https://setonhall.rivals.com/
By Tyler Calvaruso
PirateCrew.com Recruiting Analyst
Tony Bozzella focuses on what lies ahead after abrupt, emotional end to Seton Hall’s season
After returning from a grueling Big East Tournament that featured a picturesque win over Butler and a three-point loss to top-seeded DePaul, Seton Hall women’s basketball coach Tony Bozzella gave his team the weekend off. He wanted to give his players a breather and time to regroup before gearing up for a potentially deep postseason run, and understandably so. After all, the Pirates did have a chance to make some noise in either the NCAA Tournament or Women’s NIT.
Then he never saw most of them again.
Shortly after Bozzella sent his players home for the weekend on March 12, the college basketball world came crashing down. The coronavirus forced the sport to a standstill and, eventually, complete cancellation. There would be no one final shot at glory for Seton Hall’s senior class. No chance at tournament magic. No opportunity for Bozzella to say his final goodbyes in person – The epitome of heartbreak for any coach.
“They all went home and never came back,” Bozzella told PirateCrew.com. “They went home for that weekend and, literally, most of them never came back. They went home that Thursday. Some flew home, some drove home and on Monday we were told not to come back. So, I never even got a chance to say goodbye to them. It was so bad. I had to call them and talk to them...it was devastating. I was so depressed about it.”
Admittedly, Bozzella never foresaw a world in which he would not have the chance to bid adieu to his players in a traditional manner. When Bozzella was in Chicago for the Big East Tournament, COVID-19 was making headlines, but it was not yet a national health pandemic. Even when Big East commissioner Val Ackerman expressed her concerns about the virus and the impact it could have on the men’s tournament the following week, he was confident that everything was going to be fine.
Until it wasn’t.
In the blink of an eye, Bozzella found himself on the phone with Shadeen Samuels, Alexis Lewis and Barbara Johnson, three seniors who played a large part in shaping what Bozzella called one of his “favorite groups to ever coach.” Nothing about his conversation with them was easy, which still resonates with the veteran head coach to this day.
“It was hard, especially talking to Shadeen, who is one of my all-time favorite players, Alexis and Barbara,” Bozzella said. Three great seniors. Great kids, great people. They were nice kids and we got along well. They enjoyed playing basketball. It was tough to not be able to say goodbye to them in person.”
As devastating as the end of Seton Hall’s 2019-20 season was, the show must go on in South Orange. Johnson, Lewis and Samuels will no longer be running out of the Walsh Gymnasium locker room on game day, but the time for the program to mourn their losses is now over with off-season workouts back underway. With Desiree Elmore leading the charge, the Pirates return a talented roster that is bolstered by a strong freshman class and two high-profile transfers in Mya Bembry and Curtessia Dean that Bozzella is very high on. However, as is the case every off-season, there are still some kinks that need to be worked out before the regular season begins.
Replacing Lewis, Johnson and Samuels is not going to be easy. Samuels was Seton Hall’s leading scorer and rebounder last season. Lewis finished second on the team in scoring, while Johnson provided an invaluable spark on both ends of the floor. That means the Pirates will replace nearly half of their offensive production and three of their most seasoned veterans, which is a tall task – especially in a shortened off-season. Bozzella believes it is one that can be accomplished given what he has to work with, though.
“Shadeen was obviously such a tremendous talent and player,” Bozzella said. “Alexis was so steady a player. It’s hard, it’s going to be hard, but I’ve seen that kids are ready in our preseason. Kids have really stepped up. Des [Elmore] has been phenomenal. I think she’s going to be one of the top five or six players in the Big East. She’s in great shape, she looks great. Alexia Allesch has turned into one hell of a player. I’m happy to have her. Mya Jackson and Laura Park-Lane have come back great...I think that is going to be one of the top two or three backcourts in the Big East and they’re only sophomores. The leadership is going to come. It has been passed down to these kids.”
Like every other program across the country, Seton Hall has been navigating the unexplored COVID-19 waters while preparing for the upcoming season. The Pirates’ local players returned to campus on July 20, while their freshmen class did not arrive until last week for safety reasons, as Bozzella did not want to overtax the training staff. The structure of workouts has also changed to adhere with protocols put in place to keep its student-athletes safe.
“The training staff has been great,” Bozzella said. “Tony Testa has put together a tremendous organizational policy for us to go by. What we do is, our workouts are about 40 minutes. We have 20 minutes left in between where we sanitize the balls, all the tables, everything around. Every coach always coaches in a mask. Every manager at all times is wearing a mask. It’s all mask oriented. The players pretty much stay in the same group each week, so if Des, Alexia and Mya start on Monday, they stay in the same group through Friday. We try and keep that consistent. They use the locker room sparingly. They basically come in changed and when they’re done, they pretty much leave. They don’t hang around the gym.”
This off-season has been one unlike any other Bozzella has experienced as a head coach. It has been filled with uncertainty because of COVID-19 and littered with adjustments across the board to ensure his players would be in the best position to not only succeed, but also remain healthy and upbeat amid what is a mentally draining time for student-athletes. Because of what his players have been forced to endure, Bozzella was not sure what kind of group would be returning to South Orange this summer. Would his players still be down on their luck? Or, would they be hungry to replace five months of disappointment with a month of hard work?
After about a week’s worth of workouts, Bozzella has the answer to that question – One that has him amped up to be back on a basketball court.
“I thought it was going to be a lot harder, but our kids have come back with such energy and enthusiasm,” Bozzella said. “The kids have made it fun. I’m not going to lie; I didn’t know what to expect from the kids and from everything else. They came back with a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and excitement. Our days fly by. They’ve been great, I love it. I can’t wait to keep going.”
Part 2 to follow
By Tyler Calvaruso
PirateCrew.com Recruiting Analyst
Tony Bozzella focuses on what lies ahead after abrupt, emotional end to Seton Hall’s season
After returning from a grueling Big East Tournament that featured a picturesque win over Butler and a three-point loss to top-seeded DePaul, Seton Hall women’s basketball coach Tony Bozzella gave his team the weekend off. He wanted to give his players a breather and time to regroup before gearing up for a potentially deep postseason run, and understandably so. After all, the Pirates did have a chance to make some noise in either the NCAA Tournament or Women’s NIT.
Then he never saw most of them again.
Shortly after Bozzella sent his players home for the weekend on March 12, the college basketball world came crashing down. The coronavirus forced the sport to a standstill and, eventually, complete cancellation. There would be no one final shot at glory for Seton Hall’s senior class. No chance at tournament magic. No opportunity for Bozzella to say his final goodbyes in person – The epitome of heartbreak for any coach.
“They all went home and never came back,” Bozzella told PirateCrew.com. “They went home for that weekend and, literally, most of them never came back. They went home that Thursday. Some flew home, some drove home and on Monday we were told not to come back. So, I never even got a chance to say goodbye to them. It was so bad. I had to call them and talk to them...it was devastating. I was so depressed about it.”
Admittedly, Bozzella never foresaw a world in which he would not have the chance to bid adieu to his players in a traditional manner. When Bozzella was in Chicago for the Big East Tournament, COVID-19 was making headlines, but it was not yet a national health pandemic. Even when Big East commissioner Val Ackerman expressed her concerns about the virus and the impact it could have on the men’s tournament the following week, he was confident that everything was going to be fine.
Until it wasn’t.
In the blink of an eye, Bozzella found himself on the phone with Shadeen Samuels, Alexis Lewis and Barbara Johnson, three seniors who played a large part in shaping what Bozzella called one of his “favorite groups to ever coach.” Nothing about his conversation with them was easy, which still resonates with the veteran head coach to this day.
“It was hard, especially talking to Shadeen, who is one of my all-time favorite players, Alexis and Barbara,” Bozzella said. Three great seniors. Great kids, great people. They were nice kids and we got along well. They enjoyed playing basketball. It was tough to not be able to say goodbye to them in person.”
As devastating as the end of Seton Hall’s 2019-20 season was, the show must go on in South Orange. Johnson, Lewis and Samuels will no longer be running out of the Walsh Gymnasium locker room on game day, but the time for the program to mourn their losses is now over with off-season workouts back underway. With Desiree Elmore leading the charge, the Pirates return a talented roster that is bolstered by a strong freshman class and two high-profile transfers in Mya Bembry and Curtessia Dean that Bozzella is very high on. However, as is the case every off-season, there are still some kinks that need to be worked out before the regular season begins.
Replacing Lewis, Johnson and Samuels is not going to be easy. Samuels was Seton Hall’s leading scorer and rebounder last season. Lewis finished second on the team in scoring, while Johnson provided an invaluable spark on both ends of the floor. That means the Pirates will replace nearly half of their offensive production and three of their most seasoned veterans, which is a tall task – especially in a shortened off-season. Bozzella believes it is one that can be accomplished given what he has to work with, though.
“Shadeen was obviously such a tremendous talent and player,” Bozzella said. “Alexis was so steady a player. It’s hard, it’s going to be hard, but I’ve seen that kids are ready in our preseason. Kids have really stepped up. Des [Elmore] has been phenomenal. I think she’s going to be one of the top five or six players in the Big East. She’s in great shape, she looks great. Alexia Allesch has turned into one hell of a player. I’m happy to have her. Mya Jackson and Laura Park-Lane have come back great...I think that is going to be one of the top two or three backcourts in the Big East and they’re only sophomores. The leadership is going to come. It has been passed down to these kids.”
Like every other program across the country, Seton Hall has been navigating the unexplored COVID-19 waters while preparing for the upcoming season. The Pirates’ local players returned to campus on July 20, while their freshmen class did not arrive until last week for safety reasons, as Bozzella did not want to overtax the training staff. The structure of workouts has also changed to adhere with protocols put in place to keep its student-athletes safe.
“The training staff has been great,” Bozzella said. “Tony Testa has put together a tremendous organizational policy for us to go by. What we do is, our workouts are about 40 minutes. We have 20 minutes left in between where we sanitize the balls, all the tables, everything around. Every coach always coaches in a mask. Every manager at all times is wearing a mask. It’s all mask oriented. The players pretty much stay in the same group each week, so if Des, Alexia and Mya start on Monday, they stay in the same group through Friday. We try and keep that consistent. They use the locker room sparingly. They basically come in changed and when they’re done, they pretty much leave. They don’t hang around the gym.”
This off-season has been one unlike any other Bozzella has experienced as a head coach. It has been filled with uncertainty because of COVID-19 and littered with adjustments across the board to ensure his players would be in the best position to not only succeed, but also remain healthy and upbeat amid what is a mentally draining time for student-athletes. Because of what his players have been forced to endure, Bozzella was not sure what kind of group would be returning to South Orange this summer. Would his players still be down on their luck? Or, would they be hungry to replace five months of disappointment with a month of hard work?
After about a week’s worth of workouts, Bozzella has the answer to that question – One that has him amped up to be back on a basketball court.
“I thought it was going to be a lot harder, but our kids have come back with such energy and enthusiasm,” Bozzella said. “The kids have made it fun. I’m not going to lie; I didn’t know what to expect from the kids and from everything else. They came back with a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and excitement. Our days fly by. They’ve been great, I love it. I can’t wait to keep going.”
Part 2 to follow
