Men's Basketball Ready For Liberty Tonight
12/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SETON HALL (7-3) vs. LIBERTY (6-5) December 29, 2006 - 7:00 p.m. EST Marriott Center - Provo, Utah THE MATCHUP: Both Seton Hall and Liberty opened up the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic with defeats yesterday. The Pirates dropped a heartbreaker to Oral Roberts,76-74, while Liberty lost to host Brigham Young, 73-59. Seton Hall enters the game with a record of 7-3. Liberty is 6-5 and has lost four straight. TV: None RADIO: The game will be broadcast by 1050 AM ESPN Radio, with Gary Cohen on play-by-play and Dave Popkin as the analyst. Due to scheduling conflicts, the game will be pre-empted at 8:30 p.m. However, the game will be heard in it’s entirety via live audio stream on www.shupirates.com. The game will also be broadcast by WSOU 89.5 FM, Seton Hall’s student radio station. BIG EAST CONFERENCE: www.bigeast.org SCOUTING LIBERTY Liberty dropped the first game of the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic to the host, Brigham Young, 73-59 on Thursday. The loss drops Liberty’s record to 6-5. It has been a season of streaks so far for the Flames. After dropping the season-opener at Oklahoma, Liberty reeled off six consecutive victories to improve to 6-1. But they haven’t won since. The current streak is four straight losses. The Flames are led by two-time First Team All-Conference selection, Larry Blair, who is averaging a team-high 19.1 points per game. Blair currently ranks four on Liberty’s all-time scoring list with over 1,700 career points. Alex McLean and Anthony Smith are also averaging in double-digit scoring for the Flames. Dwight Brewington is also averaging better than 15.0 points per game, but has only appeared in three games. SETON HALL-LIBERTY SERIES Seton Hall and Liberty will meet for the third time in the history of both programs, with the Pirates owning a 2-0 record. The teams last met in 2005, when Seton Hall won, 82-45. ORAL ROBERTS EDGES HALL Seton Hall kicked off the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic in heartbreaking fashion, losing to Oral Roberts, 76-74, on two free throws with 2.4 seconds remaining. Junior Brian Laing recorded his third career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. The Pirates’ entire starting front court, Laing, Stan Gaines and Grant Billmeier all fouled out, yet Seton Hall found themselves with a 72-64 lead with only 3:40 left to play. The Golden Eagles, however, ended the game with a 12-2 run to seal the Pirates fate. Oral Roberts was 23-for-39 from the free throw line, while Seton Hall was only 11-for-15. The Pirates were also called for three technical fouls. THE B.Y.U. HOLIDAY CLASSIC Seton Hall will play three games as part of the BYU Holiday Classic, Dec. 28-30, in Provo, Utah. The Pirates dropped a close decision to Oral Roberts, 76-74, in the first meeting of both programs on Thursday, December 28. Oral Roberts enters the event with a 5-6 record, having lost three of their last four. On Friday, December 29, Seton Hall will square off against Liberty at 7:00 p.m. EST. The Pirates own a 2-0 all-time record against the Flames having last defeated them, 82-45, at Continental Airlines Arena in 2005. Seton Hall will play the host, Brigham Young, on Saturday, December 30 to conclude the event. Game time is scheduled for 9:30 EST. The Pirates are 1-1 all-time against BYU. They defeated the Cougars, 82-80 on Dec. 29, 1958 and lost to them on March 15, 1951. Both games were on a neutral floor. DON’T CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM Freshman Larry Davis had a coming out party vs. Penn on Dec. 23. He scored 27 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field, 3-for-5 from three-point range and 8-for-9 from the charity stripe. The 27 points matches Eugene Harvey’s 27-point performance vs. Penn State on Dec. 9 as the highest individual point total for a Seton Hall player this year and the highest by a freshman since John Allen scored 31 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 31, 2001. Davis also added 10 rebounds for his first career double-double and a game-high three blocks. In the first game of the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic, Davis chipped in 13 points in 20 minuters. PIRATES vs. THE BIG SOUTH Seton Hall has very limited experience playing teams from the Big South Conference. The Pirates have only faced two teams from the Big South and have not lost in three games. Seton Hall has twice defeated Liberty and will attempt to do so for a third time on Friday. The Pirates crushed Winthrop in their only other meeting with a Big South team, 106-49, in 1990. HEAD COACH BOBBY GONZALEZ Career Record: 136-80 At Seton Hall: 7-3 BIG EAST Record: 0-0 Bobby Gonzalez became the 18th Seton Hall University head basketball coach in the program’s history earlier this year and comes to the Pirates after a tremendous seven-year run as the head coach at Manhattan College. He led the Jaspers to four 20-win seasons and two NCAA Tournaments in seven years, including finishing .500 or above in the league in each season. His record at Manhattan was 129-77, and his team won the MAAC regular season championship three times and the tournament title twice.
Gonzalez is widely known as one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the NCAA, an intense competitor, outstanding game coach and tireless recruiter.
Manhattan went 20-11 this past year and Gonzalez was named the MAAC Coach of the Year. The Jaspers advanced to the National Invitation Tournament and won two games, defeating Fairleigh Dickinson and winning at Maryland. Gonzalez led the team to a 14-4 record and the MAAC regular season title.
His best season came in 2003-04, when he guided the Jaspers to a 25-6 overall record, 16-2 in the MAAC. Manhattan was a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Championship and defeated No. 5 seed Florida in the first round before losing a close game to No. 4 seed Wake Forest. Gonzalez received numerous accolades following the season, being named NABC District 2, USBWA, and NYBCA Division I Coach of the Year as well as receiving Metropolitan Coach of the Year recognition for the second straight year.
Gonzalez coached Luis Flores, Manhattan’s all-time leading scorer, who was drafted in the second round by the NBA’s Houston Rockets in 2004. Flores played with both Denver and Golden State in 2004-05.
In 2002-03, Gonzalez led Manhattan to the MAAC regular season and league championship with a 23-7 record, 14-4 in the league. Named the MAAC Coach of the Year for his efforts, Gonzalez took Manhattan College to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1995. The Jaspers fell to eventual national champion Syracuse in the first round.
Gonzalez is no stranger to the BIG EAST and to big-time college basketball. Prior to becoming a head coach, he was an assistant on Pete Gillen’s staffs at Xavier (1993-94), Providence (1994-98) and Virginia (1998-99).
Known for his strong recruiting classes, Gonzalez possesses outstanding contacts and ties to the metropolitan area. He was assistant high school coach at Rice High School in the Bronx in 1992-93 and assistant at St. Nicholas of Tolentine from 1988-91. He was also an assistant coach at Binghamton University (1987-88) and Broome Community College (1986-87). B.Y.U. CLASSIC TIME CHANGES Please be advised of the new starting times for the two remaining games of the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic in Provo, Utah, Dec. 28-30. Seton Hall will play Liberty on Friday, December 29 at 7:00 p.m. EST. On Saturday, December 30, the Pirates will face Brigham Young. Game time is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. EST. ANOTHER EARLY ACHIEVEMENT Freshman Eugene Harvey added another achievement to what has been an impressive freshman season thus far. Against Penn, he recorded his first career double-double, with 14 points and a career-high 11 assists. Currently, he leads the Pirates with 15.5 points per game and 5.2 assists per game. Harvey has already been named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week twice and scored a career-high 27 points in a come-from-behind victory over Penn State on Dec. 9. A starter in all 10 games this season, he has scored in double-figures in nine of the team’s 10 games, including eight straight. He scored a team-high 20 points in his first road game as the Pirates soundly defeated Morgan State, 83-63. Against St. Mary’s, he scored 18 points, picked up a career-high seven rebounds, dished out five assists and recorded four steals. FLY’IN BRIAN Junior Brian Laing is enjoying his best collegiate season. His 15.0 points per game rank him second on the team and 15th in the BIG EAST and his 7.1 rebounds per game lead the Pirates and ranks him 13th in the conference. Against Fairleigh Dickinson, Laing recorded career-highs with 25 points and nine rebounds in nearly 40 minutes of action. He also has three double-doubles this season. For his efforts, he was named to the BIG EAST Conference Weekly Honor Roll for the week of 11/13-11/19. NUTTER FINDING RHYTHM After struggling mightily in early December, junior Jamar Nutter has shown signs of breaking out of his shooting slump lately. He scored 16 points, including four three-pointers vs. Oral Roberts and pumped in 18 points vs. Penn on Dec. 23 while coming off the bench for the first time this season. DOUBLE YOUR FUN The Pirates have recorded three double-doubles in the last two games and five total this season. Against Oral Roberts, Brian Laing picked up his third of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Two Pirates, freshmen Eugene Harvey and Larry Davis, both recorded their first career double-doublese in a win over Pennsylvania on Dec. 23. Harvey had 14 points and 11 assists. Davis had career-highs of 27 points and 10 rebounds. MEN OF STEAL Through 10 games this season, the Pirates have enjoyed the fruits of their relentless full-court press, picking up 119 steals as a team. Their average of 11.9 steals per game leads the BIG EAST Conference and ranks among the national leaders. Sophomore Paul Gause has led the Pirate charge in this category. He recorded a career-high five steals at Morgan State and tied his new mark with five more vs. St. Peter’s. Then, against St. Mary’s he re-recorded his career-high and tied the Seton Hall single-game record with eight steals. He chipped in six vs. Penn State and five more vs. Virginia Tech. As a result, Gause leads the BIG EAST and ranks among the national leaders with a 3.80 steals per game average. Freshman Eugene Harvey is fifth in the conference with 2.30 steals per game. NO PAUSE IN GAUSE Sophomore sparkplug Paul Gause has made three starts this season, but has shined in coming off the bench this season. In a tremendous performance against St. Mary’s, Gause scored a career-high 21 points in 33 minutes of action and picked up eight steals, tying the Seton Hall single-game mark for steals held by former Pirate Levell Sanders. More recently, Gause hit three clutch three-pointers down the stretch to help the Pirates defeat Penn State. He also added a game-high six steals in the game. At Morgan State, Gause contributed 13 points, eight rebounds and set a previous career-high with five steals. He had five more in a loss vs. Virginia Tech. GAINING RECOGNITION Senior Stan Gaines has stepped up his game in 2006-07 and is making major contributions. He has started all 10 games and is averaging 8.3 points and a team second-best 4.6 rebounds per game. Gaines has scored in double-figures in five of the team’s 10 games and contibuted 12 points and a season-high seven rebounds against Virginia Tech. Cool and calm on the free throw line, Gaines has connected on 25-of-29 shots, an 86.2 percentile that leads the team and ranks him 10th in the BIG EAST. He also leads the Pirates with 0.9 blocks per game. MORTON TO ENTER ANOTHER HALL Former Seton Hall great, John Morton will be inducted into the New Jersey Sports Writer’s Association Hall of Fame on Sunday, January 28 at the Pines Manor in Edison, N.J. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players to ever wear a Pirates jersey, Morton ranks 11th all-time at Seton Hall with 1,621 career points and was instrumental in guiding the team to the national championship game in 1989. He is currently an assistant coach at St. Peters College. SCORING EASILY The Pirates again saw an offensive explosion in scoring 94 points against Penn. Despite scoring only 61 points vs. Virginia Tech the game prior, the Pirates have had no difficulty scoring points so far this season. In 10 games, the Pirates are averaging 79.9 points per game which ranks them fourth in the BIG EAST in scoring offense. They have topped 90 points three times and 80 points six times. Seton Hall has three players averaging in double-figures and Paul Gause (9.5), Stan Gaines (8.3) and Larry Davis (7.7) inching their way towards joining that group. Seton Hall is shoooting 44.0 percent from the floor this season. GONZALEZ SIGNS THREE Seton Hall head coach Bobby Gonzalez announced that three marquee recruits, Michael Glover, Jeremy Hazell and Augustine Okosun, have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Seton Hall University beginning in the 2007-08 academic year. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound Glover is the gifted brother of former St. John’s standout Anthony Glover and will provide the Pirates with a strong rebounding presence and good finisher around the basket. Last season, he guided his prep school, Boys to Men Academy (Ill.), to a national championship. The 6-foot-5, 185-pound Hazell was ranked in the nation’s Top 20 by Scout.com among post graduate players. A standout for coach Chris Chaney at Patterson School (N.C.), he is widely regarded as an excellent shooter and will provide the Pirates with great depth at the guard position and the top scoring punch in this class. Augustine Okosun is a 6-foot-10, 240-pound junior college transfer who will have junior eligibility when he joins the Pirates next season. The Nigeria native comes from well-respected Harcum College (Pa.) and coach Drew Kelly and will add some much-needed size and experience to the Pirates’ frontcourt. PIRATES IN THE NBA Four former Seton Hall players are now playing in the NBA - Andre Barrett and Adrian Griffin (Chicago Bulls), Sam Dalembert (Philadelphia 76ers) and Eddie Griffin (Minnesota Timberwolves). Barrett, Dalembert and Eddie Griffin all played on the same Seton Hall team in 2000. IN NEW PLACES Seton Hall lost five players from last season’s roster, including their top two scorers, Donald Copeland and Kelly Whitney. Copeland and Whitney graduated, while Marcus Cousin, David Palmer and Mike Pilgram transferred. Copeland and Whitney combined for 31.3 points per game and were both named Second Team All-BIG EAST last season. Whitney also led the team with 7.9 rebounds per game. TV SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED Seton Hall will have at least 17 regular-season games televised nationally or regionally in 2006-07, starting Dec. 9 with a game on YES against Penn State. The Pirates will be on MSG seven times, YES and Fox Sports New York three times, ESPN 360 twice and a game a piece on ESPN and ESPNU. RADIO INFORMATION The Pirates will once again be on WABC 770 AM, or its affiliates ESPN Radio or Radio Disney. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin return for their fourth season of coverage on the broadcasts. Cohen will handle play-by-play duties with Popkin as the analyst. WABC will carry 15 games this season. WEPN, ESPN Radio 1050 AM will broadcast four, and Radio Disney WQEW 1560 AM will carry 10. LOOKING AHEAD BYU Classic - Provo, Utah Opponents Oral Roberts 76, Seton Hall 74 LIBERTY, Friday, December 29 BRIGHAM YOUNG, Saturday, December 30 SETON HALL VS. BRIGHAM YOUNG Saturday, December 30, 2006 9:30 p.m. EST Marriott Center Provo, Utah TV: None; Radio: WABC 770 AM / WSOU 89.5 FM Seton Hall vs. Brigham Young: Tied, 1-1 NOTEBOOK: In Seton Hall’s final game of the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic, the Pirates will take on the tournament’s host, Brigham Young, on Dec. 30. The Pirates have split two all-time games with BYU. They lost to the Cougars, 69-59, on March 15, 1951 and won their last meeting, 82-80, on Dec. 29, 1958. Both games were held on a neutral floor. BYU has three players averaging double-figures in scoring. BENCHMARKED FOR SUCCESS Joining head coach Bobby Gonzalez on the bench this year are three experienced and talented assistant coaches that will surely prove to be a positive influence on the 2006-07 Pirates. Kevin Murphy followed Gonzalez to Seton Hall after three years as his assistant at Manhattan. There, he helped guide the Jaspers to the 2004 MAAC title and NCAA Tournament berth. Geoff Billet joins the SHU staff after five seasons as an assistant at Monmouth. As a player, Billet scored 1,480 career points for Rutgers and graduated as the school’s all-time leading three-point shooter. Dermon Player brings a standout basketall acumen and remarkable recruiting skills to the Pirates. As a coach and athletics administrator, Player is no stranger to the metropolitan high school and AAU scene. HOLLOWAY RETURNS Shaheen Holloway, the school’s all-time assist leader who played from 1996-00 and helped lead the Pirates to the 2000 NCAA Sweet Sixteen, has returned to Seton Hall as the team’s administrative assistant. Holloway scored 1,588 points during his career, which ranks him 12th all-time at SHU. He dished out 681 assists and had 231 steals (2nd all-time), while also hitting 185 three-pointers (5th all-time) in 116 games. In 2000, he was named the BIG EAST’s Most Improved Player, and he earned all-league status three times in his career. #2 BECOMES #99 With 15 points against St. Peters, junior Jamar Nutter surpassed the 500-point mark for his career. Nutter is the 99th Pirate in the program’s history to surpass the milestone. He currently has 585 points. Junior Brian Laing has the second-most career points among active players with 389. BIG EAST SCHEDULE LOOMING When the Pirates return from Utah, they will begin preparation to start the BIG EAST slate. On Wednesday, January 3, Seton Hall will host in-state rival Rutgers at Continental Airlines Arena. SETON HALL BASKETBALL HISTORICAL NOTABLES * The men’s basketball team went to the Final Four in 1989 and lost in the championship game to Michigan by one point in overtime, 80-79. The Pirates won BIG EAST tournament titles in 1991 and 1993 and regular season titles in 1992 and 1993. All of the above was under the guidance of current San Antonio Spurs assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo. * Seton Hall has a national championship under its belt. The Pirates won the 1953 NIT, then considered the premier national tournament. * The program’s all-time leading scorer is Terry Dehere (2,494 points, 1989-93). Leading rebounder Walter Dukes (1,697, 1950-53) still holds the NCAA single-season rebounding record of 734 in 1952-53. CBS analyst Bill Raftery coached Seton Hall from 1970-81 (154-141 record). DON’T TAKE BILLMEIER FOR GRANTED After only playing a combined 11 minutes in the Pirates’ first two games, senior Grant Billmeier broke out with one of the best performances of his career at Morgan State. The captain scored 14 points, grabbed four rebounds and even added a block and a steal in 33 crucial minutes for the Pirates. Most notably in Billmeier’s stat line is the fact he was called for only two personal fouls. Billmeier scored 11 points and grabbed a season-high six rebounds in 25 minutes vs. Monmouth and had nine points and a season-high seven rebounds vs. Penn State. 200 WINS AT CAA With the victory over Penn on Dec. 23, Seton Hall reached the 200-win mark at Continental Airlines Arena. The Pirates are 200-94 all-time at the arena and 6-1 this season. They were 13-4 at home last season, and 48-16 over the last four years. The Pirates’ first full-season in the arena was 1985-86 when the team played seven games there. The first Seton Hall game was December 4, 1981, an 87-85 overtime victory over Houston. TAKING ADVANTAGE AT THE LINE Seton Hall ranks third in the BIG EAST in free throw percentage, shooting at a 73.7 percent clip. Against Penn, the Pirates made 26-of-30 free throws for a season-high 86.7 percent for the game. Senior Stan Gaines leads Seton Hall in the category, making 25-of-29 free throw attempts for a percentage of 86.2 - good for ninth in the BIG EAST. Freshman Eugene Harvey is 39-for-49 (79.6), which ranks him 15th in the conference and junior Jamar Nutter is 27-for-34 (79.4), which ranks him 16th. PENN NOT MIGHTIER THAN PIRATES Seton Hall bounced back from a disappointing loss to Virginia Tech on Dec.21 with an offensive explosion two days later vs. Penn. The Pirates defeated the Quakers, 94-85, to improve their record to 7-2 overall. The 94 points is the highest output this season. The Pirates were led by the dazzling performances of two freshman, Larry Davis and Eugene Harvey, who both recorded their first career double-doubles. Davis picked up career-highs of 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Harvey scored 14 points and added a career-high 11 assists. Brian Laing and Jamar Nutter both added 18 points in the victory. The Pirates shot 49.2 percent from the floor for the game and even more notably, hit 26-of-30 free throws. CRUSHING CALDWELL In the season-opening victory, Seton Hall scored 91 points, the most the team has scored in a season-opener since a 104-76 victory over Rider to begin the 2000-01 campaign.
Gonzalez is widely known as one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the NCAA, an intense competitor, outstanding game coach and tireless recruiter.
Manhattan went 20-11 this past year and Gonzalez was named the MAAC Coach of the Year. The Jaspers advanced to the National Invitation Tournament and won two games, defeating Fairleigh Dickinson and winning at Maryland. Gonzalez led the team to a 14-4 record and the MAAC regular season title.
His best season came in 2003-04, when he guided the Jaspers to a 25-6 overall record, 16-2 in the MAAC. Manhattan was a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Championship and defeated No. 5 seed Florida in the first round before losing a close game to No. 4 seed Wake Forest. Gonzalez received numerous accolades following the season, being named NABC District 2, USBWA, and NYBCA Division I Coach of the Year as well as receiving Metropolitan Coach of the Year recognition for the second straight year.
Gonzalez coached Luis Flores, Manhattan’s all-time leading scorer, who was drafted in the second round by the NBA’s Houston Rockets in 2004. Flores played with both Denver and Golden State in 2004-05.
In 2002-03, Gonzalez led Manhattan to the MAAC regular season and league championship with a 23-7 record, 14-4 in the league. Named the MAAC Coach of the Year for his efforts, Gonzalez took Manhattan College to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1995. The Jaspers fell to eventual national champion Syracuse in the first round.
Gonzalez is no stranger to the BIG EAST and to big-time college basketball. Prior to becoming a head coach, he was an assistant on Pete Gillen’s staffs at Xavier (1993-94), Providence (1994-98) and Virginia (1998-99).
Known for his strong recruiting classes, Gonzalez possesses outstanding contacts and ties to the metropolitan area. He was assistant high school coach at Rice High School in the Bronx in 1992-93 and assistant at St. Nicholas of Tolentine from 1988-91. He was also an assistant coach at Binghamton University (1987-88) and Broome Community College (1986-87). B.Y.U. CLASSIC TIME CHANGES Please be advised of the new starting times for the two remaining games of the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic in Provo, Utah, Dec. 28-30. Seton Hall will play Liberty on Friday, December 29 at 7:00 p.m. EST. On Saturday, December 30, the Pirates will face Brigham Young. Game time is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. EST. ANOTHER EARLY ACHIEVEMENT Freshman Eugene Harvey added another achievement to what has been an impressive freshman season thus far. Against Penn, he recorded his first career double-double, with 14 points and a career-high 11 assists. Currently, he leads the Pirates with 15.5 points per game and 5.2 assists per game. Harvey has already been named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week twice and scored a career-high 27 points in a come-from-behind victory over Penn State on Dec. 9. A starter in all 10 games this season, he has scored in double-figures in nine of the team’s 10 games, including eight straight. He scored a team-high 20 points in his first road game as the Pirates soundly defeated Morgan State, 83-63. Against St. Mary’s, he scored 18 points, picked up a career-high seven rebounds, dished out five assists and recorded four steals. FLY’IN BRIAN Junior Brian Laing is enjoying his best collegiate season. His 15.0 points per game rank him second on the team and 15th in the BIG EAST and his 7.1 rebounds per game lead the Pirates and ranks him 13th in the conference. Against Fairleigh Dickinson, Laing recorded career-highs with 25 points and nine rebounds in nearly 40 minutes of action. He also has three double-doubles this season. For his efforts, he was named to the BIG EAST Conference Weekly Honor Roll for the week of 11/13-11/19. NUTTER FINDING RHYTHM After struggling mightily in early December, junior Jamar Nutter has shown signs of breaking out of his shooting slump lately. He scored 16 points, including four three-pointers vs. Oral Roberts and pumped in 18 points vs. Penn on Dec. 23 while coming off the bench for the first time this season. DOUBLE YOUR FUN The Pirates have recorded three double-doubles in the last two games and five total this season. Against Oral Roberts, Brian Laing picked up his third of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Two Pirates, freshmen Eugene Harvey and Larry Davis, both recorded their first career double-doublese in a win over Pennsylvania on Dec. 23. Harvey had 14 points and 11 assists. Davis had career-highs of 27 points and 10 rebounds. MEN OF STEAL Through 10 games this season, the Pirates have enjoyed the fruits of their relentless full-court press, picking up 119 steals as a team. Their average of 11.9 steals per game leads the BIG EAST Conference and ranks among the national leaders. Sophomore Paul Gause has led the Pirate charge in this category. He recorded a career-high five steals at Morgan State and tied his new mark with five more vs. St. Peter’s. Then, against St. Mary’s he re-recorded his career-high and tied the Seton Hall single-game record with eight steals. He chipped in six vs. Penn State and five more vs. Virginia Tech. As a result, Gause leads the BIG EAST and ranks among the national leaders with a 3.80 steals per game average. Freshman Eugene Harvey is fifth in the conference with 2.30 steals per game. NO PAUSE IN GAUSE Sophomore sparkplug Paul Gause has made three starts this season, but has shined in coming off the bench this season. In a tremendous performance against St. Mary’s, Gause scored a career-high 21 points in 33 minutes of action and picked up eight steals, tying the Seton Hall single-game mark for steals held by former Pirate Levell Sanders. More recently, Gause hit three clutch three-pointers down the stretch to help the Pirates defeat Penn State. He also added a game-high six steals in the game. At Morgan State, Gause contributed 13 points, eight rebounds and set a previous career-high with five steals. He had five more in a loss vs. Virginia Tech. GAINING RECOGNITION Senior Stan Gaines has stepped up his game in 2006-07 and is making major contributions. He has started all 10 games and is averaging 8.3 points and a team second-best 4.6 rebounds per game. Gaines has scored in double-figures in five of the team’s 10 games and contibuted 12 points and a season-high seven rebounds against Virginia Tech. Cool and calm on the free throw line, Gaines has connected on 25-of-29 shots, an 86.2 percentile that leads the team and ranks him 10th in the BIG EAST. He also leads the Pirates with 0.9 blocks per game. MORTON TO ENTER ANOTHER HALL Former Seton Hall great, John Morton will be inducted into the New Jersey Sports Writer’s Association Hall of Fame on Sunday, January 28 at the Pines Manor in Edison, N.J. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players to ever wear a Pirates jersey, Morton ranks 11th all-time at Seton Hall with 1,621 career points and was instrumental in guiding the team to the national championship game in 1989. He is currently an assistant coach at St. Peters College. SCORING EASILY The Pirates again saw an offensive explosion in scoring 94 points against Penn. Despite scoring only 61 points vs. Virginia Tech the game prior, the Pirates have had no difficulty scoring points so far this season. In 10 games, the Pirates are averaging 79.9 points per game which ranks them fourth in the BIG EAST in scoring offense. They have topped 90 points three times and 80 points six times. Seton Hall has three players averaging in double-figures and Paul Gause (9.5), Stan Gaines (8.3) and Larry Davis (7.7) inching their way towards joining that group. Seton Hall is shoooting 44.0 percent from the floor this season. GONZALEZ SIGNS THREE Seton Hall head coach Bobby Gonzalez announced that three marquee recruits, Michael Glover, Jeremy Hazell and Augustine Okosun, have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Seton Hall University beginning in the 2007-08 academic year. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound Glover is the gifted brother of former St. John’s standout Anthony Glover and will provide the Pirates with a strong rebounding presence and good finisher around the basket. Last season, he guided his prep school, Boys to Men Academy (Ill.), to a national championship. The 6-foot-5, 185-pound Hazell was ranked in the nation’s Top 20 by Scout.com among post graduate players. A standout for coach Chris Chaney at Patterson School (N.C.), he is widely regarded as an excellent shooter and will provide the Pirates with great depth at the guard position and the top scoring punch in this class. Augustine Okosun is a 6-foot-10, 240-pound junior college transfer who will have junior eligibility when he joins the Pirates next season. The Nigeria native comes from well-respected Harcum College (Pa.) and coach Drew Kelly and will add some much-needed size and experience to the Pirates’ frontcourt. PIRATES IN THE NBA Four former Seton Hall players are now playing in the NBA - Andre Barrett and Adrian Griffin (Chicago Bulls), Sam Dalembert (Philadelphia 76ers) and Eddie Griffin (Minnesota Timberwolves). Barrett, Dalembert and Eddie Griffin all played on the same Seton Hall team in 2000. IN NEW PLACES Seton Hall lost five players from last season’s roster, including their top two scorers, Donald Copeland and Kelly Whitney. Copeland and Whitney graduated, while Marcus Cousin, David Palmer and Mike Pilgram transferred. Copeland and Whitney combined for 31.3 points per game and were both named Second Team All-BIG EAST last season. Whitney also led the team with 7.9 rebounds per game. TV SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED Seton Hall will have at least 17 regular-season games televised nationally or regionally in 2006-07, starting Dec. 9 with a game on YES against Penn State. The Pirates will be on MSG seven times, YES and Fox Sports New York three times, ESPN 360 twice and a game a piece on ESPN and ESPNU. RADIO INFORMATION The Pirates will once again be on WABC 770 AM, or its affiliates ESPN Radio or Radio Disney. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin return for their fourth season of coverage on the broadcasts. Cohen will handle play-by-play duties with Popkin as the analyst. WABC will carry 15 games this season. WEPN, ESPN Radio 1050 AM will broadcast four, and Radio Disney WQEW 1560 AM will carry 10. LOOKING AHEAD BYU Classic - Provo, Utah Opponents Oral Roberts 76, Seton Hall 74 LIBERTY, Friday, December 29 BRIGHAM YOUNG, Saturday, December 30 SETON HALL VS. BRIGHAM YOUNG Saturday, December 30, 2006 9:30 p.m. EST Marriott Center Provo, Utah TV: None; Radio: WABC 770 AM / WSOU 89.5 FM Seton Hall vs. Brigham Young: Tied, 1-1 NOTEBOOK: In Seton Hall’s final game of the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic, the Pirates will take on the tournament’s host, Brigham Young, on Dec. 30. The Pirates have split two all-time games with BYU. They lost to the Cougars, 69-59, on March 15, 1951 and won their last meeting, 82-80, on Dec. 29, 1958. Both games were held on a neutral floor. BYU has three players averaging double-figures in scoring. BENCHMARKED FOR SUCCESS Joining head coach Bobby Gonzalez on the bench this year are three experienced and talented assistant coaches that will surely prove to be a positive influence on the 2006-07 Pirates. Kevin Murphy followed Gonzalez to Seton Hall after three years as his assistant at Manhattan. There, he helped guide the Jaspers to the 2004 MAAC title and NCAA Tournament berth. Geoff Billet joins the SHU staff after five seasons as an assistant at Monmouth. As a player, Billet scored 1,480 career points for Rutgers and graduated as the school’s all-time leading three-point shooter. Dermon Player brings a standout basketall acumen and remarkable recruiting skills to the Pirates. As a coach and athletics administrator, Player is no stranger to the metropolitan high school and AAU scene. HOLLOWAY RETURNS Shaheen Holloway, the school’s all-time assist leader who played from 1996-00 and helped lead the Pirates to the 2000 NCAA Sweet Sixteen, has returned to Seton Hall as the team’s administrative assistant. Holloway scored 1,588 points during his career, which ranks him 12th all-time at SHU. He dished out 681 assists and had 231 steals (2nd all-time), while also hitting 185 three-pointers (5th all-time) in 116 games. In 2000, he was named the BIG EAST’s Most Improved Player, and he earned all-league status three times in his career. #2 BECOMES #99 With 15 points against St. Peters, junior Jamar Nutter surpassed the 500-point mark for his career. Nutter is the 99th Pirate in the program’s history to surpass the milestone. He currently has 585 points. Junior Brian Laing has the second-most career points among active players with 389. BIG EAST SCHEDULE LOOMING When the Pirates return from Utah, they will begin preparation to start the BIG EAST slate. On Wednesday, January 3, Seton Hall will host in-state rival Rutgers at Continental Airlines Arena. SETON HALL BASKETBALL HISTORICAL NOTABLES * The men’s basketball team went to the Final Four in 1989 and lost in the championship game to Michigan by one point in overtime, 80-79. The Pirates won BIG EAST tournament titles in 1991 and 1993 and regular season titles in 1992 and 1993. All of the above was under the guidance of current San Antonio Spurs assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo. * Seton Hall has a national championship under its belt. The Pirates won the 1953 NIT, then considered the premier national tournament. * The program’s all-time leading scorer is Terry Dehere (2,494 points, 1989-93). Leading rebounder Walter Dukes (1,697, 1950-53) still holds the NCAA single-season rebounding record of 734 in 1952-53. CBS analyst Bill Raftery coached Seton Hall from 1970-81 (154-141 record). DON’T TAKE BILLMEIER FOR GRANTED After only playing a combined 11 minutes in the Pirates’ first two games, senior Grant Billmeier broke out with one of the best performances of his career at Morgan State. The captain scored 14 points, grabbed four rebounds and even added a block and a steal in 33 crucial minutes for the Pirates. Most notably in Billmeier’s stat line is the fact he was called for only two personal fouls. Billmeier scored 11 points and grabbed a season-high six rebounds in 25 minutes vs. Monmouth and had nine points and a season-high seven rebounds vs. Penn State. 200 WINS AT CAA With the victory over Penn on Dec. 23, Seton Hall reached the 200-win mark at Continental Airlines Arena. The Pirates are 200-94 all-time at the arena and 6-1 this season. They were 13-4 at home last season, and 48-16 over the last four years. The Pirates’ first full-season in the arena was 1985-86 when the team played seven games there. The first Seton Hall game was December 4, 1981, an 87-85 overtime victory over Houston. TAKING ADVANTAGE AT THE LINE Seton Hall ranks third in the BIG EAST in free throw percentage, shooting at a 73.7 percent clip. Against Penn, the Pirates made 26-of-30 free throws for a season-high 86.7 percent for the game. Senior Stan Gaines leads Seton Hall in the category, making 25-of-29 free throw attempts for a percentage of 86.2 - good for ninth in the BIG EAST. Freshman Eugene Harvey is 39-for-49 (79.6), which ranks him 15th in the conference and junior Jamar Nutter is 27-for-34 (79.4), which ranks him 16th. PENN NOT MIGHTIER THAN PIRATES Seton Hall bounced back from a disappointing loss to Virginia Tech on Dec.21 with an offensive explosion two days later vs. Penn. The Pirates defeated the Quakers, 94-85, to improve their record to 7-2 overall. The 94 points is the highest output this season. The Pirates were led by the dazzling performances of two freshman, Larry Davis and Eugene Harvey, who both recorded their first career double-doubles. Davis picked up career-highs of 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Harvey scored 14 points and added a career-high 11 assists. Brian Laing and Jamar Nutter both added 18 points in the victory. The Pirates shot 49.2 percent from the floor for the game and even more notably, hit 26-of-30 free throws. CRUSHING CALDWELL In the season-opening victory, Seton Hall scored 91 points, the most the team has scored in a season-opener since a 104-76 victory over Rider to begin the 2000-01 campaign.
Seton Hall Pirates Live Stream
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