Big East: Can Seton Hall Make A Run At An NCAA Tournament Bid?
Expectations aren’t very high for the Seton Hall Pirates in 2014-15, and that suits head coach Kevin Willard just fine. The Pirates finished with a 17-17 record last season, 6-12 in the Big East, and lost four starters. But Willard brought in eight highly touted newcomers, including six who were part of a Top-15 nationally ranked recruiting class.
"“I think I’ve gotten very lucky- the group of young guys are the best kids I’ve ever had. They’re hard-working, they come from great programs, they’ve won everywhere they’ve been.”– Willard told reporters during Big East Media Day at Madison Square Garden."
Six-foot-four guard Isaiah Whitehead, who was selected as the conference’s Preseason Rookie of the Year, leads the newcomers. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native, who was ranked as ESPN. com’s No. 14 recruit, has impressed Willard so far. Whitehead, who excels off the dribble and in transition , has the potential to be a big-time scorer. He averaged 23.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists as a senior at Abraham Lincoln High School.
"“I love the fact he doesn’t dominate the ball,” Willard said. “Already in practice, we’ve played three guards, we’ve played two guards. He doesn’t dominate the ball. He’s extremely unselfish as a player.”"
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Whitehead is not the only freshmen expected to make a big impact this year. Six-foot-nine forward Angel Delgado, 6’3” guard Khadeen Carrington, 6’5” small forward Desi Rodriguez and 6’6” forward Ismael Sanoge should also see major minutes.
Delgado, a consensus top-50 recruit, is an excellent rebounder, as is Rodriguez, who also excels in the open court. Carrington is a left-hander who can stroke the ball while Sanogo is quick and likes to get to the basket.
The other three newcomers are 6’7” freshman forward Mike Nzei, 6’9” redshirt freshman Rashed Anthony and 7’1” junior Chier Ajou. Nzei, who is from Nigeria, is waiting to hear about his eligibility while Ajou, who transferred from Northwestern, will be eligible after the first-semester. Anthony has potential but is raw offensively.
While the freshmen are the future of the program, the key to the success of this year’s team will be the returning players – particularly 6’2” junior guard Sterling Gibbs and 6’9” senior Brandon Mobley. Gibbs (13.4 PPG, 4.4 APG) is a very good defender and distributor who can score at the rim as well as from beyond the arc.
Mobley (7.6, 4.2 RPG) is the only returning frontcourt player who saw major minutes last year. He is a good rebounder who has the ability to score but needs to improve his shooting accuracy.
6’2” sophomore guard Jaren Sina (6.0, 2.3 APG) will see plenty of action after earning Big East All-Rookie acclaim while backing up Gibbs. He is a good facilitator who knocked down 38.2 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. 6-foort-6 senior forward Stephane Manga(3.0) and 6’6” senior guard Haralds Karlis (1.8, 1.5 RPG) provide experience and depth.
Strengths: Athleticism.
Weaknesses: Rebounding, Scoring, Defense, Turnovers.
Analysis: Seton Hall is moving in the right direction and has the chance to surprise a few teams if their young kids develop quickly. The Pirates, who are 66-65 in four years under Willard, are predicted to finish in the bottom half of the conference by several media outlets.
Whitehead, who needs to be consistent, Gibbs and Sina will be counted on to produce most of the Pirates offense. If those three can combine to average 45-to-47 points a night and Pirates are able to create havoc on the defensive end, they can reach the postseason – most likely NIT or CBI — for the second time in Willard’s tenure.
"“We’re a much quicker, more-athletic team than I think any Seton Hall has been in a long time. We’re playing above the rim. We can play so many different styles and I think that gives us an advantage in that we can attack (opponents) the way we want to attack (them), whereas last year we had to adapt because of what we had.”– Willard"