With the release of their complete season schedule earlier this week, the Seton Hall men’s basketball program has its mind set on one thing: making the NCAA tournament.
Following their impressive 25-win season, in which they went 13 – 7 in Big East conference play with huge wins against UConn and Marquette, fans, players, and coaches alike were disappointed not to have received an invitation to play in March. Labeled the “snub” of the tournament by college basketball fans at large, Seton Hall comes into this upcoming season with a huge chip on their shoulder.
However, with the departure of several players to the transfer portal, most notably senior guard Kadary Richmond and forward Dre Davis, Shaheen Holloway enters his third season as head coach of the Pirates with a new roster – an intimidating challenge for any head coach. And yet, the Pirates, along with Holloway, have a history of succeeding as the underdog – St. Peters’ legendary Cinderella run in 2022, Seton Hall’s tournament run in 2000 with Holloway, and their consecutive home wins against defending champs UConn in the last two seasons.
This new roster is composed of eight transfers and two incoming freshmen.
“I just wanted a team where I could play 10-11 guys, where I don’t have to play one guy 30-35 minutes,” Holloway said on the additions to the roster in an NJ.com article.
This includes guards Zion Harmon and Chaunce Jenkins, who are transfers from Bethune-Christian University and Old Dominion University respectively. Last season, both guards earned postseason honors, with Jenkins earning second-team all-SBC (Sun Belt Conference) and Harmon earning first-team all-SWAC (Southwestern Athletic Conference) – an accomplishment likely to warm the hearts of those familiar with Harmon’s story.
Once a top recruit coming out of high school and a prospect for the NBA draft, Harmon’s basketball career “went downhill” as he allegedly struggled with drug issues during his freshman year at Western Kentucky, according to articles from The Netline and Holy Family Lamp Post. Hoping to overcome his off-the-court issues and restart his college career, he transferred to Bethune-Cookman, a small HBCU in Florida.
According to the articles, Harmon has gotten his life back on track after a tough battle, and he’s looking to showcase his ability against stronger competition. He committed to Seton Hall earlier this summer and will be tested against the powerhouses of the BIG EAST. He’s living proof that everyone deserves a second chance, and he has the talent to be a key player for the Pirates.
“Zion is truly a player that has all levels of basketball covered. He’s a big-time scorer. He sees the floor,” Reggie Theus, Bethune-Cookman’s men’s basketball head coach said in a BCU article.
Alongside returning guards Dylan Addae-Wusu and Isaiah Coleman, these incoming transfers look to facilitate Hall’s offense and fill the void left by Richmond and recent graduate Al-Amir Dawes, who was the 2024 NIT Most Outstanding Player.
The Pirates also added two incoming first-years to the roster, including shooting guard Jahseem Felton and center Godswill Erheriene. Felton is a 6’5” guard from North Carolina who can play both point and shooting guard.
“I wanted more guys that could play multiple spots,” Holloway said in the article. “I wanted more size as far as at the guards’ spot.”
With Felton, Harmon, Jenkins, Addae-Wusu, and Coleman on the roster, they will have depth at the guard position. The Pirates also added Erheriene, a 6’9”, 225-pound center from New York, who was ranked the seventh-best player in the state during his senior season.
After a solid 2023–24 campaign in which they exceeded expectations, the Pirates are aiming high this upcoming season. Although the team will face tough challenges this season, Pirate Nation can be confident that with the dedication and hard work of the coaching staff and players, the Hall will exceed expectations and make a strong push for the NCAA tournament.
“If you watch my teams over the years, we get better as the year goes on,” Holloway said in the article. “To our fans, it’s going to be a process, but we’re going to get there.”
The Pirates will start their season on Monday, Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. when they host St. Peter’s at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Zachary Mawby is the assistant editor for The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at zachary.mawby@student.shu.edu.
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