By Aidan Joly
Seton Hall enters the 2020-21 season in an interesting spot. 2019-20 was the program’s best season in about 25 years, but COVID-19 ended the season before what probably would have been a deep tournament run.
They shared the Big East title with Creighton behind the play of All-American Myles Powell. Now, they are without Powell, who graduated along with Quincy McKnight and Romaro Gill, all impact players. However, they return and add some key pieces.
The beginning of the answer to who will replace Powell will start in the frontcourt with Sandro Mamukelashvili. The 6-11 forward was great last season, averaging 11.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, an impact player on both sides of the floor. The Pirates and head coach Kevin Willard cannot afford to lose Mamukelashvili for any significant length of time after he missed 10 games last season, 11 if you count the nonconference game against Iowa State that he went down five minutes into. He should be playing at an all-conference level this year.
Replacing Gill will be the 7-2 center Ike Obiagu. He played limited minutes last year off the bench and should be sliding into the starting lineup this year. He is known as a natural shot-blocker, which he shouldn’t have a problem with this year. Off the bench, check out sophomore Tyrese Samuel getting a larger role and freshman Jeff Ngandu, a 6-9 forward hailing from the Congo and spent last year playing in Canada.
In the backcourt, the dynamic and most interesting piece is Harvard grad transfer Bryce Aiken. The former top-100 prospect was one of the most coveted grad transfers on the market, despite his injury history that has not allowed him to play a full season since his freshman year and limited him to just seven games last year. However, when he’s healthy he’s great, having averaged 16.7 PPG last year in those seven games. He also was a two-time All-Ivy League first team selection, including 2017, when he also won the league’s Rookie of the Year award. His junior year in 2018-19 was his best season, averaging 22.2 PPG and shooting 39.8% from three.
As for the rest of the starting backcourt, the other two starter roles will be taken on by a pair of versatile wings, Myles Cale and Jared Rhoden. Kevin Willard-coached teams always have a tough defense and these are two guys that can fill the roles left open by McKnight’s departure. Both can also do some good things on offense, Rhoden especially, who had 9.1 PPG and 6.4 RPG last season.
Off the bench, a player to watch is Canisius transfer Takal Molson. He spent last year on the bench for transfer rules but played exceptionally well as a sophomore in 2018-19, averaging 16.9 PPG and 5.4 RPG on his way to an All-MAAC first team nod. The issue with him is that he struggles with efficiency – he’s a volume scorer who takes a lot of shots to get those point totals. However, his efficiency should improve due to the fact that he’s not being relied on as a #1 option, just a complementary piece with the Pirates.
Shavar Reynolds is another guy to watch. He’s the only true shooting guard on the team and is also a versatile player. Reynolds is a shooter, so that should allow him to get a good amount of playing time.
Another pair of three-star freshmen, Jahari Long and Dimingus Stevens, may get shots at certain points as well. Long is a pure point guard and may just be the point guard of the future for Seton Hall. Stevens, meanwhile, is a good outside shooter who can also have a defensive impact with his length.
Overall, Seton Hall is a team that’s tough top gauge. They have talent, but the question is where they will finish in a Big East that has a ton of talented teams once again. Willard has been very consistent in his tenure, so I expect Seton Hall to appear in what would have been its sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament.
AJ Hoops 