Today is Friday, thus concluding my "5 Questions in 5 Days" series. I thank you all for reading and commenting but most importantly, for being just as passionate as we at SOJ are about the state of our Seton Hall Pirates. I believe the 2012 season is bright with the coaching staff and players we have in place, and I'm just itching for the season to commence... either that, or this itch is from the questionable massage I had in China-town last night, but that's probably a conversation better had with my general practitioner so let's just get right to it...

Four New Jersey boys in Sterling Gibbs (pending waiver), Brian Oliver, Gene Teague and Kyle Smyth return home to the Garden State this year to play for Seton Hall. I can't recall a time for Seton Hall, or any other program for that matter, where four transfers have the potential to provide as profound an impact on a program as these three young men. Initially, I wasn't going to ask this as my final question, but upon further thought, I realized it's conceivable that 60% of the starting line-up for the upcoming season could be transfer players, so it must be adequately addressed. Throughout this series, I've touched upon these three student-athletes, which speaks to their level of importance on this team, but lets take a closer look:

Sterling Gibbs was the #32 ranked point guard in the class of 2011 and is the younger brother of one of my favorite non-Seton Hall college basketball players in recent history, Ashton Gibbs. Like his brother, Sterling is an outstanding shooter and possesses a very, very high basketball IQ. The leading scorer in Seton Hall Prep. history will be an integral part of the Seton Hall future for the next three years, regardless of Aquille Carr's arrival in 2013. Cut right out of the Kevin Willard mold, Gibbs is a sharp shooting point guard who can play off the ball (imagine the back-court of Carr and Gibbs?) If granted the hardship waiver, Gibbs will be Seton Hall's starting point guard this season - this statement is unassailable.

Brian Oliver was the #29 ranked small forward in the class of 2009. In his sophomore year at Georgia Tech., Oliver averaged 10.5 points per game and is a lights-out shooter. Oliver possesses Hazellian-type range and when paired with Gibbs and Cosby in the back court, this trio of shooters will give opposing teams fits, as they won't be able to cheat inside the arc, defensively. Look for Oliver to be an immediate impact player, as he will be prepared for the grind of the Big East, having played two years in the ACC.

Gene Teague was a stand out player for Southern Illinois University, shooting 60% from the field and from the free throw line. The 6'9 290 pound center will be a cornerstone big man for Kevin Willard for the next two years, and should be able to adroitly fill the large void left by Herb Pope. I mentioned earlier in this series that Teague and Pope banged down low in every practice, and this valuable experience against one of the leagues better big men should prove beneficial moving forward.

Kyle Smyth is very familiar with Kevin Willard, as he was recruited by and played for him at Iona. The 6'4 shooting guard opted to play for his old coach as a walk-on (paying full tuition) versus attending Boston College on a scholarship. If that doesn't reek of loyalty and confidence in a leader, I don't know what does. Smyth will provide significant depth at the shooting guard position and will give the Pirates their lone senior. The tandem of Aaron Cobsy, Brian Oliver, Kyle Smyth, Patrik Auda, Haralds Karlis and Brandon Mobley from beyond the arc will surely provide 3-point fireworks night in and night out for Seton Hall.

As I See It:

It's difficult and perhaps foolish to propose a starting 5 line-up in late May, especially with the uncertainty and variables we've discussed in prior posts. However, I'm absolutely certain that these three young men will be critical components of the 2012 Seton Hall team (again, assuming Gibbs is cleared to play this year). It's no mistake that all three players really get after it on the defensive end of the court, as Willard's teams are built around defence first. Look for this trifecta of Jersey-grown boys to make an immediate impact on the court, providing Coach Willard depth and options at virtually every position.

As always, my friends, HAZARD ZET FORWARD!

Seton Hall is no longer the land of broken toys, ladies and gentleman; this is officially the Kevin Willard era, as he is now flanked with only players he has hand picked (sans Fuquan Edwin who, although recruited and signed under Bobby Gonzalez, never played for him).

This is kind of a trick question in that I believe so much of the success (or lack thereof) for the upcoming season hinges on question #1, "Who will play the point?" Willard has done a great job of creating depth at every position, the kind of depth Seton Hall fans haven’t seen in years. Let’s look at the depth chart:

Point Guard: Sterling Gibbs (pending), Tom Maayan, Freddie Wilson

Shooting Guard: Aaron Cosby, Kyle Smyth, Brian Oliver

Small Forward: Fuquan Edwin, Brian Oliver, Haralds Karlis

Power Forward: Brandon Mobley, Patrik Auda

Center: Gene Teague, Kevin Johnson, Aaron Geramipoor

At times, I’m certain we’ll see any combination of the above players at the 1 – 5 positions, as they can create match-up problems for a lot of teams. Additionally, Oliver and Cosby’s shooting ability should help stretch opposing defenses, whereby creating lanes for ______________ (insert your choice of point guard) to drive. Willards recruiting style is simple; get shooters, and it's no secret that he loves the three-ball, so expect to see three's raining down with guys like Cosby, Oliver, Smyth, Karlis, Auda and Mobley who I believe has the best mid-range jumper since Robert "Stix" Mitchell. Mobley also shot 73% from the free-throw line, so getting the big man more involved down low this year could translate to more points at the stripe, as he's shown he can convert.

As I See It:

Kevin Willard has amassed an awful lot of frequent flyer miles on Canary Airlines over the past 24 months, and frankly, its time to see dividends pay off for his thinking-outside-the-box recruiting moves. Patrik Auda, Aaron Geramipoor and Haralds Karlis have all had ample time to make necessary adjustments to the speed of the American style of play. It's time.

Losing seniors Herb Pope and Jordan Theodore to graduation is significant - no question about that - but my expectations of Coach Willard and his team as he embarks on his third season behind the wheel are high. At the risk of sounding somewhat redundant, I really believe that answers to a lot of these questions hinge on whether or not Gibbs' waiver is cleared. With him, Seton Hall has the ability to be a tournament team. That's right, I said it. But having ability and applying ability are two entirely different things, and that is where Willard will earn his paycheck.

Like death and taxes, and like Bobby Gonzalez saying, "Like death and taxes", Herb Pope has been the premier interior defender and rebounder for the Pirates the past three years. Losing a rebounder like Pope is not easy to replace, but Seton Hall finally has ample depth at the power forward and center positions to offset his departure. I believe the combination of Patrik Auda, Brandon Mobley, Gene Teague, Kevin Johnson, Aaron Geramipoor and ultra-athletic wings Fuquan Edwin and Haralds Karlis will be a formidable group in this regard. It's no secret that Auda loves to occupy the stat sheet’s foul column, so having a multitude of defensive options will be a tremendous benefit for the Pirates and one that's been lacking in South Orange for many, many moons.

Coach Willard will continue to use zone defense at times which will serve a number of purposes. Not only does moving to zone from man-to-man defense show opposing offenses different looks, it will also protect against those players more apt at getting into foul trouble; Willard certainly exploited this benefit to his advantage last year.

Something that has been largely overlooked in Kevin Willard’s time at the helm is the outstanding job he's done decreasing the total number of fouls his players commit. In the Gonzo era (shivers), Seton Hall averaged over 20 fouls per game, while Willard’s teams have averaged 17 1/2. Granted, two years is a relatively small sample from which to draw a definitive conclusion, but Willard's teams have decreased their total team fouls each year, moving from 179th to 142nd in the country, while Gonzo's teams rose from 240th to 280th (out of 324 Division 1 teams). Most importantly, Coach Willard has done a tremendous job of protecting the players he needs on the court by applying sound in-game coaching as well as teaching his players effective ways of guarding against excessive fouling and fouling out. It's concerning that Auda and Mobley, in particular, have a penchant for committing "bad fouls". However, if they improve in this regard, the team will be less exposed defensively while also allowing for two of what I believe to be excellent scoring options to stay on the floor.

At times, Mobley has looked like Gulliver in the ball-pit at Chuck E. Cheese; big like. In his freshman year (that saw him miss over 25% of games to a torn labrum), he showed flashes of greatness and I believe I speak for most Pirate fans when I say I can't wait to see him develop over the next three years. In fact, I spoke with an Assistant Coach at Auburn last year who told me they were "devastated" when Mobley chose Seton Hall over them, saying he would be a "tremendous" collegiate player. I concur, fine sir.

As I See It:

Look for transfer Gene Teague to be the primary presence down low this year. Teague and Pope banged in the paint a lot during practice last year while he was sitting out per NCAA transfer regulations. I've spoken with a few people on the inside of the program who have commented on how valuable this process was for both Pope and Teague, so look for this experience to pay dividends moving forward. On the offensive end, Teague shot a team best 60% from the field in his last year with Southern Illinois University, so the big fella should be productive on both ends of the court.

I wish I could provide insightful analysis on second year freshman Kevin Johnson, but there really is no additional information on him since his senior year of high school. I'm a glass-is-half-full kind of guy, so I'd like to think that another year of physical and emotional development for KJ (due to his lack of eligibility) will prove to be a long term benefit for the Pirates. Johnson, the #24 ranked center in the class of 2011, is a man-child and is said to have some pretty soft hands. If he can be productive alongside the other bigs, Seton Hall may have some very interesting options both offensively and defensively which should translate into more points in the paint then Pirate fans have seen in years.

I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Jordan Theodore deliberately deprived himself of oxygen just so he could literally bleed-blue. Physiologically, of course, this seems unlikely due to oxidation and other such things I know nothing of, but I believe this is appropriately analogous to how passionate the General has been about his school. Ask yourself, "Can I name a former Pirate who has been more vocal and overtly passionate about his love of Seton Hall?" Scroll through his Twitter feed @JordanTheodore for further insight and examples. Sadly, Theodore can’t be signed to a contract extension, so Kevin Willard will need to find his team's leader elsewhere; but where?

Candidates:

As the elder statesmen of the team, Fuquan Edwin appears to be a likely candidate for the vacant position of team leader. The soft spoken junior is known to show his demonstrable basketball prowess on the court rather than yapping about it. Fu is less of a "rah-rah" guy and more of a, "I just picked your pocket, again; smile, you’ve just been ninjaed" guy, so leading by example seems more of a likely roll as opposed to the outspoken Theodore (who led by example too, of course). As an aside, upon first meeting Fu, directly after the Pirates beat Alabama in St. Thomas (USVI) for the 2010 tournament, the mild mannered kid clearly didn’t know what to make of the idiot in front of him (me) who was strangely interested in the athletic freshman’s statistics. He really is a very quiet and humble young man on and off the court.

Brian Oliver appears to be another viable candidate to help galvanize this group of players. However, he’s played exactly one second less than one second as a Pirate, so it may take some time for on-court leadership to develop. I’ve heard he is one of the more outspoken guys around the team and will certainly be one of the top scoring options as well. I wouldn't at all be surprised to see him emerge as a leader, especially as the season rolls along.

Aaron Cosby is a dark horse for this leadership roll. The sharp shooting sophomore started 31 of 34 games and averaged a robust 30 minutes per game on the hardwood while shooting a team high 38% from beyond the arc. This tremendous experiential learning should translate into a keen understanding for what it takes to win. He was also the beneficiary of being under the direct tutelage of a true leader in Jordan Theodore. Cosby has also tasted what it means to be an integral part of playing in a hostile environment; see at Rutgers last year when he drilled a 3-point basket with 42 seconds remaining to help lift the Pirates who were previously mired in a 5 game skid.

As I see it:

When the 2011 season concluded, Fuquan Edwin voiced that he is ready to become the leader of this team and I'm certainly not going to doubt him. I believe we will see Fu emerge as the teams leader for the next two years. Without question, Edwin's reserved and quiet intensity is in sharp contrast to the previous leadership of Theodore, but that doesn't mean that leadership in this regard can't be equally as effective. When players get after it defensively, their team tends to get a big lift, and coming from the man who lead the nation in steals last year, that is certainly a good jumping off point.

This appears to be the most glaring dilemma facing the Pirates as they head into the 2012 - 2013 season. While there are a few capable back-up point guards on the roster, the most important position (on any basketball team) is currently the most tenuous for Seton Hall. Jordan Theodore has been the cornerstone of this team for the past three years and there is just no two ways about it, his absence will be felt.

On April 19th, former Texas point guard Sterling Gibbs committed to Seton Hall and his signing was, by all accounts, a coup for the Pirates. In fact, the magnitude of signing the younger brother of NBA hopeful and former Pitt standout Ashton Gibbs could be upgraded from great to exceptional if he is granted a hardship waiver from the NCAA. If Gibbs' appeal is granted, he would be cleared to play immediately and this question would then be moot.

Seton Hall has already submitted the waiver application for Gibbs, but a decision is not imminently expected. Certainly there are a myriad of variables that the NCAA will review; for example, the good: Gibbs returned home to New Jersey where his family lives and where he went to high school (Seton Hall Prep., where he is the all-time leading scorer). However, the bad: he was buried on a deep Texas bench and only played 7.5 minutes per game which certainly could have prompted him to transfer – at least in the eyes of the committee. I've been told that there is a "family issue" but I'm unclear what type of impact this will have on the review committee. Simply put, if Gibbs is able to play next season, the Pirates could be a formidable team; if he is denied the waiver, it could be a long winter for the Blue and White.

Other Candidates:

Sophomore Freddie Wilson has shown that he can be a suitable back-up point guard, but I believe any argument suggesting he can be a starting PG in the BIG EAST next year is inherently flawed. That said, my previous (and blunt) statement should not be misconstrued as being dismissive of Wilson, as I do believe he can play an important roll on Kevin Willard’s team over the next three years. I've simply seen zero evidence in favor of his ability to be a starting point guard in this grueling conference.

Little is known about freshman point guard Tom Maayan, who is coming off of a serious ACL injury. I’ve been told he is recovering quite well, but finding credible analysis on this kid is more convoluted than finding a connecting flight in an Italian airport. At best, Maayan is a wild card next year and it would be unfair to expect he would be an impact player, especially running a Big East team's offence as a freshman. We've seen good international players like Patrik Auda and Haralds Karlis struggle to get acclimated to the American style of play, and they haven't been charged with the task of playing the point, so I'm being prudent and setting the bar low for Maayan.

Looking Forward:

Finally, I can’t pose the above question without at least referencing the (5’6) 800lb gorilla in the room, Aquille Carr. While this question doesn’t apply to him given that he is just now concluding his junior year of high school, he has been dubbed, by many, as the point guard of the future for Seton Hall. Much has been speculated about Carr’s ability to ultimately become eligible for the Pirates, and his bizarre 10-day stint at St. Patrick’s High School, NJ certainly doesn’t pacify a fan’s anxiety. My expectation (hope) is that along with Carr’s current coaches and teachers, Kevin Willard and his staff will continue to help guide this young man in an effort to ensure he is ready to compete in the fall of 2013 for the Pirates while reducing the crime rate in Newark taboot.

As I See It:

Until then (or the Gibbs hardship waiver decision), this question remains more unsettling than a drunken Mel Gibson tirade. Gun to my head, I'd have to say that given the current Seton Hall roster on May 21, 2012, Freddie Wilson is our starting point guard (followed by an asterisks and a "To Be Continued..." sign).

I finally managed to get the dreadful taste of UMASS-defeat out of my mouth, and I'm happy to say that I'm back on the grid again and ready to talk Seton Hall Basketball. As with most teams during the off-season, a cacophony of questions will be raised and debated, and as such, I have generated my own list. In an effort to not inundate you fine people, I whittled my catalogue of questions down to five of what I believe to be the most critical issues facing the 2012 Pirates. I will post one question each morning this coming week (beginning Monday and concluding Friday) and will attempt to answer said questions.

In accordance with what Bill Shakespeare once said, "I am not bound to please thee with my answer", I am quite certain we will have some differing views, but as always, your thoughts and comments are most welcome.

Have a great weekend, Pirate Nation. See you back here Monday morning.

This morning, SOJ reported that Sterling Gibbs was set to begin his official visit to Seton Hall on Thursday afternoon. The former Freshman Texas point guard wasted little time deciding where he would continue his collegiate career. One hour after his visit was slated to begin, his new teammate, Fuquan Edwin, was first to break the news:

Welcome to the family bro @SterlingGibbs13 #SHUBACK

— Fuquan Edwin (@FuquanEdwin) April 19, 2012

Moments later, Aaron Geramipoor followed suit with, "S/O to my boy @SterlingGibbs13 for joining the family!"

Jordan Theodore, who has been in communication with Gibbs and has been credited for the assist in sealing the deal, added:

Congrats to my bro @SterlingGibbs13. He's finally a Pirate! #SHUBACK

— Trayvon Martin (@J_Theodore_R2R) April 19, 2012

Gibbs and Seton Hall flirted during his senior year at Seton Hall Prep, but the Scotch Plains (NJ) native initially chose Maryland, but after Gary Williams' retirement, he wound up enrolling at Texas.

As a freshman, Gibbs averaged 2.6 points and less than 1 assist in just 7.5 minutes per game, but was buried behind Myck Kabongo on the depth chart. The Longhorns also have top-100 point guard Javan Felix coming in next season, but Gibbs stated the reason behind his transfer was family-related:

"I've had a great year at Texas," Gibbs said. "I've improved as a basketball player and as a person during my time here. If my decision had to do with basketball only, I would not be leaving Texas. But my decision is family-related and involves more than basketball."

Gibbs, an alumnus of Seton Hall Prep in West Orange, will attempt to attain a hardship waiver from the NCAA citing a family illness and a desire to play close to home. If granted, the exception would waive the typical year he would be required to sit out as a transfer athlete. First and foremost, our thoughts are with Sterling and his family as they will surely battle the illness together. If he is granted the waiver, he will suit up immediately and will likely step in as the starting point guard under Kevin Willard in the 2012-13 campaign. If the request is denied, he will look to join Aquille Carr in 2013-14, forming quite an exciting backcourt tandem where he will be able to run at either guard position.

Sterling Gibbs will become the first recruit from Seton Hall Prep to don the Pirates uniform since Marcus Toney-El and later, Jamar Nutter. Locking up Gibbs is undoubtedly a terrific get for Kevin Willard as he'll look to possibly reestablish the SHU/SHP pipeline and maybe the Gibbs family pipeline as well. Sterling's brother, Temple, although just an eighth-grader (2016), is expected to be one of the top rated guards of his class.

Whether we see Gibbs this coming year or the season thereafter, please join all of us from South Orange Juice in welcoming our newest Pirate home!

Seton Hall's Athletic Department has actively engaged its fan base on a more consistent and substantive basis since the dawn of the Kevin Willard era. I dig that...

This morning I spoke with Associate AD Bryan Felt who gave me detailed information of a new initiative for the month of April which I wanted to pass along to all SOJ readers:

April 1, 2012 marks the beginning of Seton Hall Athletics' "30 for 30" program, which rewards 2012-13 Men's Basketball season ticket holders. To be eligible for the program, there is a $250 non-refundable deposit for 2012-13 season tickets must be received in the Seton Hall ticket office prior to April 30th. Weekly winners will be drawn each Friday morning and posted the official Seton Hall Athletics Facebook Page; final prize drawing will be Tuesday, May 1st. In addition to "30 for 30," there will be exclusive bonus deals offered throughout the month of April, so follow SHUPIRATES.com for the latest bonus deals and information.

The "30 for 30" program is open to current and new season ticket holders only. Current season ticket holders should have received the deposit invoice in the mail, and prospective new season ticket holders can contact Richard Bello, Director of Athletic Ticket Sales, to make a deposit or ask any additional questions at (973) 275-2327, or Richard.bello@shu.edu.

Continue reading this post »

I just didn't want it to end...

The Seton Hall men's basketball season came to a close in Walsh Gym this afternoon, as they lost to a hungry UMASS team 77-67 in the second round of the NIT.

Sophomore Fuquan Edwin got a good look at the roll he'll likely play next year as the leader of the Pirates, as he poured in a game high 21 points, grabbing 7 boards. Senior Jordan Theodore tallied 14 points and 5 assists, but was plagued by foul trouble, receiving his third and fourth personal fouls with roughly 25% of the game left to play. Herb Pope climbed the glass for 15 rebounds, but managed to shoot just 2/9 from the field, good for 9 points.

I'll say this; this is not the same UMASS team that Seton Hall has drubbed, twice, in the past two years. They are a very talented and athletic team, lead by the diminutive Chaz Williams who torched the Pirates for 20 points, 7 boards and 6 assists. In his pre-game commentary, JP likened Williams to Seton Hall blue-chip commit Aquille Carr (2013); JP was right on the money. This kid's crossover tore my ACL just watching him from my seat, he's so quick. No doubt about it, Head Coach Derek Kellogg has assembled quite a nice team who, I believe, will compete at the top of the A-10 for the next few years.

Losing at the end of the season is always disappointing, so I won't begrudge you if you don't begrudge me a good weep. However, as I dejectedly sauntered down South Orange Avenue towards the train, this season - the entire season - flashed like a sideshow right in front of me and it was pretty inspiring on the whole. I remembered that Seton Hall was picked 13th in the preseason. I remembered that The Pirates had won just 13 games in the prior season. I remembered that our freshman came in with little-to-no fanfare (compared to say, Rutgers' class). I distinctly remember how proud I was seeing the words "Seton Hall" next to the #23 in the AP top 25 poll. I fondly recalled exciting wins against VCU, St. Joe's, WVU, UConn and Georgetown. So, how did our team fair? The Pirates overachieved. Period. Jordan Theodore set a program record for assists in a year, while Fuquan Edwin lead the nation in steals. They won 21 games and played two post season match-ups as the top seed in the NIT. Problems off the court? Zero.

Finally, and I'm certain that I speak for my colleagues at SOJ as well as the entire SOJ community when I say this; congratulations to our seniors, Jordan Theodore, Herb Pope and Peter Dill on all they accomplished on and off the court while at Seton Hall. The time they spent at our beloved alma mater was not devoid of struggle at times, but I defy anyone who knows an ounce about these three young men to say they didn't truly bleed blue; certainly we wish them well moving forward. After the game, Jordan Theodore said, "I wanted to put SHU back on the map and we were able to do that this season...That was one of my goals coming back." Indeed you did, Captain. Once a Pirate, always a Pirate.

As always, Hazard Zet Forward!

Roughly 24 hours from now, your top seeded Seton Hall Pirates will take on UMASS in the second round of the NIT on our beloved campus in cozy Walsh Gym. Roughly 21 hours from now, Pirate Blue will host a pre-game breakfast event at "Stony's" in South Orange Village www.stonysburgers.com

WHERE: Stony's - 10 Sloan Street, South Orange, NJ

WHEN: 8:30AM tomorrow, Saturday March 17th

As you know, tomorrow's game will be nationally televised on ESPN, so you'll need a good breakfast to keep your energy level at a maximum, making Walsh a loud and hostile environment for UMASS.

While the Pirates return to NIT action tomorrow, there's a full slate of basketball today. We invite you to use this post as your NCAA open game thread for today's action.

Both Louisville and Seton Hall put forth a Herculean effort on the defensive end of the floor tonight; no two ways about it. Unfortunately, the Pirates walked away from the Worlds Most Famous Arena for the last time this year on the losing end of a hard fought battle by a score of 61 - 55.

Here's the truth, unless Jeremy Hazell was able to get his visa cleared from Kazakhstan, I don't think Seton Hall had a chance against Louisville's interior defense on this particular night. That's right, that's how good they were. Stifling like. Aaron Cosby was 0-fer from deep, and as we've said ad infinitum, the Pirates live and die by the three. Tonight, sadly, it was the latter, as Seton Hall shot a horrific 3-19 (15%) from three-land.

Nobody shot well tonight; Seton Hall shot just 33% from the field and Louisville, 38%. Since I'm on the topic of defense, lets for a moment speak about the mighty imposing figure that is Gorgui Dieng. Having watched Dieng twice now this year gives me even more cause to balk at the fact that Syracuse's Fab Melo was anointed as the best defensive player in the Big East. Rubbish, I say. Big East leader in blocks, Dieng amassed another 6 and altered countless attempts at the rim (nebulous wording, I realize) that won't show up in the box score; awful impressive.

Herb Pope had a nice night in the stats sheet with 15 boards and 11 points, but making layups continues to be difficult for the big fella to convert. I don't mean to kick a man while he's down, but these are fundamental things a player needs to be able to do if they want to continue at this level. Jordan Theodore played his heart out, per usual, but tonight was not his night. JT had a 1:3 ratio of assists to turnovers (2 assists, 6 turnovers) and he tallied a game high 17 points on 4-11 from the field. On a personal note, it's evident how much Jordan Theodore cares about Seton Hall, and the game of basketball, so on this night I truly feel for him.

What next? We wait. Insufferable waiting until Selection Sunday. Until then, there will be novices and guru's alike, cantankerously speculating on whether or not Seton Hall will receive an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament. These discussions are inevitable, in fact, they have gone on for weeks within the Seton Hall community. However, I'd urge you to consider one thing on the final day of the regular season; this Pirate team amassed 20 wins. TWENTY. There were certainly ups and downs, manic level highs and depressive lows, but I'm awful proud of Coach Willard and this team for what they did on the court, and how they've conducted themselves off the court. Now don't misunderstand me, I have tremendously high expectations for the future of this program, but we must not forget how far this program has come, objectively, in such a short time.

I'm proud to be a Pirate.

HAZARD ZET FORWARD!

The final game of the regular season is nearly here, and that can only mean one thing; the Big East Tournament is right around the corner. While seeding for the BET is still in flux, Pirate Blue most certainly is not, as they have once again assembled a terrific event just steps from the Worlds Most Famous Arena in support of your Seton Hall Pirates.

Pirate Blue Alumni Reception Information -- Open Bar and Hors d'oeuvres

Where: Hudson Station Bar and Grill

When: Tuesday March 6th at 4:30pm

Cost: $40 per person ($50 at the door, but reservations are recommended, as space is limited)

Contact:

(973) 275-6446 or pirateblue@shu.edu

Do to others as you would have them do to you? Oof...

Rutgers avenged their most recent home loss to the Pirates with handing them one of their own. In yet another dramatic twist between these two schools, Rutgers (previously mired in a six game skid, just as the Pirates had been when they visited the RAC two weeks ago ago) beat Seton Hall 77-72 in extra innings at the Prudential Center tonight.

First things first, Seton Hall put on an tremendous Senior Night, sending off Jordan Theodore, Herb Pope and Peter Dill in fashion. Heck, they even sprung for repelling ROTC guys (they literally repelled from the rafters of the Prudential Center with American flag in hand. A tear.) The seats were packed earlier than I've seen since Andre Barrett's Pirates beat the Georgetown Hoyas in the Swamp by 218 points on the little fellas Senior Night in 2004. Outstanding job by the students, as they absolutely packed the student section tonight; excellent show of support.

(Deep breath) The Scarlet Knight defense was perhaps as good as it could have been, but I can't give them all the credit; the Pirates just appeared be flat offensively. Herb Pope again meandered around the perimeter and the Seton Hall offense never really established any semblance of an inside game. This vexes me because Pope still managed to tally 14 points and grab 12 boards. Was this the same team that tattooed #9 Georgetown just hours ago by dominating the paint, whereby opening up the court for Cosby to shoot and Theodore to drive? Jordan Theodore had 17 points and 9 assists (tying Seton Hall's single season record, held by Sunny Sunkett) but shot just 4-14.

I'll say this; Rutgers' future is bright. Their freshman, if developed to potential, will be outstanding players in a few years. For Seton Hall, the engines that have driven their bus (Pope / Theodore) just weren't themselves. They played tight and never got comfortable. Perhaps it was the hype surrounding Senior Night, or perhaps it was the outstanding Rutgers defense. Regardless (or even "irregardless", for those less grammatically inclined), the two seniors were underwhelming, and my guess is they'd be the first to tell you they could have / should have been better. All this being said, Pirates fans should have tremendous faith in these two young men, as they have shown their resiliency time and time again.

Please indulge me for a moment, Pirate fans, and lets all take a collective deep breath. This loss stings, no doubt, but does it mean that the season is over? That NCAA Tournament dreams are no more? Hardly. In this not-so-humble writers opinion, a win at DePaul will put the Pirate ship back on course in time for the Big East Tournament.

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
Winston Churchill

As always, Hazard Zet Forward!

The sold-out Prudential Center will play host to perhaps the most unheralded rivalry in all of college basketball tomorrow as Rutgers visits Seton Hall on senior night. The drama these two teams generate is arguably more sensational than what you'll find at an 80's-themed burlesque show at the exact moment RuPaul pops out of a large "adult" cake. (Too visceral?)

What's at stake: Seton Hall's athletic department can begin calling their travel agent in anticipation of a trip to the NCAA Tournament, while Rutgers can play spoiler (for the moment) to said tournament.

The last time these two teams collided, Seton Hall left Piscataway (for the fifth consecutive time) with a win. To say this game will be highly physical and emotional is more of an understatement than saying that Aquille Carr can dribble. Make no mistake, Seton Hall fans, Mike Rice will have his players jacked up in an effort to steal back some of the pride the Pirates took from them at the RAC just 15 days ago.

The kind folks at "On The Banks" agreed to partake in a Q&A for our respective readers in anticipation of tomorrow night's tilt, so without further ado, here are their responses to my questions (my responses to their questions can be found on their link www.onthebanks.com ):

1) Mike Rice did a tremendous job recruiting this years freshman class; how do you feel he's coached and guided this young and talented group thus far?

I feel he has done a great job. When he needed to get in the young players faces, he did, and when he needed to back off and let the players play their games, he did. I am a huge Rice fan, so I may be a little biased here.

2) Dane Miller has a boat load of ability, but by all accounts, he has colossally underperformed. As a senior next year, do you believe he will finally become the player / leader we figured he'd be? If not, who will step up and provide the leadership it appears Rutgers may be lacking?

Miller seems tentative at times, and at other times he is a complete beast on the floor. It's extremely frustrating to see as a fan/follower of Rutgers basketball, but it's what we've learned to know Dane Miller as. I'm hoping he can put together a complete season next year, and he seems to be inching towards that this season.

3) Baring a miraculous run in the BET this year, what are you looking to see out of Rutgers basketball as they close this season?

I'd like to see Rutgers win out and make a tournament (not THE tournament, of course) but I'm expecting a losing record. I'm looking to see better decision making from the freshmen and more successful inside shots from Biruta.

4) Fat Coco or Fat Darrell?

Fat Darrell.

5) Pirates fans aren't going to like losing Herb Pope to graduation, especially with Wally Judge suiting up against them, twice, next season. Any word on how he's been in practice? What should Pirates fans expect to see next year out of him / Rutgers?

I'm not so sure about Judge, sorry, but I do know he's expected to contribute heavily. Rutgers should be an above .500 team overall next season, and I'd say a NIT team in the long run. Much better big east record, too.

6) George H. W. Bush was President of these United States of America the last time Rutgers was in the NCAA Tournament (1991). Is next year the year the Scarlet Knight rides in on his Scarlet Horse to do some Scarlet dancin'?

Ouch, don't remind me. I'd be shocked if Rutgers doesn't make the tourney within Mack/Carter/Seagears/etc's four years at the school. I'll go bold and predict they make the tournament in 2 years, when the group are juniors.

7) Prediction on Saturday's game? What's the final score?

I think an angry Rutgers team with revenge and frustration on the minds comes back after getting down early and beats Seton Hall in an OT thriller 64-60.

Our thanks to Brandon and Dave at "On the Banks" for participating in the Q&A with us.

As always, and especially to our seniors, Jordan Theodore, Herb Pope and Peter Dill -- HAZARD ZET FORWARD!

St. Johns is red,

The Pirates are blue,

This was a bloody blowout,

(awkward silence).

St. John's left the Prudential Center tonight more heartbroken than a 12 year old boy getting dumped for the first time... on his birthday; but I mustn't make this about me. The Pirates absolutely drubbed the Red Storm 94 - 64 on Marvin Gaye's favorite holiday. The outcome of this game was purely academic by halftime, as the Pirates were up a dozen and had more momentum than a grammar school kid sprinting down the street with an over sized backpack.

Seton Hall began the game doing, well, essentially everything right. Just like a successful relationship (for which I have absolutely no frame of reference) the Pirates displayed tremendous balance and couldn't have possibly been less selfish with the ball. Seton Hall occupied the stat sheet (good God, I've been waiting to use "occupy the..." forever), as their scoring distribution was stellar. They shot 63% from the field and from beyond the arc (I'll wait a moment for you to marinate in that). In limited minutes, due to said blowout, Herb Pope had another double-double (yawn). Jordan Theodore again went to work and had 16 points and 10 assists, again, in limited minutes. Brandon Mobley continues to improve, as the talented freshman scored 14 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. Freshman Haralds Karlis continues to develop into a legitimate threat as he shot 5 for 6, tallying 13 points. But finally, lets get to Patrik Auda, mmk? No two ways about it, Auda's taken his lumps from the media for not developing into the player everyone had expected; after all, he had just excelled in the World Games this past summer. Tonight, however, was a different story. Auda's stat line doesn't accurately portray how good he was tonight, but lets just say he messed around and had himself a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 boards.

Tonight was one of those rare occasions where I could literally speak, at length, about every player on the roster. I won't, but it's critical that I note how impressive the Seton Hall freshman were. With 11 minutes left in the first half, Kevin Willard put four freshman and one sophomore on the floor. I Tweeted during the game that if you think Willard didn't challenge them by talking about the highly touted St. John's freshman for motivation, you need to go to motivation school. The inverse proportion can be said about the Seton Hall freshman class in terms of recruiting-rank prowess; however, tonight they played with poise, tenacity and within the game plan. Tremendous job by the coaching staff and players alike.

The Pirates have now won three games in a row, pushing their win total to 18 (7-7 in conference) with 4 games to play prior to the Big East Tournament. Translation: Seton Hall is very much alive, Pirate Nation.

Finally, with blowout in full effect, chants of "Pe-ter Dill!" began...with 10:00 left in the second half. Dill checked in with 1:57 left, and sweet mother of mercy, he had 2 assists within seconds of each other. Great moment. I've gotten to know Peter fairly well and I can say that he is, unequivocally, one of the nicest guys I've ever met. The guy you see doing "The Hammer" on ESPN is the real Dill - that's who Pete is. I can only imagine that tonight, in particular, his cup will runneth-over with unobjectionable college girls (a resounding high-five, buddy).

As always, Hazard Zet Forward, my friends!

In the latest edition of the "Must Win" saga, Seton Hall grinded out one of the more memorable victories at the Prudential Center this year, topping the Pittsburg Panthers 73-66. The Pirates took their fans on an emotional journey; they looked outstanding, then lethargic, then energized (lather, wash, repeat). That said, make no mistake Pirate fans, Seton Hall showed a refuse-to-lose mentality this afternoon... welcome back, old friend.

Herb Pope turned in another double double with 19 points and 14 boards. He missed a few bunnies too, so those gaudy numbers could certainly have been even fatter. Additionally, Pope hit 4 huge free throws in succession to put the game out of reach in the waning seconds of the game. Equally, if not more important, was Jordan Theodore's effort. The "General" seems to have returned to form, as he tallied 15 points, 9 assists and just 1 turnover. At long last, there appears to have been a confluence of sorts between JT and Aaron Cosby, as Cosby converted on a number of dishes from Theodore, matching Pope's 19 points - good for a team high. Perhaps the late 3 at the RAC gave the freshman a much needed confidence boost? Some of Cosby's 3's were from Hazelian depth (you could literally see the gel in Pitt Coach Jamie Dixon's hair bubbling he was so burned up about Cosby getting those looks. Seriously. Bubbling). Uh, look (Obama); when the Pirates shoot a good percentage from deep, they win games. We've said it all year - this team lives and dies by the three, and today they shot 10 - 23 (5 of which were Cosby's).

I generally don't highlight opposing team individual performances unless they are meritorious, so today I must mention Pittsburg's Ashton Gibbs. At one point in the second half, he just couldn't miss. He scored a game high 26 points including 15 of the final 19 Pittsburg points. As a fan of the game of basketball, it's a treat to watch Gibbs go to work; I just can't imagine how frustrating this season must be for him.

Blue-chip SHU (verbal) commit Aquille Carr was sitting directly behind the Seton Hall bench for today's game. The student section, although sparse, welcomed Carr by chanting his name. Carr didn't disappoint, as he acknowledged the exuberant crowd with a wave and an ear-to-ear smile. There are no two ways about it, Carr was pumped to be there - great to see his energy even if he won't don a Pirate uniform until 2013. I tweeted a picture of his attire, by the way... a Seton Hall hoodie that said "Crime Stopper". Well done, well done indeed. Again, welcome to Seton Hall, Aquille.

With today's win, Seton Hall has now amassed 17 total wins (6 in the Big East) with a minimum of 6 games left before the post-season officially begins (note that I didn't say any 3 or 4 letter acronyms). "So you're sayin' I have a chance...?"

Finally, noticeably missing from the Seton Hall bench was freshman guard Sean Grennan. Our understanding is that there was a death in the Grennan family; certainly our thoughts and prayers are with Sean and his family.

As always, Hazard Zet Forward.

First, let's start with the good....(uncomfortable and elongated pause filled with deafening silence)...

And now, for the bad:

It can't be overstated how different this Seton Hall team is without Herb Pope. Clearly we knew that would be the case heading into this tilt, as the offense runs through the big fella, but now we've actually seen it. It was as objectionable as having bright bar lights turned up at "last call", only to realize you've mistakenly been smitten with... well... you know the rest.

In a battle of the losing streaks (UCONN had lost 4 in a row, SHU 5), Seton Hall, again, was unable to get going offensively, as the Pirates lost their 6th in a row by a final of 69 - 46. At the break, Seton Hall managed to tally a whopping 17 points; aggregate. To put that in context, UConn's Boatright and Lamb had a total of 19 and 17 points respectively for a team previously mired in an offensive funk. The prescription for the Huskies? Play a Herb Pope-less Seton Hall team (and sure, more cowbell too). Speaking of Boatright, he had an absolutely filthy one-on-one dribble-drive to the hoop that had poor Freddie Wilson jumping out of his shoes. As a basketball fan, that was the highlight of the game - much to my chagrin, a Seton Hall player got posterized.

With Herb Pope sidelined, I really thought Patrik Auda had the chance to play with house money, so to speak, and get back on track offensively. Fail. Epic fail. Auda went 0-3 from the field with 3 boards, 1 assist, 5 personal fouls (3 with eight minutes left in the first half!) and roughly zero points, give or take a standard deviation of zero. This doesn't all fall on Auda, however, as this was a collaborative crash-into-the-mountain effort. The Pirates took 23 three-point attempts and netted just 5 for an anemic 21%. Going into this game sans Pope, I figured it would be a launch 'n pray campaign and, to be frank, had Haralds Karlis not gone 1-8 from deep, this game could have been a lot closer. In fact, of the 8 total three-point attempts by Karlis, 5 shots were clean looks. It's difficult to get too down on him due to his reduced role since Big East play commenced, but the reality is that you must shoot a minimum of 30% if you're firing at such high volume from deep.

Finally, and there's really no need to belabor this point, but Jordan Theodore and Shabazz Napier got into it with roughly 3 1/2 minutes remaining in a game that was purely academic at that point. Good hard play but certainly some frustration from JT and a bit of taunting from Napier. However, Coach Willard got T'd up and tossed subsequent to that skirmish. I'm not certain what the definitive reason was (verbal lashing directed at the officials, I presume?) for the ejection but one thing is for certain, there will be fallout from this. Post game, Coach Willard was quoted as saying, "I'm the only coach that has white guys who can't shoot." On a myriad of levels, I take issue with this statement. I find it offensive, degrading and not in the least bit humorous or constructive. I'm fairly certain I can speak for the Seton Hall Basketball community when I say that I'm just as frustrated and disappointed with this 6 game skid and the 180 degree turn this season has taken as the next fan, but we must hold ourselves to a higher standard in dealing with these adverse times. We represent an institution of higher education, and Coach Willard's statement is the inverse of an educated one, and one that is antithetical to any didactic practice, progressive or otherwise.

As always, and perhaps more than ever this season, HAZARD ZET FORWARD!

The Seton Hall Pirates, mired in mediocrity their previous two games, came out tonight... worse, far worse. First, let's give credit where credit is due; Mike Brey's team (now just 2-8 away from South Bend) burned the clock effectively in their offensive end and disrupted the Pirates offense (or, whatever you'd like to call that display) to no end. Seton Hall shot an abysmal 26% from the field.

I don't mean to go all French Lit. on you, but (I will) Victor Hugo's famous character from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is Quasimodo; the Latin words "quasi" and "modo" mean "almost" and "the standard measure" respectively. Essentially, this means that Quasi, (loopy mug, though he may be) is "almost the standard measure" of a human person. Tonight, Herb Pope and Jordan Theodore did not meet this minimum requirement (as players / leaders) going a combined 6-28 from the field. JT had 1 assist and 5 turnovers; essentially the inverse of his season numbers. Not to be outdone, Pope went just 2-16 on the night and was one of three Pirates to foul out (Edwin and Auda the others). Edwin, however, added another 3 steals and 12 boards but managed just 7 points.

Roughly 8 minutes through the first half of the game, the score was 4-2. Please allow me to repeat; FOUR. TO. TWO. I played hockey for Seton Hall and had higher scores though equivalent time elapses. I get it, Brey is a master of the "burn" system (eating the clock), but Notre Dame had similar shooting woes early on, then made adjustments. Seton Hall? Not so much. I'm mostly vexed because Seton Hall had exactly one week in which to prepare for this game. Instead of coming out sharp and fresh, they mirrored the same Seton Hall team who played St. Francis (NY) in the first game of the season. Sloppy, tentative, scattered, undisciplined and devoid of urgency and direction. Especially after the loss to Villanova (not to mention the USF loss preceding the 'Nova loss) I simply don't see how a team with such ability can come out that flat against an objectively mediocre Big East team, and on their home court taboot! Serenity Now.

The most interesting personal effort out of Seton Hall (to me) came from Brandon Mobley. Logging just 15 minutes off the bench, Mobley still managed to tally 5 offensive boards (7 total), 2 steals and two assists (he should have had more assists, but it appears that Seton Hall was shooting into a circus hoop, on both ends of the floor, up hill, in the snow.)

I'd also like to mention one more player: Patrick Auda. I saw 3-5 good looks from beyond the arc he could have taken, but he pumped, cut, and dished in traffic, resulted in precisely zero points. At some point, Auda is going to need to shoot the rock from deep and keep defenders honest. I've heard from players, coaches, administrators and scouts that he can really shoot it. This must become a part of his game.

Next up for the Pirates this Saturday evening is Kevin Wilards mentor, Rick Pitino (please wear a white suit, please wear a white suit, please wear a white suit), and his erratic Louisville Cardinals who bested Villanova tonight. Saturday is a "milestone birthday" for me, so the idea of taking the NJ Transit train back to NYC without a win is simply unthinkable. We are now in "must win" territory, as the amount of home games has dwindled along with January days. There is only one full month until March --- and that's where I will stop, because further discussions, at this point, would simply be preposterous.

As an aside, I still remember, vividly, Jeremy Hazell's freshman year when he dropped bombs at the Rock all the way from gate 26B at Newark Airport the entire second half against Louisville. Sweet mother of mercy, that was a thing of beauty. Lets hope that this team can draw from that experience and develop the same fearless confidence (sans bad shot selection) and return to the form they had in beating teams like, oh, I dunno, UConn, WVA, Dayton, St. Joe's and VCU to name a few.

Does this team have the ability to do great things? Yes, I still believe they do. Will they? .................

As always, HAZARD ZET FORWARD, my friends.

My initial intention for this story was to grade each of our freshman regarding their performance as a Pirate thus far, but instead, I decided to go all Brown University on them… and not (Brown doesn't give traditional grades of A, B, C, etc.). After recapping each individual player’s development, it just didn’t seem to make sense at this point in the season to provide such an assessment; too incomplete and subjective a sample and not to mention, woefully unoriginal. That said, I have observed a multitude of development with each player since they initially arrived in South Orange (with clear variances between players), so perhaps I’ll write another piece at the conclusion of this season when there is more of a complete body of work from which to evaluate.

So, let’s get to it, mmk?

Aaron Cosby - Guard - After losing the third most prolific scorer in Seton Hall Basketball history to graduation last year, I would have never envisioned that a freshman shooting guard would come right in and make me forget(ish) about said scorer. Jeremy Hazell was awfully fun to watch, wasn’t he? He used to drill three’s from Nutley and could, on any given night, drop 40. True story. Sadly, the result often ended up on the wrong side of the Win / Loss column. As an aside, after seeing exponential improvement in both Jordan Theodore and Herb Pope, it makes me wonder what type of player Hazell may have evolved into under the tutelage of Head Coach Kevin Willard and staff - neither here nor there, I suppose.

Cosby has started all 17 of the Pirates’ games and is averaging 30.5 minutes per game. He really has a sweet stroke from behind the arc (giggity), and his elevation and quick release is impressive for a freshman. He reminds me a little of Brian Laing with a better / higher release point without the sky-high elevation. His shooting percentage has improved over the last several games, and he’s shooting 42% from deep but just 40% from the field; clearly a 3-point shooter thus far (Fuquan Edwin leads the Pirates in 3-point shooting percentage, shooting 45%). Much like fellow freshman Brandon Mobley, Aaron Cosby stepped up in a big way against then #8 UConn drilling 4 of 7 three-point attempts, tallying 12 points and dishing out 3 assists (both numbers higher than his season average of 8.4 and 2.5 respectively. Clutch.) It’s fairly common to see freshman hit the proverbial "wall" with high minutes played, but I’m certain that Coach Willard et .al are acutely aware of this. In fact, Cosby has dropped from 1st to 4th on the team in terms of minutes played since mid-December; shrewd adjustment, and one likely to pay dividends come mid-February and March. Love me some fresh shooting guard legs down the stretch.

Record: 13-2

RPI: 3

SOS: 5

Kenpom: 38

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Fuquan Edwin:
1st in the nation in steals (total of 44, averaging roughly 3.1 steals per game)

Jordan Theodore:
6th in the nation in assists (roughly 7 per game)
15th in the nation in assist turnover ratio (roughly 2.88)
12th in the Big East in scoring (roughly 16 points per game)

Honestly, if someone has a rational explination as to why Jordan Theodore was omitted from the 60 or so candidates in the country for the Bob Cousy Award (given to the premier point guard in the nation) I'd love to hear it. Oh, and his team has beaten #8 UConn, West Virginia, VCU, St. Joe's, Auburn, Wake Forest and at Dayton to name a few; and it's only January 5th. Granted, the candidates were named prior to Seton Hall trouncing WVU and UConn, but even those games aside I think there was enough evidence that JT belongs on that list (if I'm being a homer, call me out).

Herb "Who's that?" Pope:
12th in the nation in rebounds (roughly 10.9 per game)
4th in the nation in double doubles (tied with 7 other players with 8)
45th in the nation in points (roughly 18.6 per game and the difference between 45th place and 22nd place is 1 point per game)

The above statistics are objective and measurable reasons as to why the Pirates have been successful this year, but there is also another reason; intangibles. At the risk of sounding horribly cliche (too late?), you simply can't attain the aforementioned gaudy numbers without hunger, drive and leadership. I just threw up in my mouth a little bit as I wrote "hunger, drive, and..." but it's the truth, even if I sound like I'm writing a cheesy TV-ad for a Canadian cereal commercial -- but enough aboot that.

Last year, we saw our cross-river rival Scarlet Knights take it to us 2 out of 3 times (BLAST!), and yet they fielded the shortest and least talented bench I've seen in many, many moons. So why did they have any of the success they did? Because of the senior leadership of both Jonathan Mitchell and Mike Coburn. Surely Kevin Willard, Shaheen Halloway and the rest of the Seton Hall staff should get a boat-load of credit for working with these guys in an effort to maximize their potential, but I've also witnessed critical personal development in our players, and as student-athletes, that's what I'm perhaps the most proud of this year. I'm proud of the way this team conducts itself on and off the court. I'm proud to be an alumnus.

All things considered, not bad for the team that was picked to finish 13th out of 16 Big East teams.

Over at our UConn counterpart, http://www.theuconnblog.com/ Andrew Porter invited us to partake in a Q&A in anticipation of the UConn / SHU tilt tonight. Additionally, you'll find my response to their questions on their page, should you be interested in venturing over to their site. So, without further ado, here are the questions we asked along with his responses:

1. With Kemba gone, who is your team leader?
If you're looking for a vocal leader and floor general type the answer is point guard and co-captain Shabazz Napier. It's not really accurate to just list one leader though, Kemba was the heart and soul of last year's team and he's irreplaceable, along with Napier, Jeremy Lamb has also stepped into Kemba's shoes -- not vocally -- but on the court he's the new go-to scorer and the one opposing defenses have to key on.

2. Tempo of the UCONN offense, what are they running as their base defense?
UConn is at its best when they're running and it can seem like they're able to score in transition with little to no effort. However, they have had problems trying to run a halfcourt offense (they often seem to have only two plays: an alley-oop to Andre Drummond or a contested three). It feels like they get out to a big lead, decide to slow the pace down and immediately let the other team back into the game.

The Huskies play almost exclusively man-to-man and try to use their height and length to smother opponents. They'll occasionally press, but they don't have enough backcourt depth to do it consistently.

3. SHU's Herb Pope has been a monster on the boards and fillin' it up, who will draw Pope assignment?
Pope will be covered by Drummond, who made a bit of news today when he said he didn't know who Pope was. The beat writers covering the team seem to think that comment was meant innocently, but I'm sure Pope will try to leave an impression. Still, he'll have his hands full. Drummond is a 6'11", 275 lb. freak of nature, who is going to be one of, if not the top pick in next year's NBA draft. He's good on the boards, can score at will, has developed a nice taste for shot blocking and dunks like he's trying to take the rim off the basket.

Pope will be by far the best opponent he's faced, so I'm interested to see the matchup between Drummond's raw physicality and Pope's experience.

4. How many players are in the Huskies rotation?
Eight or nine, but it's a little tougher than usual to answer that question since, sophomore forward Roscoe Smith has a hurt wrist. He's expected to play, but he won't get starters minutes and there is a good chance German import Niels Giffey will see decent court time as a result. There is a lot of front court depth -- Drummond will be paired with both of Tyler Olander and Alex Oriakhi, and Smith and DeAndre Daniels split minutes at the wing. UConn only uses three guards, Napier, Lamb and Boatright, but they often all play at the same time, and when they do UConn's offense might be at its best.

5. Prediction on outcome?

I'm very nervous about this game. The Huskies have been without Jim Calhoun for more than a week now, and while associate head coach George Blaney is a fine substitute, the extended absence doesn't make me feel comfortable. More than that though, I worry because UConn has a lot of very young talent. The three freshman in the rotation will be playing in their second-ever road game (and the first one was at South Florida, so it hardly counts). They also make the type of mistakes you'd expect a young team to make -- they let opponents hang around for too long, have low-intensity stretches and make some poor decisions -- and I worry that the senior leadership of Seton Hall might be able to capitalize on that.

In the end I think UConn's talent probably pulls it out, but it'll be close and I would not be surprised to see the Pirates pull the upset. I'll guess at a 72-67 score, and note that the higher scoring the game is, the better it bodes for UConn.

I detest the term "must win". I really do. But to say that tonight's game wasn't a "must win" may not exactly be correct either. Tonights 67 - 48 drubbing of the never-dapper Bob Huggins' West Virginia Mountineers was a statement win for the Pirates, and one they desperately needed to make.

JP mentioned earlier how this game would be a real litmus test for Seton Hall and I couldn't have agreed more. Lose on your home court in a critical and early conference game, and the resolve of the team might not be what we thought / hoped it was. Win, and the Pirates still might really have somethin' special here this season. Thankfully, we're able to discuss the latter.

A few nights ago, the Pirates really got it handed to them at the hands of #1 Syracuse; embarrassing like. Sure, I was upset with the loss, but I was more distraught that our 11-1 (at the time) Pirates appeared to be apathetic in their play against the #1 team in the nation. So, how did they respond to that debacle tonight on national television? With energy and intensity; and a tremendous amount of both to boot. Seton Hall's zone defense was simply outstanding. Granted, the open looks WVA had in the first half mostly rimmed in and out, but the limited amount of good looks the Seton Hall defense allowed was impressive. For a team that's averaging roughly 78 points per game, the Mountaineers failed to hang 50 points on the Pirates. I realize this stat is somewhat conveluted, as their out-of-conference schedule doesn't carry the same collective SOS (strength of schedule) that the Big East grind does; however, WVA scored 83 points on (hapless) Villanova last week, and aside from tonight, their lowest points output all season was 60. What does all of my yapping mean? Our defense was very, very effective. Hats off to Kevin Willard and his coaching staff for readying their team. I spoke with Athletic Director Pat Lyons just prior to tip, and he was oozing energy and excitement for tonight's game. He said, "Man, I want this game. Our guys are really ready to play tonight. I can't wait. Tonight is big."

By all accounts, tonight was big, as Seton Hall held a 16 point lead at halftime leading 38 - 22. In fact, WVA didn't get closer than 8 points for the rest of the night. Kevin Jones lead the way for The Mountaineers with 15 points and 10 rebounds but West Virginia was held scoreless for the final 6 1/2 minutes and shot a miserable 32% from the field (17 - 53 shooting).

Fuquan "which one of y'all kicked me" Edwin continues his deft Jason Borne like assassination of the stat sheet. The nations leader in steals "quietly" went for 19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists, 1 block and a partridge in a pear tree. The kid is a stud and is perhaps the least heralded impact player in the Big East.

I also can't overemphasize how critical Aaron Cosby is to the success of this Pirate team. His contributions often go overlooked due to names like Herb Pope and Jordan Theodore, but the freshman consistently displays quiet confidence and, more importantly, results. His stat line of 9 points and 9 rebounds (2 of 5 from deep) is outstanding - he really doesn't throw up an ill advised shot. My effusive praise is warranted; it's going to be a real pleasure watching his development over the next 3 1/2 seasons.

Finally, a lot of coaches decide to leave their starters in at the end of blow-out games in an effort to tighten up the final score so it looks a bit more respectable on the ESPN ticker. Certainly Coach Willard had an opportunity to do that in Syracuse about 48 hours ago, but he made the decision to give his bench some experience in a hostile environment while also resting his starters. This approach appears to have payed significant dividends, as we saw some pretty fresh legs out there for the entire game tonight. Great call, Coach. My last post outlined that Seton Hall has the lowest bench contribution in terms of minutes played per game at only 6.6 (five Big East teams were compared), so it is of paramount importance for Coach Willard to find time to appropriately rest his starters - especially with the quick turnaround Seton Hall was facing. Oh, and Jordan Theodore's numbers tonight? 18 points, 8 assists, and ZERO turnovers... no big whoop.

Waiting in the wings on Tuesday are the 11-1 (1-0) Calhoun-less UCONN Huskies, ranked #9 in the nation. It's been said a number of times already, but the Pirates' first three Big East games are a brutal stretch. Splitting with Syracuse and West Virginia is not an easy task, so the Pirates should be playing with well founded confidence going into Tuesday's tilt with last years NCAA Champions.

Much more to come tomorrow with JP's 5 thoughts.

As always, HAZARD ZET!

For the past week or so, I've spent a fair amount of time thinking about our team and the overall direction of the program. I figured I'd write down a few of these thoughts in the hope of generating a bit of dialogue within the SOJ community since this has largely been an uneventful week on The Juice.

Well, this one certainly wasn't a van Gogh, but the Pirates didn't cut off their ear to spite their record, as they pulled out the "W" to move to 8-1 on their 2011 campaign.

"Ned Ryerson?" Like death and taxes, and like Gonzo saying "like death and taxes," Herb Pope had another double double (yawn). The senior had his way with the Deacons, dropping 26 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. I'm not really sure how to say this folks, but Herb Pope is kind of a big deal. The numbers just don't lie; the man is an absolute nightmare for the opposition. What impressed me the most is how he played with two early fouls. He was careful, yet unyielding with his game. In years past, he would have fouled out. Excellent job by Kevin Willard for effectively managing Pope's minutes and position defence. As an aside, it amazes me how casual the Aliquippa native seems to be while steamrolling through whatever competition is placed in front of him. Make no mistake, he takes his job seriously and has tremendous pride in what he does, but the ease and efficiency with which he dominates is an art and can not be taught.

Balance: Again, tonight was not the Pirates' best, but they found a way to win. How? It was a balanced effort by the starters. The Captain, Jordan Theodore, had a relatively quiet 14 points and 4 assists on the eve of his birthday (more on this below). Fuquan Edwin had 14 points and 6 boards in a game I think he'd likely tell you he should have played better / score more. Patrik Auda had a hard fought 8 points and 5 boards and I feel that he's really close to breaking out and becoming a legitimate go-to play maker.

In stark contrast, however, the bench only contributed a total of 3 points on a deep bucket from Freddy Wilson (Karlis also grabbed 4 boards). We've spoken at length about the lack of depth on the bench and how critical it is that the Pirates stay healthy and as well rested as possible in anticipation of the grueling Big East schedule; this continues to be the biggest threat to this team at this point. That said, the bench logged a very important 37 total minutes, spelling Pope, Theodore and Co. While their offensive production didn't show up on the stat sheet, the minutes played is important to their development. I think it's important to note a quote Jerry Carino reported after the game from Kevin Willard in which he said, "...these guys are 19, 20-year old kids. If they’re getting worn down playing 32 minutes then they can never play in the NBA." It doesn't appear that Willard is overly concerned about Theodore and Pope logging as many minutes as they have been.

Sophmore Travis McKie lead the way for Wake Forest with 17 points and 7 boards. This is a very young Wake Forest team, and while I'm sure they are en route to becoming a better team overall, tonight they were just bad (they played significantly better in the second half with a clear game plan of driving to the hoop which was much more successful in the second frame). I could probably lull you to sleep writing about the similarities I saw with Wake Forest and Auburn, but I'd rather have a root canal than make my fingers type that. Lets just say that Seton Hall did what they should have done, and that was not open the door for an inferior opponent to jeopardize a home court victory. Period.

On a final note, I'd like to wish a very happy birthday to the Seton Hall Captain, Jordan "The General" Theodore. The student section really came through, as they sang a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday". I'm not sure if he heard it, but it certainly was audible to most in attendance. Well done indeed, students.

Much more analysis to come tomorrow with JP's 5 thoughts.

The kind folks at "Blogger So Dear" (Wake Forest's counterpart to SOJ) invited us to partake in a Q&A, and of course, we were thrilled to participate. Neither team of writers were very familiar with the opposing teams, so naturally we wanted to gain further insight and pass it along to our readers. Take a look at their link, as I answered questions they had, and I'm fairly certain dialogue will continue at: www.BloggerSoDear.com

Later today or tomorrow morning, JP will be posting a preview of the game, so, much more info to come.

1. Who is your best scorer and best rebounder?

Well the scoring has been done mostly by the two-headed monster of Travis McKie and CJ Harris. They are each averaging over 18 points apiece. Harris is a typical scorer that can fill it up from deep, has a good mid-range jumper, and create his shot to get to the free throw line as well. McKie relies more on being at the right place at the right time to get easy baskets inside. He has improved his shooting a great bit since last year, and I think if he can continue to improve even more then he will be a big threat in the next 2 ½ years. Chase Fischer is another guy to watch out for because he can shoot the 3 ball extremely well. He was a Parade All-American last year playing his high school ball in West Virginia. I’m eager to see the scoring matchup between Cosby and Fischer.
Our best rebounder is without a doubt Travis McKie. We have two 7 footers in Carson Desrosiers and Ty Walker, but they have been lacking in hitting the boards thus far in their career here. Rebounding (offensive especially) has been pretty terrible for us, and I’m very concerned about what Pope is going to do to us.

2. Tempo of the Wake Forest offense, what are they running as their base defense?

So far we have been pretty quick on offense. Coach Jeff Bzdelik likes to get out in transition when possible and run with the team. When we are in a half-court set we use a motion offense and get all 5 guys moving around the perimeter throughout any given possession. Desrosiers is one of the best passers on the team and he creates matchup problems when he pulls his man out of the paint.
Our defense is usually man to man, but we throw in a matchup 2-3 zone in there from time to time. I would guess against you guys that we play a lot of zone to try to slow down the penetrating ability of Theodore. There is also not a good matchup for us to cover Pope, so the 2-3 will hopefully work to slow him down a little bit. I am worried that if we do go to the zone D y’all will start hitting the 3’s with Cosby and Edwin. Our rotations have been a little slow at times this year, and that is a cause for concern.

3. SHU's Herb Pope has been a monster on the boards and fillin' it up, who will draw Pope assignment?

Make no qualms about it, Pope is one of the most talented players that we will face all year. I mean that, and I don’t see how we are going to keep him under 20 points barring a minor miracle. We get Ty Walker back for his first game of the year, so his blocking ability may help when Pope goes down low. I expect us to zone the Seton Hall offense a lot because of the matchup issue there, but when we go into a man-to-man it has to be McKie that will cover him in all likelihood. The versatility of Pope is extremely difficult to defend. When he gets the ball in the post we will have to double team with Nikita Mescheriakov/Walker/Desrosiers, or we have no chance.

4. How many players are in the Deacons rotation?

Tricky question at the moment actually. We usually have 8 players in the rotation (Chennault, Harris, McKie, Desrosiers, Fischer, Fields, Green, and Mescheriakov), but Green has an unknown ailment that will likely prevent him from playing in the game tomorrow night. The good news for Wake Forest fans is that we get Ty Walker back from a fall semester suspension due to violations of team rules. I expect Walker to get 12-15 minutes out of necessity. That is a fairly long winded answer, but to boil it down, the number is 8.

5. Prediction on outcome?

Hard to say for me because I have only seen Seton Hall play two games this year (NW and Auburn). Herb Pope is an absolute beast and will wreak havoc against us. I am also nervous about our ability to step out and defend the ball. We are coming off of an 87-83 win on the road @ High Point in front of a record setting crowd. We shot the ball really well, but couldn’t defend at all. If that trend keeps up then I expect this game to be a little higher than people may think.
I’ll go ahead and say Seton Hall-81 Wake-67. I’m guessing that Pope and Theodore lead the experienced Pirates to victory over our younger team. I just want to see a great effort from our guys and continued improvement. Along with, as always, no injuries for both teams.

It’s been a pleasure taking the time to chat with your blog, and I wish you guys the best of luck tomorrow night, as well as the rest of the season!

It's not very often that we can all agree on stories and topics posted on this site, so savor the moment, folks...

Last night, Pirate Blue hosted a young alumni happy hour event in the Lower East Side of Manhattan at the very swanky Gallery Bar, and it was a tremendous success. I had the opportunity to meet a number of new supporters, mingle with familiar friends, and speak with Athletic Director Pat Lyons and Head Coaches Kevin Willard and Anne Donovan. Overall, outstanding job by Pirate Blue and the Director, Bryan Felt, in particular. In fact, there was even live music by musician extraordinaire Jon Barbieri "Rheyne" http://www.youtube.com/user/RheyneMusic?blend=7&ob=5 , also an alumnus.

The very approachable Jerry Walker was also there in support of his alma mater as well as his charity,"Team Walker" in the form of a toy drive. If you haven't had the chance to say hello to Jerry, I highly advise it, as he is one of the most genuine guys you'll meet. And now, after almost 19 years, Walker is able to laugh(ish) at the irony of having the son of Coach Ralph Willard (the same coach who, at Western Kentucky, knocked his Pirates out of the NCAA Tournament in 1993) in the drivers seat of his alma mater (remember, I said "ish").

At the risk of sounding terribly cliché, I not sure I can adequately convey what breaths of fresh air Pat Lyons and Head Coaches Kevin Willard and Anne Donovan have infused into the Seton Hall Basketball program. I have no interest in bashing, or even writing about, previous coaches and styles; but what I will say is that I truly believe our program is headed in the right direction with the aforementioned individuals at the helm.

I spoke, at length, with Pat Lyons who graciously invited me to a practice; in fact, he seemed downright giddy about it. He explained that through six games we "haven't seen even close to what our freshman can do. Sure, we are 5-1, but they haven't shown the fans nearly what they can do. I can't wait for you to see them in practice." Of course, there must be an allowance for the adjustment that, invariably, first year student-athletes go through, but Lyons was very direct in saying that what I will see in practice will, "astound" me. My response was simple, "Um; twist my arm? Let’s put it on the calendar." Lyons went on to describe the focus and dedication this team has displayed, and that they've really adopted the same drive and intensity of their Coach.

Coach Willard, however, was a little less forthcoming in divulging his thoughts about the team. Uh, look (Obama), I'm not one to shy away from 1am trips to Atlantic City for a fix of no limit hold'em, but I certainly wouldn't want to play poker at Kevin Willard's table. He plays his cards close to his chest while also engaging you in meaningful conversation; I admire and respect that - it's an art. I've spoken recently with a few friends about his "even keel" and "quiet intensity" and that really rings true when speaking with him. I asked Coach Willard if there was one thing he'd like to communicate to the Seton Hall fan base and he said, in a very thoughtful and adroit way, "Support. Come out to games, come out to events, just get involved in any way you can." Succinct yet comprehensive words that stuck with me through the night.

Finally, Seton Hall collides with SEC member Auburn (4-0) this Friday at 9pm at the ROCK. While Auburn boasts a spotless record thus far, their opponents have a combined 4-16 record on the year (yikes!). Seton Hall will be, by far, the most talented team to face the Tigers this year so this should really be a fun match up. This is also the first road game for the Tigers, so with a large fan turnout, Seton Hall really has an opportunity to create a loud environment worthy of a true 6th man!

See you Friday, and as always, Hazard Zet Forward!

Athletic Director Pat Lyons, Head Coach Kevin Willard, Head Coach Anne Donovan and Director of Pirate Blue, Bryan Felt (and many, many others) have worked tirelessly in an effort to engage the Seton Hall alumni and fan base over the past year and a half or so. Your next opportunity to show support for the SHU basketball program is this Tuesday evening at Gallery Bar on the Lower East Side of NYC (details below). 

I live in New York City and can't step foot outside of my apartment without shelling out $20 for something; but on Tuesday night, you'll have the opportunity to meet with the leaders of our program while consuming tasty libations for two hours for only $20 (or $10 with an unwrapped toy in support of  the "Team Walker Toy Drive"). This is one of those infrequent win-win NYC moments. Relish it. 

We hope to see you out!

Pirate Blue Young Alumni Happy Hour!

Tuesday, November 29
The Gallery Bar120 Orchard Street New York, NY 10002
7:00 P.M. – 9:00 P.M. 

Join fellow recent graduates to celebrate the 2011-2012 basketball season in Seton Hall style with:

Athletic Director, Pat Lyons, Men’s Head Basketball Coach, Kevin Willard and Women’s Head Coach, Anne Donovan 

$10 per person with an unwrapped gift for the Team Walker Toy Drive $20 w/o a toyIncludes full open beer and hors d’ oeuvres 

R.S.V.P. Required – Please respond by Wednesday, November 23rd

Contact the Pirate Blue office at 973-275-6447 or pirateblue@shu.edu to reserve your spot today.

Presented by the Pirate Blue Athletic Fund and Young Alumni Club

Before I recap tonight's tilt, I'd like to take a moment to thank the kind folks at SOJ for having me as a guest writer. I've admired their tireless efforts and quality outputs for a long time, and I'm thrilled to now be a small part of it. There, I said it, now please allow me a moment while I grab a ShamWow to wipe my tears away due to my effusive prose...

...and; I'm back. 

Seton Hall defeated St. Peter's 63-54 Saturday night at The ROCK.  In the second half, Seton Hall gritted it out and played well enough to grab the W, improving to 5-1 on the season. With this win, Seton Hall now moves to 60-23 all time against The Peacocks, who fall to 1-4 on the season. The first half, frankly, was dreadful. With 5:55 left in the half, SHU had 11 points (to St. Peters' 20). Perhaps it was the tryptophan from the Thanksgiving turkey, or that Seton Hall was simply "unable to get up" for a team they have historically owned; regardless, nothing was working for the Pirates in the first frame. Interior play by Seton Hall was essentially nonexistent, as Pope seemed to hover around the 3-point line. Where was the JT-Pope inside-out play I expected to see? 

Perimeter defense continues to be a problem for the Pirates; a major problem. After switching to zone, however, the Seton Hall defense looked more energized and was much more effective. Granted, that was helped by poor three point shooting by the Peacocks who shot a dismal 2-13, good for 15% on the night. If the Peacocks shot even moderately well, Seton Hall could (would?) have lost. Against Big East teams, this will not stand (I hope at least a few people get this Big Lebowski reference). 

On the other side of the court, Seton Hall shot it from deep much better than in recent past home games. We all know Kevin Willard likes the three ball; his players shot a Hazelian 22 of them, netting 8, good for 42% on the night. Herb Pope looked like Reggie Miller on his first two 3 point attempts, but like Dennis Rodman on his 3rd. Speaking of Herb Pope, he was again dominant (mostly in the second half) scoring 16 points and grabbing 14 boards (a lot of second chance put-backs). Through six games this season, Pope is averaging an eye-popping 12 rebounds and 20 points. Tonight was his fifth double double in 6 tries, and while it's a relatively small sample (non conference games thus far) Pope has really been a man among children, and while the competition this year (while not Big East play) has been formidable unlike that of 2009. I'm not going to SAY that the NBA may be back in the mix for Pope; but I'm thinkin' it (assuming, of course, there is a league).  

Willard has spoken about Fuquan Edwin being the "X-Factor" and it appears as though he was right... again. It's been said on SOJ before, but with guys like Herb Pope and Jordan Theodore accounting for 2/5 of the line-up (love me some fractions) Edwin largely flies under the radar. Tonight, again, Fu had a solid game with 14 points and 5 steals. Maybe "under the radar" isn't really a fair phrase at this point, but I kind of feel like he's the Toni Kukoc of this year's team (brace for backlash of responses); he's the steady and unsung hero complimenting two other big name players. Now, imagine if Auda really gets it going? 

Auda, as a matter of fact, played a very well balanced game tonight. The ejection against VCU seems to have really rattle him, but it's nice to see that he appears to have moved on. He likes to bang down low, and he contributed 12 points and 6 mostly hard fought rebounds for an excellent overall effort, especially taking a charge in the 2nd half which clearly pumped up the bench and fans alike. 

Finally, the Captain, Jordan Theodore. JT had 13 points and dished out 10 assists. Those are some sexy numbers,  no question, but the reality is that Theodore didn't play a typical Theodore-type game. In fact, he looked like he was either exhausted or injured and played tentative. It's very unlike Theodore to turn the ball over in the waining moments of a hard fought and tight game like he did. He just didn't seem to have the typical drive, passion, and fearless protection of the basketball we've expected from him. 

Finally, there were dozens in attendance tonight. It reminded me of a Yogi Berra-ism, "If people don't want to come out to the ball park, nobody's gonna stop 'em." Actually, the attendance wasn't that bad, but the black curtains were only closed behind the baskets, so the stadium looked massive and relatively empty. Hats off to the student section for coming out on a holiday weekend and making some noise. Kevin Willard has assembled a really fun team to watch, and next Friday's match-up with SEC member Auburn University (3-0) should be a great opportunity for Pirate Nation to come out in force.

As always, Hazard Zet Forward!