By Colin Rajala
Trove: What does UConn’s entry into the Big East mean for the conference and Seton Hall?
Pelzman: I think it is great for everyone involved. They might be in a little bit of a lull right now, but Danny Hurley will turn things around. He knows what he is doing, he knows how to build a program. Connecticut and Seton Hall has never been the biggest rivalry, but Danny Hurley coming back to the state of New Jersey to coach against his alma mater, that story writes itself. It is good in those terms, it is good for the conference because of the TV thing - they draw viewers. When the men and women, and there are very few women’s programs you can say this about, when they play that state comes to a halt. There will be plenty of viewers which always helps, especially the women’s package.
I just think the Big East is where UConn belongs. It was ridiculous in the first place that football took them out of the conference because football never ever drove the bus as they say at UConn. It has always been a basketball school and always will be. We will have to see what happens with their football. I think they will try and become independent or drop down to a smaller conference, but that is not where their bread is buttered. They are a basketball school and I think it’s a great move for all sides.
Trove: How much has Kevin Willard grown in his years at the Hall and how does he compare to past Seton Hall coaches that you’ve covered?
Pelzman: Kevin has really grown in his ability to relate to players. It was always there, but it’s even stronger now. Powell considered going pro and you can’t blame anyone because that’s their dream, but if Kevin was not the coach, I don’t know if he necessarily returns. When he [Powell] talks about him [Willard] you see in his eyes the bond that they have. All of the players it seems would run through a wall for Kevin, for lack of a better cliché.
Louis Orr’s players always got better, he did a great job at developing players and I think Kevin and his staff might be even better at it. Players may not have been four or five star recruits or big gamers, but they always got better. Andre Barrett got better under Orr and I think we see that with Kevin all the time. Powell was highly ranked so we knew he could be good, but he got to where he was because of his hard work and Kevin’s help developing and pushing him to be a star.
Kevin also understands the media part better now than when he started. He has a better grasp on what we need on the media side and how he can help that without giving away state secrets. He’s more comfortable around us and acts more natural. His maturation is obvious and may even be hard to believe for some that saw him at the start. He is fun to deal with now and has a good sense of humor. I think Seton Hall is fortunate to have him right now. He is the right man in the right place.
Trove: I have had much more limited interactions with Kevin over the years than you and even for me it has been evident how he has developed and how his comfort level with the media has grown. Having seen the previous coaching staff, their collapse and the low state of the program, I really think that Kevin was not entirely clear on how far in the hole the program was. It was evident the program was down, but I don’t think the severity or magnitude was as clear.
Pelzman: There is no way Kevin understood the entire extent of it, no one could have understood how bad the brand had been damaged. It was really in the toilet. Think about it, the program was in a place where a player got thrown out for punching an opponent in the genitals not once, but twice. Two ex-players were arrested for armed robbery just before the punching incident on top of other player issues and misconduct. That is not an easy situation for anyone to walk into. No one would have grasped how difficult the climb up was going to be. I think some credit has to be given to Pat Lyons for being patient because the program could not be righted in two or three years.
Trove: It seems like Pat Hobbs learned from his hire of Kevin Willard that patience is key when it comes to turning around a program. Seems like that has carried over to Rutgers as they look to restore their basketball program.
Pelzman: Credit has to go to Hobbs for making those two hires and I think he learned from watching Kevin at Seton Hall. Pikiell and Rutgers are learning what it takes to get be a tournament level program. You cannot erase history in two days or two years, especially when it has been almost 30 years since they’ve made the tournament. It takes time to build the right way and Rutgers is headed in the right direction. It’s a work in progress, but Pikiell seems like the right guy for the job. When the two teams play each other it’s fun. It will be even more fun when there is more juice surrounding the matchup when both teams are tournament type teams competing in December. It will be great for advancing the rivalry.
For me being a Hofstra grad, it was hard for me to understand the Seton Hall Rutgers rivalry to some extent until Hofstra started playing Stony Brook. That helped me understand the rivalry. I don’t hate Stony Brook like some Hofstra fans except for two hours one night every December. You don’t want to lose to those guys at any costs. That rivalry gave me a better sense of the Garden State rivalry.
I am interested in seeing what happens when their [Rutgers] training facility is fully built and functional. To be able to show recruits and practice there will help them in the race. It is a tough sell when you look at what they have currently compared to the palaces of other Big 10 schools. The RAC hasn’t changed much if at all since I first saw it in the late 70s.
Trove: What does UConn’s entry into the Big East mean for the conference and Seton Hall?
Pelzman: I think it is great for everyone involved. They might be in a little bit of a lull right now, but Danny Hurley will turn things around. He knows what he is doing, he knows how to build a program. Connecticut and Seton Hall has never been the biggest rivalry, but Danny Hurley coming back to the state of New Jersey to coach against his alma mater, that story writes itself. It is good in those terms, it is good for the conference because of the TV thing - they draw viewers. When the men and women, and there are very few women’s programs you can say this about, when they play that state comes to a halt. There will be plenty of viewers which always helps, especially the women’s package.
I just think the Big East is where UConn belongs. It was ridiculous in the first place that football took them out of the conference because football never ever drove the bus as they say at UConn. It has always been a basketball school and always will be. We will have to see what happens with their football. I think they will try and become independent or drop down to a smaller conference, but that is not where their bread is buttered. They are a basketball school and I think it’s a great move for all sides.
Trove: How much has Kevin Willard grown in his years at the Hall and how does he compare to past Seton Hall coaches that you’ve covered?
Pelzman: Kevin has really grown in his ability to relate to players. It was always there, but it’s even stronger now. Powell considered going pro and you can’t blame anyone because that’s their dream, but if Kevin was not the coach, I don’t know if he necessarily returns. When he [Powell] talks about him [Willard] you see in his eyes the bond that they have. All of the players it seems would run through a wall for Kevin, for lack of a better cliché.
Louis Orr’s players always got better, he did a great job at developing players and I think Kevin and his staff might be even better at it. Players may not have been four or five star recruits or big gamers, but they always got better. Andre Barrett got better under Orr and I think we see that with Kevin all the time. Powell was highly ranked so we knew he could be good, but he got to where he was because of his hard work and Kevin’s help developing and pushing him to be a star.
Kevin also understands the media part better now than when he started. He has a better grasp on what we need on the media side and how he can help that without giving away state secrets. He’s more comfortable around us and acts more natural. His maturation is obvious and may even be hard to believe for some that saw him at the start. He is fun to deal with now and has a good sense of humor. I think Seton Hall is fortunate to have him right now. He is the right man in the right place.
Trove: I have had much more limited interactions with Kevin over the years than you and even for me it has been evident how he has developed and how his comfort level with the media has grown. Having seen the previous coaching staff, their collapse and the low state of the program, I really think that Kevin was not entirely clear on how far in the hole the program was. It was evident the program was down, but I don’t think the severity or magnitude was as clear.
Pelzman: There is no way Kevin understood the entire extent of it, no one could have understood how bad the brand had been damaged. It was really in the toilet. Think about it, the program was in a place where a player got thrown out for punching an opponent in the genitals not once, but twice. Two ex-players were arrested for armed robbery just before the punching incident on top of other player issues and misconduct. That is not an easy situation for anyone to walk into. No one would have grasped how difficult the climb up was going to be. I think some credit has to be given to Pat Lyons for being patient because the program could not be righted in two or three years.
Trove: It seems like Pat Hobbs learned from his hire of Kevin Willard that patience is key when it comes to turning around a program. Seems like that has carried over to Rutgers as they look to restore their basketball program.
Pelzman: Credit has to go to Hobbs for making those two hires and I think he learned from watching Kevin at Seton Hall. Pikiell and Rutgers are learning what it takes to get be a tournament level program. You cannot erase history in two days or two years, especially when it has been almost 30 years since they’ve made the tournament. It takes time to build the right way and Rutgers is headed in the right direction. It’s a work in progress, but Pikiell seems like the right guy for the job. When the two teams play each other it’s fun. It will be even more fun when there is more juice surrounding the matchup when both teams are tournament type teams competing in December. It will be great for advancing the rivalry.
For me being a Hofstra grad, it was hard for me to understand the Seton Hall Rutgers rivalry to some extent until Hofstra started playing Stony Brook. That helped me understand the rivalry. I don’t hate Stony Brook like some Hofstra fans except for two hours one night every December. You don’t want to lose to those guys at any costs. That rivalry gave me a better sense of the Garden State rivalry.
I am interested in seeing what happens when their [Rutgers] training facility is fully built and functional. To be able to show recruits and practice there will help them in the race. It is a tough sell when you look at what they have currently compared to the palaces of other Big 10 schools. The RAC hasn’t changed much if at all since I first saw it in the late 70s.
