By JP Plezman
The expression on Kevin Willard’s face in Saturday’s post-game bore little resemblance to the actual result he had just witnessed.
But Seton Hall’s 10th-year coach had plenty of good reasons to be dissatisfied with the Pirates’ 87-51 victory against over-matched Florida A&M at the Prudential Center.
In one of the few breathers that Willard put on his team’s brutally difficult non-conference schedule, it took the Pirates (4-1) much longer than it should have to finally breathe a sigh of relief. The Rattlers (0-5) actually trailed by only nine points six-plus minutes into the second half before The Hall finally turned up the defensive intensity and belatedly pulled away.
Willard credited the energy brought by Shavar Reynolds and said, “We made some shots and got a little momentum going and were able to get into the press.”
Star senior guard Myles Powell (23 points) said, “I don't think we played Seton Hall basketball. Coach emphasized to us that that's how we practiced (this week), he just said that (to be) the team that we want to be, we have to practice to get better, not just to get through it. He said that all week we were just trying to get through practice, get it over with, and it showed today.”
Unlike in previous years, The Hall couldn’t use the setting as an excuse. Befitting the hype of the 13th-ranked team in the nation, 9,656 showed up for a noon game against a low-major.
“We had a great crowd come out for a 12 o’clock game,” Willard said, “and we kind of sleptwalked through 20 minutes of the game. Our kids play hard, they’re fun to watch, but you can’t come out and sleepwalk when people come out and watch it. It’s unacceptable.”
Perhaps the one positive is that Willard certainly will have their attention when the players begin practicing Sunday for the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas, which begins for Seton Hall on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. with a game against 11th-ranked Oregon at 9:30 p.m. If The Hall plays Wednesday the way it did for two long stretches versus Florida A&M, the Pirates will have little chance against the talented Ducks, who will have more answers than did the outclassed Rattlers.
A major issue on offense is that, through five games, nobody has emerged that consistent second scorer behind star Myles Powell. Willard said Saturday he believes guard Quincy McKnight, who scored 14 points Saturday, can be that guy.
“Q should be our second-leading scorer, he really should,” the coach said. “With the amount of time he’s out there, he has the ability to be a scorer. He defers a little bit to Myles, which is fine, but at the same time, we need a secondary scorer to step up and be consistent, and he’s done it before. He’s a fifth-year senior, he has the ability to do it. He’s the guy that needs to do it for us.”
Sandro Mamukelashvili, who seemed to be stepping into that Robin-to-Powell's-Batman role, had one of his puzzling performances, managing only two points in 12:42 after averaging 13.5 points in the first four contests. Willard chose not to play him for most of the second half because he was struggling. Willard said Mamukelashvili was OK physically, although teammates indicated they thought he was a bit under the weather.
Seton Hall needs him to contribute this week or the Pirates could sink quickly at Atlantis.
If they can get past Oregon, the Pirates likely would face No. 8 Gonzaga in the semifinals. After the tourney, they are off until Dec. 8, when they will visit Iowa State in a game not set up by Willard. After that, The Hall visits Rutgers and then will host revenge-seeking Maryland to finish a stretch Willard termed “brutal.”
He added, “It gives us a chance to kind of really see where we’re at, and if it doesn’t go our way, to really see where we need to go. It’s a good opportunity no matter what.”
This much is certain--there are no Florida A&Ms in that group.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/publishing/contents
The expression on Kevin Willard’s face in Saturday’s post-game bore little resemblance to the actual result he had just witnessed.
But Seton Hall’s 10th-year coach had plenty of good reasons to be dissatisfied with the Pirates’ 87-51 victory against over-matched Florida A&M at the Prudential Center.
In one of the few breathers that Willard put on his team’s brutally difficult non-conference schedule, it took the Pirates (4-1) much longer than it should have to finally breathe a sigh of relief. The Rattlers (0-5) actually trailed by only nine points six-plus minutes into the second half before The Hall finally turned up the defensive intensity and belatedly pulled away.
Willard credited the energy brought by Shavar Reynolds and said, “We made some shots and got a little momentum going and were able to get into the press.”
Star senior guard Myles Powell (23 points) said, “I don't think we played Seton Hall basketball. Coach emphasized to us that that's how we practiced (this week), he just said that (to be) the team that we want to be, we have to practice to get better, not just to get through it. He said that all week we were just trying to get through practice, get it over with, and it showed today.”
Unlike in previous years, The Hall couldn’t use the setting as an excuse. Befitting the hype of the 13th-ranked team in the nation, 9,656 showed up for a noon game against a low-major.
“We had a great crowd come out for a 12 o’clock game,” Willard said, “and we kind of sleptwalked through 20 minutes of the game. Our kids play hard, they’re fun to watch, but you can’t come out and sleepwalk when people come out and watch it. It’s unacceptable.”
Perhaps the one positive is that Willard certainly will have their attention when the players begin practicing Sunday for the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas, which begins for Seton Hall on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. with a game against 11th-ranked Oregon at 9:30 p.m. If The Hall plays Wednesday the way it did for two long stretches versus Florida A&M, the Pirates will have little chance against the talented Ducks, who will have more answers than did the outclassed Rattlers.
A major issue on offense is that, through five games, nobody has emerged that consistent second scorer behind star Myles Powell. Willard said Saturday he believes guard Quincy McKnight, who scored 14 points Saturday, can be that guy.
“Q should be our second-leading scorer, he really should,” the coach said. “With the amount of time he’s out there, he has the ability to be a scorer. He defers a little bit to Myles, which is fine, but at the same time, we need a secondary scorer to step up and be consistent, and he’s done it before. He’s a fifth-year senior, he has the ability to do it. He’s the guy that needs to do it for us.”
Sandro Mamukelashvili, who seemed to be stepping into that Robin-to-Powell's-Batman role, had one of his puzzling performances, managing only two points in 12:42 after averaging 13.5 points in the first four contests. Willard chose not to play him for most of the second half because he was struggling. Willard said Mamukelashvili was OK physically, although teammates indicated they thought he was a bit under the weather.
Seton Hall needs him to contribute this week or the Pirates could sink quickly at Atlantis.
If they can get past Oregon, the Pirates likely would face No. 8 Gonzaga in the semifinals. After the tourney, they are off until Dec. 8, when they will visit Iowa State in a game not set up by Willard. After that, The Hall visits Rutgers and then will host revenge-seeking Maryland to finish a stretch Willard termed “brutal.”
He added, “It gives us a chance to kind of really see where we’re at, and if it doesn’t go our way, to really see where we need to go. It’s a good opportunity no matter what.”
This much is certain--there are no Florida A&Ms in that group.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/publishing/contents
