitutions for the Hall. Only the two walk- ons, Darnell Gatling and Matt Cajuste, failed to record double digits in minutes played, and no Pirate played more than 22 minutes. While Bobby Gonzalez had a quick hook in the first half, as he was searching for players with hustle, in the second half, he allowed units to be on the floor longer, leading to a noticeable difference in team chemistry. The chemistry wasn't quite there in the Temple game, and with West Virginia coming to the Rock on Saturday, this was the game to get it right, with the Pirates playing with a full deck, so to speak.

Which leads me to the second thing- Gonzalez and the Pirates didn't come out of the locker room for the second half until about 3:00 remained on the clock before the start of play. My guess is that Gonzalez laid into his team about being aggressive and playing together on offense (something they really did well in the second half). Whatever he said, it obviously lit a fire under the Pirates.

On Hall Line after the game, one caller made a very good point- the Pirates got off to a slow start in this game, something they cannot afford to do against West Virginia on Saturday, or for that matter Syracuse on Tuesday. With West Virginia's smart play, and Syracuse's zone defense (which is the best zone in the nation), if the Pirates come out flat, they won't have much of a chance to score an upset over either team.

FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT FOR THE BLUE AND WHITE!!!

Pirates Set Records Galore, Trounce VMI

2009-12-12T14:50:00.002-05:00

SHU- 134, VMI- 107

No, this was not a Phoenix Suns- New York Knicks game.

What it was? An amazing, record-setting offensive performance from the Seton Hall Pirates.

Jamel Jackson went OFF for 40 points off the bench, breaking the school record for 3-pointers in a game with a 12-15 exhibition from deep. In the process, he also tied the record for points in the Prudential Center (Villanova's Scottie Reynolds last season), and set the SHU record for points at the Rock. Jackson also had 6 assists, tied for the team lead with birthday boy Jordan Theodore.

Jeremy Hazell added 33 of his own, making 6 from long range while amassing 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. Robert Mitchell had 18 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks, while Herb Pope had his customary double-double of 15 points and 20 rebounds, tying UConn's Hasheem Thabeet's record for rebounds in a single game at Prudential Center.

But the day belonged to Jackson, as he helped Seton Hall set a new record for points in a game, breaking the old record of 120 set in 1962 against Scranton. In addition to setting the record for most combined points in SHU history, the Pirates' 134 points is the most by any team in a single game this year. The Pirates shot 58% from the field, 58% from deep, and had 33 assists as a team, all season-highs.

This was, bar none, the best offensive performance I have ever seen anywhere in any sport. Jackson literally could not miss until he missed a falling- away prayer from about 28 feet as the shot clock expired late in the first half. AND EVEN THAT ONE ALMOST WENT IN! Even Melvyn Oliver got into the game, playing a season-high 12 minutes despite the up-and-down, fast-paced nature of this game, scoring 8 points (3-3 FG, 2-4 FT), with 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. Meanwhile, John Garcia got a day off, as he didn't even play! When was the last time the Pirates didn't need John Garcia?

Now, Seton Hall gets a week off to bask in the many, many records they set this afternoon, and they can look ahead and prepare for Temple next Friday, a game that, regrettably, I will not be able to attend. Both Keon Lawrence and Jeff Robinson will make their Pirate debuts that night, in what should be a very good game.

FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT FOR THE BLUE AND WHITE!

Pope, Hazell lead Highlight Reel-Worthy Clobbering of UMass

2009-12-07T22:26:00.004-05:00

SHU- 86, UMass- 68

Don't be fooled- this game was NOT as close as the final score.

Herb Pope had a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) by the end of the first half and Jeremy Hazell added 15 of his 21 points before halftime, as the Pirates basically had the game in hand at the intermission with a 44-19 lead on their way to their 7th straight win to open the season.

Ominous stat- the last time Seton Hall started a season 7-0 was 1988-89, and we all know what happened that year.

The Pirates held the Minutemen to just 19% from the field in the first half while shooting over 50% themselves. They also held UMass to an ice-cold 0-12 from deep in that whale of a half for Seton Hall.

The Pirates were in control the entire game, as they ended up building a 63-29 lead before UMass got hot from beyond the arc. But that rally was WAY too late as the Hall rolled and remained undefeated.

Pope made 2 3-pointers and shot 9-15 from the field overall en route to 22 points and 15 rebounds, while Hazell added 5 steals. Robert Mitchell added 13 points and 8 rebounds, while Jordan Theodore had 12 points and 5 assists off the bench for the Pirates. Eugene Harvey also chipped in with 7 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals.

Pirate Highlight Reel

The Hall made several eye-popping plays in this rout of UMass. First of all was Jeremy Hazell saving the ball in the corner to himself, shoveling it to Jordan Theodore, who shoveled it to Eugene Harvey, who took it baseline for a reverse layup. Honestly, because of the hustle involved, I think it's the play of the year.

Coming in second on the night was Jamel Jackson throwing a beautiful alley-oop to Herb Pope for a one-hand jam. It showcased Pope's athleticism greatly, as the pass was a little high, but nonetheless a brilliant play.

Lastly was Jordan Theodore and his LeBron James impersonation, tracking down UMass' leading scorer Ricky Harris and blocking his layup from behind, earning him a huge ovation from the Prudential Center crowd of 5,861.

Mel the Mountain Returns

Speaking of ovations, the biggest one was reserved for Melvyn Oliver. Oliver, who just recently was temporarily removed from the team to focus on academics, was back in uniform today. He received a loud ovation when he checked in in the first half, and a louder one when he registered his first stat of the night- a block on UMass' Anthony Gurley.

But the loudest ovation of the night came in the second half, when Oliver recorded his first career points at the Hall, putting home a nifty reverse layup that brought the crowd to its feet momentarily. His overall line (3 points, 1-2 FG, 1-2 FT, 3 rebounds, 1 block in 9 minutes) was encouraging to see from him, considering he hadn't played since the Monmouth game. It was also great to see him play 9 minutes, a season-high for the 6'11", 340-pounder.

Seton Hall clips Hawks' wings, remains undefeated

2009-12-03T23:00:00.002-05:00

SHU- 89, Hartford- 56

Ah, the beauty of balance.

Every single Pirate scored- even the walk-on players- and the Hall pulled away from a frustrated Hartford team for an easy 33-point victory, marking the first time in the history of the program that SHU beat 3 consecutive teams by more than 29 points each.

It was Jordan Theodore who led the Hall with 17 points on 6-10 shooting, with 3 3-pointers and 3 steals off the bench. Jeremy Hazell and Robert Mitchell added 15 points each, with Mitchell grabbing 9 rebounds. Herb Pope's double-double streak was ended at 4 games, as he had 10 rebounds, but only 7 points on what was an off night for him (2-8 FG).

But the night belonged to two Pirates, in my opinion.

One was Eugene Harvey. The senior had 11 points to go along with a career-high 14 assists as he found his teammates all night long for good looks, including a couple in spectacular fashion with nifty passes. He also added 4 steals.

The other was Ferrakohn Hall. The freshman had his best game of the season- 7 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks off the bench. He still made some freshman mistakes on defense (leading to 4 personal fouls), but he hustled on both ends, and even threw down a thunderous And-1 jam that brought the crowd to its feet.

The Pirates came out tonight and defended very well, pressing the entire game and creating easy baskets out of a bucketful of Hawk turnovers (17 for the game). They harassed Hartford's point guard, Andres Torres (who was averaging over 6 assists per game coming in), into 7 turnovers and a technical foul.

The Pirates also started well, as Hartford was able to hang with them for only about 7 minutes before the Pirates started to pull away. Hartford played a zone defense the whole night, and the Pirates did a good job diagnosing that, getting both player and ball movement while also making some shots over the zone.

The Pirates have looked impressive ever since they narrowly beat St. Peter's on opening night, averaging amost 90 points per game while giving up about 65 per game. They have played very good defense in their last 3 games especially, and they'll look to continue that against UMass on Monday night at the Rock.

Pirates Shoot the Lights Out, Rout NJIT

2009-11-30T21:35:00.002-05:00

SHU- 93, NJIT- 53

Just your good, old- fashioned, average, everyday blowout.

Seton Hall came up with the perfect formula for a blowout on Monday evening: Shoot 50% from the field (40% from 3-point range), hold your opponent to 30% shooting (25% from deep), allow the other team only 7 total free throws, and force 18 turnovers. What do you get? Monday night's game against NJIT.

Herb Pope had his 4th straight double-double, amassing 22 points on an astounding 10-14 shooting on offense to go along with 11 rebounds and 5 blocked shots on defense. The only thing he couldn't do- in fact, the only thing he has yet to do- was make free throws (2-7). He missed all 5 of his FTs in the first half when he wasn't following through, but in the second half, he followed through on (and made) both his shots from the stripe.

Jeremy Hazell had his most efficient game in recent memory, scoring 21 points on only 6-12 from the field (3-7 from deep) and a perfect 6-6 on free throws. By my count he forced only two shots in the game, one of which he actually made. If Hazell can do that for the rest of the year, the Pirates can be even more dangerous.

The Pirates' other shooter extraordinaire, Jamel Jackson, had one of his best games from behind the arc, going 5-12 from the great beyond for 15 points off the bench. Jordan Theodore also contributed in several categories with 9 points, 5 rebounds, a team-high 3 assists, and 3 steals while playing more minutes (25) than starter Eugene Harvey (18).

The Pirates were honestly expected to win this game with ease, and they did. The Highlanders made some shots early on to keep the game close; they actually had a 15-14 lead with just under 13:00 to go in the first half. But then the Pirates turned on the defense, outscoring NJIT 29-12 the rest of the half. The Pirates then kept up the defense, outscoring their opponents from the other side of Newark 50-26 in the second half.

Seton Hall once again looked excellent against an inferior team. Herb Pope's versatility was on full display once again, as he found his offense down low against a much slower NJIT team. But he also demonstrated his ability to lead a fast break in this game, a quality that SHU hasn't seen from a forward in a while (since Brian Laing, I think...you can correct me on that). He also displayed his great hustle.

Ferrakohn Hall also hustled his heart out and made a few nifty plays on offense, albeit awkward ones. With time, he'll be a pretty good player for Bobby Gonzalez. The tools are there- he just needs to sharpen them in order to be a better player.

The Pirates need to work on their free throws in general. Only once have they cracked the 70% mark (or, average FT%) this year- Saturday against LIU. If Gonzo isn't doing it already, Free Throws should be an integral part of practice for the Pirates. They will need to make their free throws when Big East play gets under way, and therefore they need to use this time in their non-conference schedule to develop confidence at the line.

Anyway, the Pirates get to bask momentarily in the glow of the 40-point beatdown they handed NJIT before preparing for Hartford on Thursday night at Prudential Center. I will not be in the crowd for this one, but will instead be on the sidelines broadcasting the game for 89.5 FM WSOU, Seton Hall's radio station. Listen in if you can, but if you can't and want to share your opinions on the game and/or the team, tune in to Hall Line after the game!

Fight, Fight, Fight for the Blue and White!

Pirates Roll over LIU

2009-11-28T23:08:00.002-05:00

SHU- 95, LIU- 66

Well, as the final score indicates, the Pirates had a great night on a busy Saturday at the Prudential Center, topping the LIU Blackbirds handily.

Coming off of a big resume win at Cornell last Friday, this had the possibility of being a "trap" game for Bobby Gonzalez's squad.

Well, so much for that.

The Pirates started out slow, but were clicking on all cylinders by the end of the first half. The Pirates led 28-22 before going on a 16-5 run to close the half up 44-27. The Pirates then scored 30 points in the first 11 minutes of the second half to put the game out of reach.

Jeremy Hazell started slowly, forcing some shots from distance, but settled down and finished with a game-high 21 points. Herb Pope was also a slow-starter, missing several shots closer to the basket, but he ended up with a superb game- 19 points, 17 in the first half, along with 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, and even a 3-pointer. Robert Mitchell was solid as well, with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, and Eugene Harvey had 18 points, 8 rebounds, and a whopping 7 steals.

Jordan Theodore had 11 points off the bench, rounding out 5 Pirates in double figures. John Garcia scored only 2 points, but was like Windex on the glass, pulling down 11 rebounds.

Seton Hall looked VERY good in this game. They had 18 assists as a team, and forced 21 Blackbird turnovers while only committing 7. They had twice as many STEALS in this game (14) as they had turnovers. They also hit their free throws, posting a 71% mark (20-28) from the line, their first game this year over the 70% mark as a team.

They also held Jaytornah Wisseh, one of the top scorers in the Northeast Conference, to just 10 points, about half of his previous season average. Credit Jordan Theodore for harassing him most of the night.

The Pirates, apart from Ferrakohn Hall getting jipped by the refs on at least 2 of his 5 fouls, were just clicking tonight. They were looking for each other, didn't force many shots that weren't there, and utilised they're pressure defense like they hadn't had in any game this season. They also played good halfcourt 'D' in the 2nd half after they left some open shooters unchallenged in the first half. Bobby Gonzalez really kept the team on task with his advice from the sideline in this game.

Next, the Pirates take on NJIT, infamous for their record over the past two seasons, in which they have posted ONE total win. That game is Monday night at Prudential Center at 7 PM.

Rockin' the Rock

It was also a good day for the other tenants of the Prudential Center, the New Jersey Devils. Earlier on Saturday, they rolled over the New York Islanders 6-1. The arena staff then changed from hockey to basketball in about 2-2 1/2 hours. Props to the staff at the Rock!

Roster News

-Keon Lawrence was at the game, but not suited up. Lawrence, who was rumored to be reinstated for Saturday's game, sat on the bench in street clothes and did not play.

- Also out of the lineup was freshman center Melvyn Oliver. In an official release, Seton Hall announced that Oliver was being "temporarily removed" from the team to focus on academics.

From NJ.com:

"This is not a permanent move, but I want academics to be the sole focus of Melvyn's attention for the next couple of weeks," head coach Bobby Gonzalez said in the release. "It is essential that each member of the team remember that they are a student-athlete and that their success in the classroom is of the utmost importance."

Oliver, who is listed at 6'10", 340 pounds, has played just 4 minutes this season, and pulling a Mike Davis-like impersonation, amassing 4 fouls in those 4 minutes.

Welcome message, and Big Win over Big Red

2009-11-21T18:00:00.003-05:00

Welcome to my brand-spanking new SHU Basketball Blog! As a student, broadcaster, and rabid Pirate fan, I hope that I can bring a good perspective from all my standpoints- student, broadcaster, fan, and most importantly, basketball enthusiast.

GO PIRATES!!

- Jason the Pirate

SHU 89, Cornell 79

Okokokokokok. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, time to analyze me some Pirate Basketball!!!

Friday night was the first true test for the Pirates, heading up to Ithaca, New York to take on 2-time defending Ivy League Champs, the Cornell Big Red. Everyone who merely thought that the Big Red were like any other Ivy League teams were dead wrong- Cornell is no ordinary Ivy League team. They have Ryan Wittman, shooter extraordinaire, NBA prospect, and son of former Indiana star and NBA coach Randy Wittman. They had the home court advantage- it was in fact their home opener.

But, in a weird twist, they thought that SHU would be easily beaten. The Pirates' answer?

Jeremy Hazell.

Hazell scored 33 points, two shy of his career high, on 12-25 shooting (including 5-12 from deep), leading the Pirates to a big non-conference win, 89-79 over the Big Red.

While Hazell was making shots from EVERYWHERE, Jordan Theodore scored 20 points off the bench, while Robert Mitchell and Herb Pope had double- doubles in Seton Hall's win.

The Pirates looked very, very good in this game. After they fell behind 8-0, they worked hard and came back to take a 5 point lead at the half, 40-35, then went on a 10-0 run midway through the second half to take command. They also outrebounded Cornell 40-31, a first for the Pirates.

Throughout this game, Seton Hall looked like they were ready for it 110%. It's almost as if they heard all the talk about how this could be a trap game for them, and then went in saying to themselves "Screw all you guys- we're taking this win, whether you guys like it or not." They fought hard on both sides of the floor, oftentimes showing their emotions with vigor. They also fought with reckless abandon on the boards. Even freshman Ferrakohn Hall threw his 6'8", 215 pound skinny frame into the fray, coming up with 3 boards in 18 minutes. They forced only 13 turnovers, but only comitted 8 themselves. All in all, it really was a great game for the Pirates to give them further confidence and to help put that dreadful opening night performance against St. Peter's out of their minds.

Now, the Pirates have a whole month at home, facing LIU, NJIT, Hartford, UMass, VMI, Temple, and Navy in their non-conference schedule. Of those teams, Temple, UMass, and high-scoring VMI should give the Pirates some trouble. The rest are easily beatable. The Pirates, of course, can't afford to get complacent and not take those teams seriously. With an always tough Big East schedule, and a less-than-stellar OOC (out of conference) schedule, the Pirates cannot afford a loss against the teams coming to the Rock this December, especially with the last non-conference opponent, Virginia Tech, looming in January in Cancun.

Keon Lawrence reinstated

News broke on Zagsblog.com on Friday that junior guard transfer Keon Lawrence will be reinstated by the team in time for the Pirates' next home game against Long Island University. Lawrence, who was suspended indefinitely from the team following an accident on the Garden State Parkway, was arrested and suspected of drunk driving. According to Zagsblog.com, sources close to the situation said that Lawrence's BAC was below the legal limit of .08.

This means that the Pirates will have another offensive weapon at their disposal, not to mention a guy in Lawrence who has a motor on him, able to play a lot of minutes (he led Missouri in minutes played his final season there before transferring to the Hall), and able to knock down an open shot, not to mention provide pesky defense and all-out hustle. Great news for Pirate fans!