Men's Basketball To Host Delaware State, Monday

DELAWARE STATE (3-8) at

SETON HALL (8-3)

Monday, December 31, 2008

Prudential Center - Newark, N.J.

1:00 p.m.

THE MATCHUP:  The Pirates are coming off a 79-73 loss to ACC-rival N.C. State on Thursday.  Seton Hall has now alternated wins and losses over their last six games.  Delaware State has lost four in a row and eight of their last nine including a 65-33 loss at Xavier on Friday.  This is the first meeting between Seton Hall and Delaware State.  This game is the third of five consecutive games at Prudential Center for the Pirates.  They’ll host Connecticut on Jan. 3 and Morgan State on Jan. 5. 

 

TV:  None

 

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

The Hornets are coming off a successful 21-13 season which culminated in an NIT berth last year.  However, so far this season Delaware State hasn’t enjoyed the same success.  Heading into Monday’s game, they’ve lost four in a row and eight of nine since opening the 2007-08 campaign with two victories.  The Hornets have only one player averaging in double-figures.  Junior Roy Bright leads the team with 17.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.  Delaware State has had some difficulty scoring this year as they are only averaging 53.9 points per game as a team and are shooting .388 from the floor.  The Hornets are shooting .725 from the free throw line, but are forcing only 11.5 turnovers per game.

SETON HALL - DELAWARE ST. SERIES

Seton Hall and N.C. State will meet for the first time in the programs’ history.  In fact, Seton Hall has only played nine games against current teams from the MEAC.  They own a perfect 9-0 record.

PIRATES FALL TO N.C. STATE, 79-73

Seton Hall suffered their first defeat at Prudential Center with a 79-73 loss to N.C. State on Thursday night.  The Pirates had four players score in double-figures, but shot only 42.0% from the floor.  Sophomore Eugene Harvey led the team with 20 points.  Senior Brian Laing had 17 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore John Garcia poured in 16 points and seven rebounds off the bench.  Seton Hall won the turnover battle, 11-to-18, but were beaten on the boards, 41-to-31.  A positive for the Pirates all season, their bench outscored the Wolfpack’s, 34-to-15.

A PACKED ROCK

Against N.C. State on Dec. 27, Seton Hall enjoyed their first-ever attendance sellout at Prudential Center.  With the curtains drawn, the home crowd packed in 9,800 fans.  Those interested in attending the Connecticut game on Jan. 3 are encouraged to purchase their tickets quickly as Seton Hall anticipates another sellout.  Call 973-275-HALL for more ticket information. 

THE DIFFERENCE-MAKER

Junior captain Paul Gause once again imposed his relentless energy and will in Seton Hall’s overtime victory against James Madison.  After failing to score in the first half, he erupted for 20 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the floor and 7-for-7 from the free throw line in the second half.  Spearheading the Pirates’ defensive effort, Gause tallied eight steals including three crucial thefts in the final two minutes of regulation.  His steal with 11 seconds remaining allowed Jamar Nutter to tie the game and send it into overtime.  Gause had two more steals in the overtime period.

BIG EAST NAMES GAUSE

For is exploits in the James Madison game, junior Paul Gause was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Dec. 23.  It is the first time that Gause has received the honor in his career.  Senior Brian Laing earned the same honor on Nov. 19 and was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Nov. 26.

FRIENDLY MATCHUP

Seton Hall’s matchup with N.C. State meant the re-acquaintance of the Pirates’ Brian Laing and the Wolfpack’s Gavin Grant.  Laing and Grant are good friends and were teammates at St. Raymond’s.  Laing finished with 17 points and eight rebounds on 6-for-16 shooting from the field.  Grant scored a game-high 23 points and grabbed six rebounds on 8-for-14 shooting.

 

TO THE POINT

Despite their most recent setback, history has indicated that when point guard Eugene Harvey scores 20 points, the Pirates do well.  In Harvey’s young career, Seton Hall has a record of 9-4 when the sophomore scores 20 or more in a game.

 

STEALING VICTORIES?

Junior Paul Gause is quickly moving up the career steals list and his defensive prowess is showing up in the win column for the Pirates.  Seton Hall is 8-4 when Gause make five steals or more in a game.

 

MILESTONE VICTORY

With the Pirates’ 112-110 overtime victory over James Madison, head coach Bobby Gonzalez recorded his 150th career coaching victory.  Currently in his ninth year, Gonzalez has an overall record of 150 wins and 96 losses.  He is 21-19 in his tenure at Seton Hall.

SETTING POINTS RECORDS

It capped 32 seasons in between games that Seton Hall and their opponent both scored 100 points in a game when the Pirates defeated Robert Morris, 111-107, on Nov. 18.  But only eight games later, Seton Hall did it again with a 112-110 win over James Madison on Dec. 22.  That victory marked the first time in school history that two teams scored over 110 points in the same game.

COMEBACK KIDS

The Pirates trailed by as many as 23 points (66-43) to Robert Morris with only 17:37 remaining in the second half before mounting their comeback and pulling off an improbable 111-107 overtime victory.  Seton Hall trailed by 19 to James Madison before coming back to defeat the Dukes, 112-110, also in overtime.

PIRATES vs. THE MEAC

Seton Hall has never lost to a current team of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.  They are a perfect 9-0.  Delaware State won’t be their only MEAC opponent this season, as they’ll face Morgan State on Jan. 5.  They’ve played the Bears more times than any other MEAC team and currently hold a 5-0 record against them.  Last season, Seton Hall defeated Morgan State, 83-63, in Baltimore.  Seton Hall has faced Florida A&M, Norfolk St. and N. Carolina A&T in addition to Morgan St.

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.

LIVE AUDIO AND VIDEO 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.  Get the HALL PASS Today!  Video streaming will be available for the Princeton game only.

2007-08 CAPTAINS TRIO

For the second straight season, head coach Bobby Gonzalez has appointed three captains for the season.  Senior Brian Laing will captain the team for the second consecutive year, while senior Jamar Nutter and junior Paul Gause join him to make the trifecta.

OVERTIME

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. 

 

DOUBLE OVERTIME

Seton Hall’s overtime victory against James Madison marked their fourth overtime game in 10 contests, which surpasses the total for all of last season and matches their most since the 1999-00 season.  The Pirates have had four seasons in which they’ve played in four overtime games, but have never played in five overtime games in one season.

27 FOR HARVEY... AGAIN

Super Sophomore Eugene Harvey has scored a career-best 27 points in a game four times.  Most recently, he led all scorers with 27 in an overtime victory over James Madison.  He also scored 27 points in the Pirates’ overtime victories against Monmouth and Robert Morris this season.  If the Pirates win in OT, you can bet Harvey has scored 27.

HIGH SCORING

The Pirates are averaging 85.3 points per game so far this season, which ranks third in the BIG EAST Conference.  They’ve topped the 80-point mark six times in 11 games this season.  Seton Hall’s scoring has been relatively balanced as well.  In all 11 games, at least three players have scored in double figures and in six games at least four players have.  Currently, senior Brian Laing leads the BIG EAST in scoring at 19.9 points per game and sophomore Eugene Harvey ranks fourth with 18.4 points per game.

PROUD PAPA

Seton Hall Head Coach Bobby Gonzalez became a father for the first time prior to the Princeton game.  Brooke Kimberly Gonzalez entered the world at 11:41 a.m. on Wed., Nov. 28.

BIG BENCH

The Pirates have gotten great play from their bench all season long.  Seton Hall’s bench has outscored their opponent’s in 9-of-11 games so far.  Against Princeton, the Pirates’ bench outscored Princeton’s, 20-2.  Most recently, Seton Hall’s bench outscored James Madison’s, 42-14.  Paul Gause led the Pirates off the bench with 21.

HUGE HALF

Seton Hall’s first half at Penn State on Dec. 8 was one of the program’s top offensive performances in recent years.  The Pirates shot 61.3% from the floor and made their first eight shots of the game.  Seton Hall didn’t miss until the 13:39 mark.  The Pirates were a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line and went 8-for-13 from behind the three-point arc.  Entering the game, sophomore Eugene Harvey had only two made three-pointers on the season, but he equaled that total, going 2-for-2, in a strong first half.  Four players had at least eight points, led by freshman Jeremy Hazell’s 11.  The Pirates put up 52 points in all and shot 19-for-31 from the floor.

HUGE HALF TAKE TWO

Fresh off one of their best single-half performances in the Penn State game, the Pirates put together another 20 minutes for the record books against James Madison.  This time, however, the Pirates saved their best for the second frame.  After trailing by 10 at the half, Seton Hall put up 69 points in the second half, while shooting 56.1% (23-for-41) from the floor.  They were 6-for-10 from three-point range and were, a remarkable, 17-for-19 from the free-throw line.  Junior Paul Gause scored 20 of his 21 points in the second half.

CHAIRMAN OF THE “BOARD”

Sophomore John Garcia is currently averaging 8.8 rebounds per game, which ranks him seventh in the BIG EAST.  He had a 10-point, 12-rebound performance at Penn State.  Against St. Peter’s he set a career-high in points with 20 and added 15 rebounds.  Earlier this year, he collected 19 rebounds in only 23 minutes off the bench vs. Loyola.  Those two rebounding performances are the best since J.R. Morris collected 15 boards vs. St. John’s on Jan. 29, 2005.

 

GREAT START

This year, the Pirates began the season 6-0.  It was the program’s best start since they went 13-0 to open the 1988-89 season.  That season, the Pirates finished with an overall record of 31-7 and lost in overtime of the NCAA Championship Game.

 

GAUSE TIES GAUSE, GAUSE AND SANDERS

The reigning BIG EAST steals champion again has twice tied the single-game steals record this season with eight against Monmouth and James Madison.  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 162 career steals, which ties him for eighth amongst the Seton Hall career leaders, and factors to be a leading contender for BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.  Currently, he leads the BIG EAST with 3.27 steals per game.

THEY’VE GOT DOUBLE VISION

Senior Brian Laing and sophomore John Garcia each have three double-doubles on the young season.  Laing has been heavy on the points side as he leads the BIG EAST in scoring at 19.9 points per game, while Garcia has been heavy on the rebounds side, ranking seventh in the conference with 8.8 boards per game.  Garcia picked up two consecutive double-doubles vs. Penn State and St. Peter’s.  Laing’s most recent double-double came at Saint Mary’s where he scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.  He now has nine career double-doubles, while Garcia has picked up all three of his this season.

LOTS O’ 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 were the most since a 113-91 victory over Alaska-Anchorage on Dec. 29, 1996.

FAB FROSH

Freshman Jeremy Hazell has made the largest impact amongst the newcomers thus far.  The 6-foot-5 freshman is averaging 10.9 points and 2.5 rebounds in 21.8 minutes per game.  He burst onto the scene with 16 points vs. Robert Morris and then added 17 more against Loyola.  Hazell led the Pirates with a career-high 21 points at Penn State.  The long-range sharp-shooter leads the team in three-pointers made.  Of his 38 made field goals, 26 are from behind the arc.

NEWCOMER DEVELOPING

Junior Augustine Okosun continues to develop as a reliable frontcourt option for the Pirates.  Against Virginia, he played a career-high 19 minutes and grabbed a career-best six rebounds.  He has started nine of the Pirates’ first 11 games.  Against James Madison, Okosun scored a career-high five points, grabbed six rebounds and blocked three shots.

REBOUNDING WELL

The Pirates have out-rebounded six of their 11 opponents so far this season.  Currently, they’re averaging 40.5 rebounds per game, which ranks them fifth in the BIG EAST, and are limiting their opponents to 40.0.  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.

RIPPING THE RANKED

Seton Hall upset victory of #23-ranked Virginia on Nov. 24 marks the first Pirates win over a ranked opponent since they defeated eighth-ranked Pittsburgh on March 3, 2006.

 

LAING BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Senior Brian Laing was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week on November 26.  Laing helped the Pirates to a 3-0 week, averaging 22.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game over that span.  It is the first time that Laing has received the honor in his career, although he has been named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll four times.  Laing is the first Pirate to be named Player of the Week since Donald Copeland on January 30, 2006.  Currently, Laing leads the BIG EAST in scoring at a 19.9 points per game clip.

THREE-HEADED CENTER MONSTER

The Pirates have employed a three-man platoon at center this season.  Junior Augustine Okosun has gotten eight of the 10 starts at the position, but sophomore John Garcia has seen the majority of the minutes and freshman Mike Davis is beginning to prove his formidable defensive presence.  All three have made at least one start this season.

 

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL

In the Pirates’ victory over Virginia, they set a season-low with only six turnovers.  They forced 16.  For the season, Seton Hall is only committing 12.9 turnovers per game, while forcing 18.3.  That is a turnover margin of +5.36, which ranks them second in the BIG EAST conference.

 

GETTING NATIONAL ATTENTION

Seton Hall received votes in both the Associated Press (AP) and ESPN/USA Today weekly rankings on Monday, Nov. 26.  The Pirates received 54 votes in the AP Top-25 poll, which ranked them 34th in the nation.  They received two points in the ESPN/USA Today poll.  It marked the first time since February 6, 2006 that Seton Hall received votes in either poll.  Following the loss to Saint Mary’s, the Pirates still retained nine votes in the AP poll on Dec. 3.

 

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.

#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 ranks 69th all-time with 681 points.  Last season, Jamar Nutter and Brian Laing became the 99th and 100th members respectively to enter the club.

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.

ALL THE RIGHT PARTS

Seton Hall features a team with six returning players and five talented newcomers.  Freshmen Mike Davis, 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.

 

STIX TRANSFERS IN

Seton Hall head coach Bobby Gonzalez announced 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.

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Monmouth 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.

LAING, NUTTER CLOSING IN ON 1,000 POINTS

Seniors Brian Laing and Jamar Nutter should become the 34th and 35th members of the exclusive 1,000-Point Club at Seton Hall.  Laing is currently 36th all-time with 952 points, while Nutter is 42nd with 900 points.  Eugene Harvey is in 69th place with 681 career points. 

 

PHILLY HOOP GROUP CHAMPS

The Pirates went 4-for-4 in games in the inaugural Philly Hoop Group Classic.  They defeated Robert Morris, 111-107 in overtime on Nov. 18, and Loyola, 94-80 on Nov. 20, at Prudential Center.  They then took on two more opponents in the Championship Round at The Palestra in Philadelphia, Pa.  The Pirates defeated Navy, 79-75 on Nov. 23, and Virginia, 74-60 on Nov. 24.  The victory over Virginia earned the Pirates the title of the Independence Bracket.

 

LAING MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Senior Brian Laing was named the Most Valuable Player of The Philly Hoop Group Classic.  He scored at least 25 points in three of the four games of the tournament, culminating with a 25-point, 10-rebound performance against #23-ranked Virginia in the event’s championship game.

 

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

 

CONNECTICUT at

SETON HALL

Thursday, Jan. 3, 2008 7:00 p.m.

Prudential Center Newark, N.J.

TV:  SNY

Radio:  WABC 770 AM / WSOU 89.5 FM

Seton Hall vs. Connecticut:  UCONN, 37-18

NOTEBOOK:  Seton Hall will play its fourth of five straight games at Prudential Center when they open the BIG EAST regular season against Connecticut.  The Pirates have lost their last six games, 13 of their last 14 and 20 of their last 22 against the Huskies. 

Connecticut has won eight of their first 10 games this season and currently features five players averaging in double-digit scoring.  The Pirates will have their hands full with 7-foot-3 sophomore Hasheem Thabeet who is averaging nearly a double-double and is amongst the conference leader in blocks.  Connecticut is averaging over 81 points per game and holding their opponents to under 65 points on the season.

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