# Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball

The Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball program is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. The team competes in the Big East Conference and plays their home games in the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The Pirates are currently coached by Shaheen Holloway. Seton Hall has appeared 14 times in the NCAA tournament and were national runners-up in 1989.

## History

Seton Hall's first season of basketball occurred in 1903–04, but the school did not field a team again until 1908–09, the year in which the university achieved its first winning season. The school adopted the Pirate mascot in 1931, and the teams soon gained national prominence with the arrival of John "Honey" Russell in 1936. During an 18-year span, the Pirates racked up a 295–129 record that included an undefeated 19–0 record in 1939–40 as part of a 41-game unbeaten streak. Walsh Gymnasium was opened in 1941 to house the basketball team permanently and featured one of the best Seton Hall teams of all time, termed the "Wonder Five", which led by All-American Bob Davies, earned the school's first NIT bid in 1941. Following World War II, the Pirates were led by stars Frank Saul and Bobby Wanzer and regularly played games at Madison Square Garden. The peak of this era occurred in 1953 when Richie Regan and Walter Dukes defeated rival St. John's University for the NIT title. Perhaps the low point for the team occurred in 1961 when a point shaving scandal sullied the program, but the Pirates rebounded to return to the NIT in 1974 under coach Bill Raftery. Seton Hall became a charter member of the Big East Conference in 1979, where they are still a member to this day.
Although Seton Hall did have a lengthy American Football Team, The high point of the Big East era for Seton Hall came when P. J. Carlesimo was hired in 1982 and the team began playing in the Meadowlands Arena. By 1988, Carlesimo led the Pirates to the school's first NCAA tournament appearance, and in 1989, he led the Hall to an unexpected tournament run to the NCAA Championship game, where they were defeated by Michigan in overtime. Success under Carlesimo continued with a Big East tournament championship and an Elite Eight appearance in 1991, a regular season Big East Championship and Sweet Sixteen appearance in 1992, and Big East Regular Season and Big East tournament Championships in 1993. Carlesimo left to coach in the NBA following the 1993–94 season, but Seton Hall returned to the Sweet Sixteen in 2000 guided by coach Tommy Amaker, and appeared in the NCAA tournament in 2004 and 2006 coached by Louis Orr. In 2006–07, Bobby Gonzalez was hired to lead the Pirates, which moved its home games into the Prudential Center in 2007. Gonzalez amassed a 66–59 record at Seton Hall but was fired at the conclusion of the 2009–10 after a first-round NIT loss to Texas Tech. Concerns were raised in-house about the direction Gonzalez was taking the program, punctuated by several incidents, some involving Gonzalez and others involving student athletes. Shortly after his dismissal Gonzalez was arrested for shoplifting. Seton Hall then hired Kevin Willard for the 2010–11 season.
After struggling to maintain a .500 record through his first five seasons with the program, Willard's Pirates finally broke through in the 2015–16 season, as they won the Big East tournament Championship over the eventual national champion Villanova Wildcats. With the win, Seton Hall secured the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2006 and the first Big East tournament Championship since 1993. However, the magic could not continue in the NCAA tournament, as the team was defeated by the 11th-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs in the First Round. In 2017, the Pirates were again eliminated in the First Round of the NCAA tournament by the Arkansas Razorbacks, but the Pirates would win their first tournament game in fourteen years upon defeating the NC State Wolfpack in 2018's first round before being defeated by the Kansas Jayhawks in the Second Round. Following the graduation of starting seniors Khadeen Carrington, Ángel Delgado, Desi Rodriguez, and Ismael Sanogo, the Pirates would appear in their fourth consecutive NCAA tournament for the second time in program history in 2019. Led by the play of standout junior guard Myles Powell, the Pirates, at risk of missing the tournament sitting on a 16–12 overall and 7–9 Big East record, won their final two regular season games at home against 16th-ranked Marquette and 23rd-ranked Villanova and advanced to the Big East Final where they lost a rematch to Villanova by two points. Ultimately, they secured a #10 seed in the tournament following their performance down the stretch, and fell to the Wofford Terriers in a first round game in which Fletcher Magee would break Division I's all-time three-point scoring record. In November 2021, Seton Hall traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan to play the then #4 ranked Michigan Wolverines as part of the Big East-Big10 Gavitt Games. Of note was that the game was the first time the two programs had met since the 1989 NCAA National Championship Game when Michigan beat Seton Hall by one on a controversial foul call. In the 2021 version, Seton Hall upset Michigan, making it the first time Seton Hall had won a road game against a non-conference AP top-five team in university history. They were 0-5 prior.

## All-time coaching records

| Name | Years | Record | Win pct. |
| William Caffrey | 1908–09 | 10–4 | (.714) |
| Dick McDonough | 1909–10 | 6–2 | (.750) |
| Jim Flanagan | 1910–11 | 4–0 | (1.000) |
| Frank Hill | 1911–30 | 192–75 | (.719) |
| Dan Steinberg | 1930–31 | 12–11 | (.522) |
| Les Fries | 1931–33 | 18–13 | (.581) |
| John Colrick | 1933–35 | 8–22 | (.267) |
| Bob Davies | 1946–47 | 24–3 | (.889) |
| Jack Reitemeier | 1947–49 | 34–12 | (.739) |
| John Russell | 1936–43 1949-60 | 295–129 | (.696) |
| Richard Regan | 1960–70 | 112–131 | (.461) |
| Bill Raftery | 1970–81 | 154–141 | (.522) |
| Hoddy Mahon | 1981–82 | 11–16 | (.407) |
| P.J. Carlesimo | 1982–94 | 212–166 | (.561) |
| George Blaney | 1994–97 | 38–48 | (.442) |
| Tommy Amaker | 1997–01 | 68–55 | (.540) |
| Louis Orr | 2001–06 | 80–69 | (.537) |
| Bobby Gonzalez | 2006–10 | 66–59 | (.528) |
| Kevin Willard | 2010–22 | 225–161 | (.583) |
| Shaheen Holloway | 2022–present | 42–28 | (.600) |

## Postseason
### NCAA tournament results

The Pirates have appeared in the NCAA tournament 14 times. Their combined record is 16–14.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Results |
| 1988 | #8 | First Round Second Round | #9 UTEP #1 Arizona | W 80–64 L 55–84 |
| 1989 | #3 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four National Championship Game | #14 Southwest Missouri State #11 Evansville #2 Indiana #4 UNLV #2 Duke #3 Michigan | W 60–51 W 87–73 W 78–65 W 84–61 W 95–78 L 79–80 $^{OT}$ |
| 1991 | #3 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #14 Pepperdine #11 Creighton #2 Arizona #1 UNLV | W 71–51 W 81–69 W 81–77 L 65–77 |
| 1992 | #4 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #13 La Salle #5 Missouri #1 Duke | W 78–76 W 88–71 L 69–81 |
| 1993 | #2 | First Round Second Round | #15 Tennessee State #7 WKU | W 81–59 L 68–72 |
| 1994 | #10 | First Round | #7 Michigan State | L 73–84 |
| 2000 | #10 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #7 Oregon #2 Temple #3 Oklahoma State | W 72–71 $^{OT}$ W 67–65 $^{OT}$ L 66–68 |
| 2004 | #8 | First Round Second Round | #9 Arizona #1 Duke | W 80–76 L 62–90 |
| 2006 | #10 | First Round | #7 Wichita State | L 66–86 |
| 2016 | #6 | First Round | #11 Gonzaga | L 52–68 |
| 2017 | #9 | First Round | #8 Arkansas | L 71–77 |
| 2018 | #8 | First Round Second Round | #9 NC State #1 Kansas | W 94–83 L 79–83 |
| 2019 | #10 | First Round | #7 Wofford | L 68–84 |
| 2022 | #8 | First Round | #9 TCU | L 42–69 |

### NIT results

The Pirates have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 19 times. Their combined record is 13–19. They were NIT champions in 1953 and 2024.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1941 | Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game | Rhode Island Long Island CCNY | W 70–54 L 26–49 L 27–42 |
| 1951 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game | Beloit NC State BYU St. John's | W 71–57 W 71–59 L 59–69 L 68–70 |
| 1952 | First Round | La Salle | L 76–80 |
| 1953 | Quarterfinals Semifinals Final | Niagara Manhattan St. John's | W 79–74 W 74–56 W 58–46 |
| 1955 | First Round | Saint Francis (PA) | L 78–89 |
| 1956 | First Round Quarterfinals | Marquette Saint Joseph's | W 96–78 L 65–74 |
| 1957 | First Round | Xavier | L 79–85 |
| 1974 | First Round | Memphis | L 72–73 |
| 1977 | First Round | Massachusetts | L 85–86 |
| 1987 | First Round | Niagara | L 65–74 |
| 1995 | First Round | Canisius | L 71–83 |
| 1998 | First Round | Georgia Tech | L 70–88 |
| 1999 | First Round | Old Dominion | L 56–75 |
| 2001 | First Round | Alabama | L 79–85 |
| 2003 | First Round | Rhode Island | L 60–61 |
| 2010 | First Round | Texas Tech | L 69–87 |
| 2012 | First Round Second Round | Stony Brook Massachusetts | W 63–61 L 67–77 |
| 2023 | First Round | Colorado | L 64–65 |
| 2024 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Final | Saint Joseph’s North Texas UNLV Georgia Indiana State | W 75–72 W 72–58 W 91–68 W 84–67 W 79–77 |

## Notable players and coaches

In 2016, while playing for the Pirates, Derrick Gordon became the first openly gay man to play in the March Madness tournament.

### Honored and retired jerseys

Seton Hall Pirates retired numbers :
| No. | Player | Position | Career |
| 3 | Frank Saul | G/F | 1942–43, 1946–49 |
| 5 | Walter Dukes | C | 1950–53 |
| 8 | Bobby Wanzer | G | 1942–43, 1946–47 |
| 11 | Bob Davies | G | 1939–42 |
| 12 | Richie Regan | G | 1950–53 |
| 24 | Terry Dehere | SG | 1989–93 |
| 34 | Glenn Mosley | PF | 1973-77 |
| 44 | Nick Werkman | G | 1961–64 |

### Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

| Year Inducted | Name | Position | Years at Seton Hall |
| 1964 | John "Honey" Russell | Coach | 1936–1943, 1949–60 |
| 1970 | Bob Davies | Player/Coach | 1939–1942, 1946–47 |
| 1987 | Bobby Wanzer | Player | 1942–1943, 1946–47 |
| 2017 | Nikos Galis | Player | 1975–1979 |

### FIBA Hall of Fame

| Year Inducted | Name | Years at Seton Hall |
| 2007 | Nikos Galis | 1975–1979 |
| 2013 | Andrew Gaze | 1988–1989 |

## Pirates in the NBA

31 Pirates have played at least one game in the NBA.
| Name | Draft Year | Draft Team |
| Anthony Avent | 1991 | Atlanta Hawks |
| Andre Barrett | 2004 | Undrafted |
| Mark Bryant | 1988 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| Tommy Byrnes | 1946 | Undrafted |
| Chuck Connors | 1946 | Undrafted |
| Marcus Cousin | 2010 | Undrafted |
| Samuel Dalembert | 2001 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Bob Davies | 1948 | Undrafted |
| Terry Dehere | 1993 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| Ángel Delgado | 2018 | Undrafted |
| Walter Dukes | 1953 | New York Knicks |
| Bob Fitzgerald | 1946 | Undrafted |
| Andrew Gaze | 1993 | Undrafted |
| Adrian Griffin | 1999 | Undrafted |
| Eddie Griffin | 2001 | New Jersey Nets |
| Howie Janotta | 1949 | Baltimore Bullets |
| Johnny Macknowski | 1948 | Rochester Royals |
| Sandro Mamukelashvili | 2021 | Indiana Pacers |
| Mike McCarron | 1946 | Undrafted |
| John Morton | 1989 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Glenn Mosley | 1977 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Al Negratti | 1946 | Undrafted |
| Myles Powell | 2021 | Undrafted |
| Richie Regan | 1953 | Rochester Royals |
| Jared Rhoden | 2022 | Undrafted |
| Ed Sadowski | 1946 | Undrafted |
| Pep Saul | 1949 | Rochester Royals |
| Ben Scharnus | 1946 | Undrafted |
| Bobby Wanzer | 1948 | Rochester Royals |
| Isaiah Whitehead | 2016 | Utah Jazz |
| Luther Wright | 1993 | Utah Jazz |

## Pirates in international leagues

* Khadeen Carrington, in the Israeli Premier Basketball League
* Isaiah Whitehead, in the Israeli Basketball Premier League