The Starting 5: Gary & Dave's Favorite Games From The Last 20 Years
11/3/2022 5:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball
South Orange, N.J. — Game-winners, NCAA Tournaments and championships; the incomparable radio duo of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin, who enter their 20th season calling Seton Hall men's basketball games, have seen it all.Â
As The Hall ushers in a new era under head coach Shaheen Holloway '00, Pirates fans will be able to hear Gary and Dave's exclusive coverage and analysis of Seton Hall men's basketball all season long digitally on SHUPirates.com, the free SHU Pirates Mobile App and the Varsity Network App, with select games also airing on SiriusXM.
To celebrate their 20th season calling Pirates basketball, here's Gary and Dave's "Starting 5", their favorite Seton Hall games from the last two decades.
Annotated by Dave Popkin
2016 BIG EAST Tournament Final vs. Villanova. The Whitehead Shot. As good as Villanova was (that year's National Champion), it felt like winning it all. There had been some lean years and I've never seen Seton Hall fans so happy. 33 years of announcing and this is still my only championship ring. I remember The Hall pep band playing the fight song at the Seventh Avenue entrance to MSG after the game and fans carousing until the wee hours.
2004 NCAA Tournament win over Arizona in Raleigh. Our first year together on Seton Hall radio. We really enjoyed that Louis Orr coaching staff and team with Andre Barrett, John Allen, and friends. The Pirates beat an Arizona team that had four players selected in that year's NBA Draft.
2018 NCAA Tournament win over NC State in Wichita. Kevin Willard's first NCAA Tournament win. It felt like a validation of all his work to that point. Terrific team featuring Angel Delgado and Khadeen Carrington. They nearly upset Kansas in the next round and would have if Desi Rodriguez hadn't been hobbled.
2018 84-83 overtime win over No. 9 Kentucky at Madison Square Garden. An absolute thriller. Myles Powell had one of his best games with 28 and Myles Cale hit the game-winning three-pointer in OT. Huge win over a name brand, top 10 team.
2014 BIG EAST Quarterfinal win over No. 3 Villanova. Sterling Gibbs' buzzer beater. What a shot. Gene Teague led the way.
Off The Bench...
Jan. 29, 2006 win at Syracuse. Seton Hall hardly ever won at the Dome. This was the same Pirate team that lost at Duke by 53 earlier that year. They turned it around behind Donald Copeland, started winning on the road, and got into the NCAA Tournament. The little engine that could. This Syracuse game and the game at Pitt were big resume wins.
Dec. 12, 2009 134-107 win vs. VMI. Total track meet. School record for points scored. Jamel Jackson, who averaged 4.7 ppg over his brief two-year career, went off with a career high 40 points and a school record 12 threes! When you're hot, you're hot. The only player that we've ever interviewed on the post-game show in 20 years, because it was just so improbable. He had no answer as to how or why it happened.
Feb. 9, 2004 - 69-68 double overtime win over No. 4 Pitt at Continental Airlines Arena. Long, exciting upset win in our first year on the air. Andre Barrett game-winning free throws.
Jan. 25, 2011 - 90-68 win at Syracuse. Kevin Willard's first year. Jeremy Hazell went off with 28 points and some parking lot threes. He was always worth the price of admission. It's sweet to win on the road in the BIG EAST, especially a blowout like this.
March 14, 2019 - 73-57 win over Georgetown in BIG EAST Quarters - Myles Powell was in nitro mode with 29 in the first half. Just one game to represent one of the best Pirate teams of recent vintage, they would eventually lose to Villanova by two in the BIG EAST final.
As The Hall ushers in a new era under head coach Shaheen Holloway '00, Pirates fans will be able to hear Gary and Dave's exclusive coverage and analysis of Seton Hall men's basketball all season long digitally on SHUPirates.com, the free SHU Pirates Mobile App and the Varsity Network App, with select games also airing on SiriusXM.
To celebrate their 20th season calling Pirates basketball, here's Gary and Dave's "Starting 5", their favorite Seton Hall games from the last two decades.
Annotated by Dave Popkin
2016 BIG EAST Tournament Final vs. Villanova. The Whitehead Shot. As good as Villanova was (that year's National Champion), it felt like winning it all. There had been some lean years and I've never seen Seton Hall fans so happy. 33 years of announcing and this is still my only championship ring. I remember The Hall pep band playing the fight song at the Seventh Avenue entrance to MSG after the game and fans carousing until the wee hours.
2004 NCAA Tournament win over Arizona in Raleigh. Our first year together on Seton Hall radio. We really enjoyed that Louis Orr coaching staff and team with Andre Barrett, John Allen, and friends. The Pirates beat an Arizona team that had four players selected in that year's NBA Draft.
2018 NCAA Tournament win over NC State in Wichita. Kevin Willard's first NCAA Tournament win. It felt like a validation of all his work to that point. Terrific team featuring Angel Delgado and Khadeen Carrington. They nearly upset Kansas in the next round and would have if Desi Rodriguez hadn't been hobbled.
2018 84-83 overtime win over No. 9 Kentucky at Madison Square Garden. An absolute thriller. Myles Powell had one of his best games with 28 and Myles Cale hit the game-winning three-pointer in OT. Huge win over a name brand, top 10 team.
2014 BIG EAST Quarterfinal win over No. 3 Villanova. Sterling Gibbs' buzzer beater. What a shot. Gene Teague led the way.
Off The Bench...
Jan. 29, 2006 win at Syracuse. Seton Hall hardly ever won at the Dome. This was the same Pirate team that lost at Duke by 53 earlier that year. They turned it around behind Donald Copeland, started winning on the road, and got into the NCAA Tournament. The little engine that could. This Syracuse game and the game at Pitt were big resume wins.
Dec. 12, 2009 134-107 win vs. VMI. Total track meet. School record for points scored. Jamel Jackson, who averaged 4.7 ppg over his brief two-year career, went off with a career high 40 points and a school record 12 threes! When you're hot, you're hot. The only player that we've ever interviewed on the post-game show in 20 years, because it was just so improbable. He had no answer as to how or why it happened.
Feb. 9, 2004 - 69-68 double overtime win over No. 4 Pitt at Continental Airlines Arena. Long, exciting upset win in our first year on the air. Andre Barrett game-winning free throws.
Jan. 25, 2011 - 90-68 win at Syracuse. Kevin Willard's first year. Jeremy Hazell went off with 28 points and some parking lot threes. He was always worth the price of admission. It's sweet to win on the road in the BIG EAST, especially a blowout like this.
March 14, 2019 - 73-57 win over Georgetown in BIG EAST Quarters - Myles Powell was in nitro mode with 29 in the first half. Just one game to represent one of the best Pirate teams of recent vintage, they would eventually lose to Villanova by two in the BIG EAST final.
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