Last season was a huge letdown for
Seton Hall and with three
of the top four scorers gone, it could be another long year in
South Orange, New Jersey. There will be plenty of battles for
playing time early in the year as Coach Louis Orr searches for
the right combinations and inexperienced players try to prove
that they can be key contributors.
Who’s Out:
The wings take a hit with the loss of John Allen and J.R.
Morris. The duo averaged 20.6 shots per game and leave a huge
question mark in the backcourt scoring department that will need
to be filled by returnees Jamar Nutter and Brian Laing. Allen
averaged 11.5 points and tacked on 4.9 boards, 2.6 assists and
1.2 steals per contest. Morris, who left for the professional
ranks, averaged 10.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per outing. The
backcourt loses another scoring threat in point guard Justin
Cerasoli, who is transferring. As a freshman last year, Cerasoli
started 10 games averaging 6.2 points. Forward Andre Sweet
started 12 contests, averaging 8.9 points and 5.7 rebounds.
Who’s In:
The frontcourt will receive plenty of options of the bench with
the additions of John Garcia, David Palmer, Stan Gaines and Mike
Pilgrim. Garcia has the ability to play right away at the power
forward or center spot. The gritty 6-9, 235 pounder is a quality
scorer under the basket and will be a nice option off the bench
this season. The only question is the health of his knee, which
he injured late in the season last year. If ankle injury issues
are past him, Palmer is a great pickup for the Pirates. His
athletic 6-9, 240 pound frame will be another nice option off
the bench. Stan Gaines averaged 5.5 points and 3.2 rebounds for
Minnesota in 2003-2004. He’s a solid defender and hard worker
who can play multiple positions as a 6-7 forward. If Seton Hall
wants to go big or take advantage of the depth of the
frontcourt, Gaines will be starting at the small forward.
Pilgrim, a transfer from Cincinnati, will be eligible after the
first semester. The 6-8 forward is a tremendous leaper who can
step outside and battle under the basket. Paul Gause is an
abundant scorer who will add some much needed depth to the
backcourt. The 5-11, New Jersey native averaged a stellar 33.9
points per game last year at Arthur P. Schalick High School. If
that wasn’t enough, he added 6.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.7
steals to boot. The third highest scorer in New Jersey high
school history is a little small for a two guard and needs some
time to learn the point. Yet this year he will still be a spark
and a scoring threat off the bench.
Who to Watch:
This is Kelly Whitney’s team, but Donald
Copeland is the player who needs to have a successful season.
Copeland shared point guard duties with the departing Justin
Cerasoli last year, but will be the only experienced point guard
in the backcourt this season. The 5-10 Jersey City native
averaged 6.9 points and 2.4 assists per contest in 2004-2005 and
his scoring should increase this year. Copeland has a decent
stroke and the ability to score from long range, but it wasn’t
used too much last year with other scoring threats on the floor.
More important than scoring is the senior’s ability to find his
teammates and keep the turnovers to a minimum. That is what
Copeland needs to do as long as some other Pirates step up and
become scoring threats, otherwise Copeland will be asked to
score a lot more as well.
Projected Conference Rank:
A 12th place finish in the Big
East doesn’t make this much of an exciting year for the blue and
white, but it could be much worse losing four quality players
from a 4-12 team. Kelly Whitney and Donald Copeland are solid
senior leaders, but they’ll need a lot of inexperienced players
to fill in around them in order for the Pirates to be
successful.
Projected Post-season Tournament:
none
Projected Starting Five:
Donald Copeland, Senior, Guard, 6.9 points per game
Jamar Nutter, Junior, Guard, 4.3 points per game
Brian Laing, Sophomore, Guard, 2.8 points per game
Kelly Whitney, Senior, Forward, 11.9 points per game
Grant Billmeier, Junior, Center, 3.9 points per game
