Men's Basketball To Travel To Cincinnati Wednesday
2/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SETON HALL (13-14, 4-10) at CINCINNATI (10-18, 1-13)
Wednesday, February 28, 2007 - 7:00 p.m.
Fifth Third Arena - Cincinnati, Ohio
THE MATCHUP: Seton Hall and Cincinnati will meet for their lone matchup this season on Wednesday. The Pirates are coming off an 89-76 victory over USF which kept their BIG EAST Tournament hopes alive. Cincinnati lost their 10th straight game Saturday, a 58-45 set back to DePaul.
TV: The game will be shown on the YES Network as part of the ESPN Regional package. Dave Ryan (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst) will call the game.
RADIO: The game will be broadcast by WQEW 1560 AM, with Dave Popkin on play-by-play and Terry Dehere 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 CINCINNATI
Cincinnati’s tough season has been made tougher by their recent 10-game losing streak. Overall, they’ve lost 15 of their last 16 and have a BIG EAST record of 1-13 on the year. A young team, the Bearcats will lose only one starter for next season and should certainly improve. Freshman Deonta Vaughn leads the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game and has twice been named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week. Junior John Williamson is a second Bearcat averaging in double-digit scoring with 13.4 points per game. He is also among the league-leaders with 7.2 rebounds per game. Cincinnati is averaging 64.4 points per game.
SETON HALL - CINCINNATI SERIES
Seton Hall and Cincinnati will meet for the eighth time in the history of both programs. This will be the first time Cincinnati will host a game in this series. The Bearcats own a 4-3 edge in the all-time series, with the teams alternating wins and losses over the last six games. The Pirates won the last meeting, a 72-62 victory at CAA on Feb. 28, 2006.
PIRATES SNAP LOSING STREAK ON SENIOR DAY
Seton Hall exploded for 89 points, snapping their BIG EAST losing streak, and defeating USF, 89-76, on Senior Day on Saturday. Four Pirates finished in double-figures in scoring. Junior Brian Laing narrowly missed his seventh double-double of the season with a team-high 21 points and eight rebounds. Freshman Eugene Harvey had 19 points, six rebounds and six assists in a fine all-around game. Junior Jamar Nutter added 16 points on the strength of four three-pointers, while senior Stan Gaines, playing in his final home game, netted 11 points. Seton Hall added to their BIG EAST leading steals per game average with 14 against USF and blocked a season-high eight shots.
STILL ALIVE
Seton Hall has not yet been eliminated from BIG EAST Tournament contention and still has a very legitimate shot at making the field. The only team the Pirates can catch is St. John’s, but they own the all-imporant tie-breaker against the Red Storm. With two games remaining (at Cincinnati and at Louisville), the Pirates have to win out and hope that St. John’s loses their final game against Providence. This would give both teams a 6-10 BIG EAST record, and because Seton Hall defeated St. John’s in their lone meeting this season, the Pirates would win the tie-breaker and receive the tournament’s 12th seed.
GOING OUT IN STYLE
Senior Stan Gaines played his home game as a Seton Hall Pirate on Saturday against USF and contributed mightily as he has all season. He scored 11 points, grabbed four rebounds and blocked four shots in 32 minutes. An imporant cog of the front court, his reputation as a strong defensive player leads him to often guard the opposing team’s best player. He has started 24-of-27 games this season and is averaging 6.6 points and a team second-best 4.7 rebounds per game. Cool and calm on the free throw line, Gaines has connected on49-of-62 shots, a 79.0 percentile that ranks second on the team. He also leads the Pirates with 0.9 blocks per game.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Seton Hall will wrap up the 2006-07 regular season with a pair of games on the road. The Pirates will take on Cincinnati at Fifth Third Arena on Wednesday, February 28. This will be Seton Hall’s first trip ever to the University of Cincinnati. On March 4, the Pirates will face Louisville at Freedom Hall. It will mark the first time these two teams have faced in BIG EAST action.
SEEING 20/20
Five Pirates have scored at least 20 points this season, and the mark has been reached 17 times. Junior Brian Laing leads the team with seven 20-point games, freshman Eugene Harvey has had five, 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 16.3 points per game, while Laing is averaging 16.0.
HEAD COACH
BOBBY GONZALEZ
Career Record: 142-91
At Seton Hall: 13-14
BIG EAST Record: 4-10
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).
AWARD CANDIDATES
With two 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 16.3 points per game and is amongst the league leaders in assists per game (4.2) and steals per game (1.78). He has started all 27 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 ranks second on the team and seventh in the BIG EAST with 16.0 points per game. He has recorded six 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 3.26. This season, he became Seton Hall’s all-time single-season steals leader and tied the single-game mark with eight steals vs. St. Mary’s. Currently, he has 88 steals on the season.
KING OF STEALS
With four steals against West Virginia on Saturday, sophomore Paul Gause passed former Pirate great Dan Callandrillo, to become Seton Hall’s all-time single-season leader in the category. He now has 88 on the season. Earlier this year, Gause tied the Seton Hall single-game mark with eight steals against St. Mary’s.
FROM WAY DOWN TOWN
Junior sharp-shooter Jamar Nutter is making his way up the three-point shooting record lists at Seton Hall. With 147 career made three-pointers, Nutter already ranks eighth on Seton Hall’s all-time list. His 416 career attempts rank him 10th all-time. This season he has fired up 205 attempts which rank him eighth on the single-season list. On Feb. 3 vs. West Virginia, Nutter attempted 15 "three’s" which ranks him third on the single-game list.
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 75.5 percentage. Freshman Eugene Harvey leads the Pirates efforts in this category and ranks fifth in the conference going 128-for-151 for a percentage of 84.8. Most recently, Seton Hall was 18-for-22 at the line against USF on Saturday. Harvey was 9-for-11 in the game and 20-for-22 on the week.
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 16.0 points per game. Laing has led the Pirates in scoring in 15 of the team’s 27 games. Laing was also named to the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team. Most recently, he nearly recorded his seventh double-double of the season with a team-high 21 points and eight rebounds against USF on Saturday.
TOP BIG EAST ROOKIE
No freshman’s impact has been greater than that of Eugene Harvey through his career’s first 27 games. His 16.3 points per game leads Seton Hall 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 27 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 25-of-27 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. Harvey also ranks fifth in the conference for averaging 35.30 minutes per game. Most recently, he had 19 points, six rebounds and six assists vs. USF.
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.
NO PAUSE IN GAUSE
Sophomore sparkplug Paul Gause has made six 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 (3.26) 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.
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. The season’s final two games will feature Dave Popkin providing the play-by-play and former Seton Hall great Terry Dehere as the analyst.
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.
STILL ALIVE
Seton Hall has not yet been eliminated from BIG EAST Tournament contention and still has a very legitimate shot at making the field. The only team the Pirates can catch is St. John’s, but they own the all-imporant tie-breaker against the Red Storm. With two games remaining (at Cincinnati and at Louisville), the Pirates have to win out and hope that St. John’s loses their final game against Providence. This would give both teams a 6-10 BIG EAST record, and because Seton Hall defeated St. John’s in their lone meeting this season, the Pirates would win the tie-breaker and receive the tournament’s 12th seed.
DOUBLE YOUR FUN
The Pirates have recorded nine double-doubles this season. Junior Brian Laing owns six of the nine and remarkably, he has been one rebound shy of a double-double five times this season. Freshmen Eugene Harvey and Larry Davis each have one double-double and senior Stan Gaines picked up the first of his career on Saturday at West Virginia.
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.
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.
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 671 and is in 69th place on the all-time points list. Teammate Jamar Nutter passed the same milestone earlier this season and currently has 792 points tying him for 57th all-time. Freshman Eugene Harvey, in only one season, is now creeping up on the milestone as well. He currently has 439 career points.
MEN OF STEAL
Through 27 games this season, the Pirates have enjoyed the fruits of their relentless full-court press, picking up 292 steals as a team. 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. As a result, Gause leads the BIG EAST lead and ranks among the national leaders with 3.26 steals per game, freshman Eugene Harvey is 10th in the conference with 1.78 steals per game and junior Brian Laing is 12th with 1.74 per game.
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.
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.
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.
LOOKING AHEAD
SETON HALL at #16 LOUISVILLE
Sunday, March 4, 2007 Noon
Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky
TV: MSG
Radio: WABC 770 AM / WSOU 89.5 FM
Seton Hall vs. Louisville: UL, 6-3
NOTEBOOK: Seton Hall will travel to Louisville to wrap up the 2006-07 regular seasonand with the hopes of clinching the final BIG EAST Tournament berth. If the Pirates can defeat Cincinnati and St. John’s loses to Providence, a victory over Louisville would clinch the tournament for the Pirates. Seton Hall has lost their last two games at Freedom Hall and their last three overall against the Cardinals. The teams haven’t played since an 80-71 Louisville victory on Dec. 10, 2003.
The Cardinals are led by Terrence Williams who is averaging 12.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Louisville has a very balanced scoring attack and is 15-4 at home this season.
