Men's Basketball Travels To West Virginia Saturday
2/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SETON HALL (12-12, 3-8) at WEST VIRGINIA (19-6, 7-5)
Saturday, February 17, 2007 - 4:00 p.m.
WVU Coliseum - Morgantown, West Virginia
THE MATCHUP: Seton Hall and West Virginia will square off in their second matchup in two weeks. On Feb. 3, the Mountaineers defeated the Pirates, 81-70. The Pirates are coming off a 67-55 loss to Connecticut on Wednesday, while West Virginia lost to Georgetown, 71-53, on Monday.
TV: The game will be shown on the MSG Network as part of the ESPN Regional package. John Sanders (play-by-play) and Perry Clark (analyst) will call the game.
RADIO: The game will be broadcast by 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 WEST VIRGINIA
Despite being picked to finish 12th, the Mountaineers have had a tremendous season, despite Monday’s 71-53 loss to Georgetown. Last week, West Virginia defeated second-ranked UCLA in Morgantown and have already won 19 games this season. Three players are averaging in double-digit scoring for the Mountaineers who are led by Frank Young who is averaging 14.3 points per game. A great defensive team, West Virginia ranks second in the BIG EAST, allowing only 59.0 points per game. They also take good care of the ball, ranking second in the conference to only Seton Hall in turnover margin
SETON HALL - WEST VIRGINIA SERIES
Seton Hall and West Virginia will meet for the second time in two weeks, with the Mountaineers defeating the Pirates, 81-70, at Continental Airlines Arena on Feb. 3. Seton Hall owns a slight edge in the all-time series, 11-10, but has lost their last two games in Morgantown. Last year’s meeting was a high-scoring affair, a 96-86 Mountaineer victory.
SHOTS DON’T FALL FOR PIRATES
Despite a strong defensive effort, Seton Hall shot only 28.8 percent from the floor and fell to Connecticut in Storrs, 67-55. The game featured Connecticut’s blocking front-court vs. Seton Hall’s stealing back-court. The Huskies blocked 14 shots and the Pirates made 14 steals, but UConn shot 52.0 percent from the floor in the second half to Seton Hall’s 28.6 percent, which was the determining factor. Junior Brian Laing had a strong bounce-back game with team-highs of 17 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Paul Gause had a tremendous defensive game wreaking havoc on UConn ball-handlers and finishing with six steals. As a team, Seton Hall forced 21 UConn turnovers.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Pirates are back on the road for two games this week. On Wednesday, they were defeated by UConn, 67-55 in Storrs, Connecticut. They’ll look to bounce back on Saturday, Feb. 17, when they 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 1-6 on the road.
AWARD CANDIDATES
With five games remaining in the regular season, Seton Hall has several players with realistic chances to take home some BIG EAST Conference hardware.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Freshman Eugene Harvey has taken the conference by storm. He leads all rookies with 15.7 points per game and is amongst the league leaders in assists per game (4.25) and steals per game (1.71). He has started all 24 games this season and has been named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week three times. He also ranks among the leaders in minutes played.
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER
Junior Brian Laing ranked fifth on the team in scoring with 5.8 points per game during the 2005-06 season. This year, he leads the team and ranks sixth in the BIG EAST with 16.0 points per game. He has recorded five double-doubles, was named to the BYU Holiday All-Tournament Team and is a three-time BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll member.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Sophomore Paul Gause has been a nightmare for opposing team ball-handlers all season. He has led the BIG EAST in steals per game virtually all season and is currently averaging 3.33. Many coaches have eluded to how disrupting Gause has been to offenses. Against St. Mary’s, he tied the single-season school record with eight steals.
HEAD COACH
BOBBY GONZALEZ
Career Record: 141-89
At Seton Hall: 12-12
BIG EAST Record: 3-8
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 sixth in the conference in scoring with 16.0 points per game. Laing has led the Pirates in scoring in 14 of the team’s 24 games. Laing was also named to the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team. Most recently, he scored a team-high 17 points and eight rebounds at Connecticut.
TOP BIG EAST ROOKIE
No freshman’s impact has been greater than that of Eugene Harvey through his career’s first 24 games. His 15.7 point per game leads 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 24 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 34.96 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 24 games this season, the Pirates have enjoyed the fruits of their relentless full-court press, picking up 263 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 3.33 steals per game, junior Brian Laing is 10th with 1.79 per game and freshman Eugene Harvey is 12th in the conference with 1.71 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 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.
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.
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 (3.33) and ranks among the national leaders.
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. Laing is averaging 16.0 points per game, while Harvey is averaging 15.7.
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 613 and is in 77th place on the all-time points list. Teammate Jamar Nutter passed the same milestone earlier this season and currently has 749 points for 61st all-time.
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 second in the conference with a 74.8 percentage. Freshman Eugene Harvey had led the Pirates efforts in this category and ranks eighth in the conference going 103-for-123 for a percentage of 83.7. At Connecticut, Seton Hall shot well again, going 14-for-17 for an 82.4 free throw percentage. Harvey was 4-for-4.
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 vs. PITTSBURGH
Monday, February 19, 2007 8:00 p.m.
Continental Airlines Arena East Rutherford, N.J.
TV: MSG
Radio: 1050 AM ESPN / WSOU 89.5 FM
Seton Hall vs. Pittsburgh: PITT, 26-19
NOTEBOOK: Seton Hall will face Pittsburgh in their lone meeting of the 2006-07 season on Monday, Feb. 19. The Pirates shocked the nation with a 65-61 victory in their last meeting with Pittsburgh, as the Panthers were ranked #8 in the nation and were perfect on their home floor. The two teams have alternated wins and losses over the last five meetings. Seton Hall has won the last two meetings with the Panthers at Continental Airlines Arena.
Predicted to win the BIG EAST this season, Pittsburgh has not disappointed thus far, leading the conference all season. Aaron Gray was the pre-season Player of the Year and is averaging 14.8 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
