Pirates Picked Toward Bottom Of Preseason Poll Despite Loads Of Experience
by Colin RajalaTrove correspondent
...........Camaraderie is at an all-time high over the course of the three-plus years that Richmond has been donning the Pirate Blue and that togetherness will be needed as Seton Hall faces six preseason top 25 opponents in the first three months of the season, including a neutral site game against #21 USC and an away game at #20 Baylor before home games against #5 Marquette and #8 Creighton and home and away matchups against #6 UConn, the defending national champions.
“The energy throughout the facility from top to bottom has been great. The energy this summer was way up and that’s carried over and that’s been the best part of the gym right now.” Richmond said.
“We’re just having joy in doing the thing we love, playing ball. Were just trying to make sure the man next to you, your brother is doing well. That’s the biggest thing that comes with our energy,” he added.
..............The energy and team spirit has come from keeping it relatively simple, focusing on individual and team improvement every time they take the court.
“Our guys have been embracing being gym rats. I feel like that alone is setting up our progression to be even better,” Dawes said. “We’re improving as a team because our individual games are improving. We’re building good practices, building ourselves up in the weight room, just focusing on getting the program right.”
............The sentiment was echoed by Davis, a senior wing/forward who said the Pirates are “focused on one main thing” – winning the Big East conference.
“We want to win the conference and at the very least get a good seed in the Big East tournament, win the Big East tournament and make a run to the NCAA Championship. That’s what were focused on each and every day. We’re going to keep the main thing the main thing,” Davis said.
