Men's Basketball Set To Host Providence Wednesday
1/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SETON HALL (10-6, 2-2) vs. PROVIDENCE (12-4, 2-1)
Wednesday, January 17, 2007 - 7:30 p.m.
Continental Airlines Arena - East Rutherford, N.J.
THE MATCHUP: Seton Hall and Providence will face each other for the second time in 11 days on Wednesday at Continental Airlines Arena. On Jan. 6 in Providence, the Friars defeated the Pirates, 91-69. Seton Hall is coming off a 88-76 loss at Notre Dame on Sunday. The Friars lost to Louisville, 78-63, on Saturday.
TV: The game will be televised ESPN 360. Frank Giardina (play-by-play) and Nate Ross (analyst) will call the game.
RADIO: The game will be broadcast WQEW 1560 AM, with Gary Cohen on play-by-play and Dave Popkin as the analyst. The game will also be broadcast by WSOU 89.5 FM, Seton Hall’s student radio station.
SHU ON THE WEB: Tune in for a live audio stream of all games on www.shupirates.com
BIG EAST CONFERENCE: www.bigeast.org
SCOUTING PROVIDENCE
Providence has roared out of the game this season, vaulting to a 12-4 overall record despite the loss of their second-leading scorer, Sharaud Curry, for four games due to a violation of team rules. They are coming off a 78-63 loss at Louisville on Saturday, but had won three straight prior. Providence has four players averaging in double-digit scoring and is led by senior Herbert Hill at 17.1 points per game. Geoff McDermott is averaging a double-double this season and leads the conference in assists per game despite being a forward. As a team, the Friars are averaging 79.7 points, second-best in the BIG EAST, and 39.2 rebounds per game. They are turning the ball over slightly more than they are forcing them.
SETON HALL-PROVIDENCE SERIES
Seton Hall and Providence will meet for the 83rd time and the second time this season. The Friars own a 44-38 series lead, which includes a 91-69 victory over the Pirates in Providence on Jan. 6. The Pirates have lost their last two games with the Friars at Continental Airlines Arena.
PIRATES’ COMEBACK FALLS SHORT
Seton Hall trailed by as many as 21 mid-way through the second half at Notre Dame, and made a furious comeback to cut the lead to nine, but could get no closer. The Pirates lost at Notre Dame, 88-76, falling to 2-2 in BIG EAST Conference play. Junior Brian Laing nearly added his fifth double-double of the season, finishing with 20 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Eugene Harvey scored 17 points, grabbed four rebounds and made three steals. Junior Jamar Nutter scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds. Freshman Larry Davis, making his third career start, had 13 points. The Pirates trailed by only six at the half, but shot only 24.4 percent from the floor in the second half to help the Fighting Irish.
#14 BECOMES 100th TO 500
At Notre Dame on Sunday, junior Brian Laing became the 100th player in Seton Hall history to record 500 career points. He now has 514 and ranks 96th on the all-time points list. Teammate Jamar Nutter passed the same milestone earlier this season and currently has 667 points for 68th all-time.
A CAREER YEAR
Junior Brian Laing is enjoying a breakout campaign. He has twice been named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll and currently ranks fourth in the conference in scoring with 17.2 points per game. He led the Pirates again in scoring at Notre Dame with 20 points. Although Laing has been producing all season, he has really turned it up recently. In his last eight games, he is averaging 20.0 points per game. He has led the Pirates in scoring in 11 of the team’s 16 games. Laing was also named to the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team.
TAKING ADVANTAGE AT THE LINE
Seton Hall took full advantage at the free throw line at Notre Dame on Sunday, hitting 21-of-23 shots for a season-high 91.3 percentage. The Pirates rank second in the BIG EAST in free throw percentage, shooting at a 75.6 percent clip. Senior Stan Gaines leads Seton Hall in the category, making 33-of-37 free throw attempts for a percentage of 89.2 - good for third in the BIG EAST. Freshman Eugene Harvey is 68-for-83 (81.9) which ties him for 10th in the BIG EAST, while freshman Larry Davis is 31-for-37 (83.8), which would rank him high among the leaders if he had one more made free throw.
PIRATES AT CAA
With the victory over Penn on Dec. 23, Seton Hall reached the 200-win mark at Continental Airlines Arena. The Pirates are now 202-94 all-time at the arena and 8-1 this season, having won their last seven in a row. 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.
HEAD COACH
BOBBY GONZALEZ
Career Record: 139-83
At Seton Hall: 10-6
BIG EAST Record: 2-2
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).
WIN ONE, LOSE ONE
Seton Hall has not put together a two-game streak of wins or losses in their last 10 games. Since defeating Penn State on Dec. 9, the Pirates have followed every win with a loss and every loss with a win.
NUTTER FINDING TOUCH
Junior Jamar Nutter found the shooting touch in his last few games. After a 17point performance vs. St. John’s on Thursday, he scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds at Notre Dame. He now has his scoring average at 13.0 points per game for the season.
TOP BIG EAST ROOKIE
No freshman’s impact has been greater than that of Eugene Harvey through his career’s first 16 games. His 16.3 points and 4.9 assists per game lead all BIG EAST rookies and only Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody has matched Harvey’s three BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honors. He has started all 16 games this season and scored a career-high 27 points in a come-from-behind victory over Penn State on Dec. 9. Harvey has scored in double-figures in 15-of-16 games, including 14 straight. In his first BIG EAST game, he scored 21 points, including four clutch free throws with under 20 seconds remaining to seal a victory over rival Rutgers. He had 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in a tremendous all-round game vs. St. John’s. Harvey also ranks fifth in the conference for averaging 34.62 minutes per game.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Pirates are returning home for two games this week. Wednesday they host Providence and Friday they take on Georgetown. Seton Hall is 8-1 at Continental Airlines Arena this season.
MEN OF STEAL
Through 16 games this season, the Pirates have enjoyed the fruits of their relentless full-court press, picking up 179 steals as a team. They recorded 15 steals a piece in their final two games at the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic. Their average of 11.2 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 and Liberty. As a result, Gause leads the BIG EAST lead and ranks among the national leaders with 3.31 steals per game. Freshman Eugene Harvey is tied for ninth in the conference with 1.94 steals per game, while junior Brian Laing is 15th with 1.69.
LAING LIKES UTAH
Junior Brian Laing has clearly found a second home...Utah. In three games at the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic, he averaged 19.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Laing led the Pirates in scoring in all three games and added career double-doubles #3 and #4. For his efforts, Laing was named to the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team. BYU’s Keena Young was named the tournament’s M.V.P.
SEEING 20/20
Five Pirates have scored at least 20 points this season, and the mark has been reached 12 times. Junior Brian Laing leads the team with five 20-point games, freshman Eugene Harvey has had three, junior Jamar Nutter has had two and freshman Larry Davis and sophomore Paul Gause have both had one each. Against Rutgers, Laing and Harvey topped 20-point mark. Both members of that scoring tandem are among the Top 10 in the BIG EAST in scoring. Laing is averaging 17.2 points per game, while Harvey is averaging 16.3.
AN IMPRESSIVE STARTER
As the season continues, freshman Larry Davis continues to blossom as a major contibutor. He has started the last two games and in three starts this season is averaging 12.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game - a far cry from his 8.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
HARVEY, DAVIS LOVE PA TEAMS
The highest scoring output by a Seton Hall player this season was 27 points accomplished by a pair of freshmen against Pennsylvania teams. Eugene Harvey scored his career-high 27 points against Penn State on Dec. 9. He played all 40 minutes and also pulled down five rebounds. Larry Davis matched Harvey with 27 against Penn on Dec. 23. He also added 10 rebounds for his first double-double. The totals are the highest individual point totals for a Seton Hall freshman since John Allen scored 31 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 31, 2001.
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. Against Liberty and Rutgers, Gause made a steal in the final moments of the game which sealed the victories for the Pirates. Gause finished that game with 14 points and five steals. Currently, he leads the BIG EAST lead in steals per game (3.31) and ranks among the national leaders.
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.
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.
LIVE AUDIO STREAM
Go to www.shupirates.com to hear a live web audio stream of all Seton Hall men’s basketball games this season. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will bring you all the action.
DOUBLE YOUR FUN
The Pirates have recorded six double-doubles this season. Brian Laing picked up his third and fourth double-doubles of the season against Oral Roberts and Liberty in the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic. Laing’s first career double-double came with a 25-point, 12-rebound performance vs. FDU. Two Pirates, freshmen Eugene Harvey and Larry Davis, both recorded their first career double-doubles 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.
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.
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.
THREE CAPTAINS FOR 2006-07
Seniors Grant Billmeier and Stan Gaines as well as junior Brian Laing will serve as team captains for Seton Hall during the 2006-07 season. Billmeier was the lone Pirate captain last season and brings his hard work and unselfishness to the leadership position again. Gaines, a former transfer from the University of Minnesota, is playing in only his second season with the Pirates, but his infectious energy and enthusiasm make him an excellent choice as captain. Laing, the lone non-senior of the trifecta, is a real breakout candidate this season and will provide an experienced leader when it is time to look towards next season.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE 2006-07 SCHEDULE
Seton Hall will play at least nine games against teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament last year, but only three of the games will be on the road (Monmouth, Pennsylvania, Georgetown, at Marquette, West Virginia, Villanova, at Connecticut, at West Virginia and Pittsburgh... The Pirates will play 18 night games and 12 day games this season... SHU will face Rutgers, West Virginia and Providence twice, but will not see Syracuse or DePaul as part of the BIG EAST’s unbalanced schedule... Pittsburgh (#4), Georgetown (#8), Marquette (#16) and Connecticut (#18) are Seton Hall opponents ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll.
NEW FACES
The Pirates added three highly talented freshman to the roster for the 2006-07 and all three look to make a difference immediately. Larry Davis, Eugene Harvey and Kashif Pratt are three guards that come from well-respected metropolitan high school programs. Davis led Christ the King to a 24-5 record and the New York City Catholic High School title game while averaging 13.2 points per game his senior year. Harvey joins Seton Hall as one of the nation’s most highly regarded point guard prospects and could be running the Pirates’ offense sooner than later. Pratt averaged 15 points and six rebounds for Rice High School, but is even better known as a defensive specialist. The SHU backcourt is in good shape for years to come.
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.
LOOKING AHEAD
SETON HALL vs. GEORGETOWN
Friday, January 19, 2007 7:30 p.m.
Continental Airlines Arena East Rutherford, N.J.
TV: FSNY
Radio: WQEW 1560 AM / WSOU 89.5 FM
Seton Hall vs. Georgetown: GU, 49-39
NOTEBOOK: The Pirates will host Georgetown on Friday, Jan. 19. The Hoyas own an all-time lead in the series, 49-39 and have won the last two meetings between the teams. Seton Hall, however, has won the last two games at Continental Airlines Arena. This is the first time since March 9, 2005 that Georgetown and Seton Hall have met due to the unbalanced BIG EAST schedule.
Georgetown’s towering front court will provide a tall challenge for the Pirates. Jeff Green leads a trio of Hoyas averaging in double-figure scoring with 11.8 points per game. The Hoyas have won three of their five games on the road so far this season.
