Led by their sensational sophomore class, the Seton Hall basketball program is certainly on an upward trajectory. The Pirates were one of the most improved teams in the nation last year. With all but two of their key contributors returning, Kevin Willard should have the Hall back in the NCAA Tournament.
SETON HALL PIRATES
Last Season: 3rd, 12-6 in Big East, 25-9 overall
Predicted Big East Finish: 3rd
Projected Depth Chart
F/C: Angel Delgado (Jr)/Rashed Anthony (Jr)
PF: Ismael Sanogo (Jr)/Michael Nzei (Jr)/Myles Carter (So)
SF: Desi Rodriguez (Jr)/Veer Singh (So)
SG: Khadeen Carrington (Jr)/Myles Powell (Fr)/Dalton Soffer (So)/Eron Gordon (Fr)
PG: Jevon Thomas (Jr)/Madison Jones (Sr)
Gone: G-Isaiah Whitehead, SG-Derrick Gordon, PF-Braeden Anderson
Strengths:
With their junior frontcourt of Angel Delgado, Ismael Sanogo, and Desi Rodriguez all returning, the Pirates are extremely dangerous on the glass. Delgado finished second in the Big East in boards while Sanogo was sixth meaning opponents will be hard pressed to get any second chance opportunities against the Pirates and have to box out on the defensive end.
Question Marks:
With Isaiah Whitehead leaving school early, the Pirates turn to a pair of transfers to help replace him at the point. Former Kansas State guard, Jevon Thomas averaged 4.5 points and 3.3 assists as a sophomore while Madison Jones, who was dismissed from Wake Forest transfer due to a DWI charge, scored just 4.7 points and dished out only three assists per game as junior. Thomas is not eligible until after the first semester so Jones will be thrust into immediate minutes. Khadeen Carrington figures to see some minutes at point guard as well but he is more of a scoring guard than true distributor.
Seton Hall Basketball Player to Watch:
Posting 35 double figure rebounding efforts through his first two seasons, Delgado is one of the best rebounders in college hoops. His offensive game is still fairly limited to the paint but if he can show improvements with his shot, the 6-10 junior has a chance to be a first round pick in the NBA Draft.
X-Factor:
Carrington very quietly averaged 14.1 points per game last season. The lefty is far from shy when it comes to pulling the trigger and with Whitehead gone, becomes Seton Hall’s best offensive weapon.
Looking Ahead to 2017-18 Seton Hall basketball:
Willard is apparently collecting shooting guards. After landing Myles Powell and Eron Gordon for his 2016 class, Seton Hall have a verbal commitment from top 100 two guard, Myles Kale. Outside of Jones graduating and the slight change Delgado leaves early, the Pirates roster primarily remains in tact.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/17 at Iowa
11/24 vs. Florida (Advocare Invitational in Orlando)
11/25 vs. Gonzaga/Quinnipiac (Advocare Invitational in Orlando)
11/27 vs. Iowa State/Indiana State/Miami FL/Stanford (Advocare Invitational in Orlando)
12/7 vs. California (Pearl Harbor Invitational)
12/23 vs. South Carolina (at Madison Square Garden)
12/2 vs. Rutgers
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Milwaukee to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag), and finished with the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft (nearly a three-peat.) You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.