Seton Hall basketball – it is officially back on the map. (Source: Saed Hindash | NJ Advance Media)
College basketball is an unpredictable sport. Between the numerous upsets, “Cinderella” teams, and the insanity known as the NCAA Tournament, anything can happen. That being said, there are some guaranteed things that usually occur; John Calipari bringing in a ton of McDonald’s All-American recruits, ESPN showing just about every Duke game, and the “great” state of New Jersey featuring numerous basketball teams that provide mediocre results. The last time NJ was represented in the NCAA Tournament was back in 2011, when Princeton nearly upset Kentucky and Saint Peter’s got taken to the woodshed by Purdue. So, being a New Jerseyan, there has not been a lot to cheer about come Tourney Time. That will hopefully change thanks to the resurgence of the Seton Hall Pirates.
I have been a lifelong Pirates fan. I attended my first-ever college basketball game as a one-month old on December 23, 1991, witnessing (but not remembering) a 72-46 thrashing of Fairleigh Dickinson. That fact alone should give you a sense that Seton Hall blue runs through my veins, so I am not simply jumping on the proverbial bandwagon. My parents have been Pirate fans even longer than I have, so I was going to be a fan whether I liked it or not. Naturally, they have seen the program succeed in the past, capitalized by the 1989 NCAA Tournament run to the national championship game. But that same success has not carried over these days. The typical mentality over the past few years for a Pirates fan is that the team starts off really well in the non-conference portion of the schedule, giving everyone a sense of hope. Then, Big East play starts and that optimism immediately comes crashing down. Oh, the pain.
The heralded freshman Isaiah Whitehead. (Source: Jim O’Connor / USA TODAY Sports)
Jump ahead to this season. With a recruiting class that was ranked in the top 20 in the nation and featured the hyped Isaiah Whitehead, one of the most heralded talents in the country. The sense that this team was the real deal came in the Virgin Islands, as SHU was participating in the Paradise Jam Tournament. The field had some quality opponents, so we fans figured there would be close games for the Pirates. Nevada, Gardner-Webb, and Illinois State all faced the Pirates, and all three teams lost. Sure, Seton Hall did not play LSU or Old Dominion, but again, college basketball is unpredictable. Riding high after the tournament win, the Pirates handled George Washington, Mount St. Mary’s, and Rutgers.
Then came the #11 team in the country, Wichita State. It was a snap back to reality, as the Shockers defended their home court and dealt SHU their first loss. Naturally, the first instinct is to complain about losing. However, facing this ranked team at this time in their building, and only losing by nine points is nothing to really whine about. If anything, you could have viewed it as a step in the right direction. The team did not lay down and keel over that easily. Victories over Saint Peter’s and former Big East foe South Florida followed.
But then a journey to Athens, Georgia happened. The excitement over playing some high quality basketball deflated as fast as it formed, as the Georgia Bulldogs made things look easy, dominating every aspect of the game, and making the Pirates look like a junior varsity team. This was not a promising result to see, especially considering the Big East portion of the schedule was looming. The cherry on the poop sundae (yes, I called it a poop sundae) was that Whitehead, the savior of Seton Hall basketball, went down with an injury and is still not back as of this article.
Things could not have been worse that night. However, this team did not let the knife be driven into their hopes, beginning with an expected beatdown of the lowly Maine Black Bears. That was the initial dip into the pool that the Whitehead-less Pirates needed to make, especially with what loomed on the horizon. #15 St. John’s and #6 Villanova traveled to NJ to take on the Pirates, each hoping to each improve their already impressive seasons. Seton Hall in the past would have kept it competitive, but somehow figure out a way to lose in the end. This is not that Seton Hall. Both games ended with impressive Seton Hall victories, the victory over Villanova coming in overtime. Now, we are here and the Seton Hall Pirates are ranked as the #19 team in the country.
Three members of the biggest story in New Jersey college basketball today. L-R: #0 Khadeen Carrington, #4 Sterling Gibbs, #31 Angel Delgado. (Source: Rich Schultz/Getty Images North America)
So, now that I have given you a recap of the season so far, what is there to make of it? Well, for starters, the improvement of junior guard Sterling Gibbs has to be highlighted. Gibbs had some big moments last season, namely his game-winning jumper against Villanova in the Big East Tournament. However, this season feels different considering that there are more pieces of the puzzle for him to work with. Gibbs may be viewed as a score first, pass second point guard, but that is not exactly a terrible thing. When you have the capability to score 40 points against an Illinois State team that handed Old Dominion their only loss of the season thus far, that is pretty impressive. Gibbs is the leader of this basketball team, so it only makes sense that the offense should run through him. He can assist when needed, but also take over the game when called upon as well.
The highly touted freshman class has lived up to the hype, in more ways than one. Sure, Isaiah Whitehead is hurt now, but before that injury, he was showing off why there was so much buzz surrounding him in the first place. His ability to shoot and score at will was evident when he was needed, plus his passing has gotten his teammates involved as well. Big man Angel Delgado is one of the towering forces that the Pirates have craved for years. He is not one of the major scoring options, but he does not need to be that guy. The main focus of his game has been on the defensive end of the court, as Delgado is Seton Hall’s prime rebounder and shot blocker. Sure, his free throw shooting is pretty underwhelming, but I am a Pistons fan who is used to Andre Drummond and his pitiful free throws. Both are critical in the defensive department, so as long as they provide great contributions on defense, I could care less about the free throws. I mean, I do care, but you know what I mean.
The most unsung freshman of the group would have to be guard Khadeen Carrington. The primary focus when it comes to Seton Hall guards is on Gibbs and Whitehead, and that is understandable. However, Carrington has been a security blanket for those two, and now with Whitehead injured, he is getting his chance to unleash his skills. His playing time has gone up significantly since the start of the season and for good reason, as Carrington has become yet another scoring option for the Pirates. He has scored in double figures in all three of the games Whitehead has missed, and his finest performance came against Villanova, where he scored 17 points in 35 minutes. Carrington is slowly getting better, and that is the last thing the rest of the Big East wants to hear.
It is very easy to get excited about the revitalization of the Seton Hall program, especially considering the heart-pounding, back-to-back victories over St. John’s and Villanova. This is only the first week in January, so there is plenty of basketball ahead to look forward to. There will be some speed bumps along the way, but something feels different this season. This team does not look like past teams that always crumbled under the pressure. The optimism is still there, and it is only getting stronger by the day. The Pirates have not appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 2006, so the wait has been long and the wait has seemed like an eternity. I know it is premature, but I think this could finally be the year that New Jersey gets a team back into the NCAA Tournament. How could anyone not be excited when watching this team? Well, they could be a Rutgers fan.
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