CBB Rank 2024: No. 67, Seton Hall Basketball

If you head to South Orange, you might still feel the sting in the air after being left out of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Pirates had the resume – and one of the best wins in the country, over Connecticut, but in the eyes of the selection committee, a weak non-conference wasn’t enough.

This season, the Pirates certainly changed up their non-conference outlook, playing a few games against high majors, but limiting games against tough, ranked opponents. It should allow for a more balanced slate heading into Big East play.

It also should help this Seton Hall basketball team adjust and learn how to play with each other over time. Like most teams nowadays, SHU is built on transfers, with Dylan Addae-Wusu and Isaiah Coleman as the lone potential returning starters. The incoming transfers aren’t all that notable, but former Ohio State Buckeye, Scotty Middleton, and a pair of mid-major guys who averaged at least 14 PPG at their previous stops should help replace the scoring that was lost. The Pirates lose their top three bucket getters from a year ago, who averaged over 45 PPG.

I wouldn’t say that Shaheen Holloway’s incoming class will replace what was lost, but the depth of this team is its strong suit. The Pirates could go 9-10 deep all season long, which ultimately plays into the tough, defensive minded approach that Holloway wants to instill.

Click here to learn more about our preseason top 100 teams heading into the 2024-25 college basketball season.

Head coach: Shaheen Holloway (3rd season at Seton Hall, 7th season overall)

2023-24 record: 25-12 (13-7)

2024 postseason finish: Won NIT

Notable departures: 

• Kadary Richmond (15.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 5.1 APG, 2.2 SPG)
• Dre Davis (15.0 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.3 BPG, 35.0 3P%)
• Al-Amir Dawes (15.0 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.2 SPG, 38.9 3P%)
• Jaden Bediako (8.1 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 0.4 APG, 1.6 BPG, 61.0 FG%)
• Elijah Hutchins-Everett (3.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 0.3 APG)

Notable non-conference games: 

• vs. Fordham (Nov. 9)
• vs. Hofstra (Nov. 13)
• vs. VCU (Nov. 21)
• vs. Nevada OR Vanderbilt (Nov. 22)
• Charleston Classic (Nov. 24)
• vs. Oklahoma State (Dec. 8)
• at Rutgers (Dec. 14)

Projected Rotation

PG: Chaunce Jenkins (6-4, 185, Gr.-Sr.)

2023-24 stats: 15.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.7 APG (Old Dominion)

SG: Dylan Addae-Wusu (6-4, 237, Gr.-Sr.)

2023-24 stats: 8.6 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.6 SPG, 35.6 FG%)

SF: Isaiah Coleman (6-5, 191, So.)

2023-24 stats: 5.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 0.5 APG

PF: Prince Aligbe (6-7, 228, Jr.)

2023-24 stats: 4.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 0.6 APG (Boston College)

C: Emmanuel Okorafor (6-9, 225, Jr.)

2023-24 stats: 2.4 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 0.1 APG, 64.5 FG% (20-31) (Louisville)

6: Scotty Middleton (6-7, 181, So.)

2023-24 stats: 4.4 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.7 APG, 45.2 3P% (28-62) (Ohio State)

7: Zion Harmon (6-0, 184, Jr.)

2023-24 stats: 14.6 PPG, 4.0 APG, 2.1 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 38.6 FG% (Bethune-Cookman)

8: Garwey Dual (6-5, 205, So.)

2023-24 stats: 3.3 PPG, 1.9 APG, 1.3 RPG, 33.1 FG% (Providence)

9: Yacine Toumi (6-10, 215, Gr.-Sr.)

2023-24 stats: 10.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, 54.3 FG% (Evansville)

10: Gus Yalden (6-9, 258, So.)

247Sports Composite #128 ranked recruit (2023)

Seton Hall Basketball team MVP: Isaiah Coleman

I truly don’t see this team having a go-to player, and that’s sort of been the vibe of Holloway’s previous two Pirates teams. It’s a true team approach and if everyone buys in, they will all get theirs.

Still, you’ve got to like what the rising sophomore showed in his first season of college basketball. Last year’s team was heavy on the seniors, but the freshman held his own, and chipped in when needed in the scoring department. This season, he’s one player who will have to really up his production if the Pirates are going to be successful.

Other than scoring, Coleman plays with confidence and under control. Those attributes don’t show in the box score, but when you watch him play, you can tell how natural the game comes to him. That’s important on a team with so few players returning.

Seton Hall Basketball make-or-break player: Zion Harmon

Harmon was a four-star prospect in 2021, ranked 63rd nationally by 247Sports Composite. He’s put up numbers in college basketball, but Seton Hall and the Big East is a different animal compared to Western Kentucky and Bethune-Cookman.

Still, Harmon will score, set up his teammates, and get after it defensively. He seems like a virtual replacement to Al-Amir Dawes, but may do even more playmaking. The Pirates are going to need a few guys to step up and separate themselves as leaders on this team, and I like Harmon’s chances of doing so.

Key analytic: Offensive rebounding

Last year, the Pirates nearly cracked the top 50 in the country in offensive boards per game. However, Jaden Bediako is gone, and he was a major part of that. Of course, Kadary Richmond’s rebounding grit as a point guard will also be missed.

But don’t think that Shaheen Holloway will quit preaching the importance of loose balls, second chance points, and hustles. He doesn’t take a play off on the sidelines, and neither will his players. Guys like Addae-Wusu, Aligbe, and Dual don’t put forth a lot of offensive efficiency, but the Pirates want scrappy, hard workers. This roster fits what Sha wants.

Seton Hall Basketball 2024-25 projections

Projected conference finish: 8th in the Big East

Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Round of 64 Exit