With the 2018 school year in the books, Seton Hall’s sports teams were forced to say goodbye to some of the most iconic athletes the school has seen in years.
The basketball team’s senior quartet of Khadeen Carrington, Desi Rodriguez, Ismael Sanogo and Angel Delgado has since graduated. Meanwhile, baseball stars Shane McCarthy, Ryan Ramiz, Al Molina and Mike Alescio, among others, will no longer don the blue and white. Softball was forced to say goodbye to one of the most memorable players in program history in Alexis Walkden, while both the men's and women’s soccer programs lost a combined 16 players to graduation.
The contributions of the class of 2018 will never be forgotten, but the focus must shift to the next wave of incoming Seton Hall athletes.
The summer semester is underway, and with it marks the arrival of numerous incoming freshmen athletes. From the highly touted basketball recruits to the athletes who have flown under the radar so far, each incoming Seton Hall freshmen has what it takes to be the next Pirate great in their respective sport.
Starting with the women’s soccer team, coach Rick Stainton’s search for an influx of talent took him all over the country and even to Canada, where the fifth-year head coach secured three signatures. Midfielder Emma Ramsay of Mississauga, Ontario was a member of U-14, U-15 and U-16 Ontario Provincial Teams, and she started for the U-18 Canada Games program in 2017. Stainton also landed the No. 1 prospect in Ontario, according to GotSoccer.com, in defender Lauren DiPietro.
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Anthony Nelson (left) and Jared Rhoden (right) make up half of the additions to Kevin Willard's 2018-19 team. Photo via SHU Athletics.[/caption]
On the hardwood, Kevin Willard and his coaching staff were hard at work on the recruiting trail this past cycle, signing two top-150 players. Anthony Nelson, a point guard from South Kent (CT), will pair with forward Jared Rhoden, from Our Saviour Lutheran (NY). A Harlem native, Nelson profiles as a true point guard who can score the rock and put his teammates in a good position to do the same. Rhoden exploded onto the scene in his senior year at OSL, and wound up ranked as a top-100 recruit when all was said and done. Both players are expected to see major minutes for the Pirates next season.
On the women’s side, coach Tony Bozzella was active once again on the transfer market, managing to secure a National Letter of Intent from Danielle Robinson, a five-foot, 11-inch talent from Malcom X Shabazz and University High School (NJ). A third-team All-State selection playing for University in her senior year, Robinson averaged 14.8 points per game and led the Phoenix to a 30-3 record and Group I championship. Before transferring to University following her sophomore year, Robinson shined as a freshman at Shabazz, winning the Newark Public Schools Tournament MVP award.
For many of the sports, full recruiting classes have yet to be announced. However, while the names remain a mystery, the high expectations that come along with being a Seton Hall student athlete remain. From the moment they arrive on campus, Seton Hall’s incoming freshmen athletes will be put to the test, as they embark on a journey that could one day land them in the University’s athletics Hall of Fame.
Tyler Calvaruso can be reached at tyler.calvaruso@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @tyler_calvaruso.
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