Seton Hall Basketball: 3 key storylines heading into 2020-21 season

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - NOVEMBER 14: Head coach Kevin Willard of the Seton Hall Pirates reacts in the second half against the Michigan State Spartans at Prudential Center on November 14, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey.The Michigan State Spartans defeated the Seton Hall Pirates 76-73. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

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FULLERTON, CA – NOVEMBER 23: Jordan Ford #30 of the St. Mary’s Gaels guards Bryce Aiken #11 of the Harvard Crimson (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

1. How will the Newcomers fit in?

While Seton Hall will not be returning seven scholarship players, they are adding some transfers and three new recruits from the Class of 2020.

The highest-profile player that will be joining the Pirates next season is Bryce Aiken. The guard originally had Seton Hall in his final two in high school but opted to play for Harvard instead. While his last season at Harvard was injury-plagued with seven appearances, his 2018-19 season was amazing as he averaged 22.2 PPG and made the All-Ivy First Team. While no one can be expected to fill the shoes of Myles Powell, Aiken will be expected to carry a fair share of the scoring load.

Another transfer who will become eligible for the Pirates after sitting outside last season is Takal Molson. Molson will have 2 years of eligibility after transferring from Canisius and averaging 16.9 PPG and making the All-MAAC First Team. Molson is expected to be another scoring option for the Pirates, and at 6’5 he can rotate between the SG and SF positions. He also averaged at least 1.2 STL’s in each season with Canisius, so he can be a sneaky defensive option as well.

While the transfers may be given big roles to start out with, Willard usually eases his freshman into Division I basketball. Dimingus Stevens is a 3-star recruit from Washington DC, and plays SG and SF like Molson. However, their play styles differ as Stevens is a much better shooter than Molson (who shot around 27% from 3 in 2018-19). While there are quite a few wing players on the Pirates, I’d expect Stevens to get some time next year due to his shooting ability.

Seton Hall also added 3-star point guard Jahari Long from Texas. Long is a solid defensive player and passer, but I believe his playtime will be limited with Aiken and senior Shavar Reynolds ahead of him in the pecking order.

Lastly, the Pirates recently added center Jeff Ngandu from Canada, and the same high school as Tyrese Samuel (who we’ll get into a bit more later). While Ngandu was a big land for the Pirates, I don’t expect him to make a major presence next season with Seton Hall’s depth in the frontcourt.

Next, we look at some players who underperformed for Seton Hall last season and if they can turn it around.

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