First-place Seton Hall’s 64-57 victory over last-place DePaul on Wednesday night at the Prudential Center was the kind of game that top-tier teams figure out a way to win during the dog days of late January and early-to-mid February before the push to March (and maybe April?) glory begins. Still, the victory cannot totally overshadow the fact there are things that must be cleaned up in the next few weeks. Some thoughts and observations:
Tough love
TV cameras caught coach Kevin Willard in a brief, heated discussion with Myles Powell after a Powell turnover just when the Pirates were embarking on their game-deciding run. Powell said it was tough love and Willard said, "I was just trying to encourage him. He was struggling, and sometimes you don't have your A-game, and I just wanted to tell him to keep on attacking. Sometimes the building is loud, you just have to yell."
Actually, there is nothing at all wrong with Willard sometimes getting in his superstar guard’s face. Much is expected of Powell because those are the standards he has set for himself because of his hard work and tremendous play. There is nothing wrong with Willard holding him accountable, and it sends the message to the rest of the team that everyone is accountable, even a preseason AP All-American.
Cold starts, fantastic finishes
Powell followed a familiar recent pattern, scoring 12 of his 24 points in the final seven minutes to finally rally the Pirates from what once had been had been a nine-point second-half deficit. “I’m just starting to accept I’m a second-half player,” said Powell, perhaps trying to rationalize a bit. To be fair, Willard has a point when he talks about how much defensive energy opponents exert trying to shut down Powell. That seems to be affecting Powell from beyond the arc. His 2-for-10 shooting from three against the Blue Demons left him an unfathomable 18-for-66 (27.3 percent) from long distance in Big East play this season.
A McKnight to the rescue
Quincy McKnight provided his trademark defensive brilliance when it was needed the most, with two of his four steals during the decisive 9-0 run. On one of them, he tipped Charlie Moore’s attempt at an alley-oop pass and then slapped the ball off Jalen-Coleman Lands’ leg to gain possession. Willard called it a “monster play.”
Double-double for Rhoden
Another somewhat unsung hero was sophomore forward Jared Rhoden, who had 14 points and 11 rebounds. He was The Hall’s only double-figure scorer besides Powell, and his offense helped keep the Pirates afloat until Powell finally found his game. As for his rebounding, Rhoden works hard at getting good positioning and also has something coaches cannot teach--the desire to go up and get the ball.
Mamu returns
The long-awaited return of forward Sandro Mamukelashvili from a fractured wrist wasn’t exactly a crowd-pleaser. In five first-half minutes off the bench , he missed his lone field- goal attempt, a three, went 1-for-2 from the stripe, and picked up two quick fouls. Clearly, he was rusty. Still, Willard said, “I was actually very encouraged,” but added he didn’t put him in the game after halftime because “it just wasn’t the time.” Presumably because the game was very much in doubt.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
Tough love
TV cameras caught coach Kevin Willard in a brief, heated discussion with Myles Powell after a Powell turnover just when the Pirates were embarking on their game-deciding run. Powell said it was tough love and Willard said, "I was just trying to encourage him. He was struggling, and sometimes you don't have your A-game, and I just wanted to tell him to keep on attacking. Sometimes the building is loud, you just have to yell."
Actually, there is nothing at all wrong with Willard sometimes getting in his superstar guard’s face. Much is expected of Powell because those are the standards he has set for himself because of his hard work and tremendous play. There is nothing wrong with Willard holding him accountable, and it sends the message to the rest of the team that everyone is accountable, even a preseason AP All-American.
Cold starts, fantastic finishes
Powell followed a familiar recent pattern, scoring 12 of his 24 points in the final seven minutes to finally rally the Pirates from what once had been had been a nine-point second-half deficit. “I’m just starting to accept I’m a second-half player,” said Powell, perhaps trying to rationalize a bit. To be fair, Willard has a point when he talks about how much defensive energy opponents exert trying to shut down Powell. That seems to be affecting Powell from beyond the arc. His 2-for-10 shooting from three against the Blue Demons left him an unfathomable 18-for-66 (27.3 percent) from long distance in Big East play this season.
A McKnight to the rescue
Quincy McKnight provided his trademark defensive brilliance when it was needed the most, with two of his four steals during the decisive 9-0 run. On one of them, he tipped Charlie Moore’s attempt at an alley-oop pass and then slapped the ball off Jalen-Coleman Lands’ leg to gain possession. Willard called it a “monster play.”
Double-double for Rhoden
Another somewhat unsung hero was sophomore forward Jared Rhoden, who had 14 points and 11 rebounds. He was The Hall’s only double-figure scorer besides Powell, and his offense helped keep the Pirates afloat until Powell finally found his game. As for his rebounding, Rhoden works hard at getting good positioning and also has something coaches cannot teach--the desire to go up and get the ball.
Mamu returns
The long-awaited return of forward Sandro Mamukelashvili from a fractured wrist wasn’t exactly a crowd-pleaser. In five first-half minutes off the bench , he missed his lone field- goal attempt, a three, went 1-for-2 from the stripe, and picked up two quick fouls. Clearly, he was rusty. Still, Willard said, “I was actually very encouraged,” but added he didn’t put him in the game after halftime because “it just wasn’t the time.” Presumably because the game was very much in doubt.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
