NewsGuard is a danger to free speech, truth and liberty

After that pathetic performance by SHU tonight, at least a former great from when we were good showed up… wow, some stat line for any league.

Login to view embedded media

The Seton Hall men’s basketball team was never in sync in a 70-63 home loss to in-state rival Rutgers Saturday night in Newark, N.J.

A year after stealing a dogfight with a borderline NCAA Tournament team in the Garden State Hardwood Classic in Piscataway, N.J., the Pirates dropped a matchup at the Prudential Center in ugly fashion as the Scarlet Knights closed out a victory in which they never trailed.

Back-to-back threes from touted freshman Gavin Griffiths helped the Scarlet Knights build an initial 12-5 lead that would be relinquished when a Kadary Richmond coast-to-coast left-handed finish in transition tied the game up at 14 apiece with just under 11 minutes left in the first half.

The ensuing possession would see Griffiths come off a down screen to sink his third three in the game’s first 10 minutes, giving Rutgers take a 17-14 lead. A pull-up jumper from Richmond would tie the game at 17 moments later, the last time the Pirates would be that close.

Five Scarlet Knights topped double-figures, led by 19 points from UMass grad transfer Noah Fernandes. Griffiths and Jamichael Davis each scored 11 points, while center Cliff Omoruyi also notched 11 points while grabbing 13 rebounds.

Kadary Richmond was perhaps the lone bright spot for the Hall, tallying 21 points on 8-18 shooting to go along with 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Dre Davis also hit double-figure scoring with 12 points and 6 rebounds and Jaden Bediako tallied six points and corralled 11 rebounds in another yeoman-like performance on the blocks.

Rutgers shot 41.1%, but 50% from beyond the arc on 12-24 shooting, while knocking down 12-16 free throws, compared to 36.1% from the field for the Pirates and 3-20 from three, including a 3-15 mark from Pirates guard Al-Amir Dawes. The Pirates also shot just 59% from the charity stripe, including an 0-5 mark to start a game that saw Rutgers lead 12-7 early.

The Scarlet Knights took an 8-point lead into the half and would hit back-to-back three pointers to start the second frame to balloon its lead to 14 points at 39-25. A Shaheen Holloway timeout after those threes would lead to a 10-2 Pirate run that cut the lead to six at 41-35, but the Scarlet Knights would expand the lead to as many as 17 before the Pirate chipped away to the 7-point differential that would end the game.

The loss drops Seton Hall to 5-4, with all four losses coming in the team’s high-major matchups, none of which have felt like potential victories late in those games.

The Hall closes outs its non-conference schedule with a home matchup Tuesday against Monmouth in Newark and a neutral site game against SEC-foe Missouri in Kansas City on Dec. 17.

I wanted to start a separate thread on Al. It seems like the consensus is that most here (not all) do not see him as a PG. I strongly disagree and want to begin a debate on that subject.

Now, I fully understand the detractors. Dawes is in no way a pure point and to be honest that position in basketball, once so incredibly important, is slowly fading into obscurity. Mostly because of the 3 point line. Watching or reading about recent play in the NBA there were a couple of games where 80 shots were attempted from the arc. When that happens you need all your guards and swings to be 'shooters'.

College is becoming no different. The point guard is being replaced by the combo guard. A player who can handle the ball, penetrate and dish, but also be a threat from distance.

That is Dawes. He can do all three, but often, too often, he only focuses on the latter. And that's where the argument ensues that he is NOT a point guard.

But then you watch the last 7 minutes of the exhibition game Saturday and you see Dawes the PG. Yes, he hit a three and had a second rattle in and out. But he also penetrated for an easy basket and had a couple of very nice passes resulting in a make or a should have made. Those plays, with Richmond on the bench, turned an 8-9 point deficit into an 8 point victory.

When Sha talks about the game from the shoulder up Dawes is maybe more than any player his target audience.

Those that say Dawes is not a PG....well they have a point (no pun intended). But to say he can't play the point...that's where as noted I strongly disagree.

For the Pirates to excel Dawes has the ability but must also find the balance of scoring and facilitating. For 33 minutes Saturday he failed to do that. And then in the final 7 minutes the light went on. That light must shine brightly all season long. Will it? Doubtful. But can it..of course.

Dawes can be an exceptional point guard but he has to understand that role.

Comments????

Let’s go… beat RU!!!!

Just stats from today.

Posh: 21-4-6
DAW: 4-1-2

Sha can be called out for a ton right now…and he should be. But not taking Posh because of Addae-Wusu is awful player evaluation.

Shohei Ohtani signing with Dodgers on 10-year, $700 million megadeal​

By Christian Arnold

The Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes are over.

The baseball superstar is signing with Dodgers, he announced on his Instagram account on Saturday.

Ohtani’s deal is for 10-year, $700 million, his agent Nez Balelo confirmed in a press release.

It is the largest contract in North American sports history.

The news ends the biggest question of the MLB offseason: Where Ohtani would call home next season.

The dual-threat was the biggest name on the market this year and was already expected to command a historic contract from his next team.

“To all the fans and everyone involved in the baseball world, I apologize for taking so long to come to a decision,” Ohtani wrote on Instagram. “I have decided to choose the Dodgers as my next team.”

Balelo called the contract “unique” and historic.

It includes “unprecedented deferrals” to mitigate the Dodgers’ yearly financial burden, according to The Post’s Jon Heyman.

The deal with the Dodgers ends Ohtani’s six-year run with the Los Angeles Angeles and begins a new chapter for the Japanese star.

“First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved with the Angels organization and the fans who have supported me over the past six years, as well as to everyone involved with each team that was part of this negotiation process,” Ohtani wrote. “Especially to the Angels fans who supported me through all the ups and downs, your guys’ support and cheer meant the world to me. The six years I spent with the Angels will remain etched in my heart forever.”

Ohtani’s deal comes after the Yankees landed Juan Soto in a blockbuster trade with the Padres late Wednesday night.

In his six seasons with the Angeles, Ohtani hit .274 with 171 home runs and 437 RBI.

During that same span, Ohtani went 38-19 from the mound with an ERA of 3.03.

“And to all Dodgers fans, I pledge to always do what’s best for the team and always continue to give it my all to be the best version of myself,” Ohtani wrote. “Until the last day of my playing career, I want to continue to strive forward not only for the Dodgers but for the baseball world.”

Ohtani is coming off a season that was cut short by injury in 2023, but one in which he still took home the American League MVP award in unanimous fashion.

He slashed .304/.412/.654 this season and led the American League in home runs with 44 and led all of Major League baseball in OPS with a 1.066.

From the hill, Ohtani was equally as effective, going 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and striking out 167 batters over 132 innings.

The 29-year-old phenom, who arrived in the United States and signed with the Angels in 2017, retore his ulnar collateral ligament on Aug. 23 ending his time on the mound, but he kept hitting for several weeks after.

Ohtani underwent elbow in September, making him highly unlikely to be available to pitch this upcoming season.

Ohtani is expected to be ready to hit for the 2024 season and can return to the mound in 2025.

“As far as the rehab — it’s going really great so far, going really well,” Ohtani told MLB Network after winning the AL MVP honors. “It feels a lot better and faster than the first time I had this surgery. But at the same time, I can’t rush. I have to take everything slow and take all the right steps. My plan is to come back strong next year.”

Let me start off saying something that I always believed. Anyone who claims that RU is not SHU's main rival or conversely Seton Hall is not Rutger's should just listen to what the players involved have to say. This year at the dinner or in past years.

The tone is always 100% the same. Neither school wants to lose to the other and even though the programs are no longer in the same conference...this game means as much to them as any other on the schedule.

I know it’s late but if anyone wants 2 tix, email me at acernj@comcast.net

I have two seats available. Sec 20 Row 10 Seats 1&2.
$30 each.

They just won with a 3 at the buzzer.

Am I missing something? ESPN has 1-7 DePaul listed as 2.5 point favorite against 4-4 Louisville. I get Louisville isn’t what they were but this year DePaul seems to have hit absolute rock bottom. They have no business being a favorite anywhere.

An all-timer!

Login to view embedded media

Hi, I had a couple people back out last minute so I’m selling two tickets in section 22 row 16. Just looking to get my money back and hopefully keep the fans wearing blue. I paid $41 each.

Game 9: Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-3) vs. Seton Hall Pirates (5-3)
Saturday, Dec. 9 • Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.) • 8:30 p.m.
TV: FS1 • John Fanta & Jim Spanarkel
Web: FOX Sports App
Radio: SHU Pirates Mobile App / Pirate Sports Network / SiriusXM 391 / SXM app 971 / Gary Cohen & Dave Popkin
Game Notes: Seton Hall | Rutgers
Follow Along: Instagram | X | Live Stats
​

Notes You Need To Know

• One of the best rivalries in college basketball will be renewed on Saturday evening as Seton Hall hosts Rutgers for the 2023 Garden State Hardwood Classic at 8:30 p.m. at Prudential Center.
• The two schools are separated by an approximate 27- mile drive.
• The Garden State Hardwood Classic trophy is custom-made and handcrafted from wood salvaged from the Asbury Park boardwalk in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and features the names of the winners engraved on the back.
• The Joe Calabrese MVP Award is given to the player of the game on the winning team of the Seton Hall-Rutgers game, and the award is named after the former journalist who passed away in 1999 and was a fixture in New Jersey sports journalism for 38 years.
• Head coach Shaheen Holloway went 4-1 all-time against Rutgers as a player.
• Holloway is 16-9 all-time against New Jersey schools as a head coach.
• Dawes was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday after his career-high 25-point performance against Northeastern where he also grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists.
• Dawes ranks 17th in Division I among active players in career three-point field goals made.
• Isaiah Coleman was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for the second time this season after scoring 11 points, grabbing three rebounds and tallying three steals.
• Coleman is the first Seton Hall freshman to earn multiple BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors since Khadeen Carrington, Angel Delgado and Isaiah Whitehead all accomplished the feat in 2014-15.
• Jaden Bediako has two double-doubles so far this season and has scored in double-figures in six of Seton Hall's first seven games, his most through seven games in his four-year career.
• Bediako leads the BIG EAST and ranks 10th in the country with 4.0 offensive rebounds per game and he ranks sixth nationally in offensive rebounding percentage (19.4 percent).
• The Pirates lead the BIG EAST and rank 38th nationally in steals per game (9.1 spg) and they're paced by Dylan Addae-Wusu, whose 16 steals leads the conference.
• Seton Hall has been highly efficient from the free throw line through six games where they've shot 79 percent (103-of-130), a clip that ranks second in the BIG EAST and 12th nationally.
• Dre Davis' 91 percent clip (19-of-21) paces the Pirates from the charity stripe.

Inside The Series

• Seton Hall is 42-31 all-time against Rutgers and the Pirates are 23-7 against the Scarlet Knights in home games.
• The Pirates have won the last four meetings against Rutgers at the Prudential Center by an average score of 14.5 points.
• Over the last 28 meetings, 22 games have been decided by six points or fewer and five contests have gone to overtime.
• Rutgers is Seton Hall's eighth most-played opponent (73).
• Rutgers' Director of Athletics Pat Hobbs was the former dean of the Seton Hall Law School who led the search to hire Kevin Willard in Spring 2010, and Holloway followed Willard from their previous stop at Iona.
• Holloway is cousins with Rutgers associate head coach Brandin Knight.
• Knight attended Seton Hall Prep and his father, Melvin, is in the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame following a standout career on the court where he finished with 775 career points and 243 career rebounds.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights​

TEAM INFO​

Login to view embedded media
I'll have a couple of toys for the children.

Hope others follow suit.

Box


SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Sophomore Shailyn Pinkney (East Hartford, Conn.) provided a much-needed spark off the bench in the second half to lift the Seton Hall women's basketball team to a 77-46 victory over Central Connecticut State on Friday.

After leading by only 11 at the half, The Hall wore down the Blue Devils after halftime, thanks in large part by the spirited efforts from the bench. Pinkney scored all nine of her points in the second half, including seven in the fourth quarter.

In all, six Pirates scored at least nine points with sophomore Micah Gray (Oklahoma City, Okla.) leading the way with 17. Azana Baines (Blackwood, N.J.) and Amari Wright (Jacksonville, Fla.) had 10 points apiece. A'Jah Davis (DeKalb, Ill.) collected her second double-double of the season with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

THE STORY:
Central Connecticut State scored to tie the game at four with 7:34 left in the first quarter, but The Hall answered with a 10-0 run, and a layup by Baines gave it a 14-4 lead. CCSU outscored The Hall 6-to-2 over the final three minutes giving the Pirates a 16-10 lead after 10 minutes.

Leading 20-17, The Hall went on a 10-2 run, and a driving layup by Wright gave it a 30-19 advantage with 3:03 to go before halftime. Seton Hall took a 32-21 lead into the locker room. The Hall out-rebounded CCSU in the first half, 23-to-12, but turnovers were even at eight apiece.

The Blue Devils cut their deficit to 12 points with 2:52 left in the third quarter, but The Hall responded with seven straight points to boost its lead back to 18 with under a minute left.

In the fourth, the Pirates outscored CCSU, 26-to-12, and grew its lead to as many as 35 points.

Login to view embedded media

Click to expand...

THE NUMBERS:

• Seton Hall was 31-for-63 (49.2%) from the floor for the game, while Central Connecticut State was 19-for-58 (32.8%). The Hall was 3-for-12 (25.0%) from three-point range, while the Blue Devils were 4-for-15 (26.7%).
• Gray had a team-high 17 points to go with four rebounds and two steals.
• The Hall out-rebounded CCSU, 48-to-28, which included a 17-to-8 edge on the offensive glass and a 22-to-8 advantage in second-chance points.
• Davis had a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
• Seton Hall was 12-for-20 (60.0%) from the free-throw line, while CCSU was 4-for-6 (66.7%).
• Baines had 10 points, four rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
• Seton Hall forced 17 turnovers, while the Blue Devils forced 14. The Hall had a 20-to-7 advantage in points-off-turnovers.
• Wright had 10 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals.
• The Pirates had 54 points in the paint, compared to just 10 for CCSU.
• Pinkney had season-highs of nine points and six rebounds.
• Kae Satterfield (New York, N.Y.) had nine points, three rebounds and two steals.

THE NOTES:

• Seton Hall improves to 6-3 on the season, while Central Connecticut State drops to 1-9.
• The Pirates are now 4-0 all-time against the Blue Devils.
• Seton Hall has shot better than .400 from the field in all nine of its games so far this season.
• With 10 points tonight, Baines surpassed the 800-mark for her career.
• Baines has also now scored in double-figures 29 times in her career and in six straight games.
• The Pirates improve to 121-46 in Walsh Gym during the Bozzella era. Furthermore, the Pirates are now 62-12 against non-conference opponents at home.
• All six of Seton Hall's victories this year have come by at least 11 points. The Hall's average margin of victory in its six wins is 26.0 points per game.
• Davis' double-double is her second of the season and the 56th of her career.
• Davis collected 10 rebounds for the 61st time in her career and second time at Seton Hall.
• Seton Hall's 48 total rebounds and 17 offensive boards tonight are both season-highs.

UP NEXT:
Seton Hall will return to action on Monday, Dec. 11 when it hosts local non-conference rival FDU at historic Walsh Gymnasium. The game will be streamed live by the Pirate Sports Network and available for FloHoops subscribers. Tip-time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.

I’ll be there, probably a few minutes late. Site won’t let me register online, so I hope I can pay at door.