by JP Pelzman
Looking back at Seton Hall’s 74-55 victory over Creighton and looking ahead to the Pirates’ home game against Xavier on Wednesday:
Harris the ballhandler.
Jamir Harris went 3-for-6 from three-point range en route to 13 points, but what was most impressive about his performance was that, for the second straight game, he was able to help out Kadary Richmond with the ballhandling responsibilities in the absence of Bryce Aiken.
Although Harris had only one assist in 28 minutes, he also had only one turnover. Richmond had seven assists and three turnovers in 29 minutes.
“I think the biggest thing is having time to practice with Jamir,” coach Kevin Willard said. “Being able to put him out there when Kooks is not out there has given me confidence. … I think that’s the biggest thing for me.
“When Bryce went down and having those three games in five days, I just didn’t have time to do anything,” Willard added. “The fact that we’ve had two weeks, we’ve had a lot of practice--these guys have practiced phenomenal--has given me a chance to kind of do some things with Jamir to give me confidence in Jamir, and I think at the same time, give Jamir confidence in what we’re trying to do with him.”
“I think I've done a pretty good job just staying ready,” Harris said. “I trust my work ethic and the amount of time and effort I put into the game, so when coach called my number, I was going to be ready.”
Samuel bouncing back.
It's safe to say nobody was impacted more by the COVID pause Seton Hall endured than Tyrese Samuel. Marooned in his native Canada due to that country’s very strict virus regulations, it has taken him a long time to move on even after being cleared, simply because he wasn’t able to work out the way he would have had he been in South Orange.
“It hasn’t been going my way,” said Samuel, who had 11 points, two assists and two blocked shots in 18 minutes Friday night. “Thanks to the managers for keeping me working to break out of this little slump that I've been in. I think I'm going to continue to progress.”
He indicated the team managers helped him by rebounding shots he was putting up doing extra work on his own to make up for lost time.
“I’m starting to see the kid that was averaging 26 minutes a game in December,” Willard said. “He’s finally getting out of the funk of COVID.”
Samuel estimated he was only at about 70% of capacity when he first returned. He now is up to about 90-95%, he said.
You gotta look sharp.
Harris and Samuel liked the new uniforms, a dark grey with a script “The Hall” across the front.
“I was jumping up and down” in the locker room, Harris said. “I was glad we got a little something different to wear. I feel like we went into the game with a little extra boost because of the uniforms for real.”
Samuel said, smiling, “Look good, play good.”
Personally, I prefer the home whites, but the script “The Hall” is fire, as the kids say.
As for the quick start, Harris said, “It electrifies the crowd. They feed off us. We feed off them.”
Defense makes the difference.
Willard said he put the team through a two-and-a-half hour practice Thursday.
It certainly paid off.
Samuel said, “It all started in practice. We were locked in on this scout.”
As usual, Ike Obiagu was a force, with four blocked and countless shots altered or not even attempted because of intimidation.
“He makes me second-guess every move I do” in practice, Samuel said.
Going forward. Harris feels confident.
“Every guy’s mindset on the team is in the right place,” he said. “Our heads are where they need to be and this momentum is definitely going to carry over into the next few games.”
Next up is No. 21 Xavier (16-5, 6-4) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Musketeers play today, but a loss would be shocking, given that they are hosting DePaul.
“Obviously we have a very, very tough battle Wednesday night,” Willard said. “I love the way Xavier’s playing. They’re using (Jack) Nunge great, they’re using (Zach) Freemantle really well in the post, they’re really spacing those two guys out. If we can get back to 6-6 after really gifting the league two losses, I’d be thrilled.”
The 6-9 Freemantle, who is from Teaneck and starred at Bergen Catholic is, well, the X-factor. He got off to a slow start after being sidelined in November because of a foot injury, but is averaging 9.9 points and 17.0 in his last three games.
