PirateCrew: Seton Hall Pirates Football & Basketball Recruiting
The definitive source for all PirateCrew news.
By JP Pelzman
Looking back at Seton Hall’s loss to No. 22 Marquette and ahead to February:
Harris improving.
Jamir Harris is 7-for-14 from beyond the arc the last two games. Maybe it’s a blip on the radar. But maybe it isn’t. As the one legit potential zonebuster Seton Hall has, he deserves more of a run going forward. Also, his defense has been adequate and he isn’t afraid to drive for the occasional two-pointer if defenders overplay him.
When asked about Harris’ playing time, coach Kevin Willard said, “I’ve got to figure a lot of stuff out, and that’s one of them.” While he’s at it, he should draw up more ball screens for Harris.
Obiagu's milestone.
Ike Obiagu’s three blocked shots gave him 169 for his career, breaking the school record of 167 set by future NBA player Samuel Dalembert.
“It means a lot,” Obiagu said. “I'm very grateful. That’s huge for me personally because all my hard work and effort is paying off. But I'm upset that we didn’t get a win.
“I think it’s huge,” he added. “He’s obviously one of the Seton Hall greats.”
As for the team’s predicament, he said, “We've got to dig deep.”
'Just in' time.
Justin Lewis is listed as a redshirt freshman in terms of eligibility by Marquette, although he averaged 21 minutes and 7.8 points per game last season as a true freshman. This year, he averages 31.6 minutes and 16.6 points under new coach Shaka Smart, and the 6-7 forward was a matchup nightmare for the Pirates, burning them for 33 points.
“Justin Lewis was phenomenal,” Smart said. “When you have a guy out there playing in that kind of rhythm it just makes everything go so much more smoothly.”
Voicing their displeasure.
The crowd of 8,746 let the Pirates know how they felt about their performance with boos. Willard, when asked, said it was “well-deserved,” while Rhoden gave it a “no comment.”
But Rhoden said the team has not lost its confidence.
"Absolutely not,” he said. “We've just got to weather the storm. It's about how you deal with adversity. In life, a lot of things are going to come to you, good things, bad things---you’ve just got to stay the course.”
Scouting Georgetown.
The Hoyas (6-11, 0-6) still must visit Butler on Saturday prior to Tuesday’s game, but they obviously got no momentum from last year’s surprising run to the Big East title. And, unlike last season, they did not come back refreshed from their COVID pause.
Georgetown allows opponents to shoot 45.3% overall and 36.2% from beyond the arc and The Hall has to take advantage in this must-win scenario.
