AD Newsletter with Pat Lyons - February 2018
2/8/2018 6:51:00 PM | AD Newsletter with Bryan Felt
AD Newsletter – February 2018
February is the shortest month of the year, but it might also be the busiest of the year. Our basketball teams are hitting the home stretch of the season as they prepare for the madness of March. Our swimming & diving teams are preparing to compete for the BIG EAST Championship. Our baseball, softball, tennis and golf teams are beginning regular season competition. And our fall sport teams are busy bringing in the next wave of talented Pirates as part of national signing day.
It's a great time to be a Pirate, and I encourage you to follow along and support our student-athletes!
It is one thing to achieve academic success, but it's another thing to develop long-sustaining excellence built on a solid foundation. I feel that we are achieving long-term success in the classroom right now as evidenced by yet another record-breaking cumulative grade-point average after our Fall 2017 semester. Our student-athletes collectively hold a 3.378 GPA.
And think about it for a minute: every year we graduate seniors and we bring in new freshmen that are new to college academics. There is always turnover, and yet, we have consistently improved our academic track record. That is no small feat, which is why I will continue to congratulate and praise our student-athletes, our academic support staff, our coaches and our administrators for consistently raising the bar and setting the tone for prioritizing excellence in the classroom.
Our goal is always to set our student-athletes on a path for success in life after graduation, and the efforts they put in to make a 3.378 GPA happen is the perfect foundation for reaching that goal.
Please take a minute to read more about our Fall academic achievements, including our 135 Dean's List honorees.
If you have not had the chance to see our men's basketball team in action live this year, you are missing out. With an impressive top-30 RPI and top-35 KenPom rating, our student-athletes are making a push for March once again. And with four outstanding seniors getting ready to play their final home game at The Rock, now is the time to enjoy this special group and cheer for them.
We have three games remaining, and I encourage you to come out to Prudential Center. On Feb. 18, we host DePaul on Kids Day, which will feature face painting, a temporary tattoo station and the opportunity to dance with our dance team. The first 1,000 children in attendance will receive a growth chart, and we will honor our women student-athletes during the game as part of National Girls & Women in Sports Day.
On Feb. 28, we will host the current No. 1 team in the nation, Villanova, and though the lower bowl is sold out, we have great seats in the 100 level available at Ticketmaster.com.
And on Saturday, March 3 vs. Butler, we will celebrate our four seniors, who have built an incredible legacy here at Seton Hall. Stay tuned as we will be announcing some special promotions for this game.
Our women's basketball team had a gauntlet of a start to the BIG EAST schedule, and a 1-4 start to league play was not what they had hoped for. However, the women have persevered through the adversity and have won six of their last eight games to put themselves in a strong position heading into the final stretch.
Though the team is on the road the next two weekends, you should look ahead to supporting the Pirates in their final two home games, Feb. 23 against Marquette and Feb. 25 against DePaul. The Marquette game is our "Play4Kay" game as we help raise awareness in the fight against all women's cancers. Our team is raising money in collaboration with the Kay Yow Cancer Fund all month long through a free throw pledge competition. You can help the cause by pledging an amount for every free throw the Pirates connect on this month. Just this last game, the Pirates made 25 free throws!
At the DePaul game, we will celebrate Senior Day and honor our lone women's senior this season JaQuan Jackson, who has been outstanding in her time here at The Hall.
As evidenced by the sold-out crowd last Sunday at the Butler game, fan support can help change the balance of any contest, so please come out to Walsh Gymnasium that weekend to cheer on our Pirates and help send them to the BIG EAST Tournament on a winning streak!
We're less than a month away from the BIG EAST Tournament, and Pirate Blue is preparing for its annual tournament fundraiser, which we hold at the Grand Havana Room on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
The event takes place on Tuesday, March 6 from 6-8:30 p.m. Food and beverages will be served, and it will be a fantastic evening to help ring in the best conference tournament in the country.
To sign up for this event, please contact Jay Judge at (973) 275-2202 or by email at jay.judge@shu.edu. Please register by Friday, March 2.
The beauty of college basketball is that no matter how you finish the regular season, you always get the opportunity to make a major impact at your conference tournament. So please don't forget to get your BIG EAST Tournament tickets for both the men's and women's teams to support your Pirates as they look to win a conference championship. The men's tournament as always is at Madison Square Garden (March 7-10), and the women's tournament is back in Chicago at the brand new Wintrust Arena (March 3-6).
Men's Tournament Tickets
Women's Tournament Tickets
February is swimming & diving championship month, and the Pirates will be headed to Ohio to compete in the BIG EAST Championship Feb. 21-24. Last year was a banner year for both programs; the men won their first-ever conference championship, and the women had their highest conference finish ever at third. Both teams will be in contention to bring home the gold, and I wish them all luck in the pool!
You'll be able to follow the championship by watching the BIG EAST Digital Network on FOX Sports GO and by following the Seton Hall swimming & diving Twitter account.
Mental health in our lives, especially in athletics, is probably not discussed or appreciated enough in the world today. We are trying to make that a priority here at Seton Hall, and earlier this week we had a tremendous guest speaker in Chamique Holdsclaw, a two-time college basketball National Player of the Year at Tennessee and a six-time WNBA All-Star and 2000 Olympic Gold medalist representing the United States.
Chamique shared with our student-athletes her struggles with mental health and depression while playing basketball. She also made a point to say that we as a society need to erase the stigmas of discussing and pursuing mental health while encouraging our student-athletes to be open and honest about their mental wellness and what to do should they fall into tough times.
Chamique is very brave to discuss her battles so openly, and we thank her for sharing her story and message with our student-athletes.
GO PIRATES!
February is the shortest month of the year, but it might also be the busiest of the year. Our basketball teams are hitting the home stretch of the season as they prepare for the madness of March. Our swimming & diving teams are preparing to compete for the BIG EAST Championship. Our baseball, softball, tennis and golf teams are beginning regular season competition. And our fall sport teams are busy bringing in the next wave of talented Pirates as part of national signing day.
It's a great time to be a Pirate, and I encourage you to follow along and support our student-athletes!
Fall 2017 Brings More Outstanding Academic Excellence
It is one thing to achieve academic success, but it's another thing to develop long-sustaining excellence built on a solid foundation. I feel that we are achieving long-term success in the classroom right now as evidenced by yet another record-breaking cumulative grade-point average after our Fall 2017 semester. Our student-athletes collectively hold a 3.378 GPA.
And think about it for a minute: every year we graduate seniors and we bring in new freshmen that are new to college academics. There is always turnover, and yet, we have consistently improved our academic track record. That is no small feat, which is why I will continue to congratulate and praise our student-athletes, our academic support staff, our coaches and our administrators for consistently raising the bar and setting the tone for prioritizing excellence in the classroom.
Our goal is always to set our student-athletes on a path for success in life after graduation, and the efforts they put in to make a 3.378 GPA happen is the perfect foundation for reaching that goal.
Please take a minute to read more about our Fall academic achievements, including our 135 Dean's List honorees.
Let's Sell Out The Rock The Last Three Home Games
If you have not had the chance to see our men's basketball team in action live this year, you are missing out. With an impressive top-30 RPI and top-35 KenPom rating, our student-athletes are making a push for March once again. And with four outstanding seniors getting ready to play their final home game at The Rock, now is the time to enjoy this special group and cheer for them.
We have three games remaining, and I encourage you to come out to Prudential Center. On Feb. 18, we host DePaul on Kids Day, which will feature face painting, a temporary tattoo station and the opportunity to dance with our dance team. The first 1,000 children in attendance will receive a growth chart, and we will honor our women student-athletes during the game as part of National Girls & Women in Sports Day.
On Feb. 28, we will host the current No. 1 team in the nation, Villanova, and though the lower bowl is sold out, we have great seats in the 100 level available at Ticketmaster.com.
And on Saturday, March 3 vs. Butler, we will celebrate our four seniors, who have built an incredible legacy here at Seton Hall. Stay tuned as we will be announcing some special promotions for this game.
| Date | Opponent | Game Time | Tickets | Promotion |
| Sun., Feb. 18 | DePaul | 1 p.m. | PURCHASE FEB. 18 TICKETS | Kids Day |
| Wed., Feb. 28 | Villanova | 8:30 p.m. | PURCHASE FEB. 28 TICKETS | |
| Sat., March 3 | Butler | TBA | PURCHASE MARCH 3 TICKETS | Senior Day Celebration |
Let's #PackWalsh Feb. 23 & 25 as We Celebrate Play4Kay
Our women's basketball team had a gauntlet of a start to the BIG EAST schedule, and a 1-4 start to league play was not what they had hoped for. However, the women have persevered through the adversity and have won six of their last eight games to put themselves in a strong position heading into the final stretch.
Though the team is on the road the next two weekends, you should look ahead to supporting the Pirates in their final two home games, Feb. 23 against Marquette and Feb. 25 against DePaul. The Marquette game is our "Play4Kay" game as we help raise awareness in the fight against all women's cancers. Our team is raising money in collaboration with the Kay Yow Cancer Fund all month long through a free throw pledge competition. You can help the cause by pledging an amount for every free throw the Pirates connect on this month. Just this last game, the Pirates made 25 free throws!
At the DePaul game, we will celebrate Senior Day and honor our lone women's senior this season JaQuan Jackson, who has been outstanding in her time here at The Hall.
As evidenced by the sold-out crowd last Sunday at the Butler game, fan support can help change the balance of any contest, so please come out to Walsh Gymnasium that weekend to cheer on our Pirates and help send them to the BIG EAST Tournament on a winning streak!
| Date | Opponent | Game Time | Tickets | Promotion |
| Fri., Feb. 23 | Marquette | 7 p.m. | PURCHASE FEB. 23 TICKETS | Play4Kay |
| Sun., Feb. 25 | DePaul | 1 p.m. | PURCHASE FEB. 25 TICKETS | Senior Day Celebration |
Don't Miss Our Grand Havana Room Fundraiser March 6
We're less than a month away from the BIG EAST Tournament, and Pirate Blue is preparing for its annual tournament fundraiser, which we hold at the Grand Havana Room on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
The event takes place on Tuesday, March 6 from 6-8:30 p.m. Food and beverages will be served, and it will be a fantastic evening to help ring in the best conference tournament in the country.
To sign up for this event, please contact Jay Judge at (973) 275-2202 or by email at jay.judge@shu.edu. Please register by Friday, March 2.
BIG EAST Tournament Tickets
The beauty of college basketball is that no matter how you finish the regular season, you always get the opportunity to make a major impact at your conference tournament. So please don't forget to get your BIG EAST Tournament tickets for both the men's and women's teams to support your Pirates as they look to win a conference championship. The men's tournament as always is at Madison Square Garden (March 7-10), and the women's tournament is back in Chicago at the brand new Wintrust Arena (March 3-6).
Men's Tournament Tickets
Women's Tournament Tickets
Good Luck to Swimming & Diving at the BIG EAST Championship
February is swimming & diving championship month, and the Pirates will be headed to Ohio to compete in the BIG EAST Championship Feb. 21-24. Last year was a banner year for both programs; the men won their first-ever conference championship, and the women had their highest conference finish ever at third. Both teams will be in contention to bring home the gold, and I wish them all luck in the pool!
You'll be able to follow the championship by watching the BIG EAST Digital Network on FOX Sports GO and by following the Seton Hall swimming & diving Twitter account.
Thank You to Chamique Holdsclaw
Mental health in our lives, especially in athletics, is probably not discussed or appreciated enough in the world today. We are trying to make that a priority here at Seton Hall, and earlier this week we had a tremendous guest speaker in Chamique Holdsclaw, a two-time college basketball National Player of the Year at Tennessee and a six-time WNBA All-Star and 2000 Olympic Gold medalist representing the United States.
Chamique shared with our student-athletes her struggles with mental health and depression while playing basketball. She also made a point to say that we as a society need to erase the stigmas of discussing and pursuing mental health while encouraging our student-athletes to be open and honest about their mental wellness and what to do should they fall into tough times.
Chamique is very brave to discuss her battles so openly, and we thank her for sharing her story and message with our student-athletes.
GO PIRATES!
Women's Basketball Postgame - Butler (12-4-25) | Tony Bozzella
Friday, December 05
Men's Basketball Postgame - CCSU (12-3-25) | Shaheen Holloway, Budd Clark, A.J. Staton-McCray
Thursday, December 04
Postgame Interview: Shaheen Holloway w/ ESPN's Zubin Mehenti, Tom Crean & Malcolm Huckaby
Thursday, November 27
HIGHLIGHTS | Seton Hall Defeats No. 23 NC State in Maui Invitational Opener
Tuesday, November 25
