Seton Hall Basketball: Pirates fill roster with addition of big man Jeff Ngandu
Seton Hall Basketball finalized the 2020-21 roster with the addition of Jeff Ngandu. The Pirates also added a 2021 recruit and made a few other offers to other players.
Kevin Willard has finalized Seton Hall’s 2020-21 roster with the commitment of Canadian big man Jeff Ngandu. Ngandu committed to the Pirates on Friday, choosing SHU over WKU, Oklahoma, Cincinnati, West Virginia, LSU, Georgetown, Oregon State, and Kansas State, among others.
“I talked to Seton Hall’s coaching staff, and I decided to go there,” Nganda told Evan Daniels of 247Sports. “They’ve been here for a long time, especially coach [Duane] Woodward, and we built a relationship.”
Nganda’s commitment comes even though he has never stepped foot onto the South Orange (NJ) campus. The 6-9, 225-pound center, who is unranked by the major recruiting services, gives Willard much needed frontcourt depth. The Pirates lost starting center Romaro Gill to graduation and previously missed out on top target Adama Sanogo last week when The Patrick School (NJ) product chose UConn earlier this week. He joins Ikey Obiagu and Tyrese Samuel as well Sandro Mamukelashvili upfront. That is assuming that Mamukelashvili does not stay in the NBA Draft. Missouri transfer Tray Jackson must sit out this upcoming season.
The Congo native is long and athletic. He possesses a high-motor, is a good shot-blocker, and an outstanding rebounder. Offensively, Nganda possesses good hands and can score around the rim.
Nganda suffered a “small tear” in his knee midway through his senior season but did not have surgery and returned before the conclusion of the campaign. He averaged 6.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 10 games at Orangeville Prep (ON).
Nganda is Seton Hall’s third recruit in 2020, joining grad transfer Bryce Aiken along with Jahari Long and Dimingus Stevens. Aiken, Long, and Stevens are all guards. The Hall only has 12 scholarships available this year as a result of a previous NCAA violation.
Ryan Conway commits to SHU
Ryan Conway became the first 2021 prospect to commit to the Pirates when he announced his decision on May 4. Conway chose Seton Hall over Rutgers, Marquette, Providence, Vanderbilt, and Stanford. He received his offer from the Hall in December, the day after attending the team’s upset over Maryland.
“They’ve been great with guards in the past,” Conway told the Baltimore Sun. “I’ve developed a great relationship with the coaching staff.”
The 6-1 scoring point guard can score at all three levels. Conway is quick enough to go in either direction and is a good finisher. He has an excellent mid-range game, along with a mixture of floaters, as well as being prolific from beyond the arc. The Cockeysville (MD) native is also a fantastic facilitator, capable playmaker, and a quality defender.
Conway is a consensus three-star recruit in 2021. He is rated as the 125th best prospect in the junior class by Rivals and No. 132 by 247Sports Composite. The Dulaney product is coming off a strong campaign this past season, averaging 27.3 points, 4.8 assists and 4.4 steals per game while shooting 80 percent from the charity stripe and 40% from long-distance. Conway, who exploded for 55 points in a game in January, will enter his senior campaign with 1,481 career points.
With Aiken exhausting his eligibility after this season, Conway, along with Long, will be looked to man the point next year.
Next. Early Big East power rankings for 2020-21. dark
Other news:
- SHU offered 2021 6-11 center Sam Ayomide (Malvern, PA) on May 6. Ayomide also picked up an offer from LSU on that day and now holds six scholarships with VCU, Temple, La Salle, and Texas A&M being the others.
- The Pirates became the first program to offer rising junior point guard Jaydon Lemond (Neptune, NJ) a scholarship on May 7.