4 Tidbits from the Trove

[Halldan1]

#1

PirateCrew: Seton Hall Pirates Football & Basketball Recruiting

The definitive source for all PirateCrew news.

setonhall.rivals.com

Tony Bozzella discusses his staff​

Colin Rajala: Her (DeFalco) departure certainly leaves big shoes to fill. On that front, you brought in someone you and many fans are very familiar with, former Seton Hall guard Ka-Deidre Simmons, along with Cassandra Callaway former assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts. What did you see in both of them to try and fill Lauren’s shoes?

Bozzella: Before we get to them, I want to start with [Assistant Coach] Jose (Rebimbas), who I went to college with. He’s been with me now for seven years and he’s a very talented coach, a great strategist. He's really done a great job of delving into player evaluation. He's picked up a lot of things that Lauren did for me and he's also not afraid to give me his opinions, which is not easy.

I also have Director of Player Development Pete Cinella, who’s another veteran coach who's been a head coach for over 20 years, and they've done a lot to continue to get the program to the next step, to the next level.

I also want to mention Shakena Richardson, who’s a former great player of mine. She's taken on a much bigger role now and is very involved in recruiting on campus, very involved in talking with the young ladies when they get on campus and she’s been a big, big help and will continue to grow as an asset for our program.

Now Lauren and I have always talked about having DiDi [Ka-Deidre] on staff and it was Lauren’s idea to bring her along as a graduate assistant and coordinator of basketball operations. It was also a great idea to have DiDi move on to a different program [St. Bonaventure University] and see things differently. I did that with Lauren when she played for me, she moved on to a different program [Sacred Heart University] for a few years. You learn a lot there and DiDi learned a lot at St. Bonaventure, you know what to do and what not to do. She really developed and she's come back an even stronger coach. Her player development skills are fantastic, her player evaluations......she learned a lot under Lauren and still leans on her for some questions, but she’s been fantastic and I couldn’t be more pleased with DiDi. She’s the coach I envisioned years ago when I coached her, when I had her on staff, when she left to go to another staff and then come back. She's going to be a head coach one day, hopefully not too soon, but one day for sure.

Cassandra I've known for a few years now and I always thought in the back of my mind, she'd be someone that could come in and whether Lauren stayed and moved into a different role or whether Lauren moved on, which she did, Cassandra could come in and do a great job. She’s a New Jersey product from Bayonne and she's exceeded my expectations. She’s super smart, super organized, another passionate coach, who is a really good talent evaluator. I have seen just a continued understanding of the type of players that we look for and we want, and Cassandra has done a great job of not only doing it herself, but also by mentoring DiDi and talking with Jose. She has just come in and continued to make this a family as our staff and it's not easy. There's a lot of pressure put on her and she's done an amazing job so far. We’re thrilled to have both of these young ladies here; they have done a great job and I am very thankful to have them on staff.

 

[Halldan1]

#2

Tony Bozzella profiles the roster​

Colin Rajala: Who would you like to highlight next? Who will have the biggest impact on the team?

Bozzella: Micah Gray. She is the next tremendous guard in our program. Coach DeFalco really identified her before she left. She went into the portal quickly and I think she got overlooked because there were so many names in the portal early on.

I’ll never forget this, it’s a true story, she [DeFalco] brings her tape to me and I didn’t know who Micah was, so I watched them play and her team was lacking, Texas Southern only won two games last year. I thought to myself ‘jeez Lauren must be slipping what the heck does she want me to look at?’

She said, ‘you need to look at this kid, just watch this kid play.’ So, I watched her and I didn’t notice anybody else, and then I watched another game and I watched another. Then Lauren said, ‘well put on her highlights.’

Micah was making step back threes, she had around 27 points against Texas A&M, 19 points against Ole Miss. She's got all the shots, she’s got all the moves, she just wasn’t playing with talented players. While she averaged 17 a game and was the SWAC Rookie of the Year, she doesn't take the same open shots all game because her teammates don’t feed her, she’s new to the college game and she’s forced to take some bad shots. Take out the bad shots and you have a really talented kid. We got her on the phone and we went full court press right away and I think other teams just weren't ready to recruit her that aggressively. I mean, she is going to be one of the next great guards in Seton Hall history.

I’m trying to come up with a comparison, but its hard. She’s strong, she’s 5’9. We had a kid, Barbara Johnson, that was built strong with a great body and that helped Barbara right away playing through contact. Then we had a kid like Mya Jackson, who could just knock down three pointers. She’s like a combination of both. She can get her shot off, make tough shots, yet drive the ball to the basket because she has a college body. She has three years of eligibility left, so she will have a tremendous opportunity to start right away and really become one of the best scorers in the Big East.

There's no doubt in my mind.

​

 

[Duego Duck]

Tasty tidbits!!!

 

[Halldan1]

More than any coach I know talking to Tony or reading his interviews he never uses coach speak. He's like talking to a knowledgeable good friend at a bar.

Passionate with a great love for what he's doing.