Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball explained

Seton Hall Pirates
Current:2023–24 Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball team
University:Seton Hall University
Firstseason:1903–04
Conference:Big East
Location:Newark, New Jersey

South Orange, New Jersey
Coach:Shaheen Holloway
Tenure:2nd
Arena:Prudential Center

Walsh Gymnasium
Capacity:10,481/18,711; 1,316
Nickname:Pirates
Ncaarunnerup:1989
Ncaafinalfour:1989
Ncaaeliteeight:1989, 1991
Ncaasweetsixteen:1989, 1991, 1992, 2000
Ncaaroundof32:1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2000, 2004, 2018
Ncaatourneys:1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022
Conference Tournament:1991, 1993, 2016
Conference Season:1992, 1993, 2020
NJ-NY 7: 1977
H Pattern B:_thinsidesonwhite
H Body:004488
H Shorts:004488
H Pattern S:_blanksides
A Pattern B:_thinblacksides
A Body:004488
A Shorts:004488
A Pattern S:_blacksides
Free Tournament Label3:NIT tournament champions
Free Tournament Data3:1953, 2024

The Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball program is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. The team competes in the Big East Conference and plays their home games in the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The Pirates are currently coached by Shaheen Holloway. Seton Hall has appeared 14 times in the NCAA tournament and were national runners-up in 1989.

History

See also: List of Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball seasons. Seton Hall's first season of basketball occurred in 1903–04, but the school did not field a team again until 1908–09, the year in which the university achieved its first winning season. The school adopted the Pirate mascot in 1931, and the teams soon gained national prominence with the arrival of John "Honey" Russell in 1936. During an 18-year span, the Pirates racked up a 295–129 record that included an undefeated 19–0 record in 1939–40 as part of a 41-game unbeaten streak. Walsh Gymnasium was opened in 1941 to house the basketball team permanently and featured one of the best Seton Hall teams of all time, termed the "Wonder Five", which led by All-American Bob Davies, earned the school's first NIT bid in 1941. Following World War II, the Pirates were led by stars Frank Saul and Bobby Wanzer and regularly played games at Madison Square Garden. The peak of this era occurred in 1953 when Richie Regan and Walter Dukes defeated rival St. John's University for the NIT title. Perhaps the low point for the team occurred in 1961 when a point shaving scandal sullied the program, but the Pirates rebounded to return to the NIT in 1974 under coach Bill Raftery.[1] Seton Hall became a charter member of the Big East Conference in 1979, where they are still a member to this day.

Although Seton Hall did have a lengthy American Football Team, The high point of the Big East era for Seton Hall came when P. J. Carlesimo was hired in 1982 and the team began playing in the Meadowlands Arena. By 1988, Carlesimo led the Pirates to the school's first NCAA tournament appearance, and in 1989, he led the Hall to an unexpected tournament run to the NCAA Championship game, where they were defeated by Michigan in overtime. Success under Carlesimo continued with a Big East tournament championship and an Elite Eight appearance in 1991, a regular season Big East Championship and Sweet Sixteen appearance in 1992, and Big East Regular Season and Big East tournament Championships in 1993. Carlesimo left to coach in the NBA following the 1993–94 season, but Seton Hall returned to the Sweet Sixteen in 2000 guided by coach Tommy Amaker, and appeared in the NCAA tournament in 2004 and 2006 coached by Louis Orr. In 2006–07, Bobby Gonzalez was hired to lead the Pirates, which moved its home games into the Prudential Center in 2007.[2] Gonzalez amassed a 66–59 record at Seton Hall but was fired at the conclusion of the 2009–10 after a first-round NIT loss to Texas Tech. Concerns were raised in-house about the direction Gonzalez was taking the program, punctuated by several incidents, some involving Gonzalez and others involving student athletes. Shortly after his dismissal Gonzalez was arrested for shoplifting.[3] Seton Hall then hired Kevin Willard for the 2010–11 season.[4]

After struggling to maintain a .500 record through his first five seasons with the program, Willard's Pirates finally broke through in the 2015–16 season, as they won the Big East tournament Championship over the eventual national champion Villanova Wildcats. With the win, Seton Hall secured the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2006 and the first Big East tournament Championship since 1993. However, the magic could not continue in the NCAA tournament, as the team was defeated by the 11th-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs in the First Round. In 2017, the Pirates were again eliminated in the First Round of the NCAA tournament by the Arkansas Razorbacks, but the Pirates would win their first tournament game in fourteen years upon defeating the NC State Wolfpack in 2018's first round before being defeated by the Kansas Jayhawks in the Second Round. Following the graduation of starting seniors Khadeen Carrington, Ángel Delgado, Desi Rodriguez, and Ismael Sanogo, the Pirates would appear in their fourth consecutive NCAA tournament for the second time in program history in 2019. Led by the play of standout junior guard Myles Powell, the Pirates, at risk of missing the tournament sitting on a 16–12 overall and 7–9 Big East record, won their final two regular season games at home against 16th-ranked Marquette and 23rd-ranked Villanova and advanced to the Big East Final where they lost a rematch to Villanova by two points. Ultimately, they secured a #10 seed in the tournament following their performance down the stretch, and fell to the Wofford Terriers in a first round game in which Fletcher Magee would break Division I's all-time three-point scoring record. In November 2021, Seton Hall traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan to play the then #4 ranked Michigan Wolverines as part of the Big East-Big10 Gavitt Games. Of note was that the game was the first time the two programs had met since the 1989 NCAA National Championship Game when Michigan beat Seton Hall by one on a controversial foul call. In the 2021 version, Seton Hall upset Michigan, making it the first time Seton Hall had won a road game against a non-conference AP top-five team in university history. They were 0-5 prior.[5]

All-time coaching records

1908–09 10–4
1909–10 6–2
1910–11 4–0
1911–30 192–75
1930–31 12–11
1931–33 18–13
1933–35 8–22
1946–47 24–3
1947–49 34–12
1936–43
1949-60
295–129
1960–70 112–131
1970–81 154–141
1981–82 11–16
1982–94 212–166
1994–97 38–48
1997–01 68–55
2001–06 80–69
2006–10 66–59
2010–22 225–161
2022–present 42–28

Postseason

NCAA tournament results

The Pirates have appeared in the NCAA tournament 14 times. Their combined record is 16–14.

  1. 8
First Round
Second Round
  1. 9 UTEP
    #1 Arizona
W 80–64
L 55–84
  1. 3
First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
National Championship Game
  1. 14 Southwest Missouri State
    #11 Evansville
    #2 Indiana
    #4 UNLV
    #2 Duke
    #3 Michigan
W 60–51
W 87–73
W 78–65
W 84–61
W 95–78
L 79–80 OT
  1. 3
First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
  1. 14 Pepperdine
    #11 Creighton
    #2 Arizona
    #1 UNLV
W 71–51
W 81–69
W 81–77
L 65–77
  1. 4
First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
  1. 13 La Salle
    #5 Missouri
    #1 Duke
W 78–76
W 88–71
L 69–81
  1. 2
First Round
Second Round
  1. 15 Tennessee State
    #7 WKU
W 81–59
L 68–72
  1. 10
First Round
  1. 7 Michigan State
L 73–84
  1. 10
First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
  1. 7 Oregon
    #2 Temple
    #3 Oklahoma State
W 72–71 OT
W 67–65 OT
L 66–68
  1. 8
First Round
Second Round
  1. 9 Arizona
    #1 Duke
W 80–76
L 62–90
  1. 10
First Round
  1. 7 Wichita State
L 66–86
  1. 6
First Round
  1. 11 Gonzaga
L 52–68
  1. 9
First Round
  1. 8 Arkansas
L 71–77
  1. 8
First Round
Second Round
  1. 9 NC State
    #1 Kansas
W 94–83
L 79–83
  1. 10
First Round
  1. 7 Wofford
L 68–84
  1. 8
First Round
  1. 9 TCU
L 42–69

NIT results

The Pirates have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 19 times. Their combined record is 13–19. They were NIT champions in 1953 and 2024.

Quarterfinals
Semifinals
3rd Place Game
Rhode Island
Long Island
CCNY
W 70–54
L 26–49
L 27–42
First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
3rd Place Game
Beloit
NC State
BYU
St. John's
W 71–57
W 71–59
L 59–69
L 68–70
First Round La Salle L 76–80
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Final
Niagara
Manhattan
St. John's
W 79–74
W 74–56
W 58–46
First Round Saint Francis (PA) L 78–89
First Round
Quarterfinals
Marquette
Saint Joseph's
W 96–78
L 65–74
First Round Xavier L 79–85
First Round Memphis L 72–73
First Round Massachusetts L 85–86
First Round Niagara L 65–74
First Round Canisius L 71–83
First Round Georgia Tech L 70–88
First Round Old Dominion L 56–75
First Round Alabama L 79–85
First Round Rhode Island L 60–61
First Round Texas Tech L 69–87
First Round
Second Round
Stony Brook
Massachusetts
W 63–61
L 67–77
First Round Colorado L 64–65
First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Final
Saint Joseph’s
North Texas
UNLV
Georgia
Indiana State
W 75–72
W 72–58
W 91–68
W 84–67
W 79–77

Notable players and coaches

In 2016, while playing for the Pirates, Derrick Gordon became the first openly gay man to play in the March Madness tournament.[6]

Honored and retired jerseys

Seton Hall Pirates retired numbers
width=40px style="" No.width=150px style="" Playerwidth=100px style="" Positionwidth=150px style="" Career
3 1942–43, 1946–49
5 1950–53
8 1942–43, 1946–47
11 1939–42
12 1950–53
24 1989–93
34 1973-77
44 1961–64[7]

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

1964John "Honey" RussellCoach1936–1943, 1949–60
1970Bob DaviesPlayer/Coach1939–1942, 1946–47
1987Bobby WanzerPlayer1942–1943, 1946–47
2017Nikos GalisPlayer1975–1979

FIBA Hall of Fame

2007 1975–1979
2013 1988–1989

Pirates in the NBA

31 Pirates have played at least one game in the NBA.

Anthony Avent1991Atlanta Hawks
Andre Barrett2004Undrafted
Mark Bryant1988Portland Trail Blazers
Tommy Byrnes1946Undrafted
Chuck Connors1946Undrafted
Marcus Cousin2010Undrafted
Samuel Dalembert2001Philadelphia 76ers
Bob Davies1948Undrafted
Terry Dehere1993Los Angeles Clippers
Ángel Delgado2018Undrafted
Walter Dukes1953New York Knicks
Bob Fitzgerald1946Undrafted
Andrew Gaze1993Undrafted
Adrian Griffin1999Undrafted
Eddie Griffin2001New Jersey Nets
Howie Janotta1949Baltimore Bullets
Johnny Macknowski1948Rochester Royals
Sandro Mamukelashvili2021Indiana Pacers
Mike McCarron1946Undrafted
John Morton1989Cleveland Cavaliers
Glenn Mosley1977Philadelphia 76ers
Al Negratti1946Undrafted
Myles Powell2021Undrafted
Richie Regan1953Rochester Royals
Jared Rhoden2022Undrafted
Ed Sadowski1946Undrafted
Pep Saul1949Rochester Royals
Ben Scharnus1946Undrafted
Bobby Wanzer1948Rochester Royals
Isaiah Whitehead2016Utah Jazz
Luther Wright1993Utah Jazz

Pirates in international leagues

Awards and honors

Big East Coach of the Year
Big East Player of the Year
Big East tournament Most Valuable Player
Big East Most Improved Player
Big East Defensive Player of the Year
Peter A. Carlesimo Award (Metropolitan Coach of the Year)
Haggerty Award (Metropolitan Player of the Year)
Big East Rookie of the Year
Big East Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Metropolitan Rookie of the Year
Wayman Tisdale Award (National Freshman of the Year)
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Consensus First Team All-Big East
Consensus First Team All-Metropolitan
Consensus First Team All-Americans
Consensus Second Team All-Americans
Consensus Third Team All-Americans
AP Honorable Mention All-Americans

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2017-18 Seton Hall Men's Basketball Media Guide . 26 . 2017 . 2022-10-17.
  2. Book: 2008–09 Big East Media Guide: The Record Book: The Big East in Postseason Play (All-Time) . 2008 . 149 . 2009-03-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090204070728/http://www.bigeast.org/fls/19400/pdfs/mensbball/record-book.pdf?SPSID=92557&SPID=11228&DB_OEM_ID=19400# . 2009-02-04 . dead .
  3. Web site: Former Seton Hall coach arrested for shoplifting. 6 July 2010. ESPN.com.
  4. Web site: Seton Hall announces Willard as its next coach. 29 March 2010. ESPN.com.
  5. Web site: spassner. 2021-11-18. Seton Hall upsets #4 Michigan in Ann Arbor. 2021-12-16. Big East Coast Bias. en.
  6. Web site: WATCH: The First Openly Gay Athlete to Play in March Madness. March 18, 2016.
  7. Web site: 2017-18 Seton Hall Men's Basketball Media Guide . 28–29 . 2017 . 2022-10-17.
  8. Web site: 2017-18 Seton Hall Men's Basketball Media Guide . 32 . 2017 . 2022-10-17.
  9. Web site: Myles Powell Named 2018 BIG EAST Most Improved.
  10. Web site: Seton Hall's Gill Named Defensive Player of the Year & Most Improved Player Creighton's Mahoney Selected for Sixth Man Award Baldwin, Mosely and Holt Share Sportsmanship Award.
  11. Web site: Prunty. Brendan. Seton Hall's Fuquan Edwin named Big East Defensive Player of the Year. 10 March 2014. 20 March 2014.
  12. Web site: Seton Hall's Nzei Named BIG EAST Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
  13. Web site: Seton Hall's Ike Obiagu Named Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.