PirateCrew: Seton Hall Pirates Football & Basketball Recruiting
The definitive source for all PirateCrew news.
setonhall.rivals.com
Comments taken from Tristan Freeman at https://bustingbrackets.com/2021/06...l-way-early-power-rankings-2021-22-season/12/
My Ranking - 2021 record - 2021 conference record - Final Kenpom
1. Villanova 18-7 11-4 Kenpom +23.02
It’s hard to argue a more impactful decision to return for a 5th year than Collin Gillespie of Villanova. Another Co-Big East Player of the Year (yeah, they named 3 guys), Gillespie is one of the best floor generals in the country, capable of going for 20+ points or nearly 10 assists in a game depending on what’s needed.
He wasn’t the only one who decided to come back for an extra year, as forwards Jermaine Samuels Jr. and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree are back as well. Samuels produced 12.0 ppg and 6.4 rpg last season and is a very good defender. Also back is rising junior guard Justin Moore, who averaged 12.9 ppg and 3.0 apg, Caleb Daniels was a near double-digit contributor who’ll be back too, along with Brandon Slater at the wing.
This core in itself is good enough to have the Wildcats at the top of the Big East. There’s also a group of underclassmen that could break out into stars of their own. Top-100 forward Trey Patterson joined the team midway last season and will get a chance to be part of the rotation this year, while former five-star prospect Bryan Antoine will hopefully have an offseason to be healthy so he can get meaningful minutes next season.
Then there’s a top-20 incoming recruiting class, led by four-star guard Jordan Longino and big man Nnanna Njoku. If Njoku can have an inside from inside and help offset some of Robinson-Earl’s missing production, Villanova will be a top-5 team nationally and have a shot at getting back to the national title game.
2. Connecticut 15-8 11-6 +20.59
Despite the covid pauses and game postponements, the first season back in Big East ended up successful for the Huskies basketball program. They finished third in the standings behind Villanova and Creighton and made the NCAA Tournament before falling to Maryland in the Round of 64.
That proved to be the last time we saw James Bouknight, who led the team with 18.7 ppg this past season, along with 5.7 rpg. The star sophomore elected to enter and star in the 2021 NBA Draft, likely as a lottery pick. The team also lost big man Josh Carlton to the transfer portal.
Good news for UConn is that they return a good amount of production, including forwards Isaiah Whaley and Tyler Polley coming back for a super senior season. Guard RJ Cole and wing Tyrese Martin will be the leading pieces, while top-50 freshman Rahsool Diggins will be depended on having an impact in the rotation.
The Huskies will have some depth in the frontcourt with Adama Sanogo and Akok Akok but there needs to be someone that breaks out into a leading player in terms of production. The same goes in the backcourt when it comes to replacing what Bouknight did. While I’m high on Diggins long-term, I do believe that Uconn takes a bit of a step back next season now that all the games will be played.
3. Seton Hall 14-12 10-9 +14.36
The Pirates had four key players that contributed the vast majority of production last season. The star was Sandro Mamukelashvili, the Co-Big East Player of the Year who averaged 17.5 ppg, 7.6 rpg, and 3.2 apg and was the catalyst for everything that went well. He and starting point guard Shavar Reynolds are gone but the team not only returns a fair amount of talent but also brings in plenty more too.
Seton Hall has senior Jared Rhoden (14.9 ppg and 6.7 rpg), along with double-digit scorer Myles Cale electing to take a 5th year. Forwards Tray Jackson and Tyrese Samuel are back, along with shot-blocking center Ike Obiagu. Then there’s South Florida transfer Alexis Yetna, who dealt with injuries the past two years but when healthy, is a double-digit scorer and talented post scorer.
Speaking of health, the Pirates will be hoping that former Harvard star Bryce Aiken will be good to go next year. After averaging nearly 20 ppg in four years in Ivy League play, Aiken was limited to 14 games off the bench. He may not be a 20 ppg scorer for Seton Hall but he’ll be tasked with being a facilitator for the offense, along with incoming Syracuse transfer Kadary Richmond.
Another transfer joining the roster is Jamir Harris, who averaged 20 ppg last season at American. Top-100 freshman wing Brandon Weston adds even more depth for the Pirates, a team that won’t be as top-heavy but will have a better overall rotation that should be better suited to succeed in the Big East. If Yetna, Richmond, and Harris can have a big impact, this team will be in great shape.
4. Xavier 13-8 6-7 +12.73
The Musketeers were devastated by the constant covid pauses and went from being a top-25 team and 8-0 to out of the NCAA Tournament picture. The good news though is that they bring back just about everyone back, with the exception of forward Jason Carter.
That includes star forward Zach Freemantle, who averaged 16.1 ppg and 8.9 rpg on 51% shooting. He had several 20+ point games, including a 30 and 15 game against UConn. Two other double-digit scorers are back in Paul Scruggs and Nate Johnson, who each elected to use a 5th year.
There are five other role players coming back that averaged between 6-8 ppg, including rising sophomore guards Dwon Odom and Colby Jone. Sharpshooter Adam Kunkel and Kyky Tandy add instant production and Benjamin Stanley will be back after playing just four games after dealing with injuries. The 6’6 wing averaged 20 ppg while at Hampton so if he can be a double-digit scorer for Xavier, they’ll have more than enough firepower to win at a high level next season.
The Musketeers also solved their potential frontcourt depth issues with incoming transfers Jack Nunge from Iowa and Jerome Hunter from Indiana. They’ll take some pressure off of Freemantle inside and add versatility to create various lineups as well.
There’s no excuse for Xavier not to be in the top-3 of the Big East next season with how much talent they have on the roster. They just now have to get it all clicking at once and consistently throughout the season.
5. St John's 16-11 10-9 +12.26
There are always some surprises in the Big East each season and I’m on record that St. John’s has a chance to be that major surprise next year. They looked very good in Mike Anderson’s first year as head coach, including six straight wins in the middle of the season. Had it not been for brutal losses to Butler and DePaul towards the end, the Red Storm could’ve made the NCAA Tournament.
If Julian Champagnie decides to come back, I believe they will be dancing. The sophomore forward and Big East Most Improved Player of the Year averaged a team-leading 19.8 ppg and 7.4 rpg in 33 minutes a game. He had at least 12 points in every single game, including a career-high 33 points and 10 rebounds at Creighton. Champagnie is the best pure scorer in the conference and with another season could easily be Conference Player of the Year.
He, along with leading passer and double-digit scorer Posh Alexander are coming back, along with another talented underclassman Dylan Addae-Wusu. But those are the only returning rotation players from last season, as many role players opted to transfer out this offseason. Vince Cole, Greg Williams, Isaih Moore, Marcellus Earlington, and Rasheem Dunn all are gone after averaging between 8-9 ppg.
However, I would argue that the roster upgraded in the end, thanks to the incoming transfers for the program. 6’11 Fordham big man Joel Soriano (10.4 ppg and 9.2 rpg) and Texas Texas forward Esahia Nyiwe gives them real size in the frontcourt, along with athletic forward from Purdue Aaron Wheeler.
Rutgers transfer guard Montez Mathis only averaged 8.0 ppg last season but when he started as the team dealt with injuries, the junior was putting up 15 ppg in the first nine games of the season. He and Vermont grad transfer Stef Smith adds depth and proven production to the lineup and will help out Champagnie on offense.
Most importantly, this group projects to be much better defensively than last year’s roster. While St. John’s ranked towards the top in many offensive categories, they ranked either 10th or 11th in just about every defensive category. Assuming Champagnie comes back, the offensive production should be about the same. If the defense improves just towards being middle-tier, the Red Storm will be in the top-tier of the Big East.
