Seton Hall is 6-0 in conference play and the only unbeaten team in the Big East. The Pirates are thriving from a balanced attack featuring Myles Powell.
Seton Hall has seen it all in the ten years Kevin Willard has been their head coach. Adversity, controversy, tough defeats, and the thrill of victory. There isn’t much the Pirates haven’t seen, gone through, or accomplished.
Willard is one of the top coaches in the nation and has the Pirates positioned for a fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. Seton Hall’s style of basketball is not always flashy or pretty, but it’s consistent and effective.
It also doesn’t hurt to also have arguably the best closer in the nation, Myles Powell. The native of Trenton, New Jersey decided to return for his senior year and it instantly made the Pirates favorites once again to challenge Villanova for the top spot in the Big East conference.
Powell plays the game with passion the same way Willard coaches with passion. That creates a strong template for the rest of the team to follow. Seton Hall leaves it all on the court every time they’re out there.
Overcoming adversity is their specialty
This year’s team is a battle-tested one with the right mix of experience and youth. They have the type of quality depth needed for the moments in a season where adversity becomes the biggest opponent.
Junior forward Sandro Mamukelashvili went out with a broken wrist earlier this season, in a bad loss at Iowa State. “Mamu” was the second-best player on the team, losing him was a body blow for the Pirates. But Willard has received solid production from Romaro Gill and Jared Rhoden in the frontcourt. It could make for Mamu’s pending return a problem most teams would love to have at this point in the season.
There was even more adversity when Powell went out with a concussion in another bad loss, this time at Rutgers. What did the Pirates do? They did what they always do, they went with the next man up. And that meant Willard shifting more of the scoring load to point guard Quincy McKnight.
In a huge non-conference win at Maryland, with Powell out, McKnight dropped 17 points on the Terapins along with eight rebounds and six assists. The senior guard brings calm to the court, doesn’t shy away from the moment, and can also be counted on at the foul line when it matters most.
Seton Hall looks like a team ready to make noise in March
The Pirates, currently ranked 18th in the nation, were picked in the preseason to win the Big East regular season title. Their latest win, an 82-79, win over a gritty St. John’s team at Madison Square Garden, was a display of everything which makes the Pirates the team to beat in the conference.
McKnight was strong as usual at the point with 20 points and five assists to go with seven rebounds. Gill continues to open eyes with his strong play in the middle, the 7-foot-2 center is making a strong case for Big East Most Improved Player of the Year.
Powell scored 23 of his 29 points in the second half to lead the Pirates to victory over St. John’s. He also surpassed 2,000 points for his career.
Seton Hall knows nothing is guaranteed this season in the Big East. Villanova will be waiting for them again. Meanwhile, the rest of the conference looks like one big fun puzzle.
The Pirates will close out the month of January with three consecutive home games against Providence, DePaul, and Xavier respectively. Seton Hall will then begin the stretch run of their conference schedule with road games at Georgetown and Villanova.
In whatever way this shakes out this season, Willard knows his team has the talent, the heart, and the resume for the challenge.
This is very familiar territory for Willard and Seton Hall.
