Seton Hall Basketball: 3 reasons why Pirates will survive without Myles Powell
By Joe Casey
Even though Myles Powell, the most impactful player on the floor since Terry Dehere, Seton Hall Basketball has shown they have the tools to not only survive but thrive without their star guard.
After the most promising year since the “phantom foul” in the 1989 NCAA Tournament Championship, Seton Hall Basketball’s dreams of the Final Four were dashed due to COVID. The anticlimactic ending to a once-promising season left the Pirates with more questions than answers, headlined by how the team would the departure of Myles Powell would impact the team.
Not only the cornerstone of the program but also the leader in the locker room, Powell was Seton Hall basketball. How could 20-21 Pirates survive without him? The answer boils down to three critical aspects of the team that reaches far beyond the impact of Myles Powell.
1. Kevin Willard and his staff
Prior to the Kevin Willard era of Seton Hall basketball, the Pirates struggled to put the type talent on the floor necessary to succeed in the Big East and beyond. After Willard was hired he spearheaded the changes that helped the Pirates become a legitimate threat at the top of the Big East.
On top of his ability to execute on game day, Willard has marked himself as one of the best player development coaches in the Big East. His most recent recruit, Brandon Weston, cited Willard’s dedication to the recruiting process and the program’s record of elevating players to the next level as his reasons for committing. This reputation will only continue to grow as the program continues to recruit top-level talent and develop them into NBA level players.
When citing development within the Seton Hall program you must look at the supporting staff Willard has brought to South Orange. The best-kept secret of the Willard era is big man coach Grant Billmeier.
Even though he has been recognized by his fellow Big East coaches, many outside of the coaching circle are unfamiliar with the impact he has made at Seton Hall. During his time in basketball, Billmeier played at Seton Hall and spent time overseas before working in the basketball operations department at his alma mater.
After leaving the program for a year to work as an assistant coach at Farleigh Dickinson, he returned to Seton Hall to join Willard’s staff in September of 2015. During his time at Seton Hall, Billmeier has played a major role in the development of Angel Delgado, Michael Nzei, and most recently Big East DPOY and MIP Romaro Gil.
Under Billmeier’s tutelage, Gil went from an inconsistent rotation player to a legitimate threat on both sides of the floor. During the 20-21 season expect to see noticeable improvement from projected starting center Ike Obiagu.
Even though you can only do so much to prepare your players and program for playing in a conference like the Big East, Willard has proven time and time again that he understands how to build a program. Along with his supporting staff, they will be able to recruit, develop, and gameplan to soften the blow of losing the best player in the Big East.