https://setonhall.rivals.com/
Part 1
By Colin Rajala
Trove question: Thanks for taking some time out to speak to https://setonhall.rivals.com/ about Seton Hall hoops and the recruiting trail. While I have had a chance to see plenty of your recruiting tweets and articles, I am not familiar with your background. It would be great to hear about your journey to working with Rivals.
Corey Evans: I always wanted to be a college coach. I started out as an undergrad at Old Dominion working with the men’s basketball program. First year out of college, I got on the staff at Duquesne and after one year in, we were let go. It made me rethink the path I wanted to take for the foreseeable future. From there I picked up a scouting service, the Roundball Rundown Report, and ran that for a couple of years and I really enjoyed it. I had a chance to work with NY2LA Sports, covering their events in Milwaukee for a year or so before joining HoopSeen. Working alongside those guys has been great and it gave me a chance to work my way up. About three or four years ago, I trusted the process in a sense and one thing led to the next and Eric Bossi gave me a call and I had a chance to join Rivals. Ever since, I have been working my tail off to cover basketball nationally. I am very grateful for every door that has been opened for me.
Q: I’ve had the pleasure of talking with Eric a few times over the last few years and he always provides some great insights on players. I have to ask you (numerously), who is the better recruiting analyst the old guard or the young gun?
A: You know what man, I can’t speak about myself too much here so, I am going to say Eric Bossi. I think I am pretty good, but Eric has been doing it a little longer than I have so, I have to appreciate all that he has done and what he continues to do. It’s been great to learn alongside him.
Q: You’re too modest - Bossi is going to tell you to get a chip on your shoulder. Now would be a good time to get your take on some of the new faces on the Seton Hall team. I think it would be best to start out with Bryce Aiken. He’s obviously experienced and talented, but has some big shoes to fill replacing Myles Powell and Quincy McKnight. I know he has had some injury issues in his college career, but when he’s on the court he looks pretty dynamic. I am curious what you think about his game and how he is going to look in the Pirate blue?
A: I think Bryce Aiken, like you said, is the right guy to start things off with, especially with the hole in the backcourt. There is a reason why he was a former top 100 prospect, there’s a reason why he was invited to the Nike Skills Academy last year and there is a reason why he was thought of as one of the top graduate transfers available this spring. Bryce is tremendously tough; he has the full pedigree and all of the intangibles. He can score, he can facilitate, he makes plays and can defend. As you said, as long as he can stay healthy, there is only a select few that can replace the hole that Seton Hall had in the backcourt and I think Bryce is one of the few that can actually do that.
Q: That is great to hear. I think the entire fan base is going to miss Powell bombing threes from deep and just filling it up. While you don’t see too many guys who can do that consistently, the fact that Bryce is going to be able to come in and fill some of that role should give the fans more confidence in next year’s team.
A: There is no doubt about that. Losing a shot maker like Powell is never easy, but Bryce is certainly going to help that transition with his perimeter scoring.
Q: The other newcomers in the backcourt are Dimingus Stevens and Jahari Long. With Stevens, he was a high-profile guy early on that has dropped a bit, while Long seems to be one of those guys that Seton Hall gets that may have been underrecruited with his best basketball in front of him. What do you think about the two players and the roles they may be able to carve out as freshman? Obviously, it is going to be tough for them to earn major minutes right away, especially with Coach Willard not giving guys much burn as first year players or if they cannot defend up to his standards.
A: I think that of the two, Dimingus Stevens might have a chance to get on the floor quicker just because of his perimeter shooting. I think that is what he does best, he is a microwave scorer almost to a fault. Every shot he sees he thinks he can make. Like you said, he needs to show the willingness and capability to defend, but he’s confident and has good size and good length. He can play both spots off the ball and at the end of the day he can make shots, which may be a need for this team.
With Shavar Reynolds and Myles Cale still there and even Jared Rhoden being able to handle the ball in spurts, Jahari Long may not have as clear of a path to minutes initially. He is a primary ball handler that can make plays. He really doesn’t have a position on the floor, rather he’s just a basketball player. He’s a very sturdy, very controlled, very tough-minded guard that I think will be a great four-year producer at Seton Hall.
Q: That is excellent news for Pirate fans. It’s been interesting to hear different takes on Long because it seems like he had a bit of a growth spurt at the end of high school. Being able to have a bigger guard with his ball skills on the court alongside a smaller guard like say Ryan Conway in 2021 creates some interesting lineups and options.
A: Ryan Conway will be a good player for the Hall. Again, he’s also a very sturdy player with a very high IQ. Coaches love him because he is a competitor and is someone who just flat out wants to win. He wants to make everyone around him better like a true point. He is going to impact winning with his play on both sides of the floor. His game is not exclusively on the offensive side, he is a more than willing and capable on the ball defender with tremendous intangibles.
Part 1
By Colin Rajala
Trove question: Thanks for taking some time out to speak to https://setonhall.rivals.com/ about Seton Hall hoops and the recruiting trail. While I have had a chance to see plenty of your recruiting tweets and articles, I am not familiar with your background. It would be great to hear about your journey to working with Rivals.
Corey Evans: I always wanted to be a college coach. I started out as an undergrad at Old Dominion working with the men’s basketball program. First year out of college, I got on the staff at Duquesne and after one year in, we were let go. It made me rethink the path I wanted to take for the foreseeable future. From there I picked up a scouting service, the Roundball Rundown Report, and ran that for a couple of years and I really enjoyed it. I had a chance to work with NY2LA Sports, covering their events in Milwaukee for a year or so before joining HoopSeen. Working alongside those guys has been great and it gave me a chance to work my way up. About three or four years ago, I trusted the process in a sense and one thing led to the next and Eric Bossi gave me a call and I had a chance to join Rivals. Ever since, I have been working my tail off to cover basketball nationally. I am very grateful for every door that has been opened for me.
Q: I’ve had the pleasure of talking with Eric a few times over the last few years and he always provides some great insights on players. I have to ask you (numerously), who is the better recruiting analyst the old guard or the young gun?
A: You know what man, I can’t speak about myself too much here so, I am going to say Eric Bossi. I think I am pretty good, but Eric has been doing it a little longer than I have so, I have to appreciate all that he has done and what he continues to do. It’s been great to learn alongside him.
Q: You’re too modest - Bossi is going to tell you to get a chip on your shoulder. Now would be a good time to get your take on some of the new faces on the Seton Hall team. I think it would be best to start out with Bryce Aiken. He’s obviously experienced and talented, but has some big shoes to fill replacing Myles Powell and Quincy McKnight. I know he has had some injury issues in his college career, but when he’s on the court he looks pretty dynamic. I am curious what you think about his game and how he is going to look in the Pirate blue?
A: I think Bryce Aiken, like you said, is the right guy to start things off with, especially with the hole in the backcourt. There is a reason why he was a former top 100 prospect, there’s a reason why he was invited to the Nike Skills Academy last year and there is a reason why he was thought of as one of the top graduate transfers available this spring. Bryce is tremendously tough; he has the full pedigree and all of the intangibles. He can score, he can facilitate, he makes plays and can defend. As you said, as long as he can stay healthy, there is only a select few that can replace the hole that Seton Hall had in the backcourt and I think Bryce is one of the few that can actually do that.
Q: That is great to hear. I think the entire fan base is going to miss Powell bombing threes from deep and just filling it up. While you don’t see too many guys who can do that consistently, the fact that Bryce is going to be able to come in and fill some of that role should give the fans more confidence in next year’s team.
A: There is no doubt about that. Losing a shot maker like Powell is never easy, but Bryce is certainly going to help that transition with his perimeter scoring.
Q: The other newcomers in the backcourt are Dimingus Stevens and Jahari Long. With Stevens, he was a high-profile guy early on that has dropped a bit, while Long seems to be one of those guys that Seton Hall gets that may have been underrecruited with his best basketball in front of him. What do you think about the two players and the roles they may be able to carve out as freshman? Obviously, it is going to be tough for them to earn major minutes right away, especially with Coach Willard not giving guys much burn as first year players or if they cannot defend up to his standards.
A: I think that of the two, Dimingus Stevens might have a chance to get on the floor quicker just because of his perimeter shooting. I think that is what he does best, he is a microwave scorer almost to a fault. Every shot he sees he thinks he can make. Like you said, he needs to show the willingness and capability to defend, but he’s confident and has good size and good length. He can play both spots off the ball and at the end of the day he can make shots, which may be a need for this team.
With Shavar Reynolds and Myles Cale still there and even Jared Rhoden being able to handle the ball in spurts, Jahari Long may not have as clear of a path to minutes initially. He is a primary ball handler that can make plays. He really doesn’t have a position on the floor, rather he’s just a basketball player. He’s a very sturdy, very controlled, very tough-minded guard that I think will be a great four-year producer at Seton Hall.
Q: That is excellent news for Pirate fans. It’s been interesting to hear different takes on Long because it seems like he had a bit of a growth spurt at the end of high school. Being able to have a bigger guard with his ball skills on the court alongside a smaller guard like say Ryan Conway in 2021 creates some interesting lineups and options.
A: Ryan Conway will be a good player for the Hall. Again, he’s also a very sturdy player with a very high IQ. Coaches love him because he is a competitor and is someone who just flat out wants to win. He wants to make everyone around him better like a true point. He is going to impact winning with his play on both sides of the floor. His game is not exclusively on the offensive side, he is a more than willing and capable on the ball defender with tremendous intangibles.
