By Zach Braziller

Fundraising, fundraising and even more fundraising.

Oh, and if new St. John’s athletic director Ed Kull has some spare time, throw in a few extra hours of fundraising.

During his introductory news conference on Tuesday, Kull made it clear his No. 1 goal is to raise as much money as possible.

That’s the job now, in the Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) era with revenue sharing with athletes expected to come sooner than later once the House v. NCAA settlement is approved.

“Revenue generation is going to be everything,” said Kull, the former Fordham athletic director. “I don’t see NIL going away, even with the House settlement. … The key to fundraising is truly establishing a plan that an alum or investor is going to be passionate about. People want to give and donate to something that they believe in, see a return on investment and with people that they trust.

“That’s the alignment here top to bottom, board of trustees on down, that, ‘All right, St. John’s is serious, they are committed,’ and that’s going to generate more interest with donors.”

Kull’s background as a fundraising powerhouse was a major factor in this hire, along with his familiarity with the school having worked there from 2011-17.

At Fordham, the Queens native raised $7.6 million in the fiscal year ending in June, a school record for the third straight year.

He set up the New Era fund for men’s and women’s basketball, which led to improvements in the programs’ facilities, more charter flights and additional staffing.

Under Kull’s watch, there were major increases in ticket revenue and attendance.

“I know Ed can do this job,” president Father Brian Shanley said. “We were also looking for someone who can navigate the complex relationships that are critical to athletics success. With donors, with corporate sponsors, we need help in order for us to be successful and I know Ed has those skills.”

Added St. John’s coach Rick Pitino: “Everyone I spoke with was over the top about him.”

Of significance, Kull is very close with top St. John’s donor and billionaire Mike Repole, who donated in the seven figures for NIL for the Johnnies this coming season.

But it’s going to take more than just Repole’s deep pockets. Kull changed the athletic culture at Fordham, generating excitement among alumni and students.

He’s planning to do the same thing in Queens. Kull believes he can “absolutely” surpass the $7.6 million he raised last year at Fordham.

“I think Mike, yes, financially can help us as a booster and supporter,” said Kull, a baseball player at Stony Brook who later attended graduate school at St. John’s for business. “But he represents the opportunity that many alums out there can come back engaged, see our plan, become an investor, become part of the process, and have shared ownership with us. It’s really now or never rather than sitting on the sidelines and waiting.

“I want to touch everybody. We need everybody. I’m glad that room is packed, and I love that, but I want these rooms packed every day. I want these peoples’ ideas. How do we get all of these people back in the mix and passionate and giving and supportive and engaging and being a part of the process? I think there’s opportunities still to do a ton more there that we haven’t, and that excites me. That’s the only way this works. Waiting on one person is not a good strategy.”

The two athletes most comp to Bo Jackson at his apex and then just the fast decline and out of the sport

South Orange, N.J. - The No. 8 ranked Seton Hall men's soccer team is seeking its first 7-0-0 start to a season since 1986 Friday night when it visits Providence on Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium at 7 p.m. in its first game of BIG EAST play.

The game will be broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network via FloSports, which requires a subscription. A discounted subscription is available through this link.

This is the 40th all-time meeting between the two teams, the most recent of which saw The Hall claim a 1-0 victory last year on Owen T. Carroll Field.


MOVING UP IN THE RANKINGS

• Seton Hall is ranked No. 8 in the nation in the Sept. 17 United Soccer Coaches top-25, up five spots from their ranking a week prior. Their ranking is the highest they have held during a non-abbreviated season since the 2002 season when they received the No. 6 spot in the September 2, 2002 poll.
• In head coach Andreas Lindberg's tenure, Seton Hall appeared in the United Soccer Coaches top-25 seven times during the 2020 season, reaching as high as No. 6. Then Seton Hall spent four weeks in the national rankings during 2021. 
• The Pirates are one of two BIG EAST teams in the current top-25, joining No. 25 UConn. 

WIN OVER HARVARD

• On Saturday, the Pirates hosted Harvard and claimed a 3-2 victory on Owen T. Carroll Field.
• While they didn't find the back of the net in the first half, the Pirates presented an overwhelming scoring wave in the second half. Jon Vignir Pétursson converted a penalty kick in the 51st minute to even the score. The 61st minute saw Til Kauschke score his second goal of the season as well, this time off an assist by Jack Kossoudji.
• In the 79th minute, Jack Kossoudji secured the win with his first goal of the season, with the assist on the goal going to Konstantin Donalies.
• This was only the second all-time meeting between Seton Hall and Harvard. The Hall is now 1-0-1 in the series.
• Seton Hall is 40-26-11 (.591) all-time against members of the Ivy League.

SHARING THE WEALTH

• Seton Hall has shown outstanding depth so far through six matches:
• Nine different players have scored a goal
• Nine different players have assisted on a goal
• 14 different players have put a shot on goal
• Both goalkeepers who have played have recorded a clean sheet
• Six different players have earned a BIG EAST weekly honor

KOSSOUDJI & KAUSCHKE HONORED BY BIG EAST

• Jack Kossoudji, a graduate transfer from Capital University, was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week. Kossoudji began the week by assisting on what proved to be the game-winning goal, in Seton Hall's 3-1 road win at Rutgers. Against Harvard, Kossoudji logged an assist and scored the game-winning goal in The Hall's 3-2 victory over the Crimson.
• Til Kauschke, freshman midfielder from Hamburg, Germany, was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for the second time this season. Early in the week, Kauschke provided an assist in The Hall's 3-1 victory over Rutgers. He followed that up with second goal of the season in the team's 3-2 win over Harvard.

SERIES HISTORY

• Seton Hall and Providence last competed on Oct. 28, 2023, to end close out BIG EAST play. The Pirates and Friars played a scoreless affair until the 70th minute where a James Boote goal put Seton Hall up 1-0. Pirates' Goalie Mats Roorda maintained his clean sheet for the rest of the game, securing three saves in the final 20 minutes and a win for Seton Hall.
• This is the 40th matchup between the two programs, the first of which came in 1982.
• Seton Hall is 14-18-7 (.449) all-time against Providence College, with a 2-2-1 record across their last five matches.

Done. Man o man.

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Curious as to people's thoughts. Saw it on Reddit

Wed, a player tries to steal home with the bases loaded and a 3-0 count on the batter.

Now one day later this....

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Giving up big money to be the GM at St. Bonaventure

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Great segment with Kevin O'Leary saying where liberal states are heading from a jobs perspective.

50 years ago today Hallrox made me the luckiest man in the world by simply saying I do. Not only from that moment did I becomes a part of her wonderful family, and I didn't know it at the time, but she slowly changed me from the person I was back then to the person I am today.

Sure, like all marriages it was rocky at first as we had to learn to live and sacrifice for each other, but now it no longer feels like a sacrifice. Instead we now care more for each other than we do for ourselves.

I would be lost without Hallrox and she is more than just a soulmate, she is my life.

Today I honor her and what she has meant to me. We were supposed to go on a one day cruise today, but the weather changed our plans and we will to it next weekend.

Our families are celebrating the anniversary tomorrow so I will be off the board that day. I don't want to go on and on and leave you bored, so I'll just say it's hard to believe how the time flew by, but I can't imagine doing it with anybody else.

Bumping for additional exposure. If there are any "singles" that are interested in being a part of a PirateCrew Sponsorship table, please let me know Hall Berry and Setonball46 would make three. It was very gracious that Dan said he would make a call on our behalf to see if he could get us a good location in the gym! C'mon, Silkcity, the beef isn't that bad!! SOBO, fishjam, True Blue, what say you? Are you already going? Feel free to email me at bpar0628@gmail.com, if interested. Thanks!

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Seton Hall women's volleyball head coach Shannon Thompson announced today the signing of Lara, Leyton and Lucas Marini of Team IMPACT to National Letters of Intent.

The three young volleyball stars signed their letters while surrounded by current members and coaches of the Seton Hall volleyball program.

"We're thrilled to welcome Lara, Leyton and Lucas to our Seton Hall volleyball family," Thompson said. "They're perfect additions to our program and undoubtedly will provide a team lift as we take on BIG EAST Conference foes. It's been a pleasure getting to know these young talents."

The Marinis and the Pirates were connected through Team IMPACT, a Boston-headquartered national nonprofit that pairs children facing serious and chronic illnesses with college athletic teams. Since 2011, Team IMPACT has matched over 2,800 children with more than 750 colleges and universities in all 50 states, positively impacting more than 70,000 participating student-athletes.

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This link will get you by the paywall

Interesting tidbits include that all UConn women's basketball games will be linear tv as well any other women's basketball basketball games that get broadcast. She also talks about the decision process behind, deciding whether or not to participate in paying players. It is somewhat Connecticut centric because it's in a Connecticut newspaper, but still a good summer read.

But here we are

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Senator Mitch essentially said would not be well for GOP to cause shutdown 60 days until an election

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Maybe I watch too many detective shows.

Appears the shooter had some knowledge of Trumps schedule (he doesn’t publish it publicly). He knew he was golfing yesterday and unless he was sitting in the bushes all day, how did he know when Trump was teeing off? And if he was in the bushes all day, how does the Secret Service miss that. Not suggesting a conspiracy but maybe the guy had befriended someone in the club…even a caddie that gave him information unwittingly.

And I guess I give government agencies more credit for having technology and using it. Wouldn’t it make sense to use a drone with thermal imagery when a President is playing golf or moving about a vast outdoor space?