Seton Hall Thanksgiving Classic: Ray Floriani's Photo Essay

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ­ - Maui, the Garden, the various islands of tropical lure and pleasant temperatures are all part of the Thanksgiving holiday tradition. On the campus of Seton Hall at ‘historic’ Walsh Gymnasium is another tradition, time tested and popular. The Seton Hall Women’s Thanksgiving Tournament. The field this year saw the Hall host in-state rival Saint Peter’s as well as Saint Joseph’s and St. Francis Brooklyn, an interesting ‘smorgasbord’ of school from four different conferences.

Besides seeing competition from different leagues, an attraction of these early season get-togethers is the opportunity to test yourself against good competition. The scores:

Seton Hall 75, Saint Peter's 45
Saint Joseph's 64, St. Francis Brooklyn 42

Seton Hall coach Tony Bozzella wanted to play good solid man-to-man. Forget the zones and presses. He also wanted a full effort, not like the one that made a recent win over Kennesaw State too close for comfort. Mission accomplished.

Cindy Griffin of Saint Joseph’s wanted to break a two-game losing streak in a ‘big’ way. Simply utilize a considerable size advantage. Success!

For Saint Peter’s and St.Francis, it was an opportunity to go out of conference against strong competition. Give your players the chance to ‘test the waters’ against a higher level. An opportunity to learn about themselves as well as their game. A chance to get ready for your own conference season.

Yes, these ‘classics’ can be attractive to fans and followers. Also, very useful to the coaches and teams.

Seton Hall led handily, yet coach Tony Bozzella was animated and feverishly encouraging his team:

Saint Peter's coach Pat Coyle checks her notes:

Double duty for the Seton Hall cheerleaders. They cheered the women's game at noon before coach Jean Marie Romanella gave them pizza and got them on a bus to the Prudential Center. By 4:00, they were cheering the men on to a big win over George Washington:

The trainer tends to a Saint Joseph's player just before tipoff:

Katie Fox of St. Francis in a classic defensive stance:

Kathleen Fitzpatrick of Saint Joseph's looks for an opening:

St. Francis Brooklyn substitutes waiting to check in against Saint Joseph's: