The 2020-2021 college basketball season was an odd season due to the pandemic. For Seton Hall, the uncertainty of the campaign came at a bad time. After losing prolific scorer Myles Powell along with point guard and floor leader Quincy McKnight, it was known that the Pirates would face growing pains. The bright spot for Seton Hall was Sandro Mamukelashvili, who won Co-Big East Player of the Year and All-Big East Team honors after averaging 17 points and eight rebounds per game. Seton Hall finished fourth in the Big East last season.
Returning Players Take The Lead
Heading into this upcoming season, Mamukelashvili is now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, and head coach Kevin Willard continues rebuilding the Pirates. The cupboard is not bare for the Willard going into his 11th season at the helm in South Orange. Myles Cale returns for his final season with the Pirates as the team's de facto leader. The 6'6" swingman saw his minutes increase to 30 per game as his play stepped up. He averaged a career-high 12 points per game while shooting 44 percent from the field and 36 percent from beyond the arc. Cale will be leaned on even more this season.
Another player who saw his numbers improve for Seton Hall last season was Jared Rhoden. The guard scored 14 points per game while grabbing seven rebounds per game. Rhoden was named to the Preseason All-Big East First Team but is currently suffering from an ankle injury that Willard is calling game-to-game. Without Rhoden, the Pirates will need to lean on other players. Based on their exhibition game against Misericordia, there are many options.
Low Post Combo
Tyrese Samuel (15 points) and Tray Jackson (19 points) played exceptionally well in the exhibition matchup. Misericordia is not Villanova in February, but the flashes Samuel and Jackson showed were a potential preview of the Pirates' inside threats. You have two 6'10" forwards who can score and play in the paint, which has been missing for Seton Hall since the graduation of Angel Delgado.
Another player that could make an impact is guard Bryce Aiken. An injury-ravaged season ruined his homecoming back to New Jersey after transferring from Harvard. He hopes to rebounds from 32 percent shooting and 27 percent from three to give the Pirates some more scoring off the bench.
Chemistry Developing
The one big question this season for Seton Hall will be how the team gels. There are many new parts to go along with Cale, Rhoden, and others who have been with the program. Chemistry is tricky when integrating new components, so it will be imperative for Kevin Willard to play many different rotations and combinations early to see what works and what doesn't. The Pirates' first two games are against Yale and Fairleigh Dickinson, so these games will be used as "preseason games" for Seton Hall to try things out.
The non-conference schedule for the Pirates is treacherous as they face the likes of Michigan, Ohio State, and Texas. Add in their annual rivalry game against Rutgers, and Seton Hall has their work cut out for them throughout their schedule before Big East play. There will be growing pains, but if this non-conference schedule does anything, it will undoubtedly toughen this team up for conference play.
For all the many new pieces that Kevin Willard has, this could be one of his most talented teams during his time with Seton Hall. If they can harness the inside-outside game that is there potentially, the Pirates could be a tough team on a nightly basis. Time will tell whether it all comes together, but there is not much time to make it work. November 16 is when they visit Ann Arbor to face Michigan in their third game of the season. They have work to do.
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