Seton Hall: 21-11 last season, 54% of scoring returns
Projected to play starter or close to starter minutes:
G: Kadary Richmond 6’6 200 JR 8.8p, 3.6r, 4.1a, 1.7s, 34.5 3p%, 40.2 fg%
G: Al-Amir Dawes 6’2 182 SR 11.3p, 2.8r, 2.3a, 39.8 3p% (stats from Clemson)
G: Femi Odukale 6’5 185 JR 10.8p, 3.5r, 3.4a, 1s, 33.0 3p%, 39.1 fg% (stats from Pitt)
G: Jamir Harris 6’2 195 GR, 7.9p, 36.9 3p%
W: Dre Davis 6’5 220 JR 7.4p, 3r, 0.6s, 0.5b, 20.8 3p%, 42.7 fg% (stats from Louisville)
F: Alexis Yetna 6’8 225 GR, 8.1p, 7.6r, 40.4 fg%, 22.8 3p%
F: KD Ndefo 6’7 195 SR 10.5p, 6.1r, 2.4a, 1.3s, 2.8b, 28.3 3p%, 47 fg% (stats from Saint Peter’s)
F: Tray Jackson 6’10 210 JR 6.8p, 3.5r, 39.5 3p%, 46.6 fg%
F: Tyrese Samuel 6’10 230 SR 7.3p, 5.2r, 0.9b, 20 3p%, 48.8 fg%
Projected bench:
G: Jaquan Sanders 6’3 170 FR, #195 ranked recruit of ‘22
G: Jaquan Harris 6’3 180 FR, #197 ranked recruit of ‘22
F: Tae Davis 6’7 198 FR, #144 ranked recruit of ‘22
F: Abdou Ndiaye 6’9 200 SR 1.6p, 1.9r, 0.7b in 9.7 mpg (stats from Illinois State)
Key Departures:
Jared Rhoden 15.5p, 6.7r, 1.2s, 33.6 3p%
Bryce Aiken 14.5p, 2.7a, 1.3s, 35.3 3p%
Myles Cale 9.8p, 3.9r, 1.5s, 35.9 3p%
After a dozen years, the Kevin Willard era could best be summarized as consistently good, but wanting for more. Prime example: five tournament appearances over the last seven seasons and just one tournament win. You can easily argue that Kevin Willard is the second best coach in Seton Hall history, but his resignation in March was an amicable split that could work out well for both parties.
The timing of Willard’s resignation couldn’t have been any better with former Seton Hall great (all-time leader in assists and fourth all-time in steals) and Willard’s former assistant coach Shaheen Holloway hired to replace Willard. Considered one of the more promising young coaches prior to the 2021-2022 season, his stock skyrocketed as Saint Peter’s became one of the most cherished Cinderella stories in March Madness history reaching the Elite Eight as a 15-seed.
Widely considered a slam dunk hire, Holloway’s Saint Peter’s teams were known for their suffocating defense, willingness to attack the basket and fight for offensive boards, even though his rosters tended to be size deficient.
Now at Seton Hall, Holloway has a wealth of talent unforeseen in his head coaching career, even with three of the team’s top-three scorers graduating. In parallel with Willard’s most recent teams at Seton Hall, Holloway’s squads play with a deep bench blurring the lines between starters and bench players. Last season, Seton Hall had nine players averaging 18+ minutes per game and there’s a good chance next season’s roster will have a similar wide range of contributors.
Kadary Richmond is Seton Hall’s most talented and versatile returning player. A five-tool guard blessed with a 6’9 wingspan, Richmond is poised to be one of, if not the leader in South Orange as long as his game-to-game performance is more consistent. For example, in nine games last season, Richmond scored four or less points.
A monster on the offensive glass, Alexis Yetna returns for his fifth year. Shooting just 22.8% from three last season, Yetna hopes to shoot closer to the 34.6% rate when he was at South Florida. Also returning for his fifth year is sharpshooting guard Jamir Harris who converted on 36.9% of his threes and will play alongside his brother Jaquan, a ‘22 commit.
Another pair of frontcourt returnees include Tray Jackson and Tyrese Samuel. A former top-100 recruit for Missouri, Jackson’s junior season flashed his stretch forward potential, converting threes at a team leading 39.5% rate. More of a classic, back-to-the-basket big, Tyrese Samuel is the stronger rebounder and rim protector of the two.
Hailing from Indianapolis, the Davis brothers were Holloway’s first additions of the offseason. Louisville transfer Dre Davis, a former four-star recruit, is a big, strong glue guy wing who shoots efficiently inside the arc. His younger brother Tae Davis is a Louisville decommit and is Seton Hall’s top ranked prospect of the ‘22 class.
On May 4th, Clemson’s Al-Amir Dawes committed to join Seton Hall’s backcourt. Born and raised in Newark, Dawes is a sweet shooting combo guard who is also a capable secondary ball-handler and distributor. Over his last two seasons at Clemson, Dawes about two-thirds of his shot attempts were from three, connecting at a 39.7% clip while also averaging 2.1 assists per game.
Four days later, the versatile Femi Odukale transferred from Pittsburgh. Originally from Brooklyn, Odukale profiles a bit like Richmond, blessed with a 6’11 wingspan, strong court vision (led Pitt in assists) and a willingness to attack the rim (4.7 ftas/game) while shooting well enough from deep to keep defenses honest (33%).
The longer he stayed on the portal, the more likely it seemed that defensive whiz KD Ndefo would follow Holloway to South Orange and in late May those rumors came to fruition. Armed with an iron will and one of the best motors in all of college basketball, Ndefo’s defensive prowess finally got the national attention it deserved as he was the 2022 recipient of the Lefty Driesell Award, which is presented annually to the top defensive player in Division 1. At only 6’7 195, Ndefo swatted 2.8 blocks per game and overall stuffed the stat sheet. While his skills will help him earn starting or close-to starting minutes, he is also an important conduit to help the team transition coaching regimes.
The end of Seton Hall’s bench will be filled with ‘22 commit Jaquan Sanders, a three-star shooting guard from the Bronx and Illinois State transfer Abdou Ndiaye whose value will most likely be on the practice court as tough competition for Seton Hall’s frontcourt.
While it’s not “tournament or bust” for Holloway’s first season in South Orange, the combination of the Pirates’ returning talent and reinforcements from the transfer portal make it a safe bet for Seton Hall to return back to the tournament, earning a seed somewhere in the 9-11 range.
OOC games as of 6/28/22:
11/24-11/27 ESPN Events Invitational. Three games against possible opponents:
Florida State, Memphis, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Siena, Stanford
12/1 @ Kansas
12/11 @ Rutgers
TBD v Iowa, Iona, Wagner, Rhode Island, Saint Peter’s and Monmouth
The 6'10 height was taken directly from Seton Hall's roster page and I can't find the word "center" anywhere on the overview, but thanks for reading.
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