PirateCrew: Seton Hall Pirates Football & Basketball Recruiting
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By JP Pelzman
It happened less frequently last season than it did in previous years, but still, those moments occasionally cropped up. Those times when Sandro Mamukelashvili would pass up a golden opportunity to score and instead would pass the ball to someone else.
That should not happen this year. And he knows that.
Certainly, it was made clear Wednesday when the Big East coaches named Seton Hall’s senior power forward a preseason first-team all-conference choice. But more important, the 6-10 Mamukelashvili needs to be The Man for The Hall now that All-American Myles Powell has graduated.
“Coming into this year, I want to be a leader,” Mamukelashvili said Wednesday during Big East virtual media day. “I want to be the guy my teammates can rely on. I want to be the leader for the young guys.”
He then admitted this will be uncharted waters for him.
“This is a new adventure for me,” said the native of Georgia, an eastern European country 6,000-plus miles away from the United States. “I've never been in the spotlight like this. I've got to stay level-headed and keep working hard and God will take care of the rest. I've got to control the controllables and that is coming out and playing hard every game and showing everyone the potential I really have and the rest will take care of itself.”
And what about that killer instinct? Well, he realizes he’ll need it to achieve his ultimate dream, of becoming the second person from his country to play in the NBA.
“I just want to put my country on the map,” said Mamukelashvili, who averaged 11.9 points and 6.0 rebounds last season despite missing 10 games with a fractured wrist. “It's my dream to play there and represent my country and my family the right way. Growing up in the place I grew up, you just have to have a killer instinct just to make it out. Me just being here (in the United States) is a blessing.”
"I really thought toward the end of last year everyone started to see the player he was emerging to be," Hall coach Kevin Willard said. “We’re going to run a lot of offense through Sandro at the high post, which is different from what we’ve done in the past. He wants it and I think he’s ready for it.”
As for being recognized by the coaches, Mamukelashvili said, "It means the world to me, just having the journey I’ve had and coming this far. I’ve been working for this moment. The coaches putting me on the first team is a blessing. It’s just the preseason. There’s a long way to go still. I’ll keep working and hopefully at the end it’ll still be the same thing.”
Of course, “Mamu” still is a team-first guy. When asked about the Pirates being picked fifth by the coaches after finishing in a three-way tie for first in the regular season in 2019-20, he said, “I don’t think they (Big East coaches) really understand how much potential and talent we’ve got left on this team. We’ve always been underdogs but last year. I feel like it’s in our DNA to play with our hearts out. So, I feel like the coaches are going to regret that decision, but we’ll see.”
As for Cale, he expects more from himself after an inconsistent junior season.
“It's definitely an opportunity for me to show you guys what I can do,” he said, “what I can showcase.”
He admitted, “I kind of took a back seat” to Powell in the past, but realizes he can’t do that anymore.
Welcome back?
Willard’s sardonic sense of humor was on full display when he was asked about Connecticut rejoining the conference.
“It sucks for us, to be honest with you,” Willard said. “I didn’t vote for it, I voted against it.”
To clarify, coaches don’t have a vote.
“I’m still really not that happy about it,” Willard continued. “If you don’t know, no one in this league listens to me, so I’m not used to getting my way anyway. But for the league in general, I think it’s great. (It’s a) great program, great tradition, great history.
“I think the program, where it is now with Danny (Hurley), is on the rise,” he added. “They have great players. I’m a big fan of what Dan does, how he coaches, and how his teams play. I think it’s only going to make this league better. We’ve been the best basketball conference in the country in three of the last four years, and I think that helps us continue that trend.”
Hurley, a Seton Hall alum who called the American Athletic Conference “A league that really didn’t suit UConn,” also said, “Seton Hall’s a place that’s meant a lot to me. I met my wife there and my oldest son, Danny, is going to graduate from there this year. “Having grown up in Jersey City and having played there and gone from an immature kid going into Seton Hall and leaving there as a young man that was somebody I was proud of going out the door...I’ll be spending quite a bit of time the day of the game, the day before the (road) game, just thinking about the journey reflecting on how full-circle life comes.”
UConn senior forward Isaiah Whaley said with a smile that some of his relatives “didn’t even realize we left the Big East, especially my grandfather. He was really excited” about the Huskies coming home to the Big East.
He's ‘Aiken’ to return.
Harvard grad transfer Bryce Aiken, still battling chronic knee problems, has yet to practice in full-team drills. But he said Wednesday, “I’m definitely planning to play the first game of the season. The only thing I haven’t done is play 5-on-5. Things are looking optimistic.”
Of course, it still is unclear when, where and who the Pirates will play in their opener after the UCLA game was wiped out this week.
Willard said of Aiken, “He looks great physically. It’s just going to be (a matter of) getting over the mental hurdle of the injuries, which is always tough. We’ve just taken it really slow with injuries, so we’re taking it really slow with him. We expect to get him back on the practice court in early November.
“He’s a point guard who understands the game at a coaching level,” Willard added. “He sees the game and calls plays where I don’t have to do stuff, I don’t have to run the team or call plays. He’s one of those who just has a feel.”
As for making the transition from the Ivy League to the Big East, Aiken said, “Basketball is basketball. It's a universal sport.”
Although he admitted, “The speed of the game, the tempo of the game will be different,” he doesn’t think it will take him long to adjust.
Ike’s time?
When asked about how much the Pirates will miss shot-blocking specialist and Big East Defensive Player of the Year Romaro Gill, Mamukelashvili said that people shouldn’t sleep on his backup, Ike Obiagu.
“I feel like we haven’t talked enough about Ike,” Mamukelashvili said. “Ro was an amazing player. He stepped up a lot last year. But Ike’s improved so much. His body has improved. He's a lot more agile. He's a lot better with the ball. You’re going to see how much he’s improved. He and Coach Grant (Billmeier) are in the gym everyday. We trust Ike a lot more and we believe he can have that breakout year.”
Georgia on his mind.
Mamukelashvili will see an old friend when the Pirates face Creighton. The Bluejays’ roster includes 6-4 freshman guard Rati Andronikashvili, also from Georgia. “Mamu” said he has known him since Andronikashvili was 10 years old.
“He was at the same basketball academy and I played with him at the high national team level,” Mamukelashvili said. “At the national team, he would be the youngest guy on the team, but he would be the most courageous guy who would come out and just play basketball. He’s so talented, so long and he plays his position perfectly. Of course, coming in as a freshman it will be a tough gauge but I believe in Rati and I'm so proud of him.
“He's like my little brother,” he added. “I wish him nothing but the best. He's going to open a lot of eyes this year and Creighton is lucky to have him.”
Just as Seton Hall is lucky to have Sandro Mamukelashvili.
