NEWARK – There are 13 games left in Seton Hall’s basketball season, and while no one wants to say it out loud, what happens over the next seven weeks won’t really be about wins or losses . This is definitely not a playoff resume.
What remains from this losing campaign is to see which players have a future in this program.
Tuesday’s 76-59 loss to No. 10 Marquette was a foregone conclusion, especially after starting guards Dylan Addae-Wusu (foot) and Chaunce Jenkins (hamstring) were scratched.
So what’s left to watch as the Pirates (6-13 overall, 1-7 Big East) stagger into the Big East basement?
Obviously, they want to keep second-year forward Isaiah Coleman, who has found his way back to high level with 27 points and nine rebounds. It won’t be easy.
Aside from Coleman, it’s unlikely that a high-profile player would offer significant dollars for another player on Seton Hall’s roster. Some might choose to move down a level for more playing time, as guard Jaquan Sanders transferred to Hofstra (where he averages 7.5 points per game) after playing at the end of the Hall’s rotation last season.
Otherwise, it’s up to head coach Shaheen Holloway to decide who should be part of what could be a near-total rebuild. The next 13 games, in reality, are auditions for that.
How did Tuesday go? Junior forward Prince Aligbe (12 points, six rebounds) has continued to improve his game of late. Sophomore wing Scotty Middleton showed shooting ability and high motor skills, but suffered a slump of 0-of-5 shooting and 5 turnovers in this game.
Freshmen Jahseem Felton and Godswill Ehreriene (who had a nice one-handed put-up but managed only one rebound in 17 minutes) are developmental candidates and should get a serious run at the future.
“Jahseem…he’s a good young player,” Holloway said. “I think he has a chance to be really good in this league if he stays, but he has to defend because he’s not the fastest. He has to learn to use angles – that’s what what we are trying to do with him.
“Godswill, I agree with him. He’s a freshman who was thrown into the fire. I didn’t know what to expect from him, but he fights, he tries, and it That’s all I ask.”
Sophomore guard Garwey Dual does a lot of dribbling. He produced six points, three assists, two steals and two blocks against Marquette, but doesn’t seem to have killer playmaking instincts. Can this be taught?
“It’s a little frustrating because I want him to be super aggressive… which is strange for me because normally I have point guards that go away,” said Holloway, who is used to to develop quality leaders. “But today he was a little frustrating, a little more aggressive and he just has to play like that, because I’m not sure we get those two guys (Addae-Wusu and Jenkins) back. The minutes are there. I need him to play, to do a little more.
The evaluation season has started.
FIVE TO REMEMBER
1. Fewest fans at the moment
There were maybe 2,500 fans in attendance, probably the smallest crowd for a Big East game since the Hall moved to the Prudential Center in 2007. A few rows of students showed up. And the temperature inside was in the 60s — not as cold as last month’s Georgetown game, but cold enough to make most fans leave their jackets on.
The biggest roar came when Marquette forward Caedin Hamilton missed two free throws, triggering a free hamburger giveaway (“Bricks for Burgers”) for a group of happy fans.
2. Turnover city
Seton Hall’s 24 turnovers were the program’s second-most in three seasons under Holloway. This happened two years to the day after a 26-turnover debacle, also against Marquette at home.
“Some of them were just guys who were gentle with the basketball,” Holloway said of the mistakes.
The Pirates sputtered 14 times in the first half alone, wasting 20 solid defensive minutes in which they held Marquette to 33 percent shooting.
There has been a lot of neglect, but it’s all exacerbated by the lack of a primary ball handler.
3. Shortened rotation
With 10 scholarship players available, Holloway only played eight – his shortest rotation to date. Junior center Manny Okorafor, who struggled in his time as a starter, rolled on the pine. So did redshirt freshman forward Gus Yalden, who fouled out in seven minutes against St. John’s on Saturday.
A handful of fans chanted “we want Gus” throughout the segment and even urged Yalden to check in.
“The game wasn’t great for them… but they also need to play better,” Holloway said. “Tonight I would say it was 80 percent game and 20 percent they have to play better.”
Postgraduate forward Yacine Toumi returned to action after missing St. John’s due to illness and finished with six points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.
4. Coleman back in the lead role
After St. John’s swarmed Coleman and held him to 1-of-13 shooting, he returned to All-Big East form. He made good shots (9 of 14 field goals), made his free throws (8 of 8), hit the boards hard and was active in talking and directing his teammates. If he is demoralized by the way the season is going, it doesn’t show on the field.
“It was good to see him do that,” Holloway said of his rebound effort. “Isaiah is getting better, but he also has to do other things. So Isaiah rebounding the ball is good, and now we have to play him. If you start doing that, teams can’t concentrate as much on you.
5. Shaka on Sha
Marquette coach Shaka Smart was asked about Seton Hall’s fall from Big East contender to basement dweller and his roster turnover.
“The job (Holloway) did last year was as good a coaching job as anyone in the country,” Smart said. “I thought they got robbed by not making the NCAA tournament. It didn’t make any sense. Then they lost a lot of guys from that team. I’m the last NIL expert, but we We all know that it’s a factor in why players move.”
Smart’s career arc mirrors Holloway’s in that they both guided a new mid-career player deep into the NCAA tournament before moving on to the next level.
“Shaheen Holloway is a winner,” Smart said. “He has always been a winner and he will continue to be.”
When asked about the challenges of building a culture in today’s college basketball environment, Smart responded with a parable.
“I was joking with someone: At some point, someone is going to sue the NCAA and say, ‘I think for one possession out of five we should have two basketballs,’ and they’re going to win.” he declared. “And then as coaches and players, we’re going to have to figure that out. The way to do that is not to complain about the fact that it’s not 1985 anymore. For all of us who are coaches , we must continue to understand it.
He added: “Someone sent me a rant that Bobby Knight had in the early 90s and he was just leaving on his team. You can’t do that – that doesn’t build a culture. And this guy was one of the best ever. So that has changed. What really matters is that by far the most important part of your culture is the people in your room. This will never change.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and college basketball since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
This article was originally published on the Asbury Park Press: Seton Hall basketball hammered by Marquette as future questions persist
