A Lost Season Finally Comes to an End for the Seton Hall Pirates

A season to forget for the Seton Hall Pirates mercifully came to an end Wednesday night with a 67-55 loss to Villanova in the first round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden.

It was a season of ups and downs for the Pirates. The biggest high was an overtime upset of defending national champion UConn on Feb. 15 at Prudential Center. The Pirates finished the season with a seven-game losing streak and could never seem to catch a break.

Seton Hall has not had a season like this in quite some time, going in ranked as low as 10th and then finishing as the 11th seed. Since 2013, the team has not finished lower than sixth in the Big East. That season they finished eighth.

Offensively, this has been the worst season for the Pirates in the last 10 years. Since 2015, the Pirates have averaged under 70 points only twice. The first was the 2022-23 season, when they put up 68.4 points a game. This year, they managed to score just 61.6 points per game.

They struggled defensively and were ranked 10th in opponent 3-point percentage, never really being able to generate any pressure at the 3-point line. Even down low, Seton Hall’s presence in the paint wasn’t clear, with multiple players rotating in at the five spot. Whether it was Godswill Erheriene, Emmanuel Okorafor or Yacine Toumi, it was a constant rotation all season.

Even with Isaiah Coleman having a career season averaging 15.6 points, only one other player averaged double digits across the season. That was Chauncey Jenkins, who missed most of Big East playing due to an injury.

Injuries plagued the Pirates, and many played hurt. Only two players appeared in all 32 games this year—Erheriene and Prince Aligbe. After losing Jenkins against St. John’s on Jan. 18, more injuries began to pile up.

Dylan Addae-Wusu fought all season long, missing seven games and never reaching 100%. “He couldn’t really walk,” coach Shaheen Holloway said. “Dylan missed a bunch of games, Scotty missed some games.”

Looking toward next season, Seton Hall has decisions to make in recruiting and the transfer portal. “I think it’s also important that you get the right people,” Holloway said. Holloway believes it is about more than stats, saying he is in search of players who fit his program and style of play. After a season to forget (a 7-25 record), Holloway has learned a lot and will do everything in his power to make sure something like this never happens again.

Categories: Athletics