Lots to get to so here goes
Great job by the alums showing up on a difficult time and date.
Can't say the same for the students who have been no shows since school break.
Not as loud as the Creighton game, but down the stretch as it was against the Blue Jays you had to stand to see the court.
The Big East hit a HOMErun in weekend play by having all 5 home teams come out with victories.
In the first group of games mid week only Seton Hall held serve.
When was the last game you attended in the Big East where the benches on both teams rang up a goose egg?
Staying with the Hall's bench, other than Ish, who played a sparkling game stats be damned, the Pirates got very little from Gordon, Cale, Walker and Mamu. The complaint here all year long was the use of mass substitutions and how they would not properly ready the young players for Big East play. Well to date that has rung true.
Is there a player in the Big East, hell the country, who has a better looking jump shot than St John's Marvin Clark. Picture perfect form.
TECHNICALly speaking that's 4 of 5 games the Hall has been whistled for woofing on the court.
Seton Hall's version of the deadly sins.....
Pick and role defense
Dribble penetration
Foul shooting
Bench production
On Sunday we saw the good and bad of Seton Hall's 2G playing the point.
Khadeen Carrington did not run the offense well, especially in the second half. But he did shoot lights out from distance and from the line.
The fear which materialized throughout the game was the level of intensity that the Pirates would bring to the court when word got out that SJU was not only without LoVett, but that Ponds would be joining him in street clothes on the bench.
The Hall started slowly, but then each time they were on the verge of turning the game into a blowout the Red Storm came right back at them.
Willard noted in the presser he feared that happening while also noting that 4 of his players, Delgado, Powell, Carrington and Rodriquez were suffering various stages of the flu and that sapped their strength. Leading me to wonder if maybe flu shots this time of year might be as important as jump shots.
When was the last time the Hall was outscored in the paint by 14 in Big East play? Yet down the stretch 6 points, all by Delgado, proved critical in the Pirates coming out with the victory.
Once on a two dribble drive for a layup and twice baling out his teammates as the shot clock was about to expire corralling air balls and then depositing them in the net.
Angel had a very difficult game looking past some of his stats. He struggled all game long with the length of St John's and for the second time in two nights of Big East play an opposing big had a career game against the Pirates. So it was nice having him play the crucial role in the end game.
At the 12:52 mark of the first half SJU was leading by 9 points. Slightly more than a minute later the score was tied.
That's what happens when you have the arc so close in college BB. Move it back.
Speaking of the arc. Sometimes it's fool's gold as you can become too dependent on it and instead of moving the ball quickly you settle for the long jumper. Good when it's going in (first half), not so much when it isn't (second half).
And as well as the Hall shot overall from distance the Red Storm did them one better hitting 50% on 9-18 shooting.
Have been noticing that Desi likes to shoot from the arc more on the right side of the court than the left. That rang true last night as he was 4-6 from that side of the court and 0-3 on the left.
Sock it to me.
Wore my newly purchased Seton Hall charity/holiday socks for the second time and to date we're undefeated.
I'll update that trend moving forward.
SJU is probably the best defensive team in the league and without their two offensive stars who are injured they played 'long' last night, which probably hurt their offensive halfcourt sets down the stretch when you needed Ponds running the show, but vastly improved their D.
Small pat on the back for Cale once again taking a charge followed up by making a steal, but he's too talented not to give the Prates more then just a play here and there.
The 13-0 run the Pirates made early in the second half coincided exactly when Ish Sanogo entered the game. He started it off breaking an 8-0 Johnnies run by making a gorgeous lob pass to Angel for a bucket and ended it by blocking a shot which resulted in SHU's final points in the run.
Coincidence? I think not.
St John's (foul) shot themselves in the foot down the stretch missing 3 of 4 from the stripe including a dagger front end of a one and one.
Bottom line, count your blessings Kevin Willard because your Pirates could have easily gone home last night 1-1 in the league. Certainly not because of anything you did wrong, but because for one night the secondary players on the Red Storm played far above their level.
Pirate fans, have a safe and happy New Year's day from all of us at Rivals.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
Great job by the alums showing up on a difficult time and date.
Can't say the same for the students who have been no shows since school break.
Not as loud as the Creighton game, but down the stretch as it was against the Blue Jays you had to stand to see the court.
The Big East hit a HOMErun in weekend play by having all 5 home teams come out with victories.
In the first group of games mid week only Seton Hall held serve.
When was the last game you attended in the Big East where the benches on both teams rang up a goose egg?
Staying with the Hall's bench, other than Ish, who played a sparkling game stats be damned, the Pirates got very little from Gordon, Cale, Walker and Mamu. The complaint here all year long was the use of mass substitutions and how they would not properly ready the young players for Big East play. Well to date that has rung true.
Is there a player in the Big East, hell the country, who has a better looking jump shot than St John's Marvin Clark. Picture perfect form.
TECHNICALly speaking that's 4 of 5 games the Hall has been whistled for woofing on the court.
Seton Hall's version of the deadly sins.....
Pick and role defense
Dribble penetration
Foul shooting
Bench production
On Sunday we saw the good and bad of Seton Hall's 2G playing the point.
Khadeen Carrington did not run the offense well, especially in the second half. But he did shoot lights out from distance and from the line.
The fear which materialized throughout the game was the level of intensity that the Pirates would bring to the court when word got out that SJU was not only without LoVett, but that Ponds would be joining him in street clothes on the bench.
The Hall started slowly, but then each time they were on the verge of turning the game into a blowout the Red Storm came right back at them.
Willard noted in the presser he feared that happening while also noting that 4 of his players, Delgado, Powell, Carrington and Rodriquez were suffering various stages of the flu and that sapped their strength. Leading me to wonder if maybe flu shots this time of year might be as important as jump shots.
When was the last time the Hall was outscored in the paint by 14 in Big East play? Yet down the stretch 6 points, all by Delgado, proved critical in the Pirates coming out with the victory.
Once on a two dribble drive for a layup and twice baling out his teammates as the shot clock was about to expire corralling air balls and then depositing them in the net.
Angel had a very difficult game looking past some of his stats. He struggled all game long with the length of St John's and for the second time in two nights of Big East play an opposing big had a career game against the Pirates. So it was nice having him play the crucial role in the end game.
At the 12:52 mark of the first half SJU was leading by 9 points. Slightly more than a minute later the score was tied.
That's what happens when you have the arc so close in college BB. Move it back.
Speaking of the arc. Sometimes it's fool's gold as you can become too dependent on it and instead of moving the ball quickly you settle for the long jumper. Good when it's going in (first half), not so much when it isn't (second half).
And as well as the Hall shot overall from distance the Red Storm did them one better hitting 50% on 9-18 shooting.
Have been noticing that Desi likes to shoot from the arc more on the right side of the court than the left. That rang true last night as he was 4-6 from that side of the court and 0-3 on the left.
Sock it to me.
Wore my newly purchased Seton Hall charity/holiday socks for the second time and to date we're undefeated.
I'll update that trend moving forward.
SJU is probably the best defensive team in the league and without their two offensive stars who are injured they played 'long' last night, which probably hurt their offensive halfcourt sets down the stretch when you needed Ponds running the show, but vastly improved their D.
Small pat on the back for Cale once again taking a charge followed up by making a steal, but he's too talented not to give the Prates more then just a play here and there.
The 13-0 run the Pirates made early in the second half coincided exactly when Ish Sanogo entered the game. He started it off breaking an 8-0 Johnnies run by making a gorgeous lob pass to Angel for a bucket and ended it by blocking a shot which resulted in SHU's final points in the run.
Coincidence? I think not.
St John's (foul) shot themselves in the foot down the stretch missing 3 of 4 from the stripe including a dagger front end of a one and one.
Bottom line, count your blessings Kevin Willard because your Pirates could have easily gone home last night 1-1 in the league. Certainly not because of anything you did wrong, but because for one night the secondary players on the Red Storm played far above their level.
Pirate fans, have a safe and happy New Year's day from all of us at Rivals.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
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