Pirates Face Nevada in Paradise Jam Opener
11/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Live Stats l Live Stream l Live Audio l Game Notes
CBS Sports Network l Tournament Bracket (PDF)
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Spirits are always high after a victory but following a convincing win over Mercer to start the 2014-15 campaign on Sunday, the Pirates are literally headed to Paradise as Seton Hall will travel to take on an eight-team field at the 2014 Ezybonds Global Payments US Virgin Islands Paradise Jam.
The Hall will open against Nevada on Friday, November 21 - a game that will start at 4:00 p.m. EDT on the CBS Sports Network. Each game in the championship bracket of the event will be nationally televised as CBS Sports Network will carry the first round and semi-final games on November 21 and 23 along with the third-place and championship games on November 24.
All games will also feature a live stream on www.ParadiseJam.com
Along with The Hall and Nevada in the top half of the bracket at the 15th annual event are Clemson (ACC) and Gardner Webb (Big South). Potential opponents on the bottom half of the bracket include LSU (SEC), Old Dominion (Conference USA), Illinois State (Missouri Valley) and Weber State (Big Sky).
SHU, Clemson and Old Dominion are the only three squads in the field with history at the event, having each participated in 2010 as well, the Pirates' first year under head coach Kevin Willard. ODU went on to win the event while The Hall began with a win over Alabama but finished fifth (1-2) after dropping its final contest to the Tigers in overtime.
Friday's opponent Nevada is one of four teams in the field that Seton Hall has never met in the program's 100+ year history. The current version of the Wolf Pack stands at 2-0 for the first time since 2006-07 with home triumphs over Cal Poly and Adams State under its belt but is very much still a team in transition.
In the absence of guard Deonte Burton who averaged over 20 points and more than 38 minutes per game for a 15-win team a season ago, sophomore DJ Fenner has emerged as the primary scoring threat, totaling 30 points in the first two outings and reaching double-figures in both.
A 6-foot-6, 205-pound native of Seattle, Fenner has stepped into his new role despite not recording a start and posting just 2.5 points and 1.8 rebounds in limited time behind Burton and another four-year starter in Jerry Evans Jr. last season.
Down low, Nevada's AJ West has had a field day against his first two opponents and following a career night in which he racked up 17 points and 18 boards against Adams State, the 6-foot-9 junior carries averages of 11.5 points and 13 rebounds.
West will have to contend with a Pirates frontcourt that similarly dominated in the 63-47 defeat of Mercer as senior Brandon Mobley (Savannah, Ga.) and Angel Delgado (Bajos De Haina, Dominican Republic) combined for 27 points and 21 rebounds against the Bears.
A difficult duo to contain given their complementary skills, Mobley knocked down all four of his 3-point attempts and put on a 19-point display that featured an array of mid-range jumpers while Delgado powered his way to eight points and 12 rebounds with his prowess in the paint.
Nevada's senior point guard Michael Perez (11.0 ppg) - a UTEP transfer who is the lone returning player who led the team in scoring in a game last year - is one of four Wolf Pack players averaging in double-figures but The Hall's backcourt depth may wear down Perez and running mate Marqueze Coleman (11.0 ppg).
Junior Sterling Gibbs (Scotch Plains, N.J.) chipped in 17 points in the opener, combining with Mobley to score 23 of the Pirates' 28 second half points. As the orchestrator on offense, he recorded five assists with no turnovers and added three steals on the other end.
Seton Hall forced Mercer into 18 giveaways as a team and the blue & white's proclivity for creating extra opportunities could prove an important factor given that Nevada will enter the game with as many assists (21) as turnovers (21).
The Hall's success on defense extended beyond creating turnovers against Mercer as SHU limited the Bears to 37.0 percent shooting (20-of-54). The performance gave the Pirates their ninth consecutive win when holding opponents under 40 percent from the field and their 47 points allowed marked the lowest total yielded since the first round of the 2013 BIG EAST Tournament against USF (W, 46-42 OT).
Now, Seton Hall will look to carry that momentum onto the island and begin a three-game run to their first in-season tournament title since winning four games to claim the championship at the 2007-08 Philly Hoop Group Classic.
A live radio broadcast featuring the team of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will be available locally on 970AM (WNYM) for the opener as well as online via the Pirate Sports Network on SHUPirates.com.
For updates on the team and broadcast information throughout the tournament, follow @SetonHallMBB on Twitter.
