Two stars St. John’s let get away are thriving at Seton Hall
By Zach Braziller
Isaiah Whitehead and Khadeen Carrington (inset) Photo: AP; Paul J. Bereswill
While the Johnnies are in the early stages of a massive rebuild under first-year coach Chris Mullin, the Pirates are surging towards their first NCAA Tournament berth in a decade — and they are doing so led by three city stars the previous coaching staff failed to land.
“It’s kind of ironic to think about,” sophomore guard Khadeen Carrington of Brooklyn said in a phone interview in advance of Sunday’s matchup at the Garden. “What if we had been at St. John’s? We kind of stayed home by going to New Jersey.”
St. John’s (8-19, 1-13 Big East), under former coach Steve Lavin, was involved with Carrington and fellow Brooklynite Isaiah Whitehead, but Seton Hall (18-7, 8-5) made the duo a priority whereas the Johnnies were mostly indifferent. The third Seton Hall local, forward Desi Rodriguez of The Bronx, wasn’t recruited by St. John’s.
Carrington said St. John’s recruited him a “little bit,” but he has no hard feelings about his hometown school’s lukewarm efforts. It’s not a stretch to think the three Seton Hall New Yorkers could’ve wound up at St. John’s had Mullin and his staff been around when they were in high school. Mullin already has made recruiting New York City kids a focal point. He has landed two locals for next year, Thomas Jefferson guard Shamorie Ponds of Brooklyn and junior college forward Bashir Ahmed of The Bronx.
“They got some great things going on over there with Coach Mullin,” Whitehead recently said. “I think he’ll do a great job there.”
Carrington and Whitehead combined for 30 points and eight assists in the first meeting against St. John’s, a 79-60 rout at the Prudential Center. That win began this current run, six victories in seven games, that has elevated the Pirates into third place in the Big East and a favorable spot to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006.
“It’s been a long while since Seton Hall has been there,” Carrington said. “We’re trying to get back there. We have a great opportunity.”
The Johnnies, meanwhile, enter the second matchup with momentum, coming off their first Big East victory, an 80-65 throttling of DePaul on Wednesday night that snapped a program-record 16-game losing streak. They would like nothing more than to hurt their rivals’ NCAA Tournament hopes.
“It will help us, definitely,” senior wing Durand Johnson said of the recent victory. “Getting a conference win finally is a good feeling, and it’s a confidence boost for those younger guys on the team.”
St. John’s has played well at the Garden, winning twice in five games. It was the site of the Johnnies’ biggest win of the year, an upset of Syracuse on Dec. 13. The last time the Red Storm was on the MSG court, it pushed No. 1 Villanova for a half on Jan. 31.
Seton Hall is looking forward to playing better than it did the last time it was at the Garden, when the Pirates completed a second half swoon with a 22-point loss to Marquette in the opening round of the Big East Tournament.
“It’s going to be fun,” Carrington said. “We’re going to see a lot of familiar faces and we’re going to try to put on a show.
“It’s kind of is a big deal. It’s basically a home game for us. Our families can watch us play right in the city we grew up in. It’s a historic arena.”
By Zach Braziller
Isaiah Whitehead and Khadeen Carrington (inset) Photo: AP; Paul J. Bereswill
While the Johnnies are in the early stages of a massive rebuild under first-year coach Chris Mullin, the Pirates are surging towards their first NCAA Tournament berth in a decade — and they are doing so led by three city stars the previous coaching staff failed to land.
“It’s kind of ironic to think about,” sophomore guard Khadeen Carrington of Brooklyn said in a phone interview in advance of Sunday’s matchup at the Garden. “What if we had been at St. John’s? We kind of stayed home by going to New Jersey.”
St. John’s (8-19, 1-13 Big East), under former coach Steve Lavin, was involved with Carrington and fellow Brooklynite Isaiah Whitehead, but Seton Hall (18-7, 8-5) made the duo a priority whereas the Johnnies were mostly indifferent. The third Seton Hall local, forward Desi Rodriguez of The Bronx, wasn’t recruited by St. John’s.
Carrington said St. John’s recruited him a “little bit,” but he has no hard feelings about his hometown school’s lukewarm efforts. It’s not a stretch to think the three Seton Hall New Yorkers could’ve wound up at St. John’s had Mullin and his staff been around when they were in high school. Mullin already has made recruiting New York City kids a focal point. He has landed two locals for next year, Thomas Jefferson guard Shamorie Ponds of Brooklyn and junior college forward Bashir Ahmed of The Bronx.
“They got some great things going on over there with Coach Mullin,” Whitehead recently said. “I think he’ll do a great job there.”
Carrington and Whitehead combined for 30 points and eight assists in the first meeting against St. John’s, a 79-60 rout at the Prudential Center. That win began this current run, six victories in seven games, that has elevated the Pirates into third place in the Big East and a favorable spot to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006.
“It’s been a long while since Seton Hall has been there,” Carrington said. “We’re trying to get back there. We have a great opportunity.”
The Johnnies, meanwhile, enter the second matchup with momentum, coming off their first Big East victory, an 80-65 throttling of DePaul on Wednesday night that snapped a program-record 16-game losing streak. They would like nothing more than to hurt their rivals’ NCAA Tournament hopes.
“It will help us, definitely,” senior wing Durand Johnson said of the recent victory. “Getting a conference win finally is a good feeling, and it’s a confidence boost for those younger guys on the team.”
St. John’s has played well at the Garden, winning twice in five games. It was the site of the Johnnies’ biggest win of the year, an upset of Syracuse on Dec. 13. The last time the Red Storm was on the MSG court, it pushed No. 1 Villanova for a half on Jan. 31.
Seton Hall is looking forward to playing better than it did the last time it was at the Garden, when the Pirates completed a second half swoon with a 22-point loss to Marquette in the opening round of the Big East Tournament.
“It’s going to be fun,” Carrington said. “We’re going to see a lot of familiar faces and we’re going to try to put on a show.
“It’s kind of is a big deal. It’s basically a home game for us. Our families can watch us play right in the city we grew up in. It’s a historic arena.”
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