PirateCrew: Seton Hall Pirates Football & Basketball Recruiting
The definitive source for all PirateCrew news.
By Halldan
With these words 6 -7 St Peter's star KC Ndefo solidified and explained where he was going to play ball this coming season and why....
“I committed to Seton Hall because It’s basically a no brainer to go to the coach who’s been recruiting me since my high school days. This will be taking the next step with him where I’m graduating, and finishing the NBA draft process. I’ll definitely be taking my talents to Seton Hall with coach Sha.
“I’m staying with the culture and the people who believed in me since day one. Since coach first got the job he told me to come over and bring the culture we built at St. Peter’s to Seton Hall.”
An important 'get' for the newly hired Shaheen Holloway as he continues to fortify a roster in need of talent throughout. With the commitment of Ndefo, who also had interest from Texas Tech, Miami and Florida, Holloway has now brought in his third portal transfer joining 6-2 Al-Amir Dawes, 6-5 Femi Odukale, and 6-5 Dre Davis. Those players along with the announced return of Alex Yetna and Jamir Harris and commitments from freshmen Jaquan Sanders, JaQuan Harris and D'Ante Davis now brings the total roster under Holloway to 12, with one more scholarship to give out.
The plan is for the Pirates moving forward it to use Ndefo as a small-ball four, utilizing his shot-blocking and playmaking abilities against less athletic and mobile big men. He fills a need as a rim-protecting, defensive-minded forward after Seton Hall lost top shot-blocker Ike Obiagu to graduation.
Ndefo is a the three-time MAAC Defensive Player of the Year who led the league in 2021/22 with 2.4 BPG. But he has talent on the other side of the court as well, averaging 10.5 points, along with 6.1 rebounds a year ago. Amazing production from a player who after graduating from Brooklyn's Lincoln High School had no D1 offers sans the one from St Peter's.
SHU beat writer Jerry Carino offers this bit of information on Ndefo
1. As a senior he averaged 10.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.8 blocks (11th nationally) in 25 minutes per game. He shot 47 percent from the field and provided consistently stifling defense around the rim.
2. The 22-year-old Long Island native’s passing improved the most. By season’s end Ndefo was the program’s top passer. His ability to find the open man both kicking out and in the high-low was a key reason behind the program’s run to the Elite Eight of the Big Dance.
3. He was MAAC Tournament MVP and dominated 20th-ranked Murray State in the NCAA's Round of 32, posting 17 points, 10 boards, six blocks and three assists.
