Blue Man Group Returns To Jersey

Herb Pope is back, and so too are three other Seton Hall starters that look to send Pirates to NCAA Tournament for first time since 2004. (Photo courtesy of SportsNet New York)

Last year, they were the kings of the New York area with wins over local rivals St. John's and Rutgers before they were thoroughly humbled against Texas Tech in arguably one of the lowest and most embarrassing games in program history. The new season has now arrived; and after their NIT debacle against the Red Raiders that led to a well-received coaching change, Seton Hall is ready to contend again.

New head coach Kevin Willard inherits four returning starters from last year's team, and has been picked by many as a potential sleeper in the Big East. In fact, college basketball insider Jon Rothstein of 1050 ESPN Radio in New York feels the Pirates were largely injusticed by their 11th-place ranking in the conference's preseason poll, emphatically declaring to me at Big East media day that they would not finish there. Many others share Rothstein's insight, and the Big East newcomer Willard is just as optimistic.

"I've gotten great reaction from the local people," said Willard at Madison Square Garden in response to how his initial seven months at the helm of the Pirates had gone. So far, his style is a stark contrast from that of his predecessor. While Bobby Gonzalez ran up and down the court using only seven or eight players a game, Willard is more defensive-minded and is not afraid to spread the love by going to ten or eleven players in his rotation. Of course, the Pirates' go-to guys remain senior guard Jeremy Hazell and forward Herb Pope, who is once again healthy after an offseason hospital stay. Jeff Robinson also returns for Seton Hall after providing a spark midway through last season in an attempt to return the Pirates to the Big Dance.

Seton Hall opens their season with a matchup against Temple, and the schedule doesn't get much easier, with another nonconference test against NCAA Tournament participant Richmond later in the year. Said Willard at Big East media day: "If you looked at our schedule, it's going to be tough to have immediate success." There are some who beg to differ when looking at the core of the team returning, not to mention Mississippi transfer Eniel Polynice, who will be available immediately for his new team. In fact, Polynice has already earned his new coach's respect, and Willard is quite enamored with the fact that he can play four positions on the court at any given time. Of the freshmen on Seton Hall's roster, Willard feels Czech import Patrik Auda is the "most ready to play" of a class that includes Paterson Catholic product Fuquan Edwin, as well as former prep standout Anali Okoloji. Another key contributor getting lost in the shuffle early on as the Pirates continue to prepare for their opener is swingman Ferrakohn Hall. Willard mentioned his name several times during Big East media day interviews, and his rapid improvement has led Jason Guerette, who broadcasts Pirate basketball on WSOU Radio, to declare that Hall "should be a factor from the beginning."

The honeymoon hasn't ended in the Garden State yet, but if the buzz surrounding the Pirates is any indication, a happy marriage lies ahead for a school that is looking to return to its past glory, highlighted of course by its appearance in the 1989 national championship game.