AD Newsletter with Pat Lyons - February 2019 - Seton Hall University Athletics

February 2019

Seton Hall Names a New President

Dr. Joseph E. Nyre, Seton Hall's New President

If you missed the news earlier this week, Seton Hall University has appointed the 21^st President in its illustrious 163-year history. Dr. Joseph E. Nyre will take over as the leader of this great University effective Aug. 1.

I look forward to welcoming Dr. Nyre to Seton Hall, and working with him to continue raising the profile of our intercollegiate athletics and campus recreation programs.

Coming Down the Stretch in Basketball

Seton Hall Team Huddle Prior to Butler Game

February is a critical month for both our men's and women's basketball teams.

Our men are in a dogfight in a BIG EAST that has eight of the 10 teams with at least five losses. Sure, five losses doesn't sound great (and our team has six losses), but consider this: 21 of the 48 conference games played to date have been decided by six points or fewer. Every game is a battle, and teams 3-10 in this conference are very similar.

Of course, what separates Seton Hall from the other 3-10 teams is the two fantastic non-conference wins the program has over Kentucky and Maryland. I read today that only Marquette has more top-25 NET non-conference wins in the BIG EAST. We hope that those wins will mean something come March.

The next two games will be critical as the Pirates face two teams slightly ahead of them in the standings in Creighton and Georgetown. Both games are at home, and winning your home games is essential, so we hope you'll join us at Prudential Center! Tickets to Saturday's game are available at SHUPirates.com/SHUvsCU.

Wednesday's game vs. Georgetown will be special as it is Seton Hall vs. Cancer Night, and a portion of ticket sales using this link will go to the American Cancer Society to aid in the research and fight against cancer. Our men's team will be wearing shooting shirts that have been auctioned off with the names of loved ones fighting cancer on the back with proceeds from the auction also going to the American Cancer Society.

Women's Basketball team group photo

Our women's basketball team is also in a conference dogfight; at 6-5, the Pirates are only one game out of second place in the conference. They have wins over two of the top three teams ahead of them in the standings, a terrific win over a then nationally ranked DePaul team on the road and a dominating home win over Butler.

The volatility of the league standings makes it imperative that you come support the women in their final two home games of the season. They will host DePaul on Feb. 15 and Marquette on Feb. 17. Our Sunday game against the Golden Eagles will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network.

The DePaul game will serve as Seton Hall vs. Cancer and Think Pink Night, and a portion of ticket sales using this link wil go to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund to aid in the research and fight against cancer and honor the late Kay Yow. Our women's team will also be wearing shooting shirts that have been auctioned off with the names of loved ones fighting cancer on the back with proceeds from the auction also going to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

The Marquette game will be Senior Day, and the program will be honoring four terrific student-athletes prior to tip-off. Tickets to the Marquette game are available through Ticketmaster.

Don't Miss the Madison Square Garden Pregame Reception on Feb. 23

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 08: Seton Hall Pirates guard Myles Powell (13) celebrates after he hits a three point basket to give the Seton Hall Pirates the lead with 1.5 seconds left during the second half of the Citi Hoops Classic College Basketball Game between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Seton Hall Pirates on December 8, 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)

Madison Square Garden is a second home to us, and we have been fortunate to have the opportunity to play there multiple times a year, including later this month on Saturday, Feb. 23, when the men's basketball team plays St. John's at 8 p.m. Pirate Blue will be hosting a pregame reception for the game at American Whiskey, which is less than a five-minute walk from the Garden on 30^th Street between 7^th and 8^th Avenues. The pregame reception is $55 per person and includes open bar and appetizers from 6-7:30 p.m. You can register online today. See you there!

Good Luck to Swimming & Diving at the BIG EAST Championship

February is Swimming & Diving Championship season, and our men and women are gearing up for BIG EAST, which will take place Feb. 20-23 at the Nassau County Aquatic Center in East Meadow, N.Y. Our men's program is vying for a third straight championship, and our women are looking to build upon last year's program-best championship point total and third-place finish.

I wish all the student-athletes and coaches the best of luck, and you can watch all the action on the BIG EAST Digital Network through the FOX Sports App.

Spring Sports Are Back!

Besides this past Tuesday, when it reached 60 degrees, we're still comfortably in the middle of winter, but that doesn't stop our spring sports from competing. Tennis is already three matches deep, softball and men's golf will be competing this weekend, baseball follows next weekend and women's golf will be back in two weeks.

Our spring sports are excited about their prospects for success this year, so be sure to visit SHUPirates.com for all the schedules for when they are in action.

Save the Date: Donor Matching Day to Take Place Friday, March 29

I say this all the time: one of the reasons our student-athletes are successful is because they have the resources available to them to compete among the best of the best. That would not be possible without the support of our Pirate Blue donors.

So it should come as no surprise that we need your support on Donor Matching Day, the day we rally everyone to give and help enhance the student-athlete experience here at Seton Hall. Details will be forthcoming, but we would like for you to save the date: Friday, March 29.

Please Enjoy the Sixth Episode of A Pirate's Life

Transferring to a new school can be difficult, and sitting out an entire year and not being able to compete is even harder. But if you know how to handle adversity and not let it get you down, you can learn from those experiences, get better and make an impact.

That's exactly what Quincy McKnight did, and we're very proud of all that he's accomplished in a short period here at Seton Hall. He is the subject of our sixth episode of "A Pirate's Life" which is a Pirate Sports Network production. I encourage you to give it a watch.

GO PIRATES!