Men's Basketball Takes On Virginia Tonight For "Classic" Crown

SETON HALL (4-0) vs. #23 VIRGINIA (5-0)

The Philly Hoop Group Classic

Saturday, November 24, 2007 - 9:00 p.m.

The Palestra, Philadelphia, Pa.

THE MATCHUP:  The Pirates have won their first four games of the season and will now take on Virginia in the Championship Game of The Philly Hoop Group Classic.  The game will feature a matchup of two unbeatens as Virginia enters the contest with a perfect 5-0 record.  The Pirates are 2-0 all-time against the Cavaliers, but have lost four of their last five contests against teams from the ACC.   

 

TV:  CN8

 

RADIO: The game will be broadcasted by WABC 770 AM, with Gary Cohen on play-by-play and Dave Popkin as the analyst.  

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 VIRGINIA

Virginia enters the game with a perfect 5-0 record having beaten Howard, Drexel and most recently, Pennsylvania in The Philly Hoop Group Classic so far.  Senior guard Sean Singletary has been leading the way for the Cavaliers all season averaging 21.2 points and 6.2 assists per game.  Senior Adrian Joseph is averaging nearly a double-double with 12.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.  Virginia already had one huge victory this season, a 75-72 victory at Arizona.  Singletary had 24 points for the win in Tuscon.  The Cavaliers defense has been the key to their success on the early season.  Virginia’s opponents are only averaging 68.0 points and 25.4 rebounds per game this season.  Currently, Virginia is ranked #23 in the nation.

SETON HALL - VIRGINIA SERIES

Seton Hall and Virginia have only played twice in the history of the series and the Pirates have won both contests.  Seton Hall edged the Cavaliers, 73-71, on March 4, 1971 and beat them convincingly in their last meeting, 84-67, on Dec. 28, 1988.

PIRATES IMPROVE TO 4-0; EDGE NAVY, 79-75

Seton Hall trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half, but forged another comeback and beat Navy, 79-75, in the Pirates’ first game of the Championship Round at The Philly Hoop Group Classic.  Although the Pirates trailed at the half, 43-39, they used the scoring exploits of senior Brian Laing (27 points) and the rebounding prowess of John Garcia (19 rebounds) to overcome a turnover-prone and poor shooting first half.  Paul Gause had a strong all-around game with 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals.

 

GREAT START

With the victory over Navy, the Pirates improved to 4-0.  It is the program’s best start since they went 5-0 to open the 2000-01 season.

 

HONORS FOR LAING

Last week, senior Brian Laing was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.  Laing averaged 25 points and 9.5 rebounds in Seton Hall victories over Monmouth and Robert Morris.  Against Monmouth, he recorded his seventh career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.  He set a career-high with 32 points against Robert Morris.

 

CHAIRMAN OF THE “BOARD”

Sophomore John Garcia is currently averaging 10.8 rebounds per game and with each passing contest, he has enjoyed greater success.  Garcia had six rebounds vs. Monmouth, eight against Robert Morris and then recorded his first career double-double  including 10 rebounds vs. Loyola.  Against Navy, he turned in one of the best rebounding performances of any Pirate in recent years, collecting 19 rebounds in only 23 minutes off the bench.

THE PHILLY HOOP GROUP CLASSIC

Seton Hall will join seven other schools and participate in The Philly Hoop Group Classic.  All teams will play four games with the first two being played on respective campus’ and the final two being held at The Palestra in Phildelphia, Pa. on November 23 and 24.  Seton Hall will take on Robert Morris as a part of the event on November 18 and Loyola (Md.) on November 20.  The Philly Hoop Group Classic will hold afternoon and night sessions both days (Nov. 23-24), with each session featuring two games.  Friday’s afternoon schedule features: Howard University vs. Loyola College at 12:00 pm and Robert Morris University vs. Drexel University at 2:00 pm.  Friday’s night games include: Navy vs. Seton Hall University at 7:00 pm and University of Pennsylvania vs. University of Virginia at 9:00 pm.  Saturday’s schedule will be based on Friday’s results, with the winners playing each other in the later game of each session. The games are scheduled for 12:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm.

 

OPPONENTS “LAING”UISHING

Senior Brian Laing has picked up where last year’s breakthrough season left off.  Against, Monmouth he picked up his seventh career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.  Against Robert Morris, he scored a career-high 32 points on 14-of-24 shooting and picked up another nine rebounds.  Most recently, he poured in a game-high 27 points in a victory over Navy.

 

REBOUNDING WELL

The Pirates have out-rebounded all four opponents so far this season.  Currently, they’re averaging 45.0 rebounds per game and are limiting their opponents to only 36.8.  Against Navy, Seton Hall grabbed a season-high 50 rebounds.  Last season, the Pirates averaged only 34.0 rebounds per game.

 

SCORING 30

Brian Laing’s offensive output against Robert Morris was the first Seton Hall 30-point scoring effort since Andre Barrett and John Allen both scored 30 in a 97-80 victory over St. Peter’s on Feb. 9, 2003.  It is the most points since Adrian Griffin scored 32 at Pittsburgh on Jan. 30, 1996.

 

FAB FROSH

Freshman Jeremy Hazell has made the largest impact amongst the newcomers thus far.  The 6-foot-5 freshman is averaging 10.8 points in 19.0 minutes per game.  He burst onto the scene with 16 points vs. Robert Morris and then added 17 more against Loyola.

 

PIRATES vs. THE ACC

Seton Hall has an all-time record of 61-77 against current teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference.  The Pirates have winning records against four of the 12 teams.  They’ve won and lost the most games against former BIG EAST member Boston College (28-44).

#15 BECOMES #101

During the Monmouth game, Eugene Harvey became the 101st player in Seton Hall history to record at least 500 career points.  Currently, Harvey is tied with Jack Rowley for 86th all-time with 560 points.  Last season, Jamar Nutter and Brian Laing became the 99th and 100th members respectively to enter the exclusive club.

EXTRA BASKETBALL

Seton Hall’s victory over Monmouth marked the first time they opened the season with an overtime game since they defeated Catholic, 69-67, to start the 1963-64 campaign.  The Pirates’ victory over Robert Morris marked the first time in the history of the program that they’ve started the season with two overtime games.

LOTS OF POINTS

Seton Hall’s 111-107 overtime victory over Robert Morris marked the first time that the Pirates scored over 100 points since a 104-85 victory over St. Peter’s on Nov. 27, 2000.  It was the first time that both teams scored over 100 points since the Pirates lost at Providence, 106-101, on Feb. 2, 1975.  Seton Hall’s 111 points are the most since a 113-91 victory over Alaska-Anchorage on Dec. 29, 1996.

CAREER-HIGH ANYONE?

Against Robert Morris, five Seton Hall players either recorded or tied their career-highs in points.  Senior Brian Laing picked up a career-high 32 points, sophomore Eugene Harvey tied his career-high for the second straight game with 27 points.  Sophomore John Garcia had a career-high 14 points.  Newcomers Jeremy Hazell and Augustine Okosun had career-highs of 16 and two points respectively.

 

LAING SEEING DOUBLE

In the season-opener against Monmouth, Brian Laing recorded his seventh career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.  Last season, Laing led the team with six double-doubles and missed the stat by only one rebound five times.  Laing had a great all-around game vs. the Hawks, adding in four assists and five steals in a career-high 45 minutes played.

 

GAUSE TIES GAUSE

The reigning BIG EAST steals champion again tied the single-game steals record with eight against Monmouth.  Last season, junior Paul Gause recorded eight steals against Saint Mary’s to tie Levell Sanders for the record.  He completed the season with a Pirates single-season record of 90 steals, leading the BIG EAST in steals per game (3.1) and ranking second in the nation.  He currently has 140 career steals and factors to be a leading contender for BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.

STIX TRANSFERS IN

Seton Hall head coach Bobby Gonzalez announced Monday that Robert Mitchell has transferred to the University.  Mitchell played basketball last season at Duquesne University and will sit out the 2007-08 season due to NCAA regulations.  The 6-foot-6, 180-pound Mitchell will be eligible to practice with the Pirates this season, but won’t see game action until 2008-09.  Last season at Duquesne, Mitchell led the Dukes in scoring with a 16.4 points per game average, which ranked ninth in the nation among Division I freshmen.  Mitchell was named Atlantic-10 Rookie of the Week five times en route to being ultimately named Rookie of the Year by the conference.

 

AIR JORDAN LANDS AT HALL

Seton Hall men’s basketball head coach Bobby Gonzalez announced that Jordan Theodore (Englewood, N.J.) has signed a national letter of intent to attend the University and play basketball for the Pirates beginning in the 2008-09 season.  Theodore averaged 16.9 points, 6.7 assists and 4.6 steals per game as a junior at Paterson Catholic last year.  He helped lead them to an 18-8 record and scored a career-high 31 points vs. DePaul in the county final.  Additionally, he was the point guard for the #1 rated summer AAU basketball team, the New York Gauchos.

 

PIRATES ADD ADUBATO; PROMOTE VALCARCEL

Scott Adubato is the Pirates’ newest assistant coach.  Adubato most recently served as an assistant coach for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies and replaces former Seton Hall assistant, Geoff Billet, who left in August.  Adubato spent parts of two years on head coach Mike Fratello’s coaching staff after serving the previous five seasons with the Grizzlies as a scout.  Prior to joining the Grizzlies, he served as an advance scout for the New York Liberty of the WNBA, working with his father, head coach Richie Adubato.  His coaching experience includes stints as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Trojans of the USBL (1999-2000), the San Diego Stingrays of the International Basketball League (1999), Georgia State University (1997-1999), Collin County Community College (1993-1995), the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (1993-1994) and Old Dominion University (1990-1991).  Elvis Valcarcel was promoted to administrative assistant.  This season will be Valcarcel’s second with Seton Hall as he spent last season as the team’s video coordinator.  Valcarcel replaces former Pirate great Shaheen Holloway who accepted an assistant coach position at Iona College.

 

FORMER PIRATE EDDIE GRIFFIN DIES

Former Seton Hall men’s basketball student-athlete, Eddie Griffin, died on August 17 in Houston, as confirmed by the Harris County medical examiner’s office.  Griffin played for the Pirates during the 2000-01 season.  Although Griffin only wore a Seton Hall uniform for one season, his exploits won’t soon be forgotten.  He is a member of the Pirates’ 500-point club and remains the all-time single-season leader with 133 blocks.  Eddie Griffin was 25-years old.

HARVEY IS COUSY AWARD CANDIDATE

Sophomore Eugene Harvey has been named a Pre-season Candidate for the 2007-08 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award.  The honor is given to the top collegiate male basketball point guard annually spanning across all divisions within the game by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.  The selection criteria emphasizes leadership, team work, success, and fundamentals as being critical parts for the game of basketball as a point guard.  Nominations are solicited from across the country from head coaches and the winner is selected by a Blue Ribbon Selection Committee made up of the biggest names in college basketball.

 

PIRATES EARN FIRST PRUCENTER WIN; CLIP HAWKS

Seton Hall opened their 2007-08 season with an 89-81 overtime victory against Monouth last Sunday.  It marked the first time that the Pirates have opened the season with an overtime game since they defeated Catholic, 69-67, to start the 1963-64 campaign.  Sophomore Eugene Harvey tied his career-high with 27 points to lead Seton Hall, while Monmouth’s Jhamar Youngblood scored 27 in the losing effort.  Seton Hall senior Brian Laing recorded his seventh career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while junior Paul Gause tied the Pirates single-game record with eight steals, a mark he already shared with Levell Sanders.  The Pirates were out-shot for the game, 42.3%-to-47.6%, but they out-rebounded the Hawks, 43-to-34 and forced them to commit 23 turnovers.  Seton Hall, last year’s BIG EAST leader in steals per game, had 21 in their season-opening victory.

PIRATES “ROCK”ING

For the first time in 26 years the Seton Hall men’s basketball team are calling a new arena it’s home, Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.  This spectacular, state-of-the-art venue has the capability to hold 18,500 fans for basketball games, but with the newest curtaining technology, will limit the Seton Hall faithful to seating on the lower level only and a capacity of approximately 9,000.  Prudential Center contains 750 television monitors, a 4,800 square-foot, state-of-the-art exterior LED screen and a gourmet restaurant overlooking the event floor as well as an array of fan amenities and conveniences, including the richly appointed Fire and Ice Lounges.

WHAT AN ATMOSPHERE!

The doors to the Prudential Center were opened at 11:30 on Sunday, Nov. 11 to a carnival-like atmosphere for the opener.  Two bands played, one indoors and one outdoors, while fans arrive.  Seton Hall featured an array of face-painters, balloon animal-makers and Pirate stilt-walkers.  Also in attendance on the concourse were several Seton Hall basketball alumni ready to sign autographs and take photos.  The Newark Museum, NJPAC and City of Newark had a presence on the concourse.  White Castle, a sponsor of the Pirates, celebrated the first game at Prudential Center in a big way.  White Castle cooked up 1,500 burgers to be delivered to the 15 bus loads of students that attended the first game.  This is the third season that White Castle will be a sponsor of Seton Hall basketball.  Seton Hall is once again teaming up with White Castle for a great family package.  For selected games, White Castle is offer the Pirate Party Pack which features four tickets, four White Castle meals and a Pirate basketball with packages starting at just $65.00.

770 WABC RADIO GETS ’EM ALL

All 31 Seton Hall men’s basketball regular season games in 2007-08 will be heard on its flagship radio station, 77WABC, it was announced on Tuesday.  The agreement will enable the Pirates faithful to easily find the games on the radio dial.  In past seasons, Seton Hall game broadcasts lacked a consistency with one station.  This year, all 31 regular season games will be broadcasted via 77WABC.  Veteran radio announcers Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will return for their fifth season covering Pirates basketball.

BIG EAST SCHEDULE

Starting this season, Seton Hall will face all 15 of its BIG EAST opponents at least once.  They will play Marquette, USF and Rutgers twice.  The Pirates open the conference slate against Connecticut on January 3 and finish against Rutgers on March 9.  Both games will be at Prudential Center.

 

TV SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

Twenty-one of the Pirates’ 31 scheduled regular season games will be televised either nationally or regionally this season.  Seton Hall will get the nation’s attention five times with two broadcasts on ESPN2 (at Providence Jan. 24, Syracuse March 5), two on ESPNU (N.C. State Dec. 27, at Villanova Feb. 9) and one on ESPN360 (at USF Feb. 26).  Via ESPN Regional, Seton Hall’s games will be shown an additional 14 times with broadcasts on SNY (nine), MSG (three) and FSNY (two).  The Prudential Center-opening game against Monmouth on November 11 will be carried by SNY.

PRESEASON BIG EAST PREDICTIONS

Seton Hall was predicted to finish 13th in the 16-team BIG EAST Conference.  Last season, the Pirates were predicted to finish 15th and they ended up placing 13th.  Georgetown and Louisville are the co-favorites to win the regular-season title in the 2007-08 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches’ Poll.  The two teams tied for first place in the balloting with 217 points.  Seton Hall was selected to finish 13th with 56 points.  Georgetown senior Roy Hibbert, a unanimous selection to last season’s All-BIG EAST First Team, was been named the 2007-08 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year by a vote of the league’s head men’s basketball coaches.  Syracuse freshmen Jonny Flynn and Donte’ Greene were selected BIG EAST Co-Rookies of the Year.  Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.

CHANGES COMING TO THE BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP

The Presidents of the BIG EAST Conference voted to include all 16 member institutions in the men’s and women’s basketball championship tournaments beginning in 2009.  The Presidents took this action at their annual meeting, which was held Nov. 6 in Philadelphia, Pa.  Currently, the top 12 teams in the final regular-season standings advance to participate in the men’s and women’s championships.  The men’s championship is held in New York City at Madison Square Garden.  The women’s championship is held in Hartford, Conn., at the Hartford Civic Center.  The new format will have the teams seeded 9 through 16 meet on the first day of competition.  The matchups will be No. 9 vs. No. 16, No. 10 vs. No. 15, No. 11 vs. No. 14 and No. 12 vs. No. 13.  The winners of those four games will meet seeds 5 through 8 on the second day of play.  The 9/16 winner will advance to play the No. 8 seed.  The 10/15 winner will play the No. 7 seed.  The 11/14 winner will meet the No. 6 seed.  The 12/13 winner will play the No. 5 seed.  Those four winners will advance to play the top four seeds in the quarterfinal round.  Thus, the top four seeded teams still will not play until the quarterfinals, which occurs in the current 12-team format.

NUTTER, LAING CLOSING IN ON 1,000 POINTS

Seniors Jamar Nutter and Brian Laing should become the 34th and 35th members of the exclusive 1,000-Point Club at Seton Hall.  Nutter currently is tied for 45th all-time with 856 points, while Laing is 53rd with 819 points.  Eugene Harvey is tied for 86th place with 560 career points. 

 

SPLIT DOWN THE MIDDLE

Seton Hall features a team with six returning players and six talented newcomers.  Freshmen Mike Davis, Michael Glover, Jeremy Hazell and Brandon Walters join junior Augustine Okosun and sophomore transfer Robert Mitchell to form Head Coach Bobby Gonzalez’ second straight impact recruiting class.

 

FRONTCOURT ADDRESSED

One of the Pirates weaknesses in the 2006-07 season was a lack of height in the frontcourt.  The additions of 6-11 Mike Davis, 6-11 Augustine Okosun, 6-9 Brandon Walters and 6-6 Michael Glover immediately fortify the interior.  The Pirates are also looking forward to a full season of a health for 6-9 John Garcia.  What was a weakness for Seton Hall last season may become a strength this year.

 

THE ELUSIVE TRIPLE-DOUBLE

The Pirates continue to come close to notching their second triple-double in school history.  In the 2007-08 season opener, Brian Laing had 18 points, 10 rebounds and five steals.  Last season against Princeton, Larry Davis scored eight points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out eight assists in only 28 minutes.  Eugene Harvey had 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists vs. St. John’s last year.  Only one player in Seton Hall history has recorded a triple-double.  Eddie Griffin logged 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks in a victory over Norfolk State on Dec. 4, 2000.

LOOKING AHEAD

 

SETON HALL at PRINCETON

Wednesday, November 28 7:30 p.m.

Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, N.J

TV:  None

Radio:  WABC 770 AM / WSOU 89.5 FM

Seton Hall vs. Princeton:  Seton Hall, 9-3

NOTEBOOK:  The Pirates will return to New Jersey, but remain on the road as they’ll travel to Princeton on Wednesday.  Seton Hall owns an all-time record of 9-3 against the Tigers and registered one of last season’s most lopsided victories against them, a 79-41 win at Continental Airlines Arena.  This will mark the first time Seton Hall has traveled to Princeton since a two-point loss in Jadwin Gym on Dec. 16, 1987.

Princeton will enter the Seton Hall game with a 2-3 record, fresh off three straight losses at the Maui Invitational.  Zach Finley leads the team is scoring at 13.6, while Lincoln Gunn is second with 12.2 points per game.  The Tigers are only averaging 59.6 points per game.

Scoreboard

Seton Hall University Athletics

Men's Basketball Takes On Virginia Tonight For "Classic" Crown

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