Seton Hall Basketball: 2017-18 season preview for the Pirates
Overview and Ranking
We have ranked Seton Hall as the No. 16 best team in the country (No. 3 in the Big East), but they have a top-ten ceiling. The Carrington-Rodriguez-Delgado trio is among the best in the country in terms of production, but also in terms of experience.
These three players have played significant roles since their freshman seasons and that will pay major dividends this season. When you add Sanogo’s defensive abilities and Powell’s outside shooting, you have created a potent starting lineup.
The only question mark for Seton Hall is a major one. Will Carrington be able to transition to a full-time point guard role?
Carrington has proven to be an excellent scorer who can shoot from long range and attack the rim, but he has not proven to be a distributor, which is something Seton Hall desperately needs from him. He has the necessary weapons around him to be successful, but he needs to adjust his mindset. If he can be a willing distributor and get his teammates involved, the Pirates could reach their lofty ceiling.
Seton Hall could help Carrington by pairing him with a glue guy for stretches. In 2015-16, many people questioned Whitehead’s ability to play the point. Like Carrington, Whitehead was seen as a score-first combo guard but developed into a quality distributor over time. The Pirates used Derrick Gordon as a secondary playmaker and glue guy which complimented Whitehead’s skill set quite well.
Last season, Madison Jones was the perimeter glue guy, but this season the Pirates have traded defense for Powell’s threatening 3-point shooting. If Seton Hall is going to find a Derrick Gordon-esque glue guy off the bench, Eron Gordon could be the main candidate. Gordon could not crack the rotation last season, but he has some point guard skills and is the most experienced of the perimeter reserves.
Next: Big East preseason predictions
It will be interesting to see how Seton Hall constructs their rotation, but regardless of who they choose as a seventh man, the Pirates collection of talented veterans will lead them towards the top of the Big East. Hopefully, the immensely talented members of Seton Hall’s 2014 recruiting class can end their college careers on a high note and lead the Pirates deep into March.