https://setonhall.rivals.com/
By JP Pelzman
Before he was named Editor-In-Chief of the Seton Hall Law Review, thus securing free tuition, Kevin Marino was working at the Park Theater in Roselle Park to help pay for his education in the early 1980s.
He didn’t have time to stick around for the feature, but even the most fertile mind of a Hollywood screenwriter probably couldn’t have dreamed up the nightmare all of us are now living through.
Still, Marino, Chairman of the Seton Hall Board of Regents, believes his beloved school has a unique blend of staff and spirit to get through this and find better days.
“I know these are troubled times. I get it,” Marino said in an exclusive interview with PirateCrew.com. “It’s like nothing any of us has ever experienced, but I really believe when we get on the other side of this that places like Seton Hall that have core values and strong leadership have something a little different to offer.”
And that something will make the difference going forward, Marino firmly believes.
“Maybe it’s the faith-based component,” he said, “the community focus, the idea of having so many first-generation college students coming together, hard-working, dedicated folks, absolutely committed to being the best that they can be. I think Seton Hall is a place for people to flock to and I think people really will flock to it.”
As for how The Hall currently is handling the ongoing coronavirus crisis, Marino said, “It presents a tremendous challenge. We really have two pandemics going, we have COVID-19 and we have all this unrest around the country and all this divisiveness and it makes it a real difficult moment. … But again, thanking your lucky stars that we’ve got the right person, (SHU President) Dr. (Joseph) Nyre was three steps ahead of everyone else when it came to assessing the magnitude of the threat of the virus and what it could mean for colleges and universities. We were talking about this in the very early stages. He was on it with a plan.
“He was thinking three steps ahead from the very beginning,” Marino added. “We canceled our overseas travel very early on. It's a day-to-day situation but we have the right guy at the helm because he’s three steps ahead of the competition.”
Of course, the current uncertainty has made it more difficult to plan ahead. Seton Hall already is committed to a capital-improvement campaign that will build a new dorm or mixed-use facility on land the university owns across from the main entrance on South Orange Avenue. Boland Hall and the University Center also are slated for renovations.
“I think it’s a good sign, that kind of expansion,” Marino said when asked if the university might be willing to purchase more land outside the campus. “I think you can work very well within the footprint that we have.”
Would Seton Hall consider buying out financially-distressed schools? “I can assure you that the leadership is open into looking into those things,” Marino replied. “I don’t think anyone can form concrete plans with the changeable circumstances that we have now. It's something to think about.”
The Big East itself expanded, officially growing to 11 teams when the University of Connecticut rejoined on July 1.
“I think 11 is a good number,” Marino said when asked about potential further expansion. “It's always hard to tell how things are going to shake out (in the future). I think 11 works fine. I think the Big East is stronger than ever.
“They're a perfect addition,” he said of UConn, “and of course they have a Seton Hall guy at the helm now (in coach Danny Hurley). I loved having them in the league before. They're committed to their athletic programs just as we are. I can say both as a fan and a board chair, I'm thrilled to see them come back. I'm really looking forward to what they bring to the league.”
Marino’s biggest praise is for the people he has worked with at The Hall, past and present:
On executive vice president Pat Lyons: “He’s one of the most impressive people I know. He has so much wisdom and poise. Dr. Nyre wisely elevated him to his current position.”
On former interim president Dr. Mary Meehan: “We were fortunate to have someone who knew the university step in and really keep things afloat while we did the search. … She was very instrumental in keeping things where they needed to be.”
On athletic director Bryan Felt: "Bryan Felt is the quintessential Seton Hall Pirate. A pro in every sense of the word, he has a keen understanding of college athletics, and is a great guy--and a great family man--in the bargain. B.Felt, as we like to call him, did a fabulous job for us as the head of Pirate Blue before accepting the AD job at Saint Peter’s. To have him back at The Hall as Athletic Director is truly a blessing."
On vice president for enrollment management Alyssa McCloud: “I think she is the finest admissions director in the United States. I think she is an absolute visionary, she has so improved standards.”
Marino, a season-ticket holder for more than 30 years, is quite happy with the job that men’s basketball coach Kevin Willard is doing.
“Not only is he a spectacular coach in every aspect of the game from recruiting on down,” Marino said, “but he really has developed the Seton Hall basketball player of today. You can draw a straight line from one to the other. They all have something in common, a core commitment.
“Myles Powell said it every single time they interviewed him,” Marino noted. “And of course, he was interviewed after every game. Every time he would say we played Seton Hall basketball. That gave me such a sense of pride. That doesn’t just mean a particular approach on defense. Or how we’re going to run our offense. That means approaching the game with a commitment to excellence, a certain respect for everything that has come before, and everything that will come after you, a real sense of place, almost a palpable sense of obligation and responsibility. You're here, you’re the steward of it for a period of four years, and it’s on you to uphold that tradition and carry it forward.”
Marino concluded, “And I think a lot of that is coming right down from coach Willard and we’re very, very fortunate to have him.”
That program, of course, is the centerpiece of Seton Hall athletics.
“I think athletics are a very, very significant part of the Seton Hall experience, I really do,” Marino said. “Seton Hall has managed to have athletics be such an extraordinarily integral part of the university experience, but we really do have and celebrate scholar-athletes, and that has been the case for a long time.
“The strength of the men’s basketball program,” he continued, “that is such an important part of the university’s identity, but you know that they are student-athletes and that is a huge part of it as well. It's very much a part of the fabric of the university but it’s also woven into the academics. It's hard for me to think of Seton Hall without athletics being very critical.”
He is such a fan that it even rubbed off on his sons.
“Both my sons, Harry and Steve, went to Williams College,” he said, chuckling, “and both played baseball and I think they had more Seton Hall gear to wear around campus than Williams gear. We're all diehard fans. I would never do anything so foolish as to miss a Seton Hall game.”
That’s why not having a resolution to the 2019-20 season was so tough.
“We really had our hearts broken,” he said. “I don’t think it’s crazy to say we had a team that could have gone very, very deep in the tournament.”
Marino also believes the religious aspect is an important part of being a Pirate.
“I think the priest community at Seton Hall has provided something that is very, very special,” he said. “They bring a spiritual component to this that differentiates it. We're not a public school. We're a proud, Catholic school. I think having them be an integral part of campus life has been an important thing for us.”
As for men’s basketball going forward, he concludes, “The best is yet to come. I think the team we will put on the floor this year will be spectacular. I do not believe there will be a significant drop off from our wonderful team of last year and I believe the aggressiveness with which Coach Willard and his staff are recruiting players it’s going to ensure us being a top-tier basketball team for years to come.”
By JP Pelzman
Before he was named Editor-In-Chief of the Seton Hall Law Review, thus securing free tuition, Kevin Marino was working at the Park Theater in Roselle Park to help pay for his education in the early 1980s.
He didn’t have time to stick around for the feature, but even the most fertile mind of a Hollywood screenwriter probably couldn’t have dreamed up the nightmare all of us are now living through.
Still, Marino, Chairman of the Seton Hall Board of Regents, believes his beloved school has a unique blend of staff and spirit to get through this and find better days.
“I know these are troubled times. I get it,” Marino said in an exclusive interview with PirateCrew.com. “It’s like nothing any of us has ever experienced, but I really believe when we get on the other side of this that places like Seton Hall that have core values and strong leadership have something a little different to offer.”
And that something will make the difference going forward, Marino firmly believes.
“Maybe it’s the faith-based component,” he said, “the community focus, the idea of having so many first-generation college students coming together, hard-working, dedicated folks, absolutely committed to being the best that they can be. I think Seton Hall is a place for people to flock to and I think people really will flock to it.”
As for how The Hall currently is handling the ongoing coronavirus crisis, Marino said, “It presents a tremendous challenge. We really have two pandemics going, we have COVID-19 and we have all this unrest around the country and all this divisiveness and it makes it a real difficult moment. … But again, thanking your lucky stars that we’ve got the right person, (SHU President) Dr. (Joseph) Nyre was three steps ahead of everyone else when it came to assessing the magnitude of the threat of the virus and what it could mean for colleges and universities. We were talking about this in the very early stages. He was on it with a plan.
“He was thinking three steps ahead from the very beginning,” Marino added. “We canceled our overseas travel very early on. It's a day-to-day situation but we have the right guy at the helm because he’s three steps ahead of the competition.”
Of course, the current uncertainty has made it more difficult to plan ahead. Seton Hall already is committed to a capital-improvement campaign that will build a new dorm or mixed-use facility on land the university owns across from the main entrance on South Orange Avenue. Boland Hall and the University Center also are slated for renovations.
“I think it’s a good sign, that kind of expansion,” Marino said when asked if the university might be willing to purchase more land outside the campus. “I think you can work very well within the footprint that we have.”
Would Seton Hall consider buying out financially-distressed schools? “I can assure you that the leadership is open into looking into those things,” Marino replied. “I don’t think anyone can form concrete plans with the changeable circumstances that we have now. It's something to think about.”
The Big East itself expanded, officially growing to 11 teams when the University of Connecticut rejoined on July 1.
“I think 11 is a good number,” Marino said when asked about potential further expansion. “It's always hard to tell how things are going to shake out (in the future). I think 11 works fine. I think the Big East is stronger than ever.
“They're a perfect addition,” he said of UConn, “and of course they have a Seton Hall guy at the helm now (in coach Danny Hurley). I loved having them in the league before. They're committed to their athletic programs just as we are. I can say both as a fan and a board chair, I'm thrilled to see them come back. I'm really looking forward to what they bring to the league.”
Marino’s biggest praise is for the people he has worked with at The Hall, past and present:
On executive vice president Pat Lyons: “He’s one of the most impressive people I know. He has so much wisdom and poise. Dr. Nyre wisely elevated him to his current position.”
On former interim president Dr. Mary Meehan: “We were fortunate to have someone who knew the university step in and really keep things afloat while we did the search. … She was very instrumental in keeping things where they needed to be.”
On athletic director Bryan Felt: "Bryan Felt is the quintessential Seton Hall Pirate. A pro in every sense of the word, he has a keen understanding of college athletics, and is a great guy--and a great family man--in the bargain. B.Felt, as we like to call him, did a fabulous job for us as the head of Pirate Blue before accepting the AD job at Saint Peter’s. To have him back at The Hall as Athletic Director is truly a blessing."
On vice president for enrollment management Alyssa McCloud: “I think she is the finest admissions director in the United States. I think she is an absolute visionary, she has so improved standards.”
Marino, a season-ticket holder for more than 30 years, is quite happy with the job that men’s basketball coach Kevin Willard is doing.
“Not only is he a spectacular coach in every aspect of the game from recruiting on down,” Marino said, “but he really has developed the Seton Hall basketball player of today. You can draw a straight line from one to the other. They all have something in common, a core commitment.
“Myles Powell said it every single time they interviewed him,” Marino noted. “And of course, he was interviewed after every game. Every time he would say we played Seton Hall basketball. That gave me such a sense of pride. That doesn’t just mean a particular approach on defense. Or how we’re going to run our offense. That means approaching the game with a commitment to excellence, a certain respect for everything that has come before, and everything that will come after you, a real sense of place, almost a palpable sense of obligation and responsibility. You're here, you’re the steward of it for a period of four years, and it’s on you to uphold that tradition and carry it forward.”
Marino concluded, “And I think a lot of that is coming right down from coach Willard and we’re very, very fortunate to have him.”
That program, of course, is the centerpiece of Seton Hall athletics.
“I think athletics are a very, very significant part of the Seton Hall experience, I really do,” Marino said. “Seton Hall has managed to have athletics be such an extraordinarily integral part of the university experience, but we really do have and celebrate scholar-athletes, and that has been the case for a long time.
“The strength of the men’s basketball program,” he continued, “that is such an important part of the university’s identity, but you know that they are student-athletes and that is a huge part of it as well. It's very much a part of the fabric of the university but it’s also woven into the academics. It's hard for me to think of Seton Hall without athletics being very critical.”
He is such a fan that it even rubbed off on his sons.
“Both my sons, Harry and Steve, went to Williams College,” he said, chuckling, “and both played baseball and I think they had more Seton Hall gear to wear around campus than Williams gear. We're all diehard fans. I would never do anything so foolish as to miss a Seton Hall game.”
That’s why not having a resolution to the 2019-20 season was so tough.
“We really had our hearts broken,” he said. “I don’t think it’s crazy to say we had a team that could have gone very, very deep in the tournament.”
Marino also believes the religious aspect is an important part of being a Pirate.
“I think the priest community at Seton Hall has provided something that is very, very special,” he said. “They bring a spiritual component to this that differentiates it. We're not a public school. We're a proud, Catholic school. I think having them be an integral part of campus life has been an important thing for us.”
As for men’s basketball going forward, he concludes, “The best is yet to come. I think the team we will put on the floor this year will be spectacular. I do not believe there will be a significant drop off from our wonderful team of last year and I believe the aggressiveness with which Coach Willard and his staff are recruiting players it’s going to ensure us being a top-tier basketball team for years to come.”
