PirateCrew: Seton Hall Pirates Football & Basketball Recruiting
The definitive source for all PirateCrew news.
by JP Pelzman
Looking back and looking ahead after Seton Hall's 62-59 escape against California:
1--Mixing and matching.
Like a chef trying new ways to season that Thanksgiving turkey (stop me before I use another holiday-themed simile/metaphor), Kevin Willard clearly was in his gym/kitchen Tuesday after the Myles Cale injury searching for different combinations/recipes.
One thing Willard tried Wednesday in the Pirates’ win was starting sophomore guard Jahari Long, noting afterward in his radio interview that he has been playing well in practice. Long had one assist in five-plus minutes and departed with the Golden Bears ahead 11-10. It would be interesting to see more of him going forward, as he had been relegated to the bench against Michigan and Ohio State.
2--Be thankful.
That is, that California ballhandlers Jordan Shepherd and Joel Brown both have some weaknesses. Shepherd shot 3-for-13 overall and 0-for-2 from three, and at least on this night, didn’t have the ability to save a possession when he wound up with the hot potato in his hands and the clock winding down.
He wasn’t blaming Shepherd, but coach Mark Fox said afterward to Cal media, “We had a couple possessions where we weren’t alert to the shot clock.”
As for Brown, his now 33.3% free-throw shooting proved costly at the end, obviously, when he missed the front end of a crucial one-and-one.
3--Cale update.
Willard said afterward he thinks Myles Cale (groin) could be ready in time to face Texas on Dec. 9 at home. Willard reported on the post-game radio interview that Cale looked and felt much better Wednesday. That would be huge, because Cale’s defense was missed against the offensively-challenged Golden Bears, and will be necessary against the ranked Longhorns.
4--Richmond joins the party.
Kadary Richmond got into the flow for the first time against a big-name opponent. In 28 minutes, he had 12 points, but still zero assists and two turnovers. Willard indicated he wants Richmond and Bryce Aiken to be on the court at the same time so he can lighten Aiken’s load, and have Aiken play off the ball. But for that to work, Richmond must start creating for others, too.
5--Scouting Bethune-Cookman.
Hey, the Eagles may seem like a Thanksgiving leftover, but they are the next opponent. (Oops, I did it again.) Plus, they feature a lot of familiar faces on the bench. The Eagles (1-5), who will visit the Prudential Center on Sunday at noon, have lost by 31 to Utah, 21 to South Florida and 20 to Middle Tennessee. Bethune-Cookman sat out last season, much like the Ivies, because of COVID, and has reset this season with Reggie Theus as the new coach (and AD--it’s a long story).
The leading scorer is guard Joe French (14.3 ppg), the only major returnee from 2019-20. And Theus has two assistants who used to be at The Hall--former Louis Orr assistant Billy Garrett, and Chris Pompey, who was once part of Willard’s staff.
