Tony Bozzella, looking ahead
By Trove sports corespondent Zack Cziryak
“It’s going to be different,” Bozzella said of his team’s make-up this year. “When Daisha (Simmons) and DiDi (Simmons) graduated we replaced them with Shakena (Richardson) and Aleesha (Powell). This year we’re losing Kena, Aleesha and Tab (Richardson-Smith) so we lost those three, but we’re still excited because we have a great nucleus of young kids to help us bridge the gap.”
Among those young contributors for next season are the Pirates’ two point guards, sophomore LaTecia Smith and redshirt freshman Kaity Healy, who Bozzella recently named co-captains for next year and calling them “the hardest-working kids” in our program.
He will also rely on the continued improvement from senior center Lubirdia Gordon, who came on strong early last year before fading somewhat down the stretch, as well as Tara Inman, who is working her way back from an ACL injury suffered last season and should be ready to go a few weeks before practices begin.
While Bozzella will have to incorporate arguably more new pieces on his roster than he ever has in his coaching career, he has a plan in place to help expedite the blending of those pieces. Seton Hall will be journeying north of the boarder on a10-day trip to Canada this summer.
“I did it at Iona. It was the year we had a lot of freshmen becoming sophomores. This year we’re doing it with freshmen,” Bozzella said of the team's trip abroad. “One of the things we’ve learned is you have to discipline the players and teach them the right way to do things. In the middle of a league game it’s not as easy to sit them down. There you want to set an example but you also want to win. Now we can do what has to be done without worrying about our record.”
The Pirates’ head coach will have the luxury of sitting players for teaching moments as the Hall will play a total of five games in a ten day span up north, which includes four regular teams and one “all-star” type game against a combination of Canadian players.
“It’s not Italy but we wanted better competition,” Bozzella said of the Canada trip. “We’re going to room one freshman with one upperclassman. In this non-league setting it will help everyone get to know each other better.”
The trip will be of extreme importance to a Seton Hall squad that will be introducing a group of six scholarship freshmen and another walk on, some of whom will be expected to contribute immediately according to Bozzella.
The class features Shadeen Samuels, a 6’0” wing who averaged nearly 25 points per game for Ossining High School en route to her fourth Class AA New York State title and First Team All-State honors.
Shadeen Samuels
“Shadeen could be the best of all of them,” Bozzella said in reference to this year’s incoming freshmen. “Her high school team won the New York State championship. She should have been the player of the year. This kid’s a stud. She’s got a chance to be special....tremendous work ethic. Really well coached.”
Not far behind her in terms of immediate impact is Second Team Ohio All-State honoree Deja Winters, a 5’11” guard that was a finalist for her state’s Miss Basketball award.
“I went to watch her play in high school.........she had 51 points in that game and did it all. Deja is very well coached..........her dad’s a high school coach. Very talented kid who I think could be Rookie of the Year. We need her to play well and she’s got all the ability in the world to do that.”
The combination of Samuels and Winters is one that Bozzella expects to pay immediate dividends for the Pirates on the court.
“Deja and Shadeen are college ready right now, I’m expecting both to contribute immediately.”
While Samuels and Winters represent the Seton Hall women’s basketball team’s best shot for a quick impact, perhaps the greatest raw talent on the team comes in the form of 6’4” center Jayla Jones-Pack, a recent signee for the Pirates out of Long Island who chose South Orange after her original commitment to the University of Central Florida fell through in light of a coaching change.
Jayla Jones-Pack
“She’s got all the tools to be a top player in the Big East. I think she’ll have an immediate impact defensively. She’s got range and runs the floor very well. She’s got tremendous upside.”
“When Jayla really goes after it she’s as talented as anybody. She can move, shoot the three and play D. Jayla could be the league's defensive player of the year. She has that kind of potential."
"Jayla can be a pro – pro body, pro length and shoots the ball.”
Fellow Long Islander Kaela Hilaire also signed late with the Pirates after the head coach for her initial collegiate destination, Albany, was fired in the off season. Having originally spent time recruiting Hilaire and needing another point guard, Bozzella and his staff staff wasted little time in bringing the talented youngster to South Orange, noting that Hilaire had really blown up as a prospect in the senior year.
“Once she got the release we were able to make it happen in 3 or 4 days. To her credit she went from being a really good player to Long Island Player of the Year. She has learned how to play.....tremendous handle.”
Rounding out the freshman class for 2016 is Maryland native Tyeisha Smith, Skyler Snider, a forward from Nebraska and Ali Fitzgerald, a walk-on from New York.
“Great build – strong guard, more of a two than a one,” Bozzella said of Smith. “What I really like about her is she loves to shoot the three. Has the ability to be a great defender….Tye could be a Derrick Gordon-type player. Good defender that can hit the big shot.”
“Skyler Snider..........typical Nebraska kid. Plays like an ox,” Bozzella notes. “Really has a chance to be the sleeper of the group. Shoots well, drives it tough. She’ll replace a lot of Taylor Byrne's toughness, but with a more polished all-around offensive game.”
" Ali will provide a tremendous shooter for us off the bench. She'll also be very valuable in practice challenging our scholarship players."
Completing the Class of 2020 will be Taylor Brown, a Paterson, N.J.native and transfer from Western Kentucky who will sit out the 2016-2017 campaign per transfer regulations.
In Brown Bozzella feels he’s found a potential future All-Big East player, despite the numbers she put up for the Hilltoppers.
“She can take people off the dribble. She’s going to be a First Team All-Big East player by the time she’s done. I truly believe that,” Bozzella said.
Looking ahead to next year this young Pirate squad will have an interesting non-conference schedule to prepare them for the rigors of Big East play. The schedule is near completion according to Bozzella.
The Pirates will open up with Savannah State University before a slate of games that includes road tilts against Rutgers, Princeton and Minnesota as well as home contests against Wake Forest and Boston College.
The Hall will also host a tournament that welcomes San Diego State University, Central Connecticut and the University of Texas at Arlington, and an additional home game against Long Island University-Brooklyn, which is headed by former Pirate assistant coach Stephanie Oliver (nee. Del Preore).
While Tony Bozzella embarks on his fourth season at the helm of the Seton Hall women’s basketball program with a young roster and intriguing non-conference slate, he has certainly put together an exciting squad that will work together with a goal of reaching a fourth consecutive postseason berth in addition to building a foundation for what their Bozzella envisions as a huge step for the program.
“I think early on everyone will have to be a little patient, we’ve got a lot of young kids,” Bozzella said of fan expectations. “I think we’ve got a great foundation. I’m not saying next year, but when these kids are sophomores they could match up with our best past teams.”
Exciting times on the horizon for all fans of Seton Hall women's basketball. And for that Tony Bozzella and his excellent staff stands out front and center.
By Trove sports corespondent Zack Cziryak
“It’s going to be different,” Bozzella said of his team’s make-up this year. “When Daisha (Simmons) and DiDi (Simmons) graduated we replaced them with Shakena (Richardson) and Aleesha (Powell). This year we’re losing Kena, Aleesha and Tab (Richardson-Smith) so we lost those three, but we’re still excited because we have a great nucleus of young kids to help us bridge the gap.”
Among those young contributors for next season are the Pirates’ two point guards, sophomore LaTecia Smith and redshirt freshman Kaity Healy, who Bozzella recently named co-captains for next year and calling them “the hardest-working kids” in our program.
He will also rely on the continued improvement from senior center Lubirdia Gordon, who came on strong early last year before fading somewhat down the stretch, as well as Tara Inman, who is working her way back from an ACL injury suffered last season and should be ready to go a few weeks before practices begin.
While Bozzella will have to incorporate arguably more new pieces on his roster than he ever has in his coaching career, he has a plan in place to help expedite the blending of those pieces. Seton Hall will be journeying north of the boarder on a10-day trip to Canada this summer.
“I did it at Iona. It was the year we had a lot of freshmen becoming sophomores. This year we’re doing it with freshmen,” Bozzella said of the team's trip abroad. “One of the things we’ve learned is you have to discipline the players and teach them the right way to do things. In the middle of a league game it’s not as easy to sit them down. There you want to set an example but you also want to win. Now we can do what has to be done without worrying about our record.”
The Pirates’ head coach will have the luxury of sitting players for teaching moments as the Hall will play a total of five games in a ten day span up north, which includes four regular teams and one “all-star” type game against a combination of Canadian players.
“It’s not Italy but we wanted better competition,” Bozzella said of the Canada trip. “We’re going to room one freshman with one upperclassman. In this non-league setting it will help everyone get to know each other better.”
The trip will be of extreme importance to a Seton Hall squad that will be introducing a group of six scholarship freshmen and another walk on, some of whom will be expected to contribute immediately according to Bozzella.
The class features Shadeen Samuels, a 6’0” wing who averaged nearly 25 points per game for Ossining High School en route to her fourth Class AA New York State title and First Team All-State honors.
Shadeen Samuels
“Shadeen could be the best of all of them,” Bozzella said in reference to this year’s incoming freshmen. “Her high school team won the New York State championship. She should have been the player of the year. This kid’s a stud. She’s got a chance to be special....tremendous work ethic. Really well coached.”
Not far behind her in terms of immediate impact is Second Team Ohio All-State honoree Deja Winters, a 5’11” guard that was a finalist for her state’s Miss Basketball award.
“I went to watch her play in high school.........she had 51 points in that game and did it all. Deja is very well coached..........her dad’s a high school coach. Very talented kid who I think could be Rookie of the Year. We need her to play well and she’s got all the ability in the world to do that.”
The combination of Samuels and Winters is one that Bozzella expects to pay immediate dividends for the Pirates on the court.
“Deja and Shadeen are college ready right now, I’m expecting both to contribute immediately.”
While Samuels and Winters represent the Seton Hall women’s basketball team’s best shot for a quick impact, perhaps the greatest raw talent on the team comes in the form of 6’4” center Jayla Jones-Pack, a recent signee for the Pirates out of Long Island who chose South Orange after her original commitment to the University of Central Florida fell through in light of a coaching change.
Jayla Jones-Pack
“She’s got all the tools to be a top player in the Big East. I think she’ll have an immediate impact defensively. She’s got range and runs the floor very well. She’s got tremendous upside.”
“When Jayla really goes after it she’s as talented as anybody. She can move, shoot the three and play D. Jayla could be the league's defensive player of the year. She has that kind of potential."
"Jayla can be a pro – pro body, pro length and shoots the ball.”
Fellow Long Islander Kaela Hilaire also signed late with the Pirates after the head coach for her initial collegiate destination, Albany, was fired in the off season. Having originally spent time recruiting Hilaire and needing another point guard, Bozzella and his staff staff wasted little time in bringing the talented youngster to South Orange, noting that Hilaire had really blown up as a prospect in the senior year.
“Once she got the release we were able to make it happen in 3 or 4 days. To her credit she went from being a really good player to Long Island Player of the Year. She has learned how to play.....tremendous handle.”
Rounding out the freshman class for 2016 is Maryland native Tyeisha Smith, Skyler Snider, a forward from Nebraska and Ali Fitzgerald, a walk-on from New York.
“Great build – strong guard, more of a two than a one,” Bozzella said of Smith. “What I really like about her is she loves to shoot the three. Has the ability to be a great defender….Tye could be a Derrick Gordon-type player. Good defender that can hit the big shot.”
“Skyler Snider..........typical Nebraska kid. Plays like an ox,” Bozzella notes. “Really has a chance to be the sleeper of the group. Shoots well, drives it tough. She’ll replace a lot of Taylor Byrne's toughness, but with a more polished all-around offensive game.”
" Ali will provide a tremendous shooter for us off the bench. She'll also be very valuable in practice challenging our scholarship players."
Completing the Class of 2020 will be Taylor Brown, a Paterson, N.J.native and transfer from Western Kentucky who will sit out the 2016-2017 campaign per transfer regulations.
In Brown Bozzella feels he’s found a potential future All-Big East player, despite the numbers she put up for the Hilltoppers.
“She can take people off the dribble. She’s going to be a First Team All-Big East player by the time she’s done. I truly believe that,” Bozzella said.
Looking ahead to next year this young Pirate squad will have an interesting non-conference schedule to prepare them for the rigors of Big East play. The schedule is near completion according to Bozzella.
The Pirates will open up with Savannah State University before a slate of games that includes road tilts against Rutgers, Princeton and Minnesota as well as home contests against Wake Forest and Boston College.
The Hall will also host a tournament that welcomes San Diego State University, Central Connecticut and the University of Texas at Arlington, and an additional home game against Long Island University-Brooklyn, which is headed by former Pirate assistant coach Stephanie Oliver (nee. Del Preore).
While Tony Bozzella embarks on his fourth season at the helm of the Seton Hall women’s basketball program with a young roster and intriguing non-conference slate, he has certainly put together an exciting squad that will work together with a goal of reaching a fourth consecutive postseason berth in addition to building a foundation for what their Bozzella envisions as a huge step for the program.
“I think early on everyone will have to be a little patient, we’ve got a lot of young kids,” Bozzella said of fan expectations. “I think we’ve got a great foundation. I’m not saying next year, but when these kids are sophomores they could match up with our best past teams.”
Exciting times on the horizon for all fans of Seton Hall women's basketball. And for that Tony Bozzella and his excellent staff stands out front and center.
