Halluva statement
No. 23 Pirates whip FDU in opener
It has been 17 years, but Seton Hall fans finally got to see what a Top 25 team looks like at the start of a season.
It has loads of depth, can shake off a poor start like swatting away a fly, and hardly breaks a sweat against a quality low-major opponent.
Seton Hall began the program’s most anticipated season in nearly two decades without a hitch, hammering NEC contender Fairleigh Dickinson, 90-68, at the Prudential Center in Newark on Friday night.
“It just shows when we turn our energy switch on, what we can do,” senior Desi Rodriguez said. “We’re very dangerous.”
The season-opening rout showcased the 23rd-ranked Pirates’ many strengths: Their talented freshmen, savvy seniors, and abundance of scorers inside and out. Once the Pirates woke up — they trailed 12-5 3:28 after the opening tip — they cruised, toying with the Knights, who were without star guard Darian Anderson (foot injury).
Making the transition to point guard, Khadeen Carrington was under control and in command, notching eight points, six assists and just one turnover. Angel Delgado produced his first of what should be many double-doubles with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Rodriguez led four Pirates in double figures with 17 points.
“Seton Hall is a fine bottle of wine,” said FDU coach Greg Herenda, a former Seton Hall assistant.
When told of the compliment, Kevin Willard said jokingly he doesn’t drink wine.
“I’m not quite sure I know what that is. I’ll take an aged steak. I haven’t eaten today,” the Seton Hall coach said with a smile. “When you have as many seniors as we have — five of them — you have a lot of confidence in the fact you know they are going to get things done that need to get done. And I think the younger kids see that, and they’re feeding off that a little bit.”
Seton Hall owned the paint, to the tune of a 46-24 differential, out-rebounded FDU, 44-27, and assisted on 22 of 33 made field goals. Myles Cale was the best of the three Seton Hall freshmen, scoring 12 points along with five rebounds and four assists, though Jordan Walker and Sandro Mamukelashvili both enjoyed impressive moments as well.
The 6-foot-5 Cale, just cleared to practice in early October after shoulder surgery in March, was the 10th man in, but he forced Willard to keep him in. The Delaware native showed a nice stroke from deep and a knack for being around the ball.
“There’s a reason why he was a top [75] kid,” Willard said.
The presence of the freshmen is going to allow Willard to keep his seniors fresh. His rotation consisted of 10 players. Car- rington received the most minutes, with 23.
“It felt like I didn’t even play tonight,” he said. “That’s a good thing.”
There was very little not to like for Seton Hall, which looked every bit deserving of its national ranking. When asked if this was exactly how he would have scripted the opener, Willard grinned like a coach who knows he’s in for a big year.
“To play as well as we played with 22 assists,” he said, “I’m happy with that.”