Seton Hall basketball 2022-23 preview: reasons to hope & mope, must-see games, prediction

Tyrese Samuel gets the same questions over and over as he walks around Seton Hall University this fall.

“Everyone I speak with on campus is like, ‘How is Sha? What is he like?’” Samuel said. “Everybody wants to know about him.”

Sha, of course, is new Seton Hall basketball coach Shaheen Holloway, whose return to his alma mater after leading Saint Peter’s on the greatest Cinderella run in NCAA Tournament history is one of the sport’s more intriguing story lines for 2022-23. Samuel, a senior forward and the lone four-year Pirate, sums it up well.

“With Sha, it’s not only about us,” he said. “He loves Seton Hall, and it’s about what’s best for the school.”

Hall women’s basketball coach Tony Bozzella senses it, too. He said Holloway has been great with the women’s team and seems to have lit a fire under everyone on campus.

“Shaheen is different, a little more outgoing (than predecessor Kevin Willard), and I think that’s given a little bit of life to the university and certainly both basketball programs,” Bozzella said. “He’s bringing a lot of excitement and I think you’ll see a lot of passion on the floor with his team – otherwise he’ll go in.”

The deeply personal nature of this project means Holloway is pushing people in ways they haven’t been pushed, trying to mold his players and everyone around the program in his image. This is especially true of his guards – all of whom hail from his old stomping grounds (New York City and New Jersey).

“He’s real tough, real focused on the guards,” said junior guard Femi Odukale, a Brooklyn Native. “He wants everything about us to be tough, and that’s what he’s been instilling.”

That doesn’t necessarily happen overnight, which is why it’s hard to forecast what’s ahead for the Pirates this winter. Holloway seems bearish on his team’s prospects. At Saint Peter’s, it took him a year to put his imprint on the program. By year four, as everyone saw, his players were spitting fire.

The curtain goes up Wednesday night when Monmouth visits the Prudential Center. On Saturday the Rock’s lower bowl (capacity: 10,500) will be just about full for a noon tip against Saint Peter’s. Here’s our breakdown of the season ahead.

3 reasons to hope

1. The favorite son.

From his playing days at St. Pat’s and Seton Hall to his assistantship at the Hall and his remarkable work at Saint Peter’s, everything Shaheen Holloway touched turned to gold. It’s going to take time here, but if you view this transition season through the lens of seeds planted – effort, discipline, teamwork – it will likely be a success.

2. There’s talent on this roster.

There is no star, but there is a tantalizing combination of experience and ability. Seven players have logged at least two seasons of high-major ball, plus KC Ndefo (who should fit seamlessly) and potential impact freshman Tae Davis. If will be fascinating to see if Holloway can get the most out of Samuel, Kadary Richmond and Tray Jackson – three dudes with high upsides.

3. Golden opportunities await.

Playing a tough non-conference schedule can be a double-edged sword, especially for a squad with all new coaches and mostly new players. But if the Pirates can go 2-1 against Iowa, Memphis and Rutgers they will be off to the races. The trip to Kansas, if course, is house money. Holloway didn’t schedule these games, but he’ll embrace them.

3 reasons to mope

1. A dangerously thin front line.

Power forward Alexis Yetna hasn’t played since last spring due to a lingering knee injury and remains out indefinitely. With 6-9 Abdou Ndiaye also out indefinitely due to injury (as is freshman guard JaQuan Harris), that leaves Samuel and the 6-foot-7 Ndefo as the only scholarship bigs available (Jackson is 6-10 but roamed the perimeter last season). There is length in the backcourt and on the wings, but precious little heft – Samuel is the only Pirate who weighs more than 215 pounds.

2. The cohesion factor.

Fit is the biggest intangible in college basketball. It’s tricky with an all-new staff and eight new players. Holloway has been sounding the alarm about this for two months. The group hasn’t practiced together for sustained periods due to injuries. On offense, in particular, it will take time to mesh.

3. Shooting concerns.

One way to mitigate the lack of bulk up front is to make shots. Seton Hall has three or four guys with a history of hitting from deep – Jackson, Jamir Harris, Al-Amir Dawes and freshman Jaquan Sanders (at the high school level) – but Holloway said he hasn’t seen the consistency in practice. It wasn’t there in the scrimmage and exhibition, either.

5 must-see games

Nov. 16 vs. Iowa at home: The reigning Big Ten Tournament champions should provide the Pirates’ first big test. Can Ndefo stymie preseason All-Big Ten forward Kris Murray? Iowa scores a lot, doesn’t defend particularly well. Seton Hall could be the opposite.

Dec. 1 at Kansas: Under Bill Self, the defending national champs are 292-16 at Allen Fieldhouse, which owns the world record for the loudest indoor roar (130 decibels, in 2017). The Hall is 1-2 against Kansas, having won in the 1988 Great Alaska Shootout. We all know how that season ended.

Dec. 11 at Rutgers: The Pirates’ last win in Piscataway came in 2015, Eddie Jordan’s final season. In fact, the home team in the Garden State Hardwood Classic has captured five straight. It won’t be as loud as The Phog, but close – and this crowd will be angrier.

Dec. 17 vs. Providence at home: The Big East opener is always a big deal, and to have the defending conference champion will heighten the stage. Plus these squads are comparable on paper and will play a similar, take-no-prisoners style. Floor burns for everyone.

Jan. 18 vs. Connecticut at home: Two Hall alums at the helms, both coaching with P.J. Carlesimo-style intensity. UConn postman Adama Sanogo has bedeviled the Pirates. Can this staff, which devised game plans to beat bigs-driven Kentucky and Purdue in the NCAAs, cook up something special?

Our prediction

This is an exceptionally hard team to forecast, with so many new pieces and so little to go on. Only one practice was open to reporters, and a short intrasquad scrimmage was the lone public appearance. Holloway seems deeply concerned that his team is not ready, and that his message has not gotten through to everyone. How much of that is his perfectionist’s disposition? We’ll find out soon enough. Instinct here is that the Pirates will endure fits and starts before hitting stride late.

Projection: 18-13 (7-4 non-conference, 11-9 Big East) and a spot squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Seton Hall basketball 2022-23 preview and prediction