Seton Hall, standing Pat, Part 2
by Zack Cziryak
Trove sports correspondent
The college sports landscape is a forever-changing one for athletic programs and athletic directors to navigate, particularly these days with the major football conferences calling more and more of the shots.
For Seton Hall Athletic Director Pat Lyons, who runs an athletic department in the “basketball only” BIG EAST Conference, some decisions are easier than others.
“It’s done,” Lyons said of Seton Hall’s decision to provide full cost of attendance benefits when the major football-playing conferences elect to provide them to student-athletes in the future. “We’re going to do it. We’ll do whatever we have to do to stay competitive with the football conferences.”
“We already take great care of our athletes. For instance we make sure our student-athlete care and protocols are top notch. We have a tremendous trainer in Tony Testa and we have one of the best facilities in the league. We’ve always given the best of care to our athletes even before some of the ideas emerged from the autonomy group.”
Lyons is committed to keeping Seton Hall athletics on pace with not only its BIG EAST Conference counterparts, but the rest of the country as well.
The results are beginning to show for the Pirates in the revamped conference as volleyball, women’s basketball and women’s golf all notched NCAA tournament bids this past year while the softball team reached the league's tournament final last month.
“Look at the success with the programs we have right now - great leadership, great support and great facilities,” Lyons said.
“It’s my hope that you’ll continue to see our programs develop excellence across the board. I want to go into every year knowing that each of our teams has a chance to win the league.”
While Seton Hall now competes in a reconstituted BIG EAST which is less competitive nationally in some sports than the conference’s prior incarnation, the success of several programs cannot be discounted for a school that had been sorely missing the thrill of championship caliber programs.
dalydoseofhoops.blogspot.com
Dr. A. Gabriel Esteban, Tony Bozzella, Pat Lyons
The turnaround of Seton Hall’s athletic fortunes are perhaps most readily apparent in the women’s basketball team’s upstart success, which includes earning a share of the league's regular season title and earning an NCAA tournament berth in Head Coach Tony Bozzella’s second season.
“Tony had to go through a long and difficult process to get to this position,” Lyons said. “I’ve been an AD for close to twelve years and have made many hires, but I knew when we had this opening Tony was the right guy.”
“He’s rebuilt four programs. You look at these last two years here...he was able to not only succeed on the court instantly but more importantly build a program. It hasn’t been all roses though, he’s dealt with a lot of issues, but because of his experience he’s been able to deal with them. Players don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Tony's team and his staff know how much he cares about them. Student-athletes at the end of the day just want to be part of a family.”
While the family-like atmosphere fostered by Seton Hall’s athletic programs is beginning to yield significant results on the field of play, Fox Sports, the leagues media outlet continues to give all the schools in the BIG EAST Conference the support they need.
Not only has Fox made BIG EAST men’s basketball a priority resulting in the broadcast of each and every game, but the media giant has provided television coverage to other sports including women’s basketball, baseball and softball.
Regarding Seton Hall’s flagship program men's basketball that appears to be in good hands with Fox Sports. According to Lyons he believes that the partnership will continue to grow and improve as the years pass.
“We’re always going to try to get better and we will get better. The first year was a little difficult with the league schedule. I think this last year the schedule was much better. Things like that will continue to improve.”
Lyons reiterated the advantageous position that Fox has situated the Big EAST, adding that having each and every game played by the men’s basketball team on television is a luxury that few schools can boast and is not to be underestimated. He also said that the media conglomerate’s sports division will continue to make the conference and schools a priority moving forward.
“This isn’t just that they have our media rights, this is a true partnership. They’re all in on the BIG EAST. The exposure they offer us is priceless. But so is their communications with us. That communication can be seen when they meet various members of each league school. They don’t just show up one time and call it a day, It goes beyond that. There’s a trust factor borne of our common needs and willingness to work together to improve the product.”
The Fox partnership has put Seton Hall men’s basketball in a place it’s never been before in terms of media exposure. That exposure only intensified following the school’s impressive start to the season, which included back-to-back wins against top 15 ranked opponents in early January with victories over both St. John’s and Villanova at the Prudential Center.
“If your flagship program is doing well and is winning, no matter where you’re at it’s a great thing. When you’re wining everything is better.”
That exposure, while fantastic when accompanied by winning, also takes on an increased level of scrutiny when the results are less successful. This scrutiny is exactly what Lyons expects from a university competing in men’s basketball in the BIG EAST conference.
“The way the year started I’m sure a lot of people felt we’d turned the corner, that Seton Hall basketball was back. We started off league play 2-0 with huge wins over St. John’s and Villanova. Everyone thought we were in a great position. Obviously we weren’t able to sustain that. Nobody is happy with the results that followed. At the end of the day the program that is going to be judged the most is men’s basketball.”
Despite the basketball team’s struggles to close last year’s campaign, Lyons believes in the talent that will lead the 2015/15 edition, namely sophomore guard Isaiah Whitehead and reigning Big East Rookie of the Year Angel Delgado.
“I remain confident in the team. We have two players coming back from the Big East All-Rookie squad and we have added some pieces that will also help us. ”
Moving forward, while the fortunes of many of Seton Hall's sports programs are on the uptick Lyons is just as proud of the academic success achieved by the university's student athletes the last several years under his stewardship.
Nine of the school’s fourteen programs have recently tallied Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores of 990 (out of 1000) or better, with four of them posting perfect scores. Six of those programs were recognized for earning a mufti-year APR in the top ten percent nationally in their respective sports.
Lyons is quick deflect the credit by acknowledging the hard work and dedication of the student athletes, the coaches and the athletic department’s academic staff.
“This was the best year we’ve ever had academically. I’m most proud that our student athlete GPA is over 3.3. Every team has a GPA over 3.0 earning many public recognition awards. Close to 50% of our teams are in the top ten in the country. That’s a credit to our student athletes, our coaches and the support staffs. The credit goes to all of those different people. I couldn’t be more proud of what we do academically.”
With Pat Lyons at the helm of Seton Hall’s athletic progress Pirate fans can be sure the office will hold high the diverse tenets that make for all-around successful programs.
“My focus has always been on academic excellence, competitiveness and the respectability factor. That focus has remained true and will continue to be our guide for success in the BIG EAST.”
by Zack Cziryak
Trove sports correspondent
The college sports landscape is a forever-changing one for athletic programs and athletic directors to navigate, particularly these days with the major football conferences calling more and more of the shots.
For Seton Hall Athletic Director Pat Lyons, who runs an athletic department in the “basketball only” BIG EAST Conference, some decisions are easier than others.
“It’s done,” Lyons said of Seton Hall’s decision to provide full cost of attendance benefits when the major football-playing conferences elect to provide them to student-athletes in the future. “We’re going to do it. We’ll do whatever we have to do to stay competitive with the football conferences.”
“We already take great care of our athletes. For instance we make sure our student-athlete care and protocols are top notch. We have a tremendous trainer in Tony Testa and we have one of the best facilities in the league. We’ve always given the best of care to our athletes even before some of the ideas emerged from the autonomy group.”
Lyons is committed to keeping Seton Hall athletics on pace with not only its BIG EAST Conference counterparts, but the rest of the country as well.
The results are beginning to show for the Pirates in the revamped conference as volleyball, women’s basketball and women’s golf all notched NCAA tournament bids this past year while the softball team reached the league's tournament final last month.
“Look at the success with the programs we have right now - great leadership, great support and great facilities,” Lyons said.
“It’s my hope that you’ll continue to see our programs develop excellence across the board. I want to go into every year knowing that each of our teams has a chance to win the league.”
While Seton Hall now competes in a reconstituted BIG EAST which is less competitive nationally in some sports than the conference’s prior incarnation, the success of several programs cannot be discounted for a school that had been sorely missing the thrill of championship caliber programs.
dalydoseofhoops.blogspot.com
Dr. A. Gabriel Esteban, Tony Bozzella, Pat Lyons
The turnaround of Seton Hall’s athletic fortunes are perhaps most readily apparent in the women’s basketball team’s upstart success, which includes earning a share of the league's regular season title and earning an NCAA tournament berth in Head Coach Tony Bozzella’s second season.
“Tony had to go through a long and difficult process to get to this position,” Lyons said. “I’ve been an AD for close to twelve years and have made many hires, but I knew when we had this opening Tony was the right guy.”
“He’s rebuilt four programs. You look at these last two years here...he was able to not only succeed on the court instantly but more importantly build a program. It hasn’t been all roses though, he’s dealt with a lot of issues, but because of his experience he’s been able to deal with them. Players don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Tony's team and his staff know how much he cares about them. Student-athletes at the end of the day just want to be part of a family.”
While the family-like atmosphere fostered by Seton Hall’s athletic programs is beginning to yield significant results on the field of play, Fox Sports, the leagues media outlet continues to give all the schools in the BIG EAST Conference the support they need.
Not only has Fox made BIG EAST men’s basketball a priority resulting in the broadcast of each and every game, but the media giant has provided television coverage to other sports including women’s basketball, baseball and softball.
Regarding Seton Hall’s flagship program men's basketball that appears to be in good hands with Fox Sports. According to Lyons he believes that the partnership will continue to grow and improve as the years pass.
“We’re always going to try to get better and we will get better. The first year was a little difficult with the league schedule. I think this last year the schedule was much better. Things like that will continue to improve.”
Lyons reiterated the advantageous position that Fox has situated the Big EAST, adding that having each and every game played by the men’s basketball team on television is a luxury that few schools can boast and is not to be underestimated. He also said that the media conglomerate’s sports division will continue to make the conference and schools a priority moving forward.
“This isn’t just that they have our media rights, this is a true partnership. They’re all in on the BIG EAST. The exposure they offer us is priceless. But so is their communications with us. That communication can be seen when they meet various members of each league school. They don’t just show up one time and call it a day, It goes beyond that. There’s a trust factor borne of our common needs and willingness to work together to improve the product.”
The Fox partnership has put Seton Hall men’s basketball in a place it’s never been before in terms of media exposure. That exposure only intensified following the school’s impressive start to the season, which included back-to-back wins against top 15 ranked opponents in early January with victories over both St. John’s and Villanova at the Prudential Center.
“If your flagship program is doing well and is winning, no matter where you’re at it’s a great thing. When you’re wining everything is better.”
That exposure, while fantastic when accompanied by winning, also takes on an increased level of scrutiny when the results are less successful. This scrutiny is exactly what Lyons expects from a university competing in men’s basketball in the BIG EAST conference.
“The way the year started I’m sure a lot of people felt we’d turned the corner, that Seton Hall basketball was back. We started off league play 2-0 with huge wins over St. John’s and Villanova. Everyone thought we were in a great position. Obviously we weren’t able to sustain that. Nobody is happy with the results that followed. At the end of the day the program that is going to be judged the most is men’s basketball.”
Despite the basketball team’s struggles to close last year’s campaign, Lyons believes in the talent that will lead the 2015/15 edition, namely sophomore guard Isaiah Whitehead and reigning Big East Rookie of the Year Angel Delgado.
“I remain confident in the team. We have two players coming back from the Big East All-Rookie squad and we have added some pieces that will also help us. ”
Moving forward, while the fortunes of many of Seton Hall's sports programs are on the uptick Lyons is just as proud of the academic success achieved by the university's student athletes the last several years under his stewardship.
Nine of the school’s fourteen programs have recently tallied Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores of 990 (out of 1000) or better, with four of them posting perfect scores. Six of those programs were recognized for earning a mufti-year APR in the top ten percent nationally in their respective sports.
Lyons is quick deflect the credit by acknowledging the hard work and dedication of the student athletes, the coaches and the athletic department’s academic staff.
“This was the best year we’ve ever had academically. I’m most proud that our student athlete GPA is over 3.3. Every team has a GPA over 3.0 earning many public recognition awards. Close to 50% of our teams are in the top ten in the country. That’s a credit to our student athletes, our coaches and the support staffs. The credit goes to all of those different people. I couldn’t be more proud of what we do academically.”
With Pat Lyons at the helm of Seton Hall’s athletic progress Pirate fans can be sure the office will hold high the diverse tenets that make for all-around successful programs.
“My focus has always been on academic excellence, competitiveness and the respectability factor. That focus has remained true and will continue to be our guide for success in the BIG EAST.”
