Seton Hall at Xavier

Halldan1 · Dec 29, 2020

Media release

Seton Hall returns from Christmas break to face a tough Xavier squad at 7 p.m. on Dec. 30 in Cincinnati.
The Hall has won five of its last six games and is coming off of a 78-67 win over Georgetown on Dec. 23.
Senior Myles Cale (Middletown, Del.) was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Dec. 28 after dropping a career-high 30 points against the Hoyas.
Junior Jared Rhoden (Baldwin, N.Y.) earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for his 26 point and 12 rebound performance against Georgetown.
The Hall’s five conference games this month are the most BIG EAST games played in December in program history.
Under head coach Kevin Willard, the Pirates are 7-3 in their first game after the Christmas break with wins in each of the last three years.
The Pirates are 1-0 in BIG EAST road games this season (70-63 at Marquette, 12/17) and have won eight of their last 10 conference road contests dating back to last season.
In 2019-20, the Pirates were true road warriors as they went 8-4 in road games with all eight wins coming against Quad 1 opponents.
Seven of those eight victories came against BIG EAST teams on the road, a school record.
Senior Sandro Mamukelashvili (Tbilisi, Georgia) ranks third in the BIG EAST and leads the conference among players that have played in 10 games with 18.2 points per game. He also ranks 11th with 6.7 rebounds, 14th with 3.3 assists and fifth with 34.8 minutes per game.
Jared Rhoden ranks in the top 10 in rebounding (4th, 7.6 rpg), free throw percentage (ninth, 80.8 pct.) and minutes (ninth, 34.3).

Seton Hall is 12-10 all-time against Xavier in a series that dates back to 1948.
The Pirates have won by double digits in their last two trips to the Cintas Center (1/2/19, 80-70; 83-71, 1/8/20).
The road team has won the last four meetings in this series.

Through the first 10 games of his senior season, Sandro Mamukelashvili is living up to the preseason accolades and expectations bestowed upon him.
“Mamu”, as he’s affectionately known, was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST first team and watch lists for the Naismith Trophy and the Karl Malone Award in the preseason.
The Georgian is one of only four players in the Power Six conferences to register multiple 30-point games this season, joining Illinois’ Ayo Dosunmu, Iowa’s Luke Garza and Minnesota’s Marcus Carr.
He was named to the BIG EAST’s Weekly Honor Roll for the third consecutive week on Dec. 21 after averaging 18.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists in two conference games.
Mamukelashvili has also been getting done recently in the assist column as he dished out a career-high seven assists in the Pirates’ gritty 70-63 road victory at Marquette on Dec. 17 and six dimes against Providence.
In the comeback win at Penn State, Mamukelashvili dropped a career-high 30 points – 22 of which came in the second half – to go along with five rebounds and four assists.
Mamukelashvili is Seton Hall’s first power forward/center to register multiple 30-point performances in a season since Arturas Karnisovas in 1993-94.
He led the Pirates with 22 points and 10 rebounds against Louisville for his eighth career double-double.

WILLARD APPROACHES ELITE COMPANY

Sparked by nine-plus conference wins and top three finishes in the BIG EAST standings in each of the last five seasons, head coach Kevin Willard is approaching the top 10 of the league’s all-time winningest coaches by regular season and tournament victories.

BIG EAST All-Time Winningest Coaches By Wins (Regular Season + Tournament)

Coach, School - Wins

1. Jim Boeheim, Syracuse - 416

2. Jim Calhoun, Connecticut - 309

3. Jay Wright, Villanova - 244

4. John Thompson, Georgetown - 231

5. Mike Brey, Notre Dame - 146

John Thompson III, Georgetown - 146

7. Lou Carnesecca, St. John’s - 139

8. Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh - 127

9. Rick Pitino, Providence/Louisville - 126

10. Rollie Massimino, Villanova - 123

11. Steve Lappas, Villanova - 97

Kevin Willard, Seton Hall - 97

13. Ed Cooley, Providence - 93

14. P.J. Carlesimo, Seton Hall - 90

SHAVAR KEEPS HITTING BIG SHOTS

Shavar Reynolds, Jr.’s Seton Hall career began as a scrappy role player. He has since turned himself into the Pirates’ starting point guard and a go-to shot maker in big spots.
His propensity to hit big shots started with his game-winning three-pointer vs. St. John’s in 2018-19. It returned on Dec. 6 at Penn State when he hit a three with under 50 seconds left in overtime to put the Pirates ahead for good, 93-91.
Reynolds, Jr. buried a go-ahead three-pointer for the second time this season at Marquette with 42.1 seconds left in The Hall’s 70-63 victory.
Reynolds, Jr. ranks in the top five in the BIG EAST in multiple categories including assists (t-4th, 5.0 assists per game), free throw percentage (2nd, 87.5 pct.), steals (3rd, 2.0 spg), three-point percentage (3rd, 52.4) and assist to turnover ratio (t-5th, 2.3).
In the win over Iona, Reynolds, Jr. dished out a career best eight assists to go along with five steals and five points.
Reynolds, Jr. posted a career-high 17 points, shot 4-of-5 from beyond the arc and dished out eight assists against No. 21 Oregon.
Reynolds, Jr.’s workmanlike nature can be credited to his upbringing – his mother, Teekemia, is a social worker and his father, Shavar, Sr., is a retired U.S. Navy Master at Arms who served for 21 years.

Halldan1 · Dec 29, 2020