By JP Pelzman
The regular season is still more than three months away, but Tony Bozzella sounds like a man who wishes it started right away.
“I want our team to be what it was the first three years”, Bozzella said in an interview with Piratecrew.com. “Our goal is to get to the NCAA tournament.”
Bozzella, who is entering his seventh season as the head coach of the Seton Hall women’s basketball team, guided the Pirates to the third round of the WNIT in his first season in South Orange and then to two consecutive NCAA tournament berths. The Hall was 71-29 during that span, but has compiled a record of only 43-51 in the three years that followed.
That said Bozzella adds “I’m proud that in our six years here we’ve made the postseason five times. In the duration of the new BIG EAST only DePaul can say they’ve been to more.”
Seton Hall lost eight of its last nine games in 2018-19, yet still made the WNIT for the second straight season, losing at Toledo in the first round.
“Obviously we didn’t end (2018-19) the way we would have liked,” Bozzella said, noting that part of the reason for the slide was that star forward Shadeen Samuels suffered a shoulder injury in a loss to DePaul on Feb. 15. She sat out a loss to Marquette and missed the season-ending 71-65 defeat to Toledo because of the flu.
Still, Bozzella says, “I thought we re-established ourselves with our work ethic, with how hard we played. … It was still a step forward. Now we return a good group of kids who have been put in a good situation. We knew we were going to take a step back a little bit as we retooled the team last season. We had two average seasons and this year we need to be better than average because that’s what we expect.”
As for Samuels, she now is healthy and Bozzella expects big things from her. He believes that she is in strong contention for Big East Preseason Player of the Year after averaging 18.3 points and 8.6 rebounds last season adding that "Samuels is projected as a pre season first team player and is all over the WNBA draft boards. While Samuels missed only 2 contests her shoulder injury impacted her severely the last 6 games. In fact if she wasn’t so dedicated she probably would have sat out all those games."
“I think Shadeen will continue to expand her game, She needs to take more threes. She needs to generate more contact and get to the line more.”
Another standout should be forward Femi Funeus (7.1, 4.4) who had a promising freshman season end with a torn Achilles’ after just 11 games.
“We expect her to be ready to play by Oct. 1, God willing,” Bozzella notes “and she’ll give us a big boost. It was hard to lose her. She’s not only the present, she’s the future too.”
Touching briefly of the rest of the roster Bozzella had this to add....
Reserve guard Danielle Robinson is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered in 2018-19 and Bozzella hopes to have her back in November. “Everyone else is relatively healthy and in shape.”
Wing Desiree Elmore is back after averaging 10.3 points last season.
“She's worked hard on her conditioning and is in the best shape of her life. I’m excited to see Desiree’s transformation into a first-team all-conference player. I really believe it” will happen.
Junior forward Selena Philoxy (5.5, 7.6) also returns. “She’s a tremendous rebounder and a great fit for us,”
Whitney Howell who had a productive freshman year at the beginning till injuries slowed her down. "Back now and healthy while looking better than ever" Bozzella lauds her rebounding and shot blocking ability.
He also is excited to see how several newcomers will fit into the mix.
He said of wing Alexis Lewis, “I consider her one of the top players in the league (this season), I really do.” The 5-10 Lewis sat out last season after transferring from Iona, where she averaged slightly north of 14 points and eight rebounds her last two years there.
Mississippi transfer guard Barbara Johnson is “dynamic,” Bozzella says. “She has taken her game to a new level and will make a significant impact.”
Junior college transfer Jasmine Smith helped Trinity Valley (Texas) reach the NJCAA semifinals in 2019. “She knows how to score,” Bozzella praises.
Jocelyn Jones, a grad transfer from North Carolina who was a role player for the Tar Heels, is a “great passer and great screener,” adds Bozzella.
Freshman guard McKenna Hofschild “can score the ball,” he says, “but she’s a better passer. If she has to score, she will.” That’s for sure, considering Hofschild once scored 63 points in a one game for Prior Lake (Minn.) High School.
Mya Jackson, another freshman guard, reminds Bozzella of some of the terrific backcourt performers in recent Hall program history. She scored over 2,000 points in high school in Ohio and Bozzella lauds her as a "tremendous defender.”
Lauren Park Lane, "a dynamic smart PG. She started on the #1 AAU team in the country and led her tram to a state championship and was the Delaware POY."
Victoria Keenan, "a tremendously talented wing player with big time shooting range."
Kaila Harris. performed on a state championship team while earning first team all area. " A big 6-2 post with great moves and an excellent touch."
And finally Alexis Allesch, a transfer from UMass who sat out last year. "Great pick and pop post who has gotten a lot better in her year on the sidelines "
In other matters....
Bozzella realizes the eventual re-entry of Connecticut into the Big East will make the competition even tougher going forward, but states, “I am excited for UConn, the premier women's basketball program in the history of the NCAA rejoining the Big East. Even though they weren’t in our league the last six years we have scheduled them twice and been in their NCAAA pod two times so we know them well. Coach Auriemma, who has been a mentor to me, is a great ambassador for the game and certainly will be for the conference. We realize it will be a tall order to beat them but Connecticut's reentry will help recruiting awareness, TV and media exposure and will overall raise the level of our 6th rated conference.
Another future benefit Bozzella looks forward to is the renovation of Walsh Gym. He said of Pat Lyons, “Whatever project he puts his mind to, it turns out great.”
Further, Bozzella appreciates the support from the men’s basketball coaching staff and players, calling men’s coach Kevin Willard “a great friend.”
He added, “We have a great core of supporters… we love our loyal fans.”
One point that the Seton Hall head coach wants to make clear regards transfers. Bozzella said "fans have to understand details regarding the amount of transfers entering and leaving in a given season," noting that women’s basketball teams have 15 available scholarships, two more than the men do. "Just in 2018-19 alone women's D1 basketball is approaching 500 transfers, nearly 1.5 per team. That puts the Hall right on pace with the rest of the country."
“That’s just the way it is,” explains Bozzella. “You can’t keep 15 kids happy. The players know they can always get a scholarship somewhere else. While we never want to lose any student athlete it happens at times. All the kids who left were in good academic standing and had zero disciplinary issues... and while we have not lost any transfers that we recruited to power 5 conferences we, the staff and I, want them to succeed academically and athletically and we'll continue to support them to this day “
Bozzella also wants to clarify the fact that schools cannot buy their way into the WNIT, noting there are 32 automatic bids and nine criteria the selection committee uses in giving out the 32 at-large berths.
“They don’t just look at a 15-15 record,” he said. “They look at everything. I don’t think it’s fair to the players” to criticize them for being invited to the WNIT.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
COMMENTS
The regular season is still more than three months away, but Tony Bozzella sounds like a man who wishes it started right away.
“I want our team to be what it was the first three years”, Bozzella said in an interview with Piratecrew.com. “Our goal is to get to the NCAA tournament.”
Bozzella, who is entering his seventh season as the head coach of the Seton Hall women’s basketball team, guided the Pirates to the third round of the WNIT in his first season in South Orange and then to two consecutive NCAA tournament berths. The Hall was 71-29 during that span, but has compiled a record of only 43-51 in the three years that followed.
That said Bozzella adds “I’m proud that in our six years here we’ve made the postseason five times. In the duration of the new BIG EAST only DePaul can say they’ve been to more.”
Seton Hall lost eight of its last nine games in 2018-19, yet still made the WNIT for the second straight season, losing at Toledo in the first round.
“Obviously we didn’t end (2018-19) the way we would have liked,” Bozzella said, noting that part of the reason for the slide was that star forward Shadeen Samuels suffered a shoulder injury in a loss to DePaul on Feb. 15. She sat out a loss to Marquette and missed the season-ending 71-65 defeat to Toledo because of the flu.
Still, Bozzella says, “I thought we re-established ourselves with our work ethic, with how hard we played. … It was still a step forward. Now we return a good group of kids who have been put in a good situation. We knew we were going to take a step back a little bit as we retooled the team last season. We had two average seasons and this year we need to be better than average because that’s what we expect.”
As for Samuels, she now is healthy and Bozzella expects big things from her. He believes that she is in strong contention for Big East Preseason Player of the Year after averaging 18.3 points and 8.6 rebounds last season adding that "Samuels is projected as a pre season first team player and is all over the WNBA draft boards. While Samuels missed only 2 contests her shoulder injury impacted her severely the last 6 games. In fact if she wasn’t so dedicated she probably would have sat out all those games."
“I think Shadeen will continue to expand her game, She needs to take more threes. She needs to generate more contact and get to the line more.”
Another standout should be forward Femi Funeus (7.1, 4.4) who had a promising freshman season end with a torn Achilles’ after just 11 games.
“We expect her to be ready to play by Oct. 1, God willing,” Bozzella notes “and she’ll give us a big boost. It was hard to lose her. She’s not only the present, she’s the future too.”
Touching briefly of the rest of the roster Bozzella had this to add....
Reserve guard Danielle Robinson is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered in 2018-19 and Bozzella hopes to have her back in November. “Everyone else is relatively healthy and in shape.”
Wing Desiree Elmore is back after averaging 10.3 points last season.
“She's worked hard on her conditioning and is in the best shape of her life. I’m excited to see Desiree’s transformation into a first-team all-conference player. I really believe it” will happen.
Junior forward Selena Philoxy (5.5, 7.6) also returns. “She’s a tremendous rebounder and a great fit for us,”
Whitney Howell who had a productive freshman year at the beginning till injuries slowed her down. "Back now and healthy while looking better than ever" Bozzella lauds her rebounding and shot blocking ability.
He also is excited to see how several newcomers will fit into the mix.
He said of wing Alexis Lewis, “I consider her one of the top players in the league (this season), I really do.” The 5-10 Lewis sat out last season after transferring from Iona, where she averaged slightly north of 14 points and eight rebounds her last two years there.
Mississippi transfer guard Barbara Johnson is “dynamic,” Bozzella says. “She has taken her game to a new level and will make a significant impact.”
Junior college transfer Jasmine Smith helped Trinity Valley (Texas) reach the NJCAA semifinals in 2019. “She knows how to score,” Bozzella praises.
Jocelyn Jones, a grad transfer from North Carolina who was a role player for the Tar Heels, is a “great passer and great screener,” adds Bozzella.
Freshman guard McKenna Hofschild “can score the ball,” he says, “but she’s a better passer. If she has to score, she will.” That’s for sure, considering Hofschild once scored 63 points in a one game for Prior Lake (Minn.) High School.
Mya Jackson, another freshman guard, reminds Bozzella of some of the terrific backcourt performers in recent Hall program history. She scored over 2,000 points in high school in Ohio and Bozzella lauds her as a "tremendous defender.”
Lauren Park Lane, "a dynamic smart PG. She started on the #1 AAU team in the country and led her tram to a state championship and was the Delaware POY."
Victoria Keenan, "a tremendously talented wing player with big time shooting range."
Kaila Harris. performed on a state championship team while earning first team all area. " A big 6-2 post with great moves and an excellent touch."
And finally Alexis Allesch, a transfer from UMass who sat out last year. "Great pick and pop post who has gotten a lot better in her year on the sidelines "
In other matters....
Bozzella realizes the eventual re-entry of Connecticut into the Big East will make the competition even tougher going forward, but states, “I am excited for UConn, the premier women's basketball program in the history of the NCAA rejoining the Big East. Even though they weren’t in our league the last six years we have scheduled them twice and been in their NCAAA pod two times so we know them well. Coach Auriemma, who has been a mentor to me, is a great ambassador for the game and certainly will be for the conference. We realize it will be a tall order to beat them but Connecticut's reentry will help recruiting awareness, TV and media exposure and will overall raise the level of our 6th rated conference.
Another future benefit Bozzella looks forward to is the renovation of Walsh Gym. He said of Pat Lyons, “Whatever project he puts his mind to, it turns out great.”
Further, Bozzella appreciates the support from the men’s basketball coaching staff and players, calling men’s coach Kevin Willard “a great friend.”
He added, “We have a great core of supporters… we love our loyal fans.”
One point that the Seton Hall head coach wants to make clear regards transfers. Bozzella said "fans have to understand details regarding the amount of transfers entering and leaving in a given season," noting that women’s basketball teams have 15 available scholarships, two more than the men do. "Just in 2018-19 alone women's D1 basketball is approaching 500 transfers, nearly 1.5 per team. That puts the Hall right on pace with the rest of the country."
“That’s just the way it is,” explains Bozzella. “You can’t keep 15 kids happy. The players know they can always get a scholarship somewhere else. While we never want to lose any student athlete it happens at times. All the kids who left were in good academic standing and had zero disciplinary issues... and while we have not lost any transfers that we recruited to power 5 conferences we, the staff and I, want them to succeed academically and athletically and we'll continue to support them to this day “
Bozzella also wants to clarify the fact that schools cannot buy their way into the WNIT, noting there are 32 automatic bids and nine criteria the selection committee uses in giving out the 32 at-large berths.
“They don’t just look at a 15-15 record,” he said. “They look at everything. I don’t think it’s fair to the players” to criticize them for being invited to the WNIT.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
COMMENTS
