Did We Overlook Seton Hall?

The Seton Hall men’s basketball team hit a new low last season. The team finished 7-25 while having its fewest Big East wins since 1984-85. Shaheen Holloway, once a promising hire, was on the hot-seat going into his fourth season leading the Pirates. It was not an inspiring offseason. The team returned just two rotation players, both of whom averaged less than 17 minutes a game, and brought in 10 transfers. With so much unknown, the Big East Preseason Coaches’ Poll picked the Pirates to finish last.

Even five wins over mid-major teams didn’t really move the needle. But that’s the funny thing with college basketball. The trajectory of the season can change quickly. After an upset win over NC State and a two-point loss to USC, the Pirates are starting to generate some buzz. A win over Washington St. would give the team its seventh win, matching last year’s season total.

After a competitive start to the season, it is possible we underrated the talent on Seton Hall?

Did We Overlook Seton Hall?

Competing at the Maui

Most years, Seton Hall wouldn’t sniff the Maui Invitational. But with the Players Era Tournament grabbing the top teams, the Pirates got the invite among other smaller Power Conference teams. An opening round matchup with No. 23 NC State presented the team’s first opportunity against a top opponent.

Not only did the Pirates win, they did so in dominating fashion, coming out on top 85-74. Six players scored in double-figures. It was the first time this season an unranked team upset a ranked opponent. Seton Hall turned 11 steals into 19 points off turnovers and 22 fast break points. Most importantly, the team showed fight. When the Wolfpack went on a 8-0 run to cut the Seton Hall lead to nine with six minutes left, the Pirates responded with key buckets to keep the lead at hand.

It went down to the wire the next day against USC. The Pirates erased an eight point deficit to tie the game with a minute left. The Trojans squeaked out the 83-81 win, but Seton Hall once showed another promising performance. Adam “Bud” Clark led the team with 18 points and added seven assists.

Cashing in on the Transfer Portal

It might be unfair to say Seton Hall’s transfer class was underwhelming. It’s just that most of the guys were unknown and overlooked. On one end, you had A.J. Staton-McCray and Mike Williams III, both of whom averaged under 10 points a game at Miami and LSU. On the other end, you had Clark and TJ Simpkins, who dominated at smaller schools like Merrimack and Elon.

In one way or another, Holloway hit on all four guys. Staton-McCray leads the team in scoring with 13 points a game while Simpkins is right behind at 12.1. Both are shooting over 40% from the three-point line. At 5’10”, Clark is leading the point with over 10 points a game and leads the team with 4.6 assists. Williams has started every game and scored in double-figures in both Maui contests.

A Building-Block for the Future

With so much focus on the transfer portal, Holloway brought in a single freshman, center Najai Hines. The good news is Hines was the third-highest rated recruit for the Pirates this century. Even though he hasn’t cracked the starting lineup, Hines leads the team in rebounds and blocks. He and Stephon Payne III have essentially split time at the five. He will be someone the Pirates need to prioritize for the long-term.