Men's Basketball Travels To Providence Saturday
1/5/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SETON HALL (9-4, 1-0) at PROVIDENCE (11-3, 1-0)
Saturday, January 6, 2007 - 8:00 p.m.
Dunkin' Donuts Center - Providence, R.I.
THE MATCHUP: Seton Hall and Providence will play the first of two matchups in 11 days on Saturday at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The Pirates are coming off a 77-72 victory over Rutgers in the BIG EAST opener, while Providence defeated 15th-ranked Marquette, 74-59, on Thursday.
TV: MSG will carry the game via Cox Sports TV. Don Orsillo (play-by-play) and Ron Perry (analyst) will call the game.
RADIO: The game will be broadcast WABC 770 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 kicked off the BIG EAST schedule on Thursday with a convincing 74-59 victory over #15 Marquette at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The Friars have now won two straight and five of their last six games. Providence has four players averaging in double-digit scoring and is led by sophomore Sharaud Curry at over 17 points per game. Curry has missed three games due to a violation of team rules. It is unknown if he will play against Seton Hall. Geoff McDermott is averaging a double-double this season. As a team, the Friars are averaging 80.1 points and 38.3 rebounds per game. They are turning the ball over (16.9) slightly more than they are forcing turnovers (15.7).
SETON HALL-PROVIDENCE SERIES
Seton Hall and Providence will meet for the 82nd time, with the Friars owning a 43-38 series lead. Seton Hall won their lone matchup last season at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, 77-74. The Pirates have won their last two games at Providence, while the Friars have won the last two at CAA.
PIRATES DOWN RIVAL RUTGERS
Coach Bobby Gonzalez earned his first BIG EAST victory as the Pirates’ took their conference opener, 77-72, over Rutgers at Continental Airlines Arena on Wednesday. Seton Hall received strong performances by junior Brian Laing and freshman Eugene Harvey who both scored 21 points. Laing played all 40 minutes and also added five rebounds, four assists and two steals. The Pirates held an 18 point lead mid-way through the first half, but a Rutgers 17-0 run made it a close game for the rest of the way. Seton Hall won despite being out-shot, 40.3% to 47.3%, from the floor.
MAKING MOST OF MINUTES
Senior Grant Billmeier and freshman Larry Davis both had strong games vs. Rutgers despite playing only 15 and 14 minutes respectively. Billmeier had a great defensive game, grabbing four rebounds and blocking a career-high four shots. Davis scored seven points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists.
SEEING 20/20
Against Rutgers, both Brian Laing and Eugene Harvey topped 20 points for the third time this season. Both members of the scoring tandem are among the Top 10 in the BIG EAST in scoring. Laing is averaging 16.4 points per game, while Harvey is one-tenth behind at 16.3.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Pirates will head back on the road to face Providence on Saturday. So far this season, Seton Hall is 1-1 on their opposing team’s floor. They beat Morgan State in Baltimore, 83-63, on Nov. 25 and lost to BYU in Provo, 77-68, on Dec. 30. The Pirates will return home after the Providence game to take on St. John’s, before heading back on the road to face Notre Dame in South Bend on Jan. 14.
GAVITT TO BE HONORED
Legendary head coach and BIG EAST founder, Dave Gavitt will be honored for his 2006 Basketball Hall of Fame induction at the Providence/Seton Hall game on Saturday. Gavitt was the BIG EAST’s first commissioner in 1979, and as a coach, led the Friars to five NCAA appearances and one Final Four.
LAING NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
In Utah, junior Brian Laing led the Pirates in scoring all three games while recording double-doubles in two of them. For his efforts, Laing was named to the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team. He have averaged 19.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. BYU’s Keena Young was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
HEAD COACH
BOBBY GONZALEZ
Career Record: 138-81
At Seton Hall: 9-4
BIG EAST Record: 1-0
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).
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 and added career double-doubles #3 and #4. Overall, he.is enjoying his best collegiate season. His 16.4 points per game lead the Pirates and rank him seventh in the BIG EAST, while his 7.1 rebounds per game lead the Pirates and tie him for 13th in the conference. Against Fairleigh Dickinson, Laing recorded career-highs with 25 points and nine rebounds in nearly 40 minutes of action. For his efforts, he was named to the BIG EAST Conference Weekly Honor Roll for the week of 11/13-11/19.
MEN OF STEAL
Through 13 games this season, the Pirates have enjoyed the fruits of their relentless full-court press, picking up 157 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 12.1 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 and ranks among the national leaders with a 3.69 steals per game average. Freshman Eugene Harvey is 11th in the conference with 1.92 steals per game.
DOUBLE YOUR FUN
The Pirates have recorded four double-doubles in the last three games and six total this season. Brian Laing picked up his third and fourth double-doubles of the season against Oral Roberts and Liberty. 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.
FAB FROSH
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 is second on the team in scoring with 16.3 points per game and leads the team with 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 13 games this season, he has scored in double-figures in 12 of the team’s 13 games, including 11 straight. He scored a team-high 20 points in his first road game as the Pirates soundly defeated Morgan State, 83-63. On Wednesday, in his first BIG EAST game, Harvey scored 21 points, grabbed three rebounds and dished out three assists in 38 minutes of action.
STRUGGLING NUTTER COMES THROUGH
He shot only 3-for-15 from the floor and finished with 10 points, but played his best when the Pirates needed it most on Wednesday vs. Rutgers. With the game knotted at 61, Nutter hit a tough, off-balance jumper to give Seton Hall the lead for good. He also hit four straight free throws in the game’s final 30 seconds to help seal the victory.
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. Games at the B.Y.U. Classic have been no different, as they scored 74 against Oral Roberts, 85 vs. Liberty and 68 against BYU. In 13 games, the Pirates are averaging 79.2 points per game which ranks them fourth in the BIG EAST in scoring offense. They have topped 90 points three times and 80 points seven times. Seton Hall has three players averaging in double-figures and Paul Gause (9.7), Stan Gaines (7.4) and Larry Davis (7.4) inching their way towards joining that group. Seton Hall is shooting 43.2 percent from the floor this season.
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, Gause made the defensive play of the game when he stole the ball at the top of the key with the Pirates clinging to a three-point lead with only 27 second remaining. Gause finished that game with 14 points and five steals. Currently, he leads the BIG EAST in steals per game (3.69) and ranks among the national leaders.
TAKING ADVANTAGE AT THE LINE
Seton Hall again took full advantage at the free throw line vs. Rutgers on Wednesday. The Pirates hit 20-of-26 shots for a percentage of 76.9. Seton Hall ranks third in the BIG EAST in free throw percentage, shooting at a 74.2 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 31-of-35 free throw attempts for a percentage of 88.6 - good for seventh in the BIG EAST. Freshman Eugene Harvey is 54-for-68 (79.4), junior Jamar Nutter is 38-for-47 (80.9), and freshman Larry Davis is 26-for-31 (83.9), which ranks them both amongst the BIG EAST’s best as well.
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 minutes. He added seven points and five boards vs. Liberty.
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.
GAINING RECOGNITION
Senior Stan Gaines has stepped up his game in 2006-07 and is making major contributions. An imporant cog of the front court, his reputation as a strong defensive player leads him to often guard the opposing team’s best player. He has started all 13 games and is averaging 7.4 points and a team second-best 4.8 rebounds per game. Cool and calm on the free throw line, Gaines has connected on 31-of-35 shots, an 88.6 percentile that leads the team and ranks him 7th in the BIG EAST. He also leads the Pirates with 0.9 blocks per game.
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.
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.
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 622 points and is averaging 12.5 points per game this season. Junior Brian Laing has the second-most career points among active players with 452.
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.
LOOKING AHEAD
SETON HALL vs ST. JOHN’S
Thursday, January 11, 2007 7:00 p.m.
Continental Airlines Arena East Rutherford, N.J.
TV: ESPN
Radio: WABC 770 AM / WSOU 89.5 FM
Seton Hall vs. St. John’s: SJU, 51-28
NOTEBOOK: Seton Hall will host local rival St. John’s on Thursday, January 11. The Johnnies have an all-time, 51-28, lead in the series and won their last matchup with Pirates, 58-47, at Madison Square garden. Despite the most recent loss, Seton Hall has won four of their last five against St. John’s.
St. John’s was picked to finishninth in the 16-team BIG EAST field in the preseason poll. The Red Storm have three players averaging in double-digit scoring, with Lamont Hamilton leading the way with over 13 points per game and seven rebounds per game. They have already won 10 games on the season.
