I just emailed our Guardian subscribers the opportunity to purchase the final edition of our Championship Pils, from Magnify Brewing. Our supply is limited and orders will be reserved on a first come, first served basis. The email was sent from my personal email walshtrips@comcast.net.

Shoot me an email if you're a Guardian subscriber and you haven't gotten my invite.

GO PIRATES!!!

PirateCrew: Seton Hall Pirates Football & Basketball Recruiting

The definitive source for all PirateCrew news.

setonhall.rivals.com

By Zack Cziryak

TROVE: Speaking of resumes - how much stock do you put into the efficiency metrics and the reliance on Kenpom and other sites, especially with some programs stacking their non-conference schedules to just pummel lesser squads and boost their numbers?

POPKIN: I think it definitely had an effect this year. I think the committee and the NCAA need to communicate clearly what's in the NET and how heavily is it going to be considered? If you're Saint John's and you had a NET in the 20s and you don't make the tournament, then should you even gauge your schedule and your season based on that? If you're not going to follow it, then why have it? Do I believe that Seton Hall should schedule all the weak sisters and beat them by 40? No. And Shaheen Holloway doesn't believe that either. And there are many times that he could have beaten a team by 30 when he beat them by 20, or by 40 when he beat them by 25. Or run up the score on some of these schools but he has respect for the other team and the other coach and he doesn't do it, and I don't know if that's going to change based on the results of this past year. He's been put in a very tough spot with that, all the coaches have. I don't think that beating a low D1 team by 40 should mean more than beating another Power Six team by eight. I really don't, especially if the game is on a neutral site or on the road.

Before, it seemed like the committee was really looking at who you played, where you played them and the quality of those wins, and it seemed like it strayed from that a bit this past year and that there's an overall lack of clarity, which is frustrating for teams like Seton Hall that are going to be on the bubble a lot of years. They're not going to be a three seed every year and they're not going to be bad ever. So, they're going to be in the mix every year. And all of those little decisions on scheduling and the results of those games is going to mean a lot.

Does anyone know where the team is staying during the Charleston Classic this year?

If Duke defends, they will go to final four

Login to view embedded media
Sion James will have a cam impact on this roster

by Zack Cziryak

TROVE: Shaheen has lost his best players the last two years thanks to large NIL packages and now seems to be spreading his budgets across a greater number of players – what are your thoughts on this strategy?

POPKIN: Well I don't think he expected to lose as many players as he did. So I think that the strategy probably changed from, 'we have to go out and get 4 or 5 guys to we have to go out and get 10 guys.' I think that he clearly wants to have more depth and play more people fewer minutes the way that he did at Saint Peter's. He didn't have that this year. He had to play Dawes over 35 minutes a game at the end. Richmond was playing big minutes. A lot of the guys were. And that is hard to do when you're playing a long season and this was the longest season that Seton Hall played since the Final Four year. So yeah, I agree with you that he's going for depth, athleticism. I know that he wants more shooting. They need more shooting. I'm not sure that that is on this roster but we'll see. I think that having Addae-Wusu and Coleman back helps a lot. It gives you some stability on the wing and some good defense out there and some guys that know Sha's system.

I know that he's looking for a leader right now - somebody to be a captain or captains on this team, and waiting for the personality of the team and the roles to make themselves evident. And it's hard to do that when you only have half the team on campus so far. I don't know that he'll know that until Labor Day or later, but it seems like there are some exciting players that they brought in. The staff was obviously working hard in the portal. Who knows how the freshmen are able to compete with some very veteran players that he brought that may warrant immediate playing time. So, I'm intrigued by an almost entirely new roster and a bunch of guys that were four-star players at one point. I have the utmost trust in Shaheen and the staff to coach guys up. Player development, they're really, really good at that. They have some good raw materials and we'll see how long it takes them to gel.

College coaches in line for NBA jobs

........what team has the second longest win streak in the nation?

😁

.......crazy times.....Calipari has shown that you can't win now with HS recruits.

Would you take a top 50 recruit or a 22 year old proved Senior from a mid-major?

Times have certainly changed.

HS recruiting is now less important than the portal.

HS may have to go 5 years.

BY JOE LUNARDI
UPDATED: 6/18/2024

By Matt Ehalt

Olivier Rioux makes Zach Edey look like Muggsy Bogues.

An incoming Florida basketball freshman, Rioux has gone viral in recent days after internet sleuths discovered his bio page on the school’s athletic website lists him at a staggering 7-foot-9.

That height would make the Montreal native the tallest college basketball player of all time, passing former 7-foot-8 Florida Tech and Mountain State center Paul Sturgess, according to Fox Sports.

Rioux previously entered the Guinness World Book of Records in 2022 as the tallest living male teenager.

Time will tell if Rioux can leave his mark on college basketball the way his fellow Canadian and the 7-foot-4, two-time National Player of the Year Edey did, but Rioux is going to turn some heads this year.

You can’t teach height, as they say, and it’s not every day you see a 7-foot-9 player.

Edey brought plenty of eyes for his height and prowess, just like Tacko Fall did in the late 2010s while he played for UCF before heading to the NBA.



Rioux, who played for IMG Academy in Florida, lists himself at 7-foot-7 on his Instagram page, while noting that he’s 7-foot-9 with size-20 shoes on.

The Ballislife.com X account reported that the 18-year-old stood at 7-foot-5 two years ago before growing an inch last year and then adding another inch this year.

Login to view embedded media

Rioux measured at 6-foot-1 as an 8-year-old, 6-foot-11 in sixth grade and joined the 7-foot club before entering seventh grade, according to Florida.

The 290-pound center went viral last year for posting a photo from 2018 of him towering over Nuggets guard Jamaal Murray, who is listed as 6-foot-4.

Rioux is listed as a three-star prospect by 247sports.com, ranking 305th nationally and 56th among centers.

How did RU afford these 2 players?

Bailey must have cost $1.5MM

Jersey Mike's?

There will be no public memorial for Hall of Fame player and executive Jerry West.

"We will honor Jerry's wishes and mourn his passing privately," his family said in a statement released Thursday by the LA Clippers.

West was working as a consultant for the Clippers when he died June 12 at age 86.

He was born in the West Virginia hamlet of Chelyan and starred at West Virginia University from 1957 to 1960 before becoming the second overall pick in the NBA draft by the Minneapolis Lakers. The team relocated to Los Angeles, and he became a 14-time All-Star and won the 1972 NBA championship with the Lakers.

The family said West can be honored through donations to four funds at West Virginia, including academic and basketball scholarships named after him and his wife.

"Jerry's heart never left West Virginia," the statement said.

The statement was signed by his widow, Karen, and West's five sons -- David, Michael, Mark, Ryan and Jonnie -- along with their spouses and children.

West was selected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame three times in a storied career as a player and executive. His silhouette is considered to be the basis of the NBA logo.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Who would have thunk it. The same guy in my frat, Harty Jung, the man all women loved above everything just celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary.

Well done my friend!

Zack's interview with Dave Popkin. Part 1


TROVE: You've seen some really good Seton Hall teams. You've seen some championships. Some NCAA tournament games. How does this team and season stack up for you?

POPKIN: I would say that it was one of my top three teams to cover in 21 years. I really loved the first team that we had, Gary and I, with Andre Barrett and John Allen, Kelly Whitney, Andre Sweet. That was a good team - went to the second round of the NCAAs - and we kind of got lulled into thinking that that would happen every year, and it didn't. But that was a fun run and we loved Louis Orr so we were happy for him to have success. And Andre Barrett is probably one of the best players, not only in our tenure as announcers, but in the history of the school.

The 16' and 17' team with Khadeen Carrington and Angel Delgado and Desi Rodriguez and Isaiah Whitehead and Mike Nzei was a special team. I think that was probably the most talented team since I've been there. You know they won an NCAA tournament game against NC State out in Wichita. They won the Big East Tournament and the Big East Tournament is still my favorite moment. Beating Villanova and just the joy from Seton Hall fans. It had been 23 years since Seton Hall had won anything meaningful like that and it was like a release for the fan base and pure joy for everybody involved. The school was nice enough to give us all rings. Since I've been doing this since the early 90s, it's the only ring I've ever gotten from any team so that definitely holds a special place in my heart. But this year's team was terrific. Good guys. I can definitely see myself staying in touch with some of those players and coaches over time, because they're good people.

TROVE: Dave, thanks again for speaking to the Trove! You recently introduced your long-time broadcast partner Gary Cohen as the commencement speaker at Seton Hall’s 2024 graduation ceremony? How did that whole process fall into place and how did you decide on incorporating an impression of him?

POPKIN: Well, I think the university decided he was going to be the commencement speaker and get an honorary doctorate first. And then somebody at the university level suggested me as the person to introduce him. So, Bryan Felt hooked me up with the president's office and they asked, and I was happy to do it - honored to do it. He didn't know anything about my speech. I told him I was going to be there to introduce him, and he was happy about that. But, you know, I didn't tell him anything and I just wanted to loosen the crowd up a little bit. Sometimes the ceremony gets a little dry and I thought that'd be something fun. I had never done that before in terms of using his catchphrases or impersonating him or anything like that. So, you know, it's going out on a limb a little bit. But people liked it. I just wanted to get a laugh and, you know, sports is supposed to be fun. I think that when we do our broadcasts that comes across. For all of the influence he's had on me, that's probably the only influence I've had on him is maybe to make it a little bit more fun and turn it loose sometimes and be a little silly. I wasn't going to give a dry three-minute speech, it's just not me. So yeah, I tried to make it meaningful, and respectful, because I respect him so much. But at the same time I just wanted to make it fun and memorable.

Watch out for Middleton this year. Could be our best player.

Yalden needs maturity and to get in better shape, but if that happens you will see why he was a 4 star player. The staff loves him.

Holloway will never ever again have a team with basically 6 players like he did last season.

We beat out USC (late push) and another FB school for Yacine Toumi.

2. Kadary Richmond​

Old school: Seton Hall | New school: St. John's

Richmond fueled Seton Hall's NIT title run as the Pirates' leading scorer at 15.7 points per game and top facilitator with 5.1 assists per game. He was also the team's highest-rated defender by a longshot, per evanmiya.com. The 6-5 guard is a four-year veteran of high-major basketball and is the sort of tough, two-way player who can make a difference for a St. John's team that is seeking to reach the NCAA Tournament under second-year coach Rick Pitino.

45. Dre Davis​

Old school: Seton Hall | New school: Ole Miss

Davis averaged 15 points per game and shot 35% from 3-point range in his second season at Seton Hall. It was the fourth season of college basketball for the 6-5 guard, who began his career at Louisville. He averaged 16.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game during Seton Hall's five-game NIT title run.

Browns’ Lonnie Phelps arrested for DUI after crashing into Florida restaurant​

By Matt Ehalt

Cleveland Browns defensive end Lonnie Phelps was arrested Wednesday night after allegedly crashing his car while drunk into a Key West restaurant and failing to cooperate with police, according to TMZ.

He was cited for DUI and property damage, per the report, and the accident caused $3,000 worth of damage, according to ESPN.

The Key West Police Department posted a photo of the crash on its Facebook page, showing a car creating an opening right outside the opening of Red Shoe Island Bistro.

“A 23-year old was arrested for DUI after crashing his vehicle into a Petronia Street restaurant Wednesday night,” the accounted posted Thursday morning. “The building and the vehicle were significantly damaged, but there were no injuries.”


The photo posted by the Key West Police Department.
facebook/keywestpolice

The Browns offered a brief statement to TMZ.

“We are aware of the incident, gathering more information and have no further comment at this time,” the Browns said in a statement.

The police report states the accident happened around 8:47 p.m. ET on Wednesday, with cops finding a Black Hyundai “wedged into the side” of the restaurant, per TMZ.

When police attempted to interview Phelps and his girlfriend, who was identified as being in the car at the time of the accident, they allegedly did not help.

TMZ reported the police said Phelps kept talking offer the offices and “disobeyed orders,” while showing signs of being intoxicated.

The Kansas/Miami (Ohio) product agreed to participate in sobriety tests, but then became “combative” after raising issues with how the tests were performed, per TMZ.

The cops then placed him in custody and put him in their car, where he reportedly complained often.

“Phelps talked about how thirsty he was,” the report stated, according to TMZ, “how he did not know what I was going to do to him because females are the worst, asked me not to kill him, asked me how long it takes to bail out, how long I was the detective and informed me I was Russian.”

A video posted by TMZ showed Phelps being asked his name and if he knew where he is.

“Our questions or your questions?” Phelps responded. “Which ones you want me to answer. But I don’t know you bro…”

He later raised his voice.

“I know what the f–k — I just walked in a whole line for ya’ll,” Phelps said. “What? What are you talking about, bro? Be for real. My first time — I done walked through the whole line for ya’ll, (slur).”

He later asked for water, saying he was going to “die from thirst” and adding “please don’t kill me.”

Phelps reportedly still acted up at the police station, refusing to take a breathalyzer and urinating on himself while in a chair.

He is due in court next month.

Phelps went undrafted in 2023 before signing with the Browns, although he failed to appear in a game while serving on the practice squad.

Cleveland inked him to a reserve/future contract in January.

Bar A event 25 dollars in advance 30 at the door

2 drink tickets and unlimited bbq

I'm doing the Dual Profile Wed. So here's Jerry.


By Colin Rajala

Trove: That is great to hear and something I am sure the fans will be excited about. It sure beats the alternative of lagging peers, not being on better footing.

Carino: If that was the case it would almost be intolerable for the fan base. Could you imagine Pitino coming in every year and saying, ‘This is the Seton Hall guy I want next year, I’ll just take him’ and then get together with Repole and poach the kid? Imagine if that happened perpetually? I’m not saying that’s going to happen and Pitino is not going to take a player for the sake of taking him – they obviously see
something they like in Richmond – but Richmond leaving for St. John’s is the one thing that looked bad for Seton Hall’s NIL this offseason and it just so happened to occur with their best player.