Troy, N.Y. - The Seton Hall women's tennis team began the 2022-23 season with a bang, winning five out of a possible six championship flights at the Siena Invitational, which was held at Sharp Courts on the campus of RPI.

Senior Arina Gumerova, junior Oliwia Kempinski and junior Emily O'Donovan captured the A, B and C singles championships, respectively, and Gumerova teamed with sophomore Arabella Moen to win the A doubles title while Kempinski and O'Donovan collaborated to take the C doubles title.

Gumerova defended her Siena Invitational A championship, which she won in 2021, with ease as she cruised into the semifinals with 8-0 and 8-2 wins on Friday. She topped Siena's Laia Giralt in Saturday's title match, 8-4.

Kempinski, who competed in the C flight last year, moved up to the B flight this season and was strong with 8-4, 8-3 and 8-3 wins to get into the title match. Also in the title match was senior Hiba El Khalifi, who dispatched her opponents, 8-1, 8-2 and 8-4 to make it an All-Pirates final. Naturally, it went to tiebreakers, and Kempinski prevailed, 8-7(8).

In the C flight, both O'Donovan and sophomore Hili Kronzon advanced to the final. O'Donovan was pushed in the quarterfinals, winning 8-6, but she cruised in the semifinals with an 8-1 win over Marist's Isabella Tonuzi. Kronzon lost just eight games in her three wins leading up to the final. In the end, O'Donovan topped her teammate, 8-4.

In doubles, Gumerova also defended her A flight championship that she won in 2021, but this year she won with a different partner, as she teamed with Moen to come away with 6-1, 6-2 and 6-4 wins, the latter coming against Melania Lysova and Ximena Cano of St. Francis Brooklyn in the final.

Kempinski and O'Donovan also successfully defended their 2021 C flight doubles championship, losing just four games over three matches, and beating Marist's Isabella Tonuzi and Andriana Zaphiris in the title match, 6-1.

The Pirates will be right back in action next week when they head to West Point, N.Y. for Army's West Point Invitational Sept. 23-24.


RESULTS

A Singles First Round (Friday)
Arina Gumerova (SHU) def. Avery Oppenheim (Rider), 8-0
Arabella Moen (SHU) def. Lincy Valencia (St. Francis Brooklyn), 8-2
Aina Plana Ventosa (SHU) def. Nicolle Romero (St. Francis Brooklyn), 8-3

A Singles Quarterfinals (Friday)
Arina Gumerova (SHU) def. Nikki Ridenour (RPI), 8-2
Laia Giralt (Siena) def. Arabella Moen (SHU), 8-3
Aina Plana Ventosa (SHU) def. Jane Bockman (Marist), 8-5

A Singles Semifinals (Saturday)
Arina Gumerova (SHU) def. Melania Lysova (St. Francis Brooklyn), 8-6
Laia Giralt (Siena) def. Aina Plana Ventosa (SHU), 8-7 (3)

A Singles Final (Saturday)
Arina Gumerova (SHU) def. Laia Giralt (Siena), 8-4

B Singles First Round (Friday)
Oliwia Kempinski (SHU) def. Cloe Clements (Marist), 8-4
Ximena Cano (St. Francis Brooklyn) def. Chloe Hamlin (SHU), 8-4
Hiba El Khalifi (SHU) def. Margherita Fiorio (St. Francis Brooklyn), 8-1

B Singles Quarterfinals (Friday)
Oliwia Kempinski (SHU) def. Maanya Viswanath (Siena), 8-3
Hiba El Khalifi (SHU) def. Daniela Naves (Rider), 8-2

B Singles Semifinals (Saturday)
Oliwia Kempinski (SHU) def. Ximena Cano (St. Francis Brooklyn), 8-3
Hiba El Khalifi (SHU) def. Alexa Wilson (Siena), 8-4

B Singles Final (Saturday)
Oliwia Kempinski (SHU) def. Hiba El Khalifi (SHU), 8-7 (8)

B Singles Consolation Quarterfinals (Friday)
Nitya Subramaniam (RPI) def. Chloe Hamlin (SHU), 8-5

C Singles First Round (Friday)
Emily O'Donovan (SHU) def. Masha Karach (RPI), 8-2
Hili Kronzon (SHU) def. Mia Skrbinsek (St. Francis Brooklyn), 8-2

C Singles Quarterfinals (Friday)
Emily O'Donovan (SHU) def. Madeline DeFaber-Schumacher (Siena), 8-6
Hili Kronzon (SHU) def. Andriana Zaphiris (Marist), 8-4

C Singles Semifinals (Saturday)
Emily O'Donovan (SHU) def. Isabella Tonuzi (Marist), 8-1
Hili Kronzon (SHU) def. Akanksha Sreenivas (Marist), 8-2

C Singles Final (Saturday)
Emily O'Donovan (SHU) def. Hili Kronzon (SHU), 8-4

---

A Doubles Quarterfinals (Friday)
Arina Gumerova/Arabella Moen (SHU) def. Avery Oppenheim/Raquel Bolin (Rider), 6-1
Melania Lysova/Ximena Cano (St. Francis Brooklyn) def. Chloe Hamlin/Aina Plana Ventosa (SHU), 6-1

A Doubles Semifinals (Saturday)
Arina Gumerova/Arabella Moen (SHU) def. Ellen Zureick/Jane Bockman (Marist), 6-2

A Doubles Final (Saturday)
Arina Gumerova/Arabella Moen (SHU) def. Melania Lysova/Ximena Cano (St. Francis Brooklyn), 6-4

B Doubles Quarterfinals (Friday)
Hiba El Khalifi/Hili Kronzon (SHU) def. Jade Gautier (Siena)/Lea Lambert (Marist), 6-2

B Doubles Semifinals (Saturday)
Hiba El Khalifi/Hili Kronzon (SHU) def. Nikki Ridenour/Krisia Flores Gonzalez (RPI), 6-0

B Doubles Final (Saturday)
Emma Boggiali/Maanya Viswanath (Siena) def. Hiba El Khalifi/Hili Kronzon (SHU), 6-2

C Doubles Quarterfinals (Friday)
Oliwia Kempinski/Emily O'Donovan (SHU) def. Cloe Clemens/Akanksha Sreenivas (Marist), 6-2

C Doubles Semifinals (Saturday)
Oliwia Kempinski/Emily O'Donovan (SHU) def. Skrbinsek/Fiorio (St. Francis Brooklyn), 6-1

C Doubles Final (Saturday)
Oliwia Kempinski/Emily O'Donovan (SHU) def. Isabella Tonuzi/Andriana Zaphiris (Marist), 6-1

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Junior Perri Lucas (Chicago, Ill.) matched her career-high with 19 kills and both Taylor Jakubowski (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) and Jenna Walsh (Foothill Ranch, Calif.) had double-doubles as the Seton Hall women's volleyball team downed Dartmouth, 3-1 (25-23, 25-21, 23-25, 26-24), on Saturday.

After falling in the third set, the Pirates found themselves in a 23-15 hole in the fourth quarter, but ended the match with a thrilling 11-1 run. The Hall is now 2-0 at the Seton Hall Classic and can claim the tournament title with a win over NJIT tonight.

Lucas had one of the best matches of her career with 19 kills, only four attack errors and a .349 attack percentage.

Jakubowski tallied a match-high 28 assists to go with a season-high 15 digs and five service aces. Walsh tallied 13 kills, a career-high 15 digs and three blocks.

SET 1:
The Hall had a match-high .281 attack percentage in set one, but had to outlast a feisty Dartmouth team. With the score tied at 13, The Hall scored four of the next five points, and a kill by Bianca Bucciarelli (Carate Brianza, Italy) gave it a 17-14 advantage. A Lucas kill extended the Pirates' lead to 23-19, but the Big Green bounced back with three straight to cut their deficit to one. Out of the break, Lucas connected on the set-point and set-winning kills to give The Hall a 25-23 victory. Lucas had seven kills and only one attack error in a terrific opening set effort.

SET 2:
With the score tied at seven in the second set, Seton Hall went on a 5-0 run to jump ahead, 12-7. Dartmouth, however, rallied to tie the score at 19. With the score tied at 21, The Hall closed out the set with four straight points. A kill by Walsh gave The Hall the lead, followed by back-to-back aces by Jakubowski. Finally, Lucas ended the set with yet another kill.

SET 3:
Seton Hall fell behind early in the third set as Dartmouth scored 10 of the first 14 points. Down 20-15, the Pirates went on another 5-0 burst, and a service aces by Mason Woo (Burbank, Calif.) tied the score at 20. A kill by Maddie Klungel (Napa, Calif.) gave The Hall a 22-21 lead, but the Big Green rallied to score three straight and enter set point. A kill by Hanna Tulli (Collegeville, Pa.) cut The Hall's deficit to 24-23, but Dartmouth was able to close out the set, 25-23.

SET 4:
Set four started out like a repeat of set three with The Hall falling into a deep deficit early. Dartmouth scored seven of the first eight points. Facing an eight-point deficit, 23-15, everything turned around. The Hall closed out the match with an 11-1 run. A kill by Lucas was their eighth straight point to tie the score at 23, but a Pirate attack error put the Big Green in set point, 24-23. A Dartmouth attack error tied the set at 24, before another kill by Lucas gave The Hall match point. Finally, an ace by Walsh completed the Pirate comeback for a dramatic 26-24 victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Lucas tied her career-high with 19 kills to go with only four attack errors and a .349 attack percentage.
• Jakubowski had 28 assists, 15 digs and five aces.
• Walsh had 13 kills, a career-high 15 digs, three blocks and three assists.
• Woo had a career-high 18 digs to go with four aces in the best match of her young career.
• Sophomore Anna Holland (Waukesha, Wis.) had a team-high 20 digs.
• Freshman Asli Subasili (Tekirdag, Turkey) tallied a match-high seven blocks to go with four aces.
• Seton Hall recorded a .158 attack percentage for the match, while Dartmouth attacked at .146.
• The Pirates had 53 kills, while the Big Green recorded 47.
• The Hall tallied 92 digs, while the Dartmouth had 78.
• The Pirates had 9.0 total blocks, while Dartmouth had 7.0.

NEWS & NOTES:

• Seton Hall improves to 8-3 on the young season, while Dartmouth drops to 7-2.
• The Hall improves to 3-1 all-time against Dartmouth.
• Seton Hall is now 3-2 in four-set matches this season.
• The Pirates are now a perfect 7-0 this season when winning the first set.
• The Hall improves to 8-1 this season when having a higher attack percentage than its opponent.
• The Pirates are now 5-0 this season in matches on Saturdays.
• Walsh collected exactly 13 kills for the fourth straight match.
• Lucas has now collected at least 15 kills in a match seven times in her career.
• Jakubowski's double-double is her third of the season and the 26th of her career, which leads all active Pirates.
• With nine kills and eight digs, Bucciarelli surpassed the 200-kills mark and the 100-digs mark for her career.
• Holland has now reached at least 20 digs four times this year and nine times in her career.

UP NEXT:
The Pirates' finale of the Seton Hall Classic will be later today when they host NJIT in Walsh Gym. Match time is 7:00 p.m. The contest will be streamed by the Pirate Sports Network and shown on FloSports.

Walsh and Bucciarelli combine for 24 kills and only four attack errors as the Pirates open the Seton Hall Classic in style.​

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Sophomore Jenna Walsh (Foothill Ranch, Calif.) and junior Bianca Bucciarelli (Carate Brianza, Italy) combined for 24 kills and only four attack errors as the Seton Hall women's volleyball team swept Central Connecticut State, 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-17), on Friday.

In one of their more dominant performances of the young 2022 season, The Hall dominated its way to an easy victory in its opener of the Seton Hall Classic. The Pirates had a .277 attack percentage for the match, and limited Central Connecticut State to just .055.

Walsh led The Hall with 13 kills, only four attack errors and a team-high .429 attack percentage. Bucciarelli was had 11 kills and no attack errors with an attack percentage of .393. She also added six digs and three blocks in a strong all-around effort.

SET 1:
Seton Hall never trailed in the opening set and jumped out to an 8-4 lead on back-to-back aces by freshman Asli Subasili (Tekirdag, Turkey). CCSU closed its deficit to 17-13, but The Hall scored the next three points, and the second of two straight kills by Walsh put it on top, 20-13. The Blue Devils again cut their lead to four points late, but The Hall was able to hold them off in a 25-19 set one victory. The Pirates had a match-high .325 attack percentage in the opening frame.

SET 2:
The Pirates utterly dominated the second set, holding the Blue Devils to a -.030 attack percentage. The Hall burst out of the gate by scoring 12 of the set's first 13 points and forced CCSU to burn both of their timeouts early. A kill by Walsh extended The Hall's lead to 13 points, 20-7, and the rout was on. The Pirates took the second set, 25-13.

SET 3:
The third set was the closest of the match with CCSU grabbing an early lead, but it didn't last. Trailing 5-3, the Pirates went on a 15-4 run, and a kill by Bucciarelli put them on top, 18-9. The Blue Devils cut their deficit to 21-15, but The Hall scored three of the next four points to enter match point, 24-16. After a Pirate service error kept CCSU alive, a block by Subasili and Walsh ended the match in Seton Hall's favor, 25-17.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Walsh led all players with 13 kills, only four attack errors and a team-high .429 attack percentage.
• Bucciarelli had 11 kills, no attack errors, a .393 attack percentage, six digs and three blocks.
• Subasili had a match-high five blocks to go with five digs, three kills and two aces.
• Sophomore Anna Holland (Waukesha, Wis.) had a match-high 17 digs.
• Junior Taylor Jakubowski (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) tallied a match-high 15 assists to go with four digs.
• Seton Hall recorded a .277 attack percentage for the match, while Central Connecticut State attacked at .055.
• The Pirates had 42 kills, while CCSU recorded 26.
• The Hall tallied 54 digs, while the Blue Devils had 44.
• The Pirates had 7.0 total blocks, while CCSU had 1.0.

NEWS & NOTES:

• Seton Hall improves to 7-3 on the young season, while CCSU drops to 5-4.
• The Hall improves to 13-1 all-time against CCSU.
• Seton Hall is now a perfect 5-0 in three-set matches this season.
• The Pirates are now a perfect 6-0 this season when winning the first set.
• The Hall improves to 7-1 this season when having a higher attack percentage than its opponent.
• TGIF… The Hall is now a perfect 3-0 this season on Fridays.
• With 15 assists and four digs tonight, Jakubowski surpassed the 1000-assists and 500-digs milestones for her career.
• With 13 kills today, Walsh reached the 200-kills mark for her career.
• With 17 digs today, Holland surpassed the 600-digs mark for her career.
• Walsh collected exactly 13 kills for the third straight match.

UP NEXT:
Seton Hall will return to action when the Seton Hall Classic continues tomorrow. The Pirates will host Dartmouth at 12:30 p.m. and NJIT at 7:00 p.m. Both contests will be streamed live by the Pirate Sports Network and shown on FloSports.

Panthers (0-1) at Giants (1-0)​

1 p.m. ET | FOX | Spread: NYG -2 (43.5)

What to watch for: This game will prominently feature the top two picks of the 2018 NFL draft, Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield and Giants running back Saquon Barkley. The third overall pick, quarterback Sam Darnold, is on injured reserve for Carolina, too. Mayfield is on his second team and looking to bounce back from a mediocre debut for the Panthers, while Barkley is hoping to build on a turn-back-the-clock performance (194 total yards in the opener vs. Tennessee) in his redemption campaign following three injury-plagued seasons. -- Jordan Raanan

Bold prediction: Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey will get involved early and rush 24 times for 130 yards and a touchdown against a Giants defense that gave up only 93 yards rushing in the opener. McCaffrey was limited to 14 touches and 57 yards in the opener, and this will be McCaffrey's first 100-yard rushing performance since Week 10 of the 2019 season (108 yards on 20 carries at Green Bay). -- David Newton

Stat to know: Mayfield was 2-6 in eight road games last season (4-2 at home). His 41 Total QBR on the road ranked 25th in NFL.

Injuries: Panthers | Giants

What to know for fantasy: He's baaaaack. Barkley went off for 194 yards and a touchdown on his 24 Week 1 touches. In Weeks 3-4 last season, before getting dinged up and battling injuries, he had consecutive games with 50-plus rushing yards, a rushing score and five catches for the first time in his career. He did that and much more last Sunday ... look out. See Week 2 rankings.

Betting nugget: The Panthers are 5-13 ATS in the past two seasons, tied with the Jaguars for the worst mark in the NFL, including 2-13 ATS in their past 15 games. Read more.

Moody's pick: Giants 24, Panthers 22
Walder's pick: Panthers 23, Giants 10
FPI prediction: CAR, 58.0% (by an average of 2.4 points)

Jets (0-1) at Browns (1-0)​

1 p.m. ET | CBS | Spread: CLE -6.5 (39.5)

What to watch for: The Browns are seeking their first 2-0 start since 1993. Cleveland owns the longest drought without a 2-0 start -- 25 years -- in NFL history. But it is 2-6 in its past eight games against the Jets, who are trying to avoid their fourth straight 0-2 start. -- Jake Trotter

Bold prediction: Browns defensive end Myles Garrett will record two sacks against the Jets' leaky offensive line and the immobile Joe Flacco. That will give him 62.5 for his career, surpassing Clay Matthews (62.0) to become the all-time franchise leader since sacks became an official statistic in 1982. Garrett has great success against the Jets (eight sacks in four games), and he's coming off a two-sack performance. As Jets coach Robert Saleh said, "It looks like Myles is on a mission." -- Rich Cimini

Stat to know: Chubb has rushed for at least 100 yards in 23 games since 2018, tied with Derrick Henry for the most in the NFL. And he needs 109 rushing yards on Sunday to become the third Browns player with 250 rushing yards in the first two games of a season (Jim Brown twice, Jamal Lewis).

Injuries: Jets | Browns

What to know for fantasy: Flacco spread the ball around plenty in the Week 1 loss against the Ravens, and that seems to be a theme. In Mike White's three high-usage games filling in for Zach Wilson last season, 39% of his targets went to the backfield. It may not be pretty, but in PPR leagues, you could do worse than either Jets running back (Michael Carter and Breece Hall). See Week 2 rankings.

Betting nugget: The Jets are 1-9 ATS in their past 10 September games and failed to cover each of the past seven. And Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett is 8-5 ATS as a starting QB when his team is favored. Read more.

Moody's pick: Browns 24, Jets 16
Walder's pick: Browns 21, Jets 13
FPI prediction: CLE, 76.6% (by an average of 8.4 points)

Pirates Host Trio as part of Seton Hall Classic - Seton Hall University Athletics

The Pirates will return to Walsh Gymnasium this weekend to host their second tournament of the season, the Seton Hall Classic. The Hall will host Central Connecticut

shupirates.com

The Hall will welcome CCSU, Dartmouth and NJIT to South Orange Friday and Saturday.​

By Colin Rajala

Continued.......

That internal drive and competition was evident in the season’s opening tournament as six Seton Hall golfers recorded rounds at even or below par.

“We have a lot of capable guys and what makes a great golf team is depth. If our top guy is having a bad round, we have faith our fifth guy is going to have his back. I think that's the type of squad we had last year and that’s the type of squad we have this year,” Harper noted.

The Hall’s win in its first tournament of the season was also Harper’s first career win as head coach.

Harper, who played for the Pirates from 2013 to 2015 and served as an assistant from 2019 to 2021, succeeded Clay White, who stepped down from the helm of the program after 18 years, just weeks before the tournament.

White, who Harper revered for his “character and integrity,” left to take over as the head coach for the University of Pennsylvania, which finished the Lagowitz Memorial 11th out of 14 teams at 18-over-par.

“He [White] had been here for such a long time and I didn’t expect this to happen at all. He helped us get to this point. I was looking at being his assistant for a while, but I am fortunate to have such a good set of young men that have taken the work ethic of the program to an entirely new level because they want it so bad. That’s what carried the team to the Big East Championship last year and that’s what Gregor Tait, Andres Acevedo and Clay White left the program to continue on with,” Harper said.

Harper took over a group of five returning players and three newcomers that he describes as “racing to practice” whenever there is opportunity to improve their games.

He finds that the biggest asset he can bring to current and future Seton Hall golfers will be “instructing the golf swing,” something he has been doing since 2017 at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, N.J.

“A lot of our guys have their own coaches, so I tread carefully when it comes to some of my players and their golf swings. I’ve spent the last six years instructing golf swings, so I’m trained enough to know what they're trying to accomplish to fill in for their other coaches’ ideas,” Harper said.

“I think it is good to have somebody that they trust and relay what their coach is saying and working with them. The guys on the team are super smart and know their golf swing and we’ll be on the range and they’ll be helping me as well,” he said, noting that he is a proponent of individualized instruction and coaching one player entirely different from the teaching of another player.

Harper also believes his experience and intangibles having been around the sport for so long will benefit current and future Pirates.

“Through my failures and successes and growth, I became a better golfer probably two years after I graduated. If I can fast track that for our freshman, growing the amount that I grew in college in say five years, in their first two years, then that's when they get to blossom their junior and senior seasons and play the kind of golf that our seniors played last year and Wen and Xie are off to this year.”

While he wants the best for his players, Harper is also looking out for their best interests off the course in their academic and personal lives.

“Clay’s focus on the individual is something that I wanted to continue to carry on. It is all grooming great young men who graduate and do things the right way. It’s the importance of being on time, working hard, being respectful and appreciative. I learned a lot about that playing for him and coaching alongside him,” Harper said.

Ultimately, Harper’s goal is to build Seton Hall into “a force to be reckoned with.”

“ I think we made a name for ourselves last year and we are off to a good start this year, but we have more to do to be the prominent Northeast school. I don’t think that is out of reach with the golf facilities we have surrounding campus, the talent we've been able to bring in and our graduates and alumni who are supportive. Building the program into a powerhouse is not going to happen overnight, but I will look at big picture things and fundraise and create as much buzz as I can to get to where we want to be, tops in the Northeast.”

Harper is off to a good start in that quest as evidenced at the Alex Lagowitz Memorial.

In the final installment of our series we get a temperature check on how coaches feel the sport is doing amid massive NCAA changes​

By Matt Norlander





CBS Sports' Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander surveyed roughly 100 coaches for our annual Candid Coaches series. They polled everyone from head coaches at elite programs to assistants at small Division I schools. In exchange for complete anonymity, coaches provided unfiltered honesty about a number of topics. This is the final poll question in our summer survey on the state of college basketball.

The NCAA is in the process of overhauling its rulebook and infrastructure, a mammoth undertaking by the Division I Transformation Committee that will redefine and (ideally) streamline what it means to be a D-I program moving forward. College basketball stands to be impacted by this in significant, if still undetermined, ways.

For as much worry, intrigue and curiosity that exists over what's to come, those feelings are buttressed against the thrum of the past five years. College basketball has undergone -- through fits and starts -- constant change and been hit with a barrage of off-the-court headlines and legislative reworks that have kept the sport somewhat off-balance. It started almost five years ago to the day, when the FBI announced its covert investigation into bribery and fraud in recruiting.

Since then, a Mark Emmert-appointed commission was formed, mostly didn't do anything to change basketball, and dissolved. The IARP was formed, has only adjudicated one case to date, and will be disbanded come 2023. NIL legislation, the transfer portal, a global pandemic, new transfer rules, emergence of the G League and Overtime Elite, conference realignment and even Baylor winning a national title have all transpired in recent years. What was once unthinkable became reality.

It would be an exaggeration to state college basketball is at a crossroads. But it's a tender time -- depending on the lens one looks through. Our final question in this year's series is a sport-wide temperature check.

Quotes that stood out​

Great​

• "The landscape is changing with the transfer portal, NIL, COVID bonus years, etc., but the mission still remains the same. Players/teams get incredible exposure through monster TV deals, they are provided with educational opportunities because of the game of basketball, and young people get the opportunity to play college basketball on the national stage."

• "There are many challenges that have come up in the last few years (NIL, portal, COVID-19). The NIL and portal were necessary changes in my opinion. We just need to implement some better standards and guidelines in both cases. COVID-19 taught us that the sport can withstand a crisis and now that we are (hopefully) through the very worst of it, the sport is in a stronger place. I thought the 2022 NCAA Tournament was phenomenal, ending with an awesome Final Four."

• "College basketball is in a great spot. Talent level will be strong. Guys are sticking around because of possibilities to make money. Should be a great season, and will only continue to get better. Especially with college hoops being abnormally old."

• "It's still the greatest show on earth with the greatest winner-take-all tournament."

Good​

• "College basketball is the best f------ thing in the world. It's really good, fun to be around and I'm blessed to be able to do it, but there's also concern. Concern for the product, the student-athletes we're putting out into society based on their experience with college athletics. How few of them are able to maintain a profession in this spot and what that means in terms of their habits once they leave. A big part of why we coach is to prepare young people for those things, when they can draw from these experiences when s--- matters. When you have to go get a job and perform and now your livelihood is impacted by that differently. That's where I think there's a difference in terms of what's at stake."

• "We're all getting paid quite well, the players are getting a cut, the facilities are nice, and I damn sure like private plane travel. What is not to like?"

• "I think it's strong enough and there's enough excitement around it. Yes, there's a lot of negative things that are happening in some people's eyes with the transfer portal, NIL and conference realignment. ... College basketball is going through a lot of changes, it has always evolved, people have adjusted to it and that's where we are now. When they added the 3-point line, then pushed it back, there's been change that people have thought 'Man, what's going on with the game?' but it always ends up surviving."

• "A number of great players stayed in college. Teams will still be older with the combination of NIL keeping some of those players and COVID eligibility still impacting things. I think this will make for terrific nonconference games and conference races. Concerned some about where conference realignment turns next and what that potentially means for the NCAA Tournament."

Ambivalent​

• "It is a completely different job. It is a different business. Different skillset required. Without a governing body and the ability to do whatever you want, in many regards, the model is unlike any there has ever been. I have said hundreds of times over the last 18 months: There will be more coaches hired/fired and retired in these next five years than any 10-year period in the history of college athletics."

• "Game-changing variables have been introduced in such a short period of time. Personally, I hope to be on the right side of change before I'm left out."

• "The bottom line has always affected ethics and our decision-making. The bottom line from TV contracts is impacting everything from this. Folks are super-greedy and our game is the best it's ever done financially, but I'm concerned with the amount of greed to distort and change it, to make more and bigger power conferences."

Concerned​

• "(There are too many) commissioner- and president-driven decisions that put basketball in the hands of football-centric decision-makers more than ever. (You have to) run your program with a front office/coaching mix, in that order, and you'll be able to compete. (You have to) get one or two administrative people that have a genuine seat at the school's decision-making and priority table -- and then you have a chance. Without that, you'll be run over by football decisions and entitled boosters."

• "No direction or leadership. We need a college basketball leader that sits and works with the head of the NCAA. Also got to start thinking of college basketball without football. Might not be a bad thing. Proactive, not reactive."

• "We are the only sports entity where every day is free agency."

• "Initial meetings with kids now, it used to be about, 'Am I going to start, how much playing time am I going to get?' Now that's the last thing on the list. The portal, that whole thing is a disaster. Tampering is a disaster. These things are good for the student-athlete, but the ideal and what it's supposed to be is all great, but that's not what's happening right now. How do you build rosters, teach lessons, fight through adversity?"
• "Every rule has taken control away from the coach and given it to the teenagers. Every new rule is anti-program building but pro-individualistic. The coach has less control over his program than ever before."

• "NIL combined with transfer portal combined with Overtime Elite and the G League Ignite combined with conference realignment (because of football and TV revenue) combined with a lack of leadership in NCAA makes for very unstable ground. If you don't know where you want to go, any road will get you there. Feels like we don't know where we want to end up with all of this."

• "We don't have great leadership from the NCAA and need a strong personality with great knowledge about the college basketball landscape to provide guidance at a pivotal time."

• "The transfer portal is the least of my concerns. I wouldn't say that if I was at a mid-major. But NIL is the biggest. To boil it all down, every organization and every entity comes down to leadership. We have a leadership vacuum at the NCAA level. I think we've got good leadership at the NABC level. I think Craig Robinson's doing as good of a job as he can do. We need absolute autonomy as a sport and we have to figure out what's best for our sport as a whole. ... The problem basketball coaches run into: the presidents want men's basketball to be treated just like every other sport and we're not like every other sport. We're different than field hockey, baseball, lacrosse. I think every sport should be given that autonomy to some degree."

By Colin Rajala

The Seton Hall men's golf team entered the 2022-2023 season as the defending Big East champions and continued their winning ways with individual and team wins at the Alex Lagowitz Memorial Invitational on Sept. 3-4.

The Pirates shot 23-under-par, 277-280-284-84, to win the team title by 12 strokes over second place Yale University, while Junior Wanxi Sun shot a career-best 11-under-par to win the individual title, his first career win. The sophomore also was named Wednesday BIG EAST Men's Co-Golfer of the Week.

“These eight guys knew what it meant to win it,” Head Coach J.T. Harper said. “The team has wanted to win this event since Seton Hall first started playing in it. I actually spoke earlier today with Gregor [Tait] and Dre [Andres Acevedo], our two seniors last season, and they felt like that was the one thing that they never got to accomplish. This team came in after the Big East championship and locked in and said we want to do this for [Associate Head Coach] Ian [Lagowitz]. We’ve had this circled on our calendar.”

The invitational is named in memory of Lagowitz’s son, who tragically passed away in 2016 at the age of 23 just a couple of years removed from being a top golfer at Colgate University, who hosts the annual event.

“To think or say we were going to win it is one thing, but to actually win it was special. To lead the event start to finish was incredibly emotional. It was just as awesome as we imagined. I think I gave Ian five hugs in like 30 seconds,” according to Harper, who noted that the “trophy went straight to Coach Lagowitz.”

Sun recorded five birdies and 13 pars in the opening round to post a five-under-par, 67, before returning in the afternoon to shoot a four-under-par, 68, which included an eagle on the par-5, 12th hole. The performance put him in the individual lead after 36 holes and provided The Hall a seven-stroke team lead.

“The week leading up to the tournament, he looked like he was not going to miss a shot. He played nearly flawless golf the first day. The first 36 holes he made one bogey, which is outrageous, especially on that course [ Seven Oaks Golf Club in Hamilton , N.Y .],” Harper said.

He added that Sun had another great range session prior to Sunday’s final round but opened round three with bogeys on the first two holes before shooting a double bogey on hole three.

“So, he’s sitting four over through three holes, which is for any college golfer about as nightmarish of a start as you can imagine. He calls me over on the fourth tee and we have a small chat and I say those three holes just happened, there's nothing you can do about it except trust that you are playing unbelievable golf right now and commit to the next shot and know that you've proven that you can make a ton of birdies on this course,” Harper said.

Sun responded to his new head coach’s words and proceeded to birdie the next two holes before playing the last seven holes at five-under-par to finish the final round with a two-under-par, 70.

“What I am most proud of Wanxi is his resiliency,” Harper said. “To have the maturity to take a step back and reset and have full confidence in oneself, that kind of turnaround is so rare for these young men.”

Sun won the individual title by five strokes over Villanova University's Ryan Palmer.

Finishing in third place was Seton Hall senior Wenliang Xie, who was five under-par, 71-69-71-211, good enough for his sixth career sub-par tournament (tied his for sixth-most in Seton Hall history) and his fourth career top-five finish.

“Wen is our senior, our captain and he might be the best college golfer I’ve ever seen. Wen is as solid as it gets and he showed up to Colgate with what felt like his C-game,” Harper said. “He showed so much mental toughness and was able to turn three rounds that could have gone south quickly into three under par rounds and helped lead our team to victory.”

With Yale closing in during Xie’s final round, he bogeyed the 1 th hole to bring him to two-over-par, but he was unfazed by the pressure as he approached Assistant Coach Gary Dunne on their way to the 16th hole and said to him, “Gary, I got this,” Harper recalls.

Xie went on to birdie the last three holes to finish the final round one-under-par.

Rounding out the Pirates performance were sophomore transfer George Fricker, who tied for sixth place overall with a two-under-par 70-71-73-214 in his first collegiate event; sophomore Angus O’Brien, who tied for 24th place with a three-over-par 69-77-73-219; freshman Jack Bosworth, who tied for 35th place with a six-over-par 76-72-74-22; and junior Brody Hanley, who tied for 42nd with a seven-over-par 78-75- 70-223.

“I know our guys are incredible golfers, but what Wenliang and Wanxi and everybody in the starting lineup did was incredible ... Every single one of those guys down the stretch played their last four holes at even or better. Yale was on our tails at that point and they responded. That, to me, is the sign of a good golf team and that’s what we got,” Harper said.

The resilience and poise of the current squad has Harper excited for the continued improvement of the team, which saw Xie and Sun finish tied for 22nd and 31st , respectively, in last year’s Alex Lagowitz Memorial Invitational.

“The most exciting thing is, technically all eight of our guys can come back next year and most of them have more than two years of eligibility left,” Harper said.

“Seton Hall started to find success when we had all five guys capable of shooting a great score and doing so consistently, because it’s not just about the top guys,” he continued. “My favorite thing about this squad is that not only do we have a couple studs leading the way, but we’ve got eight players that are battling for a starting spot. They continue to push each other and make each other better because it’s guys like our freshmen and our transfers that are coming in and saying I’m not here just to be happy to be a part of it, I’m going to push to make the starting lineup, which makes everybody better and is going to make for a lot of fun qualifiers,” Harper said.



Conclusion tomorrow

South Orange, N.J. - Coming off of a gritty 1-0 road win at Iona on Sunday, the Seton Hall women's soccer team returns home for their lone contest of the week against Columbia at Owen T. Carroll Field on Thursday at 6 p.m.

STREAM INFORMATION

All PSN and BEDN events can be seen on FloSports, one of the leading streaming services in the world. Special Seton Hall pricing is available only through this link for fans who want to subscribe to watch Seton Hall events, home and away, as well as other live events on the FloSports platform. https://my.flosports.tv/partner/big...t=teams&utm_term=setonhall&rtid=&coverage_id= Fans with a .edu school address can purchase a subscription for $6.99 per month, and all other fans can purchase a subscription for $12.50 per month. The non-Seton Hall pricing on FloSports is normally $29.99 per month.

GAME PROMOTION

Tomorrow's game is the Hispanic Heritage Month Kickoff. Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15. Four Latinx student organizations will be tabled alongside the athletics marketing table and engaging in conversation with fans and students regarding their respective organizations.

NEWS & NOTES

• Since falling in their season opener, Seton Hall has gone 3-1-2 with wins over Saint Joseph's, Central Connecticut State and Iona.
• First-year Seton hall head coach Josh Osit was previously an assistant coach at Columbia for eight seasons and helped build Columbia into one of the Ivy League's most consistent programs.
• The Lions produced 35 All-Ivy League selections, six United Soccer Coaches All-Region honorees and the 2017 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year with Osit on staff.
• In seven seasons of competition with Osit on staff, Columbia had a winning record in six campaigns, including a 9-3-4 mark in 2019, which constituted the program's highest winning percentage since 2008. Between 2015 and 2017, the Lions were the only women's soccer program to finish top three in the Ivy league all three seasons. Columbia became a top-50 RPI team for the first time in program history in 2019 and reached as high as No. 28 in the RPI in 2021, the highest ranking in program history.
• Senior goalkeeper Grace Gordon (Chester Springs, Pa.) took home BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week honors for the second time in her career after posting five saves and a clean sheet in the win at Iona on Sunday.
• Gordon currently ranks 17th in the nation, and first in the BIG EAST, for save percentage (.900) and 18th nationally for goals against average (.360).
• Senior Abbie Roberts (Bedfordshire, England) was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after scoring the game-winning goal against the Gaels and assisting in the shutout effort from her defensive midfield position.
• Roberts' goal was the second of the season and her career. Both have served as game-winners.
• Seton Hall is 8-5-2 against non-conference opponents over the last two seasons.
• Roberts, Gordon and the Seton Hall backline made up of sophomore Chiara Pucci (Munich, Germany), junior Alex Fuggle (London, England) and sophomore Rachel Gerrie (Littleton, Colo.) have held opponents scoreless in four of Seton Hall's seven matches this season.
• Pucci was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on August 29, the first Pirate to be named defensive player of the week since 2012.

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Summer of 2008 I was living in LA, drove to Vegas for weekend to see exhibition at Thomas and Mack vs Canada in game Sammy D would have been in if not for falling out with Team Canada...3 or 4 weeks later Saturday night living in LA live game for gold medal all time zones...one of best intl games for gold medal ever

By Gary Parrish

We asked coaches for their thoughts on the impact NIL legislation has had on college athletics​

Graphic by Keytron Jordan

CBS Sports college basketball writers Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander surveyed roughly 100 coaches for our annual Candid Coaches series. They polled everyone from head coaches at elite programs to assistants at some of the smallest Division I schools. In exchange for complete anonymity, the coaches provided unfiltered honesty about a number of topics. Over the next few weeks, we'll be posting the results of the questions asked.

A world where student-athletes would be able to profit from their name, image and likeness (like all other students) is something some of us discussed constantly in the years leading up to it becoming a reality. Reasonable minds could disagree on the impact it would someday make on college sports, among them the sport of men's basketball. But now, a little more than a year into this new way of doing things, it's undeniably a big deal that has reshaped how athletic directors and coaches do their jobs. With this as the backdrop, we asked roughly 100 college basketball coaches the following question:

Quotes that stood out​

Helping​

• "Probably too early to tell but I think it is helping the college basketball product. You saw some really good players return to college because of the financial implications."

• "We are keeping more guys in college basketball and the really good players at each program are more likely to stay at their school than transfer."

• "Overall NIL is helping college athletics -- (but) it does need some guardrails. Even pro sports have salary caps. It has made coaching more of a challenge because there is an expectation of getting a deal at the snap of your fingers."

• "I like NIL -- I just don't think it's been managed properly. Some of the money out there right now, I just don't understand or see how it's sustainable. I certainly think NIL should be an option for college athletes, it's just gotta be managed somehow better. It's out of control right now. I don't understand where all this money is coming from and how it can be sustainable. It's good for a place like my school because we would never cheat, and now it allows us to offer our players something in a legal way. It's a good thing for college basketball, but certainly somehow needs to be managed a little better because it's just a little bit out of control right now."

Hurting​

• "It's increased so many ways for people to move money to players, handlers and families that have nothing to do with NIL but can fall under the guise of it. Pay-for-play is more brazen than ever before.
  There is no teeth in any legislation that you don't feel the right lawyers couldn't get you through."

• "Recruiting has become a silent auction for recruits going to the highest bidder. It's not about where the best fit is anymore, style of play, role, development, etc. for a recruit's future."

• "I think NIL has eliminated 'college' athletics, and much of this is due to the lack of progressive thought by leadership in the NCAA. They had numerous years and opportunities to find ways to allow players to profit off true NIL. Because of their backtracking, they got backed into such a corner they essentially opened the floodgates -- to not players profiting of name, image and likeness, (but) legit pay-for-play. I do think the market corrects itself in the years to come. I think less people will be interested in giving money on the front side."

• Overall, I think the combination of NIL and the transfer portal has hurt college athletics. I think both on their own would be fine, but when you put the two together you have poison. Mid-major farm teams. Collusion at the high-major level and free agency with no contracts. At least in the NBA there is a salary cap and contracts with penalties."

By Eugene Rapay

A lot to unpack from the Big East recruiting trail.

You read that headline correctly, Georgetown offered eighth-grader Omari Chaudhry (Marietta, Ga./Robert L. Osborne) and is getting there before the rest of the pack. It is the 6-foot-2 guard’s first Division I offer.

Other than that, it was a big week for other Big East teams, with Butler, Marquette, DePaul and Xavier all receiving commitments.

DePaul finally gets on the board for 2023, getting 7-foot big man Babacar Mbengue (Senegal/Olympus Prep). Butler gets its second 2023 commit in Boden Kapke (Victoria, Minn./Holy Family Catholic).


Marquette loads up with another four-star 2023 commit, as Tre Norman (Dorchester, Mass./Worcester Academy) becomes the Golden Eagles’ third four-star pledge of that class.

...and lastly, Sean Miller continues to clean up on the recruiting trail, notching his fourth commit since May. He has three four-star 2023 commits, and now, three-star center Onyekachi ‘Kachi’ Nzeh (Upper Darby, Pa./George School).

Here’s the rest of the action from this past week:

Big East commitments:

• Three-star 2023 forward Boden Kapke (Victoria, Minn./Holy Family Catholic) commits to Butler. He did also have an offer from Xavier.
• Three-star 2023 center Babacar Mbengue (Senegal/Olympus Prep) committed to DePaul, also had an offer from Xavier.
• Four-star 2023 guard Tre Norman (Dorchester, Mass./Worcester Academy) committed to Marquette, also had an offer from Georgetown.
• Three-star 2023 center Onyekachi ‘Kachi’ Nzeh (Upper Darby, Pa./George School) committed to Xavier over a Final Four that also included Iowa, VCU and Saint Louis.

Non-Big East commitments:

• Four-star 2023 guard Isaiah Coleman (Fort Washington, Pa./National Christian Academy) committed to Charleston, also had offers from DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Seton Hall and Xavier.
• Three-star 2023 guard Lawrent Rice (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne) committed to Murray State. He also had offers from Georgetown, Marquette and Xavier.
• 2024 guard Robert Wright III (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti) committed to Baylor, also had Seton Hall and Georgetown offers.
• Four-star 2023 forward Akil Watson (Middletown, N.Y./Roselle Catholic) committed to Arizona State. He had offers from more than half of the Big East — Creighton, UConn, Georgetown, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John’s, and Xavier.

Final cuts:

• Three-star 2023 guard Jalen Carruth (Suwanee, Ga./North Florida Prep) excluded Xavier from his final six.
• Three-star 2023 guard Brady Dunlap (Valencia, Calif./Harvard-Westlake) included Providence in his final six list, but cut Xavier.

New offers:

• Four-star 2024 wing Marcus Allen (Miami, Fla./AZ Compass Prep) received an offer from Villanova.
• Five-star 2024 center Flory Bidunga (Congo/Kokomo) received an offer from Butler.
• 2025 guard Myles Blackley (Summit, N.J./Summit) received an offer from Providence.
• 2027 guard Omari Chaudhry (Marietta, Ga./Robert L. Osborne) received an offer from Georgetown.
• 2024 forward Bryce Dortch (Somerville, Mass./Brimmer and May School) received an offer from Marquette.
• Five-star 2024 forward Trentyn Flowers (Jefferson, Ga./Sierra Canyon) received an offer from Creighton.

Offer Tracker:​

Hit link above

Pirates picked 6th in BE and an at large NCAA berth..
Projects 6 BE teams in Dance.

Has Rutgers ranked 31st.

Myron Medcalf
ESPN Staff Writer

The University of Connecticut and former men's basketball coach Kevin Ollie have reached a settlement of $3.9 million for claimed reputational damages and attorney's fees to conclude the lengthy legal battle that has ensued between them since his firing for allegedly violating NCAA rules in 2018.

The settlement effectively ends a potential federal race discrimination suit Ollie had considered against the university.

Ollie, a former UConn point guard who guided the Huskies to a 127-79 record and the 2014 national championship in six seasons as head coach, was let go after two losing seasons.

After he was fired, Ollie sued the school after it refused to pay him the money remaining on his multimillion-dollar contract. The school cited the alleged violations for its decision to fire Ollie with cause and without compensation.

In January, an arbitrator ruled that UConn had "improperly fired" Ollie and he was awarded $11.1 million.

Per a joint statement between Ollie and the school on Thursday, the $3.9 million settlement has resolved "all outstanding matters related to his former employment with the University of Connecticut and to avoid further costly and protracted litigation."

"I am grateful that we were able to reach [an] agreement," Ollie said in the statement. "My time at UConn as a student athlete and coach is something I will always cherish. I am pleased that this matter is now fully and finally resolved."

The NCAA's investigation of Ollie's alleged violations led to two years of probation for the school and three-year show cause penalty for Ollie.

Ollie, who coached his alma mater to a national championship in 2014, continued to fight for what he and his team called an improper dismissal before an arbitrator ruled in their favor earlier this year.

Ollie's legal team called the January ruling "vindication" for Ollie, who had been accused by the Committee on Infractions of deceptive actions within the investigation.

Thursday's settlement comes as Ollie's three-year show cause is set to expire, which could open the door for him to return to collegiate coaching.

The votes are in, the quotes are thought-provoking and the question lingers: Is the 30-second clock hurting college hoops?​

By Matt Norlander


Graphic by Keytron Jordan

CBS Sports' Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander surveyed roughly 100 coaches for our annual Candid Coaches series. They polled everyone from head coaches at elite programs to assistants at small Division I schools. In exchange for complete anonymity, these coaches provided unfiltered honesty about a number of topics. Over the course of three weeks we are posting the results of our summer survey on the state of college basketball.

For almost a century, men's D-I basketball didn't have a shot clock. In 1985, after some conferences experimented with one for a few years, the NCAA officially instituted a shot clock for all of its games.
A whopping 45 seconds per possession were allowed.

That first generation of the shot clock era lasted for nearly a decade. In 1993, 10 seconds got lopped and men's college hoops played with a 35-second clock for more than 20 years. Another shave came in 2015 when it was cut to 30. In the past decade, there has remained a push by some to get the clock 24 seconds, which is the length in every other major men's iteration of competitive organized basketball around the globe.

Some argue college basketball has playing and coaching styles that are accentuated by a longer shot clock and that those attributes shouldn't be taken away in the spirit of trying to emulate the NBA or other professional leagues.

With that in mind, we wanted to see where college coaches stood on this topic in 2022.

NEW YORK – Seton Hall junior Wanxi Sun (Danville, Calif.) was named BIG EAST Men's Co-Golfer of the Week on Wednesday.

Last week, Sun put together one of the finest single-tournament golfing performances in Pirate history, and in the process, lifted The Hall to the team title of the Alex Lagowitz Memorial. With three sub-par rounds, he shot a remarkable 11-under-par, 67-68-60-205, to win the individual title by five strokes over the second-place finisher, Villanova's Ryan Palmer. Sun's 205 is tied for the second-lowest par-72, three-round score in program history. Furthermore, his 11-under-par is tied for the most strokes under par ever for a Pirate.

It's Sun's first career win and second career top-5 finish.

Sun shares the award this week with Connecticut's Jared Nelson who was 15-under-par at the Doc Gimmler last week.

Sun and the rest of the Pirates will return to the links on September 24-25 for three rounds of golf at the Dartmouth Invitational at Montcalm Golf Club in Enfield, N.H.

Elijah Gertrude is going to take an official visit to SHU on Sept. 15 - 16.

The sport grew to 363 teams this year, but as D-I awaits further transformation, what's the best number for college hoops?​

By Matt Norlander



Graphic by Keytron Jordan

CBS Sports' Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander surveyed roughly 100 coaches for our annual Candid Coaches series. They polled everyone from head coaches at elite programs to assistants at small Division I schools. In exchange for complete anonymity, these coaches provided unfiltered honesty about a number of topics. This is our final week of posting the results of our summer survey on the state of college basketball.

Our Candid Coaches poll question from Monday addressed the looming curiosity over whether the NCAA Tournament might face any tweaks or remodels in the coming years. The only reason the controversial topic is potentially up for debate is due to the existence of the NCAA Division I Transformation Committee, which was formed in 2021 to help modernize college athletics.

Among the litany of actions that committee has been tasked with, the biggest in scope is redefining what it means to be a Division I institution and/or deciding if Division I will be tiered out into subgroups based upon university resources, spending budgets, conference affiliations and other to-be-determined factors. College basketball is the biggest elephant in that room. The sport's roster of teams has bloated yet again, increasing to 363 for the 2022-23 season, up five from a year ago. No American sport has more teams under one umbrella than D-I college basketball; it's 726 when accounting for men's and women's. Twenty-five years ago, Division I basketball had nearly 60 fewer schools.

When does it stop? Is it already too big, or can the sport support this many teams? Should the transformation committee splinter Division I up into two, maybe even three subdivisions? That's today's Candid Coaches poll question.