TJ Simpkins goes up for go-ahead shot over Monmouth’s Jack Collins (13) as Seton Hall turned back Hawks to remain unbeaten. (Photo by Seton Hall Athletics)
NEWARK, N.J. — Last season, Seton Hall’s non-conference slate served as a harbinger of what was to come during the Big East portion of the schedule, and not in a good way.
Losses to Fordham, Hofstra and Monmouth — the last of whom had never beaten the Pirates prior to last November — were agonizing precursors to a conference season that saw only two wins, both of which required overtime and one (UConn) needing an atypical collapse on the part of a two-time reigning national champion.
The Hall had a chance to exact a measure of revenge against Monmouth Thursday, and after a first half reminiscent of how the final 20 minutes against the Hawks played out a year ago, did exactly that.
A seven-point halftime deficit soon gave way to a gamebreaking 15-2 run over the first six minutes out of the intermission, giving the Pirates all the steam they would need to dispose of Monmouth, 70-58, improving to 4-0 on the young season.
One game, against Division I neophyte New Haven on Tuesday, remains before Seton Hall competes in the Maui Invitational, where the competition steps up and as many as three high-major opportunities will await to potentially build a resume. Until then, feel free to indulge in some postgame thoughts as we fill in for Jason Guerette on this Thursday evening in the Garden State:
1) The Second Time Around
If you’re a Seton Hall fan and felt a sense of impending doom when Monmouth took a 34-27 lead into its locker room, that’s totally forgivable. But the Pirates were determined to not let lightning strike twice, even if none of the players on the floor personally experienced the deflating loss to the Hawks on November 30 of last year.
The Hall made short work of its hill to climb, scoring the first seven points of the half to quickly level the score at 34 apiece. Then, following a pair of Monmouth free throws, TJ Simpkins put the hosts ahead for good on a 3-pointer with 15:41 remaining in regulation. The Hawks would stay within earshot for several minutes after that, but the momentum and pendulum had already swung the way of the Pirates, who conceded just four field goals over the final stanza.
“We just had to step our intensity up,” Simpkins said, explaining the message during the interlude. “It wasn’t really there at the start, but coming out in the second half, we brought it. We just had to make them uncomfortable.”
2) Double (Figure) Your Pleasure
Holloway’s best teams, namely his 2022 Saint Peter’s outfit that made history as the first No. 15 seed to reach an NCAA Tournament regional final, have made names for themselves on the strength of a deep rotation with ten or more players playing double-figure minutes. Holloway came close to that mark Thursday, with nine Pirates seeing significant time on the Prudential Center floor, but admitted it is still a work in progress as Josh Rivera returns to the rotation — the Fordham transfer made his debut Thursday — while Jahseem Felton is out for the remainder of the season after tearing his ACL in Monday’s win over Fairfield.
“Budd (Clark) played almost 30 minutes,” Holloway said, almost apologetic over the total. “I don’t really want to play him 30 minutes right now. Mike (Williams) played 26, (Simpkins) 31. If they’re playing like that, that’s why we’re not pressing as much. They played too many minutes.”
Holloway may be willing to concede the lack of a press for a victory, but as most coaches are, he remains unsatisfied with how that aspect of his defense is coming along as a whole, addressing the uncertainty of his backcourt during games.
“We’re still not pressing the way I want to press,” he lamented. “Guys are like, not sure when to do it, they’re kind of hesitant. So we gotta get better.”
3) Budd-ing Star?
When Budd Clark committed to Seton Hall out of the transfer portal in April, hopes were high that the former NEC Rookie of the Year and first team all-MAAC guard at Merrimack would be a floor general in much the same vein as Holloway himself during his own playing career. A tough, hard-nosed defender similar to that of his new head coach, Clark seemed like the perfect fit for a Pirate team that had well-documented issues at the point during last year’s aberration of a season.
Clark had a quiet first half Thursday, but over the final minutes, turned in arguably his finest effort in a Seton Hall uniform to date, scoring 13 points and contributing six assists to the winning cause.
“I’m just letting the game come to me,” the Philadelphia native said. “I’m getting where I fit in if I have to score, if I have to create or pass. Whatever it takes to win.”
His coach, however, a noted point guard whisperer in his own right, saw things differently and harped on a facet of Clark’s game that could use improvement.
“I want Budd to be super aggressive,” Holloway countered. “He’s a good basketball player, he just looks a little unsure right now. I just want him to play basketball. He looks like he’s not sure right now, so him and I gotta sit down and watch film, and look at some things.”
4) Building Blocks
A tip of the cap goes to colleague Bryan DeNovellis of the Tri-State College Basketball Report, as he astutely noted Seton Hall leads the nation with 40 blocked shots through their four contests thus far. Holloway admitted the number was “a good thing” when the subject was broached, but hinted at the danger of rejection being a deficit on the glass as a trade.
“I told these guys because they want to block shots, we give up a lot of offensive rebounds,” he explained. “Blocking shots looks good, but when (the frontcourt gets) out of position, then the guards gotta come down and get that rebound, and we’re not. That’s something we gotta get better at.”
Of the 40 blocks as a team, 16 of them individually belong to freshman center Najai Hines. The freshman from Plainfield had seven more swats Thursday, flirting with a triple-double by also accumulating seven points and eight rebounds before being pulled during the second half after tweaking his groin.
“He’s learning,” Holloway said. “Every game, he’s gonna get better because he’s understanding college basketball a little bit more now. As long as he can stay healthy, keep watching film and keep getting better, he’s gonna be really good for us.”
5) You With Me, Simpkins?
TJ Simpkins demonstrated a knack for bench scoring not seen since Jared Rhoden had a similar role on the 2019-20 Pirate team that was on track to land a Top 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament before COVID-19 halted the program’s dream season dead in its tracks. The Elon transfer became more involved in the offense as the game went on Thursday, ultimately finishing with 14 points and eight rebounds, pacing Seton Hall in both categories.
“He’s just like an energy spark off the bench,” Clark said of his upperclassman teammate. “He can create for us, he can score, he can defend all five positions. That’s what we need.”
Holloway later joked that he did not know what Clark was talking about when he said Simpkins could defend each position on the floor, but did go on to praise the Brooklyn guard’s skill set.
“He’s getting there,” the coach said. “He’s a good player. He averaged almost 15 points a game last year. I want him to playmake a little bit more. He’s a good basketball player, he’s been around, he could shoot it, he could make free throws. I just gotta get him comfortable going to the basket. He wants to shoot a pull-up because he’s got good size.”
Seton Hall returns to action Tuesday, welcoming the University of New Haven to Newark in a 7 p.m. tip.
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