The men’s basketball season is still several months away, but judging from the buzz surrounding the program you would think the Pirates were in mid-season.
In what has been a wild off-season, the men’s basketball program graduated two players in Laing and Nutter that surpassed the 1,000 career points plateau as Pirates. The team also said adios to two others in Larry Davis and Augustine Okuson via transfer opportunities, and, learned that they will be without Head Coach Bobby Gonzalez for the first game of conference play due to suspension. Despite an already lengthy list of change, there was more to come. Highly touted Patterson Catholic standout Jordan Theodore will finally be suiting up for The Hall this year, along with Robert Mitchell, a former Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Year who spent last year on the bench after transferring from Duquesne.
Also donning the blue and white this year will be shooting guard Jamel Jackson, a former Junior College Division I Third Team All-American that could replace the outside presence left vacant in Nutter’s absence. In a quest to add power and size to a team that was beaten up down low at times last season, Coach Gonzalez will also be bringing in former Mississippi Elite Christian Academy center Melvyn Oliver. According to the team’s roster, the freshman from Long Beach, Ca. comes in at 6’11 weighing 340 lbs. Oliver will offer Gonzalez a sizeable force to be used against larger teams. The only question is how many minutes Oliver can play and how refined his basketball fundamentals are.
Returning for the squad will be three-point machine Jeremy Hazell, turnover enforcer Paul Gause, the size combination of John Garcia and Mike Davis, Eugene Harvey, who looks to rebound after an off year in '07-'08, and Brandon Walters who will need top play more this year.
There is no doubt about it; the 2008-2009 Pirates are a lock to be a mix of new faces and seasoned veterans. Question is, how will they gel?
But all of this came before the Pirates spent the early part of the fall semester stealing the headlines. In an interesting twist, during the first week of September, Coach Gonzalez didn’t announce just one, but two acceptances of transfers from outside programs to Seton Hall. First came local legend Keon Lawrence from the University of Missouri on September 2. Two days later, perhaps even more surprisingly, came the announcement that the Pirates would be welcoming transfer Herb Pope from New Mexico State to the program as well. There had been buzz surrounding the welcoming of Theodore for quite some time, and the siging of the a player with the size of Oliver was necessary, but the additions of Lawrence and Pope certainly come as a welcomed surprise.
However, according to published reports,neither Lawrence or Pope will be hitting the court for the Pirates at the Prudential Center this season due to NCAA transfer restrictions. Keon Lawrence, from Newark, N.J., starred at Weequahic High School prior to beginning his college basketball career at Missouri. While a member of the Tigers, his two-year averages were 10.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 2.1apg respectively. The 6’2, 175 pound guard also boasted a 43 percent mark from beyond the arc and was nicknamed the ‘Human Pogo Stick’ for his stylish dunks and pure athleticism on the court.
“Keon is an incredible recruit for us,” Gonzalez said. “He has a huge name in the state of New Jersey and he’s coming back home to Newark. When he decided to transfer, everyone in the country wanted him, but he chose us. I think that really says something about where we’re headed as a program.”
In the case of Herb Pope, the team will be filling a long-standing void at power forward. While at New Mexico State, the 6’8, 235 pound Pope averaged 11.1 ppg, along with 6.8 rebounds while starting 12 of the 16 games he appeared in. As a senior at Aliquippa High School in Pennsylvania, Pope was ranked by Scout.com as the #16 best recruit in the country, coming in as the sixth best power forward overall. Both Pope and Lawrence will be able to practice with the team this season. Come next year, when both can actually play, Lawrence will have junior status while Pope will be considered a sophomore.
“Herb is a special recruit and a talented young man,” Gonzalez said. “He’s looking forward to a new start at Seton Hall. We believe he has a very bright future with unlimited potential.”
So where does his leave the Pirates? For the 2008-2009 season, the team will be looking at the continued development of players like Davis and Oliver to help create a combination to pair Garcia with against more sizeable teams in the Big East. The resurgence of Eugene Harvey will also be something to watch for after his down year last season. Look for Theodore to make an immediate impact upon joining the Pirates this year, and don’t forget about Robert Mitchell. If he can come close to duplicating the season he had at Duquesne, The Hall should be pleased. The fact of the matter is though, this team still has a logjam at the guard position.
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