SHU beat writer Jerry Carino is interviewed by the Trove's Zack Cziryak
Jerry Carino is on top of the New Jersey college basketball world.
Over the last 15 years he has worked on carving out consistent and comprehensive coverage of Seton Hall, Rutgers and all things college basketball in between, creating essentially a monopoly on the subject for the Gannett New Jersey newspapers as the Newark Star Ledger, the state’s largest publication, refuses to devote significant resources to the sport and ignores the Hall almost completely.
“For me it leads to a lot of extra readership and I’m thankful for that, but I’m disappointed, sad and maybe a little appalled on a personal level. It’s a shame, it’s bad for fans that the main media organization in the state doesn’t cover the school or the program or the sport. It’s bad for those institutions and unfortunate that they get less coverage,” he said.
Seton Hall has proven to be a strong readership for Carino and Gannett, comparing well to professional sports and outdrawing Rutgers football on a day-to-day basis for his newspaper.
And when it came time to fly to Wichita for the Pirates’ third straight NCAA Tournament appearance Carino’s editor, a “big college football guy,” green-lit the flight based on the readership numbers without batting an eye.
“He brought it up as a key factor that Seton Hall was succeeding and when it came time for me to book that flight, nobody gave me a price range, they just said go. That’s a tribute to the fans and readers who have been so consistent,” Carino mused.
The Ledger dedicates three sports writers to Rutgers football without a steady beat writer for Seton Hall basketball, according to Carino, a decision he attributes to upper editorial staff and not the writers themselves.
He believes the decision is two-fold, coupling the perception that other sports such as Seton Hall basketball yield minimal page views with a big bet that a strong Rutgers football program will rake in clicks should a competitive level of play materialize for the Scarlet Knights.
“They’re placing a big bet that if Rutgers football ever becomes good…they will be the kings and have a monopoly on that beat and will reap a giant windfall on page views,” Carino said, conceding the point. “They’re betting on that being a return for them, but they’re alienating a lot of other reader constituencies.”
Though he has mixed feelings on the decision as a reporter, the Ledger’s strategy has allowed Carino, his colleague Josh Newman and Gannett to corner the market on New Jersey’s college basketball scene, devoting resources and coverage into both a space and institutions that are paying dividends now, not in an uncertain future.
“I have good sources at the school because I’ve spent so much time on it while cultivating a readership,” Carino said, noting his 15 years exhaustively covering the sport has engendered loyalty among readers. “It’s possible to cultivate a big readership for college basketball in New Jersey.”
Fifteen years covering any sport will have its ups and downs, according to Carino, who is more than happy with the state of his relationships with the head men at Jersey’s two high major college basketball programs in Seton Hall’s Kevin Willard and Steve Pikiell of Rutgers.
The road to those relationships have been vastly different, though the current state is roughly the same for the beat writer of both programs.
Carino has an open invitation to Rutgers' practices and workouts from Pikiell, beginning his third year at the helm for Rutgers, an offer the reporter took advantage of two weeks ago.
It’s taken a bit longer to earn the trust of the more private Willard, who in his eighth year has become much more comfortable with the media, notes Carino. And while he doesn’t have an open invitation to the Richie Regan Athletic Center, Carino can essentially visit by appointment any time he wants.
“That’s a good thing that I don’t take for granted, the good relationship I have with both. “They’re different guys, but I think they both get it. I’m very happy with how they treat the media and where my relationship is with each.”
Like most all college coaches Willard and Pikiell keep recruiting news close to their vests, however, the two seem to vary in their recruiting focus at least slightly, according to Carino.
The Rutgers coach has both focused on and prioritized “gettable” players for Rutgers whereas Willard and staff, who have at times closed on high major players at the Hall, have recently targeted five-star recruits that in Carino’s opinion often aren’t worth pursuing for either New Jersey school.
“Seton Hall has sometimes chased these guys,” Carino said of past five stars such as Roselle Catholic’s Nazreon Reid and St. Anthony’s Kyle Anderson, the latter of which he admits the Hall had a legitimate shot at landing. “Some of these five star guys…I’m not saying you shouldn’t try, but sometimes you expend a lot of energy.”
“You’ve got to do two things really. You have to identify them early and have an assistant coach who knows the area, the people, the contacts,” Carino said of keeping talented players in New Jersey.
Case in point for Carino is Seton Hall’s successful recruitment of rising junior shooting guard Myles Powell, a four start recruit then Associate Head Coach Shaheen Holloway identified early and stuck with through injuries and weight gain as his high school career progressed.
“Seton Hall was on him early and Holloway did a great job. He knows New Jersey like the back of his hand. That’s what you have to do, have guys that know the area. Let’s talk four stars because you can win big with four stars.”
Replacing Holloway, who assumes the head coaching mantle for Jersey City’s St. Peter’s University men’s basketball team this year and was someone Carino described as “indispensable to Seton Hall’s rise” over the last few years, will be a tall order.
“Everyone knew about his recruiting, but his player development and the rapport he built with the guards was huge,” he said of Holloway, a “beloved Seton Hall guy who everybody trusted.”
Filling the shoes of an all-time Pirate great as well as long-time assistant coach Fred Hill will present a big opportunity for an intriguing pair of replacements in Louisiana Tech’s Tony Skinn and Monmouth’s Duane Woodward, who both were hired in South Orange in the past couple of months and represent what Carino believes could be a “net-positive” in the long-run.
Skinn’s likable, engaging personality has shone through in Carino’s first two conversations with the assistant coach, who has already established new recruiting ties to the D.C. area and nationally, the latter of which has already yielded results in the transfer of Florida State center and former four star recruit Ike Obiagu.
Carino has a much greater familiarity with Woodward from the publication’s heavy coverage of Monmouth. He believes Woodward “is going to be an asset,” noting his excellent recruiting connections in the New York area and his experience as a Big East star while at Boston College.
“He did a good job recruiting for Monmouth, opened doors at Monmouth for guys they may never have gotten. Working for [Monmouth Head Coach] King Rice is not easy; he’s a demanding boss. I think Duane has seen it all and I think he’s ready for this step up and comes highly recommended from the people that see him regularly.”
The conclusion will be posted tomorrow morning. Followed by some tidbits from Zack.
Jerry Carino is on top of the New Jersey college basketball world.
Over the last 15 years he has worked on carving out consistent and comprehensive coverage of Seton Hall, Rutgers and all things college basketball in between, creating essentially a monopoly on the subject for the Gannett New Jersey newspapers as the Newark Star Ledger, the state’s largest publication, refuses to devote significant resources to the sport and ignores the Hall almost completely.
“For me it leads to a lot of extra readership and I’m thankful for that, but I’m disappointed, sad and maybe a little appalled on a personal level. It’s a shame, it’s bad for fans that the main media organization in the state doesn’t cover the school or the program or the sport. It’s bad for those institutions and unfortunate that they get less coverage,” he said.
Seton Hall has proven to be a strong readership for Carino and Gannett, comparing well to professional sports and outdrawing Rutgers football on a day-to-day basis for his newspaper.
And when it came time to fly to Wichita for the Pirates’ third straight NCAA Tournament appearance Carino’s editor, a “big college football guy,” green-lit the flight based on the readership numbers without batting an eye.
“He brought it up as a key factor that Seton Hall was succeeding and when it came time for me to book that flight, nobody gave me a price range, they just said go. That’s a tribute to the fans and readers who have been so consistent,” Carino mused.
The Ledger dedicates three sports writers to Rutgers football without a steady beat writer for Seton Hall basketball, according to Carino, a decision he attributes to upper editorial staff and not the writers themselves.
He believes the decision is two-fold, coupling the perception that other sports such as Seton Hall basketball yield minimal page views with a big bet that a strong Rutgers football program will rake in clicks should a competitive level of play materialize for the Scarlet Knights.
“They’re placing a big bet that if Rutgers football ever becomes good…they will be the kings and have a monopoly on that beat and will reap a giant windfall on page views,” Carino said, conceding the point. “They’re betting on that being a return for them, but they’re alienating a lot of other reader constituencies.”
Though he has mixed feelings on the decision as a reporter, the Ledger’s strategy has allowed Carino, his colleague Josh Newman and Gannett to corner the market on New Jersey’s college basketball scene, devoting resources and coverage into both a space and institutions that are paying dividends now, not in an uncertain future.
“I have good sources at the school because I’ve spent so much time on it while cultivating a readership,” Carino said, noting his 15 years exhaustively covering the sport has engendered loyalty among readers. “It’s possible to cultivate a big readership for college basketball in New Jersey.”
Fifteen years covering any sport will have its ups and downs, according to Carino, who is more than happy with the state of his relationships with the head men at Jersey’s two high major college basketball programs in Seton Hall’s Kevin Willard and Steve Pikiell of Rutgers.
The road to those relationships have been vastly different, though the current state is roughly the same for the beat writer of both programs.
Carino has an open invitation to Rutgers' practices and workouts from Pikiell, beginning his third year at the helm for Rutgers, an offer the reporter took advantage of two weeks ago.
It’s taken a bit longer to earn the trust of the more private Willard, who in his eighth year has become much more comfortable with the media, notes Carino. And while he doesn’t have an open invitation to the Richie Regan Athletic Center, Carino can essentially visit by appointment any time he wants.
“That’s a good thing that I don’t take for granted, the good relationship I have with both. “They’re different guys, but I think they both get it. I’m very happy with how they treat the media and where my relationship is with each.”
Like most all college coaches Willard and Pikiell keep recruiting news close to their vests, however, the two seem to vary in their recruiting focus at least slightly, according to Carino.
The Rutgers coach has both focused on and prioritized “gettable” players for Rutgers whereas Willard and staff, who have at times closed on high major players at the Hall, have recently targeted five-star recruits that in Carino’s opinion often aren’t worth pursuing for either New Jersey school.
“Seton Hall has sometimes chased these guys,” Carino said of past five stars such as Roselle Catholic’s Nazreon Reid and St. Anthony’s Kyle Anderson, the latter of which he admits the Hall had a legitimate shot at landing. “Some of these five star guys…I’m not saying you shouldn’t try, but sometimes you expend a lot of energy.”
“You’ve got to do two things really. You have to identify them early and have an assistant coach who knows the area, the people, the contacts,” Carino said of keeping talented players in New Jersey.
Case in point for Carino is Seton Hall’s successful recruitment of rising junior shooting guard Myles Powell, a four start recruit then Associate Head Coach Shaheen Holloway identified early and stuck with through injuries and weight gain as his high school career progressed.
“Seton Hall was on him early and Holloway did a great job. He knows New Jersey like the back of his hand. That’s what you have to do, have guys that know the area. Let’s talk four stars because you can win big with four stars.”
Replacing Holloway, who assumes the head coaching mantle for Jersey City’s St. Peter’s University men’s basketball team this year and was someone Carino described as “indispensable to Seton Hall’s rise” over the last few years, will be a tall order.
“Everyone knew about his recruiting, but his player development and the rapport he built with the guards was huge,” he said of Holloway, a “beloved Seton Hall guy who everybody trusted.”
Filling the shoes of an all-time Pirate great as well as long-time assistant coach Fred Hill will present a big opportunity for an intriguing pair of replacements in Louisiana Tech’s Tony Skinn and Monmouth’s Duane Woodward, who both were hired in South Orange in the past couple of months and represent what Carino believes could be a “net-positive” in the long-run.
Skinn’s likable, engaging personality has shone through in Carino’s first two conversations with the assistant coach, who has already established new recruiting ties to the D.C. area and nationally, the latter of which has already yielded results in the transfer of Florida State center and former four star recruit Ike Obiagu.
Carino has a much greater familiarity with Woodward from the publication’s heavy coverage of Monmouth. He believes Woodward “is going to be an asset,” noting his excellent recruiting connections in the New York area and his experience as a Big East star while at Boston College.
“He did a good job recruiting for Monmouth, opened doors at Monmouth for guys they may never have gotten. Working for [Monmouth Head Coach] King Rice is not easy; he’s a demanding boss. I think Duane has seen it all and I think he’s ready for this step up and comes highly recommended from the people that see him regularly.”
The conclusion will be posted tomorrow morning. Followed by some tidbits from Zack.
