SOUTH ORANGE – If you’re looking for a key storyline heading into Seton Hall basketball’s exhibition game at Monmouth Saturday, there’s a big one: Two weeks before the Pirates’ season opener, the point guard spot is up for grabs.
Head coach Shaheen Holloway was asked about the position during the program’s media day Monday, and as usual, he minced no words.
“We have guys that have the ability to do it – they just have to do it on a consistent basis,” he said. “For me, it’s tough because I played the position, I know what I want it to look like and I know what it’s supposed to look like. But we’re not there yet with that spot.”
If that wasn’t clear enough, Holloway added, “No one has emerged as the starter. Right now you probably should be like, ‘he’s starting, he’s doing this’…but I’m looking for consistency right now.”
Replacing second-team All-Big East playmaker Budd Clark, who bolted for Ole Miss after flourishing under Holloway last season, never was going to be easy. The Pirates brought in two transfers in Radford’s Del Jones and Illinois’ Mihailo Petrovic and retained backup point guard Trey Parker.
Holloway said there are “three or four” candidates to be a primary ball-handler, and said he’s kept the offense simple for them so far.
“Getting guys shots who need to shoot the basketball – and putting them in good position to make good shots – that’s the thing that over the next two weeks as a staff, we have to identify who can be that guy who can put us in that position consistently,” Holloway said.
Asked specifically about Parker, a junior who thrived as part of the Hall’s full-court pressure package and showed flashes of playmaking ability last winter, Holloway once again did not beat around the bush.
“He had a very good summer – I was very pleased with him this summer – and then he got comfortable,” the coach said. “He’s a guy that I think could be big on this team this year, but he’s got to earn his way back into my good graces. He’s not in my good graces right now. The only way to earn that back is to continue to keep fighting every day in practice and keep doing the right things on and off the court.”
Parker was at Monday’s practice, praised Holloway as “a great coach to learn from,” and made it clear that he’s toeing the line.
“You’re going to see a lot of leadership from me, attacking the rim, getting everybody involved and being coachable,” he said.
Jones, who started his collegiate career at Clemson and averaged 17.2 points and 3.5 assists as Radford’s lead guard last season, figured to have the pole position when he transferred to the Hall early in the offseason. He said he’s “working on getting everybody involved” in the offense and acknowledged that he won’t be asked to score at as high of a rate for the Pirates.
“It’s not really that big of a change,” he said. “I enjoy facilitating and getting teammates involved. An assist is just as good as a jump shot at the end of the day.”
Petrovic was a late-summer arrival whom Holloway recently praised as “a pure point guard” who “makes everyone around him better” before adding, “he’s got some work to do on defense.”
The Serbia native was projected to be a major contributor at Illinois but never recovered from a hamstring injury and played a minimal role as the Illini made the Final Four. He suffered a left (non-shooting) shoulder injury earlier this preseason after a collision in practice and is still getting the shoulder lightly taped, but said “it’s doing great” and is practicing in full.
“Last year at Illinois I didn’t get a chance to show my potential,” Petrovic said. “Because Sha was a great playmaker, I think I can improve my game under him. My job is to be the right hand of the coach on the court. The most important thing is you have to listen to him.”
All the point guards spend a good deal of time breaking down film with assistant coach Donald Copeland, who like Holloway was an All-Big East point guard for the Pirates. Petrovic said he’s hit it off with Copeland because both played in the ABA, a pro league in Europe’s Balkan peninsula.
“He emphasizes my defense – I have to be better on defense,” Petrovic said. “I’m trying to do my best. From the first day I’ve come to today, I’ve improved.”
Holloway usually gets the most out of his point guards, but this is the first time as the Hall’s head coach that he’s gone this deep into the preseason without a clear starter.
“That spot is very important,” Holloway said. “You don’t have good guard play there, you’re going to struggle.”
FIVE TAKEAWAYS
7-footer still sidelined
Junior center Abdulai Fanta Kabba, who projected to back up Terry Copeland in the paint, remains sidelined by a hamstring injury.
“He made a tremendous jump for us, but now he’s been out a month,” Holloway said. “And that’s hurting us, because he was doing a very good job of battling with Terry in practice.”
Holloway said Kabba's presence freed up 6-foot-10 forward/center Devin Williams “to do some other things” away from the paint, but now Williams “is going against Terry every day in practice and that’s been kind of tough for him.”
Elijah Fisher's next court date
Seton Hall’s lone returning starter is seeking a fifth year of eligibility, and the next step in that process takes place Oct. 20.
Fisher was among 73 men’s and women’s basketball players, including former Princeton guard Xaivian Lee, who were granted a temporary restraining order to remain eligible by California Superior Court judge Beth McGowan in Santa Clara County Aug. 18. The next hearings in the case, Glancey v. NCAA, takes place Tuesday.
Fisher won’t be there, but his presence for the Pirates as a versatile and high-motor defender is a key piece for this year’s squad.
Holloway said on Monday that he views Fisher as primarily a power forward, which is the role he filled last year despite being undersized at 6-6.
Roddie Anderson embracing role
The fifth-year guard and Xavier transfer has impressed this preseason and seems ticketed for a glue-guy type of role.
“Being here all summer and all fall, it makes sense why Coach Sha always has a good defensive team – he notices every little detail on the defensive end,” Anderson said. “I’m a big energy guy, always willing to do the winning plays. I’ve shown I can score in the Big East pretty well, but I’m looking forward to showing off my defensive side this year as well.”
Anderson said he grew up playing on the ball, “but I’ve gotten really comfortable playing off the ball here and I like it – I like it a lot,” he said. “It gives me a chance to showcase what I can do in terms of scoring.”
Who’s the leader?
Holloway praised the group’s unity and camaraderie, but said a core of leaders has not emerged yet.
“It’s not consistent, and that’s been disappointing,” he said of who’s been vocal. “In the summer it was Terry and Dev. Lately, it’s been Sim (senior guard and Plainfield native Simeon Wilcher, who transferred from Texas an also played two years at St. John’s).”
Last year’s surprising fourth-place Big East squad thrived on intangibles. Holloway is looking for those now.
“We’ve got a lot of pieces, we’re very intriguing, but we’re not there from a toughness standpoint yet,” Holloway said.
'I want to see a bunch of fans there'
Saturday’s exhibition at Monmouth’s 4,100-seat OceanFirst Bank Center in West Long Branch is intended to raise money for both program’s rosters, but Holloway said ticket sales have been disappointing thus far.
“I want to see a bunch of fans there,” he said. “We’re not happy with what I’m hearing the turnout is right now. The whole purpose of playing there was it’s bigger than Walsh (which seats just 1,300).”
The game tips at 7 p.m. – a time set by Monmouth because of earlier conflicts with the facility’s usage. This is the Hall’s first public exhibition since a 2023 squeaker at NJIT (those Pirates went on to win the NIT – a reminder that October appearances can be deceiving).
“I thought we’d have a bunch of our fans and their fans packing the place,” Holloway said. “But I heard our fans aren’t doing very well, so I hope the fans turn out.”
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Seton Hall basketball point guard spot still up for grabs