Seton Hall Pirates
2017-2018 Overall Rank: #12
Conference Rank: #2 Big East
Seton Hall has had success the last two years, reaching the NCAA Tournament both years. However, the Pirates have lost in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament both of those seasons. This year could be different though. With six of their seven players from the regular rotation returning, this group has the potential to finally win a game in the tournament for the first time since 2004.
2016-17 Record: 21-12, 10-8
2016-17 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Kevin Willard
Coach Record: 128-102 at Seton Hall, 173-151 overall
Who’s Out:
Madison Jones is the only significant departure for Coach Kevin Willard. The 6-1 guard was never much of a scoring threat, but he dished out a team high 104 assists on the year and started 31 games. The Pirates lack experience on the perimeter, so losing Jones is a big deal that could haunt this team for much of the year. Little used Veer Singh and Rashad Anthony are the only other departures.
Who’s In:
The backcourt needs some new options, especially shooters, and they hope to find some choices among the six newcomers. Myles Cale is the most highly regarded of the bunch and the 6-5 wing can score in a variety of ways. Cale will likely step right into a major role. Jordan Walker should see some action running the point as well. Philip Flory and Shavar Reynolds will add more options to the perimeter, but both will likely need some time before they are ready to contribute. The frontcourt adds Romaro Gill and Sandro Mamukelashvili. Gill, a seven-foot junior college transfer, will add some experience and rebounding to the frontcourt. Mamukelashvili has a lot of skills and should have some time to work on his game before being asked to play a larger role in the future.
Who to Watch:
The newcomers can fill in a few holes, but the six key returning players will see a bulk of the playing time. Khadeen Carrington led the team with 17.1 points per game and will take all of the big shots for the Pirates. He is a great leader on the floor and will be asked to lead this group to bigger and better things in 2017-2018. The development of Myles Powell will go a long way in determining how far this team can go. The 6-2 guard was a great sixth man last year and averaged 10.7 points per game, but now he will have to do more. Powell is certainly capable of knocking down three-pointers, but he needs to be more efficient and develop his overall offensive game. The frontcourt has a couple superstars in Desi Rodriguez and Angel Delgado. Rodriguez averaged 15.7 points per game last year and is a great all-around scorer. Delgado, a 6-10 center, averaged an impressive 15.2 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. He is a beast in the paint on both ends of the floor. With Ismael Sanogo and Michael Nzei providing depth, not many teams in the country boast a better and more experienced frontcourt than Seton Hall.
Final Projection:
The frontcourt and Carrington can take this team a long way. They will be tough on the glass and there are plenty of scoring threats. However, their three-point shooting needs to improve and that will put a lot of pressure on the younger players on the perimeter. If they step up, Seton Hall can compete for a Big East title. And, more importantly, bring an end to their little run of NCAA Tournament loses.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
Projected Starting Five:
Khadeen Carrington, Senior, Guard, 17.1 points per game
Myles Powell, Sophomore, Guard, 10.7 points per game
Desi Rodriguez, Senior, Forward, 15.7 points per game
Ismael Sanogo, Senior, Forward, 3.0 points per game
Angel Delgado, Senior, Center, 15.2 points per game
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 73.2 (174th in nation, 8th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 70.4 (125, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.8 (149, 8)
Field-Goal Defense: 43.3 (152, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.1 (292, 9)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.8 (236, 9)
Free-Throw Percentage: 64.3 (334, 10)
Rebound Margin: 6.9 (13, 1)
Assists Per Game: 12.2 (251, 9)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.6 (237, 8)
Madness 2017 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#85 Myles Cale
