A Seton Hall basketball season with losses to Fordham, Hofstra and Monmouth added another ignominious result Sunday – a 74-57 wipeout at DePaul.
With two key players sidelined by injury and a third joining them shortly after tip-off, the Pirates got run out of Wintrust Arena by the Big East’s perennial cellar-dweller and now own sole possession of the league’s basement at 6-16 overall and 1-10 in the conference.
This is the program’s first seven-game losing streak since a nine-game skid during the woebegone 2012-13 campaign, when they finished 3-15 in the Big East in Kevin Willard’s third season.
DePaul (11-12, 2-10) avenged an overtime loss in Newark last month and is now 5-16 against the Pirates since the start of the 2015-16 campaign. The Blue Demons shot 55 percent from the field and went plus-13 on the glass as the Pirates misfired from the field (35 percent), 3-point range (4-of-17) and the free-throw line (11-of-19).
3 THOUGHTS
Seton Hall basketball coach Shaheen Holloway speaks with his players against DePaul
1. When it rains, it pours
Injuries are not the reason for this lost season, but they did contribute heavily to Sunday’s mess. Postgrad guard Dylan Addae-Wusu (9.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg), who torched DePaul in the first meeting, did not make the trip due to an ankle injury. Postgrad guard Chaunce Jenkins (11.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg) did make the trip but remains out with a knee injury – he’s making progress and could return to action soon. Then sophomore wing Scotty Middleton (6.2 ppg) left midway through the first half with an ankle injury and did not return.
The Pirates are challenged enough with a full roster. They have no chance to win a Big East game without these three guys.
2. Brutal bigs
It bears repeating: This is probably the least effective collection of bigs in the modern history of the program. While there are some wings and guards on the roster who potentially could help the Pirates next season, finding an impact big man in the transfer portal has to be offseason priority No. 1 in the coming months.
In the 2023 offseason the Pirates struck gold with transfer center Jaden Bediako and found a serviceable backup in Elijah Hutchins-Everett. The 2024 offseason was a total whiff in the post. The 6-foot-11 Hutchins-Everett (who currently is averaging 11.3 points and 6.0 rebounds at James Madison while shooting 53 percent from the field) would be far and away the dominant postman on this squad.
3. Development watch
The development of sophomore point guard Garwey Dual (6 points on 1-of-6 shooting, 5 assists, 4 fouls) hit a bump due to foul trouble, including a needless third foul during a key juncture late in the first half, when the Hall still had a pulse. Sophomore wing Isaiah Coleman (18 points on 6-of 20 FGs, 4 rebounds, 3 steals) was ice cold early as the Hall fell into a 12-0 hole out of the gate. Freshmen centers Godswill Erheriene and Gus Yalden combined for no points and one rebound in eight minutes. It’s all about development at this point, but there was not much evidence of it on this night.
3 QUOTES
From Shaheen Holloway’s postgame radio interview with Dave Popkin:
On what happened: “Guys came out not understanding the game plan. It was similar to what happened at our place. They jumped on us early. We took a lot of bad shots early that led to runouts and turned the basketball over, and they got some momentum. This is tough. I have two guards, three guards right now. You can’t play like that in this league, in any league. I’ve got to figure out if (Scotty’s) out, if Chaunce’s out and Dylan’s out, how we can play a little bigger? This is tough right now. We’re not playing the way we’re capable of playing. That’s the most frustrating part. We’re a better team than we’ve shown. Like I told the guys in the locker room: ‘Everyone is just playing on one side of the court right now. If you’re just playing on one side of the court, this is what happens.’”
“I’m playing a lot of young guys right now, which is OK. Like I told the guys in the locker room: I just want guys playing hard and competing. I thought we didn’t compete for half of the game, and that’s when the game got away from us.”
On practice problems: “This has been the most frustrating thing for me as a coach. I don’t even know who I have in practice until practice starts. I’m not complaining or whining – I’m a big boy. But I come to practice and I don’t know who’s practicing (due to injuries and illnesses)…What you thought is your practice plan now has to change because those guys are not in. It’s been like that for two months.”
“Still, we’ve got to find a way to try to compete and steal a game here or there, find a way to get one. I think if we could get one it could go a long way. Right now it’s tough because we just don’t – (long pause) man.”
On freshman guard Jahseem Felton (7 points on 3-10 FGs, 3 rebounds, 1 turnover in 30 minutes): “He’s not a true point; he’s more of a combo. Offensively I’m not worried about him. Defensively I worry because he’s not quick laterally; he’s got to move his feet. But he’s been playing, and I think these minutes are valuable minutes for him to get experience. With the future, it’s tough to tell with anybody with the future. Would I love to have him? Absolutely. But I don’t look at things like that. I look at things like, I don’t even want to say it, because people are going to hear this and then write what they want to write and misquote or say things I didn’t say. But I’m just enjoying Jahseem and his progression. I’m enjoying watching him, I’m enjoying coaching him. He’s a great young man and he’s got a bright future ahead of him.”
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Seton Hall basketball waxed at DePaul as injuries mount
