NEWARK – With each successive bricked free throw, the gasps grew louder in the crowd of 4,000.
Eventually, they turned into boos.
It was that kind of performance for Seton Hall’s basketball team in Saturday’s 63-51 loss to previously winless Monmouth.
How historic was this result?
Seton Hall (4-4) came in 15-0 all-time against the Hawks, a series that dated back to 1983. The Pirates have now lost three games to mid-majors and two of them were “buy” games at home – a first for the program since 2013-14. It’s the first time in the two decades of Kenpom.com’s existence that they’ve lost to a team ranked over 300.
Monmouth (1-8) came into the game ranked 315th defensively, yet the Pirates shot just 35 percent from the field, including 5-of-21 from 3-point range. The Hall also hit just 8-of-16 free-throw attempts, which is roughly consistent with their season average.
Defensively, the Pirates got shredded by Monmouth guard Abdi Bashir (28 points), got outscored 19-9 in points off turnovers and got outrebounded by six.
It added up to a low point in Shaheen Holloway’s third season at the helm.
“They just outplayed us and that’s sad, and that’s on me,” Holloway said. “They were the hungrier team, which sucks. I can’t believe I’m saying that. King (Rice) did a good job of getting them ready.”
This coming off six days’ rest since a promising performance at the Charleston Classic.
“You can’t practice like we did…it felt like it was low-energy all week,” said sophomore wing Isaiah Coleman, who paced the Hall with 20 points. “That’s on us, and I’ll take that on the chin.”
When asked why there was low energy, Coleman blamed the team’s leaders, including himself.
“The older guys, we came in lackadaisical and it kind of carried over to the younger guys,” he said. “When they see us not going 100 (percent), like we’re supposed to di, it carries over. So that’s on us and I’ll take it.”
FIVE TAKEAWAYS
1-Addae-Wusu sorely missed
Postgrad guard Dylan Addae-Wusu did not dress after missing practice all week due to the flu.
His absence was glaring.
Addae-Wusu is the Pirates’ top defender and would have been assigned to defend high-octane Hawks guard Abdi Bashir (19.5 ppg). He’s also a 42 percent 3-point shooter. Those attributes often get overshadowed by his ball-handling snafus, which get a lot of attention from frustrated fans. But it was obvious the Pirates could not replace his toughness and experience.
“I’m different, man, I’m not giving us an excuse,” Holloway said when asked about Addae-Wusu’s absence. “Monmouth beat us. Does Dylan not being there hurt us? Yeah of course. He’s one of our leaders, one of the guys I trust out there. But they just outplayed us, and that’s sad and that’s on me. As the coach, that’s on me.”
2. Abdi Bashir, take a bow
After lighting up Rutgers for 38 points on 10 3-pointers in Piscataway, Monmouth’s sophomore guard from Omaha went for an encore in Newark. He finished with 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting, including 6-of-9 from 3-point range, and was clearly the best player on the floor.
The difference between the two outings: Seton Hall knew what he was capable of after what happened down the Turnpike.
Holloway started Isaiah Coleman on Bashir, and after he racked up two quick fouls, tried a succession of defenders to no avail. The Pirates truly contested about half of Bashir’s 3-point makes but lost him a surprising amount of times.
“Now a win like this is going to have Abdi, his phone’s going to go crazy again just like it did after Rutgers,” Rice said. “Please leave him alone. We know what’s coming at the end of the year. Everybody get in line. It’s cool; we’re cool with it. But leave him alone right now so he can be the kid that he’s supposed to be. So he can be the guy who can take care of his family after this. Don’t call him now and tell him he should leave tomorrow and all this stuff. Let these kids be kids. Maybe he’ll get to be somewhere that’s going to be cool and I’ll be cheering for him. But this new world is hard.”
3. Point guard fail continues
Holloway inserted Providence transfer Garwey Dual back into the lineup, but the sophomore guard failed to generate any offense.
As promised, Holloway gave freshman guard Jahseem Felton a long run at the point after some promising flashes at the Charleston Classic. But Felton struggled mightily on both ends.
Backup point guard Zion Harmon missed a fifth straight game due to personal reasons and was not in attendance.
Tasked with handling the ball, defending Bashir at times and scoring proved to be too much to ask of Chaunce Jenkins. The Pirates’ most productive player thus far this season seemed overwhelmed and finished with 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting.
4. Time for major changes
Holloway has done the impossible before, taking Saint Peter’s to the Elite Eight, but because of the stage and the stakes, this is his biggest challenge yet. He’s assembled a team that has to play a near-perfect game defensively each time out and that’s a hard way to live. The confidence of several players looked shot as they passed up open looks over and over. The rotation is too deep, there is no flow offensively, roles don’t seem carved out and for the first time this season, the effort wasn’t full-throttle.
This loss, like the Fordham loss, is less about Seton Hall’s well-documented fundraising problems and more about Holloway and his assistants getting the most out of the personnel they have. There will be a time to discuss Seton Hall’s NIL, but losing to Monmouth by 12 at home is not it. That shouldn’t happen no matter what the payroll is.
Wholesale lineup changes? Pulling guys entirely from the rotation?
5. No crowd, no juice
After Seton Hall fans took over the arena at the Charleston Classic, this was a polar opposite vibe. The was about as small as it gets at the Rock, and only a few rows of students showed up.
It added up to something close to a neutral court for Monmouth, whose bench made more noise than the entire arena for much of the afternoon.
The biggest roar of the game came after Seton Hall center Manny Okorafor made a free throw, stemming five straight missed from the line midway through the second half. It was an extended cheer dripping with sarcasm.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
