Men's Basketball Heads to UConn Wednesday
2/13/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SETON HALL (12-11, 3-7) vs. CONNECTICUT (15-9, 4-6)
Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - 7:30 p.m.
Gampel Pavilion - Storrs, Connecticut
THE MATCHUP: Seton Hall and Connecticut will face off in their lone meeting this year on Wednesday in Storrs, Ct. Seton Hall dropped their last game, 78-69, to Villanova on Saturday, while the Huskies lost to Georgia Tech in non-conference action, 65-52 on Sunday.
TV: The game will be shown on the MSG Network as part of the ESPN Regional package. Dave Sims (play-by-play) and Ron Perry (analyst) will call the game.
RADIO: The game will be broadcast by 1050 AM ESPN Radio, 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 CONNECTICUT
Predicted to finish fifth in the 16-team BIG EAST field, Connecticut has struggled recently losing nine of their last 12 games. Despite the recent woes, the Huskies remain a major conference threat that features a towering front court. They have three players currently averaging in double-figure scoring led by sophomore Jeff Adrian who is averaging nearly a double-double with 13.3 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Another member of their looming front court is 7-foot-3 freshman Hasheem Thabeet who is among the conference leaders in blocks. A young team, UConn has been starting three freshmen and two sophomores lately.
SETON HALL - CONNECTICUT SERIES
Seton Hall and Connecticut will meet for the 55th time, with the Huskies owning 36-18 all-time series lead. The Pirates have lost their last five games, 12 of their last 13 and 19 of their last 21 matchups with Connecticut. The Pirates’ last victory at UConn was a 73-60 triumph on March 1, 1997. Since then, they’ve lost five straight in Storrs.
PIRATES’ COMEBACK FALLS SHORT
Seton Hall had a strong second half, but couldn’t overcome a 16-point half-time deficit and fell to Villanova, 78-69, on Saturday. The under-manned Pirates had to work even harder as the game went on as four players fouled out and the team was left with only five active players for the game’s final 1:24. Three Pirates scored in double-figures, led by junior Jamar Nutter who pumped in a team-high 21 points on the strength of five three-pointers. Freshmen Eugene Harvey and Larry Davis both scored 15 in the loss. The team had the support of the Pirate faithful as Seton Hall "Packed the House" with a season-high 12,450 fans. Seton Hall shot 44.0 percent from the floor and matched their conference-leading season average of 11 steals per game.
NUTTER FROM DOWNTOWN
Junior Jamar Nutter found his shooting touch vs. Villanova on Saturday. He scored a team-high 21 points on the strength of 7-for-14 shooting from the field and 5-for-8 from three-point range. Nutter also made good on his only two free throws. For the season, the sharpshooter is averaging 12.8 points per game and ranks eighth in the conference with 2.39 "three’s" per game.
DAZZLING FRESHMAN DUO
Freshmen Eugene Harvey and Larry Davis showed the Seton Hall fans another glimpse into the bright future vs. Villanova on Saturday. Both scored 15 points and shot the ball very well. Harvey was only 3-for-7 from the field, but hit 9-of-10 free throws. Davis nailed two three-pointers and was instrumental in the Pirates run early in the second half. The duo is combining to average 24.6 points per game this season.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Pirates are back on the road for two games this week. On Wednesday, they’ll travel to Storrs, Connecticut to take on the UConn Huskies. Seton Hall has dropped their last five games at Connecticut. Then, on Saturday, Feb. 17, they’ll travel to Morgantown, West Virginia to take on the Mountaineers for the second time in two weeks. The Pirates have lost their last two in West Virginia. So far this season, Seton Hall has gone 1-5 on the road.
SEEING 20/20
Five Pirates have scored at least 20 points this season, and the mark has been reached 15 times. Junior Brian Laing leads the team with six 20-point games, freshman Eugene Harvey has had four, junior Jamar Nutter has had three and freshman Larry Davis and sophomore Paul Gause have both had one each. Twice both Laing and Harvey topped the 20-point mark in the same game, vs. Rutgers and West Virginia. Both members of that scoring tandem are among the Top 10 in the BIG EAST in scoring. Harvey is averaging 16.0 points per game, while Laing is averaging 15.9.
HEAD COACH
BOBBY GONZALEZ
Career Record: 141-88
At Seton Hall: 12-11
BIG EAST Record: 3-7
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).
A CAREER YEAR
Junior Brian Laing is enjoying a breakout campaign. He has been named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll three times and is currently seventh in the conference in scoring with 15.9 points per game. Laing has led the Pirates in scoring in 13 of the team’s 23 games. Laing was also named to the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team.
TOP BIG EAST ROOKIE
No freshman’s impact has been greater than that of Eugene Harvey through his career’s first 23 games. His 16.0 point per game leads the Pirates and all BIG EAST rookies. Only Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody has matched Harvey’s three BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honors. He has started all 23 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 21-of-23 games. 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 35.00 minutes per game.
BILLMEIER OUT FOR SEASON
Senior Grant Billmeier will miss the remainder of the 2006-07 season due to an injury to his left knee in the first two minutes of the game vs. Providence. Billmeier tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). A two-year team captain, he started 14-of-17 games this season and helded guide the Pirates to two NCAA appearances including a thrilling victory over Arizona in the 2004 event.
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.
MEN OF STEAL
Through 23 games this season, the Pirates have enjoyed the fruits of their relentless full-court press, picking up 249 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 10.8 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 3.22 steals per game, junior Brian Laing is 11th with 1.78 per game and freshman Eugene Harvey is 12th in the conference with 1.70 steals per game.
DOUBLE YOUR FUN
The Pirates have recorded seven double-doubles this season. Brian Laing picked up his fifth of the season with 22 points and 11 rebounds against West Virginia. Earlier this year, he had two double-doubles in three games at the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic. Laing’s first career double-double came with a 25-point, 12-rebound performance vs. FDU. Remarkably, Laing has been one rebound shy of a double-double five times this season. 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.
THE ELUSIVE TRIPLE-DOUBLE
Against Princeton, a Pirate freshman came close to recording a triple-double for the second time this season. Larry Davis scored eight points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out eight assists in only 28 minutes. Earlier this season, freshman Eugene Harvey had 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists vs. St. John’s. 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.
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.
TAKING ADVANTAGE AT THE LINE
All season Seton Hall has ranked amongst the BIG EAST conference leaders in free throw shooting. Currently, the Pirates rank third in the conference with a 74.5 percentage. Freshman Eugene Harvey had led the Pirates efforts in this category and ranks eighth in the conference going 99-for-119 for a percentage of 83.2. He was 9-for-10 vs. Villanova.
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 (3.22) and ranks among the national leaders.
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.
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.
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.
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.
WIN ONE, LOSE ONE
Earlier this season, Seton Hall had a streak of 12 games in which the Pirates had not put together a two consecutive games of wins or losses. After defeating Penn State on Dec. 9, the Pirates followed every win with a loss and every loss with a win. It is the longest streak of it’s kind in the 104-year history of the Seton Hall basketball program.
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.
NUTTER, LAING PASS 500 POINTS
At Notre Dame, junior Brian Laing became the 100th player in Seton Hall history to record 500 career points. He now has 596 and is in 78th place on the all-time points list. Teammate Jamar Nutter passed the same milestone earlier this season and currently has 744 points for 62nd all-time.
SCORING EASILY
The Pirates saw an offensive explosion in scoring 94 points against Penn. With only a couple of games to the contrary, the Pirates have had no difficulty scoring points so far this season. Games at the B.Y.U. Classic were no different, as they scored 74 against Oral Roberts, 85 vs. Liberty and 68 against BYU. In 23 games, the Pirates are averaging 75.8 points per game which ranks them third 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 (8.9) and Larry Davis (8.6) are inching their way towards joining that group. Seton Hall is shooting 42.7 percent from the floor this season.
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.
SETON HALL BASKETBALL HISTORICAL NOTABLES
* The men’s basketball team went to the Final Four in 1989 and lost in the championship game to Michigan by one point in overtime, 80-79. The Pirates won BIG EAST tournament titles in 1991 and 1993 and regular season titles in 1992 and 1993. All of the above was under the guidance of current San Antonio Spurs assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo.
* Seton Hall has a national championship under its belt. The Pirates won the 1953 NIT, then considered the premier national tournament.
* The program’s all-time leading scorer is Terry Dehere (2,494 points, 1989-93). Leading rebounder Walter Dukes (1,697, 1950-53) still holds the NCAA single-season rebounding record of 734 in 1952-53. CBS analyst Bill Raftery coached Seton Hall from 1970-81 (154-141 record).
LOOKING AHEAD
SETON HALL at WEST VIRGINIA
Saturday, February 17, 2007 4:00 p.m.
WVU Coliseum Morgantown, W. Va.
TV: MSG
Radio: WABC 770 AM / WSOU 89.5 FM
Seton Hall vs. West Virginia: SHU, 11-10
NOTEBOOK: Seton Hall will face West Virginia for the second time in two weeks on Saturday, Feb. 17 at the WVU Coliseum. On Feb. 3, the Mountaineers defeated the Pirates, 81-70, at Continental Airlines Arena. Freshman Da’Sean Butler scored 21 points en route to being named the BIG EAST’s Rookie of the Week, an honor he won for the second consecutive time this week.
Despite being picked to finish 12th, the Mountaineers have had a tremendous season. On Saturday, West Virginia defeated second-ranked UCLA in Morgantown and have already won 19 games this season. They are led by Frank Young who is averaging 14.3 points per game.
