MYLES AHEAD
Tips from former mates help Powell become leader
When the final buzzer sounded, and Seton Hall had no choice but to stop fighting and clawing for a spot in the Sweet 16, the careers of the school’s most important core in two decades came to an end.
Angel Delgado would soon graduate, as would Khadeen Carrington, Desi Rodriguez and Ismael Sanogo. With Myles Powell the team’s lone returning starter this season, the Pirates were picked to finish eighth in the Big East.
The program-changing class — which led Seton Hall to three straight NCAA Tournaments, ended a decade-long NCAA Tournament drought, won the school’s first tournament game in 14 years and won its first Big East Tournament title in 23 years — was gone, but everyone failed to con- sider what they left behind.
Though Powell is repeatedly, and rightfully, credited for leading a lateseason surge to bring Seton Hall to another Dance — growing from the team’s third-leading scorer to the secondleading scorer in the Big East — the junior guard has only felt comfortable taking a leading role because of the former teammates always in his mind, and ears.
“Going through this without the four seniors being here, being the leader now and everybody looking at you about how to go about things is definitely a change,” said Powell, who speaks with his former teammates frequently. “But I know what I’m doing right now because I learned from the four seniors.”
Coach Kevin Willard counted on it.
“I’m definitely not Coach K. I gotta give a ton of credit to the older group that just left,” Willard said. “I thought he saw from last year how Khadeen led, how Angel came to work every day and practiced every day. I think those older guys really passed the torch to him and really gave him the keys to the car of how to do it.”
The older guys are still enjoying the ride.
“These guys have done a great job of following what we did,” said Delgado, the Big East’s all-time leading rebounder. “I’m really proud of them. They’ve got a really good chance to go far in the tournament, way farther than we did.”
Rodriguez, who currently plays alongside Delgado on the G-League’s Agua Caliente Clippers, has been reminding the members of the young team that their goals haven’t yet been met.
“I’ve just been telling them to stay focused. I know a lot of people are gonna be in their ear this time of year. It’s March. Everybody wants a piece of the pie,” said Rodriguez, 12th all time in scoring at Seton Hall. “They’ve been doing a great job. They’re playing well. I just tell them stay levelheaded, don’t get a big head with all that’s going on.”
Though last year’s team
was more experienced and balanced and physical, Rodriguez also believes the potential of this group may be even greater.
“They got a different DNA than us,” Rodriguez said. “They space the floor more, they don’t play the post like we did. They’re more athletic. They can do more than one thing. ... I got them going to the Elite Eight, at least, maybe further than that. I think they’re that good.
“We started something that we hope will keep going on for years. When we all committed there, we wanted to turn it around and make it a winning program. They’re keeping the legacy alive.”
Carrington now plays for Belgium’s Limburg United. Isaiah Whitehead, who left school after the 2015-16 season to enter the NBA draft, is with the Pistons’ Grand Rapid Drive. Sanogo is on the Long Island Nets, fresh off an oncourt battle with Rodriguez.
“It was kind of weird,” Rodriguez said. “but it was fun at the same time.”
The distance doesn’t matter. The former classmates still speak almost every day.
“We’re best friends,” Delgado said. “We’ll always keep the brotherhood together.”
Now, they hope to make their best run yet.
“Being the face of the program, being the face of a city, you always enjoy that,” Sanogo said. “I miss it, but it’s in the past. It was a great time, but it’s time to move on.”