Seton Hall basketball 2024-25 preview: Reasons to hope, must-see games, our prediction

Posted by Admin November 1, 2024 Basketball

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SOUTH ORANGE – Seton Hall’s basketball players were gassed. At the end of a two-hour practice, after two full-court wind sprints, it was time for free throws.

Here is how the Pirates’ free-throw drill works: Each player takes one shot. If more than three guys miss, the shooting cycle restarts until they get through the entire team with fewer than four misses.

Sophomore wing Scotty Middleton, who’s been a partial participant in this practice because he’s still recovering from a hamstring injury, goes first.

Swish.

The makes keep coming: postgrad guard Chaunce Jenkins, freshman forward David Tubek, freshman guard Jahseem Felton…in all, 12 of 14 players converted, minus only a walk-on and a freshman center. Practice is over – or maybe not.

Head coach Shaheen Holloway, standing at center court, wants to see more 5-on-5 action. He looks right to the scorer’s table, at his managers.

“Put 10 more minutes on the clock,” he said.

This was the scene in Walsh Gym Wednesday, five days before the Pirates open their 2024-25 season against Saint Peter’s Monday night. With 10 new scholarship players in the program, Holloway is trying to will this group up to his high standard for mental toughness. Aside from the three returnees, they’ve never been coached like this.

“Physically we’re fine; I’m worried about our mental,” Holloway said. “Some of these guys are not used to it – the grind of practice, the intensity, me. But this why they came here; this is what they wanted.”

‘We have a chance’

During the recruiting process, Holloway did not sugarcoat what was ahead.

“Every last guy, I told them the same thing: This is an unbelievable opportunity, and you’re going to get pushed – you’re going to get coached hard,” he said. “But not just coached hard. I’m going to be able to coach you that way because I’m going to get to know you. These guys, I get to know them off the court, so I know how to coach them a certain way.”

This group’s been together since June.

“It takes time, but I spend a lot of time with my guys – off the court, because I feel that’s what matters most,” Holloway said. “When you get to know someone off the court, you can coach them the way you want to.”

With reporters, as with his players, Holloway has no filter. What you hear is exactly what he’s thinking. So what does he think of this team, which prognosticators have pretty much left for dead?

“We have a chance,” he said. “If we didn’t have a chance I would tell you: Hey, we suck. Right now it’s a matter of everybody getting on the same page, and it’s going to take time.”

He holds up his right hand, with his index and middle fingers intertwined.

“My teams get better as the year goes on because we become like this,” he said, referring to his fingers. “It’s not the most talented team that wins – it’s the most together team.”

It took three years for Holloway to build that ethos with his Saint Peter’s squad that shocked the world by making the NCAA Tournaments’ Elite Eight. It took two years to mold the core of Seton Hall’s 25-win, NIT title team. In college basketball’s current free-agency environment, it’s hard to project anything beyond one season. So the crash course, Coach Sha 101, is underway.

“They’re trying,” he said.

A good practice

On this day, Holloway liked what he saw in practice. Word had leaked out that the prior weekend, Seton Hall lost a closed-door scrimmage to Maryland decisively, but what didn’t get publicized is that four projected members of the Pirates’ rotation sat out with injuries. Two of them were back in action Wednesday, and two others did not practice – sophomore wing Isaiah Coleman has a groin injury and is questionable for Monday’s opener, and 6-foot-9 center Manny Okorafor is still sidelined after suffering a dehydration episode earlier this month.

“He’s going to be out for a little while longer,” Holloway said.

With Okorafor out and sophomore big man Gus Yalden missing time for various health reasons (he’s back now), the burden inside has fallen to 6-foot-10 postgrad Yacine Toumi, who is more of a natural power forward. Holloway has been pushing the Evansville transfer hard, to get him ready for the hand-to-hand combat that lies ahead in the Big East. There were breakout moments Wednesday; in one 5-on-5 sequence, he got behind the defense, hauled in a full-court inbounds heave from guard Dylan Addae-Wusu in full stride, and finished at the rim through not-soft contact with 6-5 point guard Garwey Dual.

During the wind sprints before the free throws, Holloway demanded that Toumi lead the pace and finish first, which he did.

“Today was one of Yacine’s best practices – he got after it,” Holloway said. “He’s a point forward so he’s going to handle the ball for us at times, make some plays. Very skilled. I’ve got to get him to rebound more.”

Jenkins, who transferred in from Old Dominion, also impressed with his ability to get to the rim or pull up and hit a jumper. He was the Hall’s leading scorer in both preseason scrimmages.

“Chaunce’s getting it,” Holloway said.

Middleton, who came in from Ohio State, drilled a couple of 3-pointers in the 5-on-5.

“Scotty’s working, he’s finding his way,” Holloway said. “He can shoot the basketball; now I’m trying to get him to get it off the dribble more.”

They’re all finding their way. Holloway hadn’t even named captains as of Wednesday, although Addae-Wusu and Boston College transfer Prince Aligbe (“very vocal, high energy”) were trending in that direction.

Five days before the curtain rises, Holloway said, “I know three starters, but I don’t know the other two.”

Right now, Seton Hall is a mystery team.

“I’m intrigued by us, I really am,” Holloway said. “Once we put it together, we could be really good. We’re just not there yet.”

Here’s our outlook for the 2024-25 campaign.

3 Reasons to Hope

1. A full roster

For the first time in his three-year tenure at the Hall, Holloway has reinforcements. After walking the tightrope of a 7-man, sometimes 6-man rotation last season, the plan is to go 10 deep, with playing time somewhat level to keep defensive legs fresh – nobody logging 38 minutes, which was common last year. Last season, Seton Hall had no Plan B if Kadary Richmond didn’t bring it one night or if Al Dawes’ shot was cold. This squad is not reliant on one or two guys.

2. The schedule fits the moment

There is no imminent beat-down at Kansas or Baylor, and the Pirates’ Feast Week tournament, the Charleston Classic, is on the East Coast with a field full of comparable programs. The Hall will be rough around the edges early and needs some runway before things ratchet up in mid-December.

3. Individual talent

Dual, Middleton, Toumi and junior guard Zion Harmon have high upsides, and Coleman showed flashes of star potential as a freshman. Nobody is as refined as Richmond, Dawes and Dre Davis were last year, but the raw material is there for Holloway.

3 Reasons to Mope

1. Health

Middleton’s hamstring kept him out for a few weeks and bears watching. Coleman’s offseason was truncated by a couple of different ailments, as was Yalden’s. Holloway did not have his projected 10-man rotation fully available at any point in the summer or preseason, slowing both individual and team development.

2. Ball-handling

Turnovers have been a focus as Holloway sorts out his point-guard situation. Dual possesses playmaking promise, but it’s unreasonable to expect him to fill Richmond’s shoes from the get-go. Others will be asked to initiate offense as well. Some of these guys come from situations where they were asked to do it all (like Jenkins and Harmon) while others were underutilized (Dual and Middleton, for example). Things could be sloppy until roles are fully grasped.

3. Chemistry

It’s fair to wonder how long it will take to get everyone on the same page. Besides the challenge of having 10 new guys, there is no Dre Davis on this team – someone who is the clear leader on and off the court. There are some strong personalities, which could be fun or could be combustible.

5 Must-See Seton Hall Games

VCU in Charleston, Nov. 21: The first big test for this group. VCU returns seven contributors, including three starters, from last season’s 24-win campaign. The Rams are picked to win the Atlantic 10 by the league’s preseason coaches’ poll.

At Rutgers, Dec. 14: The Garden State Hardwood Classic will air on “Big Fox.” Rutgers opens the season ranked 25^th in the AP poll with high expectations for NBA Draft-bound freshmen Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey.

At Villanova, Dec. 17: The Big East opener is always huge; last year’s win over UConn set the tone for the Pirates’ fourth-place finish. This game takes place at the 6,500-seat Pavilion, where the Hall hasn’t won since 1994.

St. John’s at home, Jan. 18: Richmond could have transferred anywhere else to a fond farewell from Hall fans (see: Dre Davis at Ole Miss), but he chose Seton Hall’s biggest league rival. That move begs for an icy reception – and he’ll get one.

UConn at home, Feb. 15: The Pirates have won three straight at home against the two-time defending national champions, including last year’s throat-punch of alum Dan Hurley, who admitted afterward he was ashamed. The vibes run deep here.

Our Seton Hall prediction

With so many new players, and so little public exposure – both preseason scrimmages and just about all practices were closed to outsiders – predicting how Seton Hall will fare is throwing a dart at a dartboard. It seems fair to expect the Pirates to struggle early before the leap that Holloway’s teams tend to make. But how much will they struggle, when will the leap come, and how big will it be?

Our dart says 17-14 (8-3 non-conference, 9-11 Big East), NIT or College Basketball Crown.

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.