Seton Hall Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Pirates

Projected starters for Seton Hall Basketball in 2021-22

Guard – Kadary Richmond (Sophomore, Syracuse transfer)

Kadary Richmond is a former 4 star, top-100 recruit, who made the wise decision to leave Syracuse for greener pastures. Richmond is a long guard, who profiles as more of a combo guard, but will likely have to play significant minutes at the point for the Pirates. At Syracuse, he played 21 minutes a game while averaging 6.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists (to just 1.6 turnovers), and 1.6 steals a game.

Not bad, but Jim Boeheim would have you believe otherwise. Richmond will need to improve his shooting stroke and the transition to full-time point guard might be an interesting one. If Richmond can contribute big minutes as a point guard and is allowed to play a bit more freely under Willard, I think he will be a valuable piece for the Pirates.

Guard – Myles Cale (Graduate Student)

Myles Cale returns for his 5th and final season at Seton Hall. Cale started in all 27 games last year playing 30.9 minutes per contest while averaging 11.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He also shot 36.9% from deep but has been inconsistent from outside for his career (bouncing between ~28% and 38% every other year, quite a swing). Seton Hall will need him to be closer to the 38% guy this year.

I usually like to use free throwing shooting as an indication of overall shooting ability and potential to become a consistent outside threat, but Cale has been inconsistent to poor from the charity stripe as well. It’s hard to know what to expect with these variable shooting numbers, but a more consistent and dependable Cale will go a long way for the Pirates this season.

Guard – Jared Rhoden (Senior)

I think this Seton Hall team goes as far as Rhoden can carry them, and not because they don’t have the talent or depth. The team will look to him for big-time shots in big-time spots. Being an option behind Mamu made Rhoden kind of an under-the-radar player last season, but I’m not sure why. Rhoden was second on the team behind only Mamu in minutes (34.5), points (14.9), and rebounds (6.7) per game.

The one area Rhoden has to improve, which basically applies to the entire Seton Hall team, is shooting from outside. This was perhaps Rhoden’s biggest weakness; he shot just 30.3% from beyond the arc. That won’t cut it this year as teams will be paying much more attention when the ball is in Rhoden’s hands.

The silver lining is that Rhoden dramatically improved his free-throw shooting last season. As a freshman and sophomore, Rhoden shot just 56.8% and 62.3% from the charity stripe. He increased this to an impressive 83.3% last season, while nearly doubling his attempts per game. If foul shooting can be used as an overall predictor of shooting ability, then I wouldn’t be shocked to see Rhoden hit ~35% from deep as a senior leader on this team.

Forward – Alexis Yetna (Graduate, South Florida transfer)

I’m not so sure most people have Alexis Yetna pegged as a day 1 starter, but the season is only a couple of weeks away so we will find out soon. Even if he doesn’t start, Yetna may be the biggest impact transfer for the Pirates, which I know is saying a lot with the other guys they brought in. If Yetna remains healthy, I think he is a Day 1 starter at the 4-spot and provides the Pirates with a nice offensive and defensive presence.

In two seasons of play at South Florida, Yetna averaged 11.4 PPG, 8.9 RPG, and showed he is a capable shooter from anywhere on the court, enough that he can stretch the defense. He is a rebounding machine and picks his spots wisely. This Seton Hall team is loaded with experienced veterans.

Center – Ike Obiagu (Graduate Student)

Last, but certainly not least, is the towering Ike Obiagu. Obiagu averaged an astonishing 2.85 blocks per game last season, good for 9th in the nation. His presence alone allows the rest of the Seton Hall defense to take chances to go for steals and get out in transition. He might not contribute a ton statistically, but your stats don’t measure how many layups he alters and how many drives he forces into wild kickouts or near turnovers.

Offensively, Obiagu plays smart too. He only averaged 4.9 PPG, but he shot nearly 70% from the field last season. He provides a veteran interior presence that will anchor Seton Hall’s defense.