Seton Hall vs. Pittsburgh Game Notes

SETON HALL (12-13, 3-9) vs. #7/5 PITTSBURGH (23-4, 10-2)

Monday, February 19, 2007 - 8:00 p.m.

Continental Airlines Arena - East Rutherford, N.J.

THE MATCHUP: Seton Hall and Pittsburgh will matchup for their lone meeting this year on Monday, Feb. 19. The Pirates are coming off an 81-71 loss at West Virginia, while Pittsburgh defeated Washington, 65-61. Both teams played most recently on Saturday.

TV: The game will be shown on the MSG Network as part of the ESPN Regional package. Dave Sims (play-by-play) and Jim Spanarkel (analyst) will call the game.

RADIO: The game will be broadcast by 1050 AM ESPN Radio, with Gary Cohen on play-by-play and Dave Popkin as the analyst. The game will also be broadcast by WSOU 89.5 FM, Seton Hall’s student radio station.

SHU ON THE WEB: Tune in for a live audio stream of all games on www.shupirates.com

BIG EAST CONFERENCE: www.bigeast.org

SCOUTING PITTSBURGH

Predicted to be the BIG EAST’s top team this season, Pittsburgh has not disappointed, leading the league virtually wire-to-wire so far this season. Seven-foot center Aaron Gray was named pre-season Player of the Year and is currently averaging a double-double at 14.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. A tremendous road team, the Panthers have gone 7-1 this season away from home and have won their last five road games. Recently, they were surprised at home, losing to Louisville, which snapped a five-game win streak. But on Saturday they bounced back, defeating non-conference Washington, 65-61.

SETON HALL - PITTSBURGH SERIES

Despite Pittsburgh’s recent success, Seton Hall has faired well against the Panthers. They have alternated wins and losses over the last five meetings. Seton Hall has won the last two games they’ve hosted the Panthers including a thrilling, 65-61 victory last season when Pittsburgh was ranked #8 in the nation.

THREE-POINT SHOOTING FELLS PIRATES AT WVU

Seton Hall shot just 3-for-20 from behind the there-point arc, while West Virginia connected on 9-of-23 shots and defeated the Pirates, 81-71, in Morgantown. The Pirates put forth a solid defensive effort and out-rebounded the Mountaineers, 32-to-28. Two Pirates recorded double-doubles. Junior Brian Laing had 16 points and 10 rebounds and senior Stan Gaines recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Eugene Harvey led all scorers with 19 points. Sophomore Paul Gause was a fourth Pirate who scored in double-figures. He finished with 12 points and four steals. Seton Hall shot well overall from the floor at 46.3 percent, but West Virginia shot a staggering 57.4 percent from the field.

KING OF STEALS

With four steals against West Virginia on Saturday, sophomore Paul Gause passed former Pirate great Dan Callandrillo, to become Seton Hall’s all-time single-season leader in the category. He now has 84 on the season. Earlier this year, Gause tied the Seton Hall single-game mark with eight steals against St. Mary’s.

GAINING RECOGNITION

Senior Stan Gaines has stepped up his game in 2006-07 and is making major contributions. On Saturday at West Virginia, he recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. An imporant cog of the front court, his reputation as a strong defensive player leads him to often guard the opposing team’s best player. He has started all 22-of-25 games this season and is averaging 6.4 points and a team second-best 4.8 rebounds per game. Cool and calm on the free throw line, Gaines has connected on48-of-61 shots, a 78.7 percentile that ranks third on the team. He also leads the Pirates with 0.8 blocks per game.

TAKING ADVANTAGE AT THE LINE

All season Seton Hall has ranked amongst the BIG EAST conference leaders in free throw shooting. Currently, the Pirates rank second in the conference with a 75.0 percentage. Freshman Eugene Harvey had led the Pirates efforts in this category and ranks seventh in the conference going 108-for-129 for a percentage of 83.7. At Connecticut, Seton Hall went 14-for-17 for an 82.4 free throw percentage, and at West Virginia, they were 18-for-22 for 81.8 percent.

DOUBLE YOUR FUN

At West Virginia, two Pirates recorded double-doubles for the second time this season. Junior Brian Laing scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while senior Stan Gaines had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Against Pennsylvania earlier this season, freshmen Eugene Harvey and Larry Davis both picked up their first career double-doubles. It marks the first season since the 2000-01 campaing that Seton Hall has had two games in which two players have recorded a double-doubles. In 2000-01, it happened three times.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TOTALS

The Pirates have recorded nine double-doubles this season. Junior Brian Laing owns six of the nine and remarkably, he has been one rebound shy of a double-double five times this season. Freshmen Eugene Harvey and Larry Davis each have one double-double and senior Stan Gaines picked up the first of his career on Saturday at West Virginia.

HEAD COACH

BOBBY GONZALEZ

Career Record: 141-90

At Seton Hall: 12-13

BIG EAST Record: 3-9

Bobby Gonzalez became the 18th Seton Hall University head basketball coach in the program’s history earlier this year and comes to the Pirates after a tremendous seven-year run as the head coach at Manhattan College. He led the Jaspers to four 20-win seasons and two NCAA Tournaments in seven years, including finishing .500 or above in the league in each season. His record at Manhattan was 129-77, and his team won the MAAC regular season championship three times and the tournament title twice.

Gonzalez is widely known as one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the NCAA, an intense competitor, outstanding game coach and tireless recruiter.

Manhattan went 20-11 this past year and Gonzalez was named the MAAC Coach of the Year. The Jaspers advanced to the National Invitation Tournament and won two games, defeating Fairleigh Dickinson and winning at Maryland. Gonzalez led the team to a 14-4 record and the MAAC regular season title.

His best season came in 2003-04, when he guided the Jaspers to a 25-6 overall record, 16-2 in the MAAC. Manhattan was a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Championship and defeated No. 5 seed Florida in the first round before losing a close game to No. 4 seed Wake Forest. Gonzalez received numerous accolades following the season, being named NABC District 2, USBWA, and NYBCA Division I Coach of the Year as well as receiving Metropolitan Coach of the Year recognition for the second straight year.

Gonzalez coached Luis Flores, Manhattan’s all-time leading scorer, who was drafted in the second round by the NBA’s Houston Rockets in 2004. Flores played with both Denver and Golden State in 2004-05.

In 2002-03, Gonzalez led Manhattan to the MAAC regular season and league championship with a 23-7 record, 14-4 in the league. Named the MAAC Coach of the Year for his efforts, Gonzalez took Manhattan College to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1995. The Jaspers fell to eventual national champion Syracuse in the first round.

Gonzalez is no stranger to the BIG EAST and to big-time college basketball. Prior to becoming a head coach, he was an assistant on Pete Gillen’s staffs at Xavier (1993-94), Providence (1994-98) and Virginia (1998-99).

AWARD CANDIDATES

With five games remaining in the regular season, Seton Hall has several players with realistic chances to take home some BIG EAST Conference hardware.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Freshman Eugene Harvey has taken the conference by storm. He leads all rookies with 15.8 points per game and is amongst the league leaders in assists per game (4.12) and steals per game (1.64). He has started all 25 games this season and has been named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week three times. He also ranks among the leaders in minutes played.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

Junior Brian Laing ranked fifth on the team in scoring with 5.8 points per game during the 2005-06 season. This year, he leads the team and ranks sixth in the BIG EAST with 16.0 points per game. He has recorded six double-doubles, was named to the BYU Holiday All-Tournament Team and is a three-time BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll member.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Sophomore Paul Gause has been a nightmare for opposing team ball-handlers all season. He has led the BIG EAST in steals per game virtually all season and is currently averaging 3.36. This season, he became Seton Hall’s all-time single-season steals leader and tied the single-game mark with eight steals vs. St. Mary’s. Currently, he has 84 steals on the season.e Panthers were ranked #8 in the nation and were perfect on their home floor. The two teams have alternated wins and losses over the last five meetings. Seton Hall has won the last two meetings with the Panthers at Continental Airlines Arena.

A CAREER YEAR

Junior Brian Laing is enjoying a breakout campaign. He has been named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll three times and is currently sixth in the conference in scoring with 16.0 points per game. Laing has led the Pirates in scoring in 14 of the team’s 25 games. Laing was also named to the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team. Most recently, he recorded his sixth double-double of the year with 16 points and 10 rebounds at West Virginia.

TOP BIG EAST ROOKIE

No freshman’s impact has been greater than that of Eugene Harvey through his career’s first 25 games. His 15.8 points per game leads all BIG EAST rookies. Only Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody has matched Harvey’s three BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honors. He has started all 25 games this season and scored a career-high 27 points in a come-from-behind victory over Penn State on Dec. 9. Harvey has scored in double-figures in 23-of-25 games. In his first BIG EAST game, he scored 21 points, including four clutch free throws with under 20 seconds remaining to seal a victory over rival Rutgers. Harvey also ranks fifth in the conference for averaging 35.08 minutes per game.

MEN OF STEAL

Through 25 games this season, the Pirates have enjoyed the fruits of their relentless full-court press, picking up 270 steals as a team. They recorded 15 steals a piece in their final two games at the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic. Their average of 10.8 steals per game leads the BIG EAST Conference and ranks among the national leaders. Sophomore Paul Gause has led the Pirate charge in this category. He recorded a career-high five steals at Morgan State and tied his new mark with five more vs. St. Peter’s. Then, against St. Mary’s he re-recorded his career-high and tied the Seton Hall single-game record with eight steals. As a result, Gause leads the BIG EAST lead and ranks among the national leaders with 3.36 steals per game, junior Brian Laing is tied for ninth with 1.80 per game and freshman Eugene Harvey is 13th in the conference with 1.64 steals per game.

BILLMEIER OUT FOR SEASON

Senior Grant Billmeier will miss the remainder of the 2006-07 season due to an injury to his left knee in the first two minutes of the game vs. Providence. Billmeier tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). A two-year team captain, he started 14-of-17 games this season and helded guide the Pirates to two NCAA appearances including a thrilling victory over Arizona in the 2004 event.

THE ELUSIVE TRIPLE-DOUBLE

Against Princeton, a Pirate freshman came close to recording a triple-double for the second time this season. Larry Davis scored eight points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out eight assists in only 28 minutes. Earlier this season, freshman Eugene Harvey had 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists vs. St. John’s. Only one player in Seton Hall history has recorded a triple-double. Eddie Griffin logged 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks in a victory over Norfolk State on Dec. 4, 2000.

NO PAUSE IN GAUSE

Sophomore sparkplug Paul Gause has made three starts this season, but has shined in coming off the bench this season. In a tremendous performance against St. Mary’s, Gause scored a career-high 21 points in 33 minutes of action and picked up eight steals, tying the Seton Hall single-game mark for steals held by former Pirate Levell Sanders. Against Liberty and Rutgers, Gause made a steal in the final moments of the game which sealed the victories for the Pirates. Gause finished that game with 14 points and five steals. Currently, he leads the BIG EAST lead in steals per game (3.36) and ranks among the national leaders.

SEEING 20/20

Five Pirates have scored at least 20 points this season, and the mark has been reached 15 times. Junior Brian Laing leads the team with six 20-point games, freshman Eugene Harvey has had four, junior Jamar Nutter has had three and freshman Larry Davis and sophomore Paul Gause have both had one each. Twice both Laing and Harvey topped the 20-point mark in the same game, vs. Rutgers and West Virginia. Both members of that scoring tandem are among the Top 10 in the BIG EAST in scoring. Laing is averaging 16.0 points per game, while Harvey is averaging 15.8.

IN NEW PLACES

Seton Hall lost five players from last season’s roster, including their top two scorers, Donald Copeland and Kelly Whitney. Copeland and Whitney graduated, while Marcus Cousin, David Palmer and Mike Pilgram transferred. Copeland and Whitney combined for 31.3 points per game and were both named Second Team All-BIG EAST last season. Whitney also led the team with 7.9 rebounds per game.

TV SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

Seton Hall will have at least 17 regular-season games televised nationally or regionally in 2006-07, starting Dec. 9 with a game on YES against Penn State. The Pirates will be on MSG seven times, YES and Fox Sports New York three times, ESPN 360 twice and a game a piece on ESPN and ESPNU.

RADIO INFORMATION

The Pirates will once again be on WABC 770 AM, or its affiliates ESPN Radio or Radio Disney. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin return for their fourth season of coverage on the broadcasts. Cohen will handle play-by-play duties with Popkin as the analyst. WABC will carry 15 games this season. WEPN, ESPN Radio 1050 AM will broadcast four, and Radio Disney WQEW 1560 AM will carry 10.

LIVE AUDIO STREAM

Go to www.shupirates.com to hear a live web audio stream of all Seton Hall men’s basketball games this season. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will bring you all the action.

GONZALEZ SIGNS THREE

Seton Hall head coach Bobby Gonzalez announced that three marquee recruits, Michael Glover, Jeremy Hazell and Augustine Okosun, have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Seton Hall University beginning in the 2007-08 academic year. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound Glover is the gifted brother of former St. John’s standout Anthony Glover and will provide the Pirates with a strong rebounding presence and good finisher around the basket. Last season, he guided his prep school, Boys to Men Academy (Ill.), to a national championship. The 6-foot-5, 185-pound Hazell was ranked in the nation’s Top 20 by Scout.com among post graduate players. A standout for coach Chris Chaney at Patterson School (N.C.), he is widely regarded as an excellent shooter and will provide the Pirates with great depth at the guard position and the top scoring punch in this class. Augustine Okosun is a 6-foot-10, 240-pound junior college transfer who will have junior eligibility when he joins the Pirates next season. The Nigeria native comes from well-respected Harcum College (Pa.) and coach Drew Kelly and will add some much-needed size and experience to the Pirates’ frontcourt.

THREE CAPTAINS FOR 2006-07

Seniors Grant Billmeier and Stan Gaines as well as junior Brian Laing will serve as team captains for Seton Hall during the 2006-07 season. Billmeier was the lone Pirate captain last season and brings his hard work and unselfishness to the leadership position again. Gaines, a former transfer from the University of Minnesota, is playing in only his second season with the Pirates, but his infectious energy and enthusiasm make him an excellent choice as captain. Laing, the lone non-senior of the trifecta, is a real breakout candidate this season and will provide an experienced leader when it is time to look towards next season.

WIN ONE, LOSE ONE

Earlier this season, Seton Hall had a streak of 12 games in which the Pirates had not put together a two consecutive games of wins or losses. After defeating Penn State on Dec. 9, the Pirates followed every win with a loss and every loss with a win. It is the longest streak of it’s kind in the 104-year history of the Seton Hall basketball program.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE 2006-07 SCHEDULE

Seton Hall will play at least nine games against teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament last year, but only three of the games will be on the road (Monmouth, Pennsylvania, Georgetown, at Marquette, West Virginia, Villanova, at Connecticut, at West Virginia and Pittsburgh... The Pirates will play 18 night games and 12 day games this season... SHU will face Rutgers, West Virginia and Providence twice, but will not see Syracuse or DePaul as part of the BIG EAST’s unbalanced schedule... Pittsburgh (#4), Georgetown (#8), Marquette (#16) and Connecticut (#18) are Seton Hall opponents ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll.

NEW FACES

The Pirates added three highly talented freshman to the roster for the 2006-07 and all three look to make a difference immediately. Larry Davis, Eugene Harvey and Kashif Pratt are three guards that come from well-respected metropolitan high school programs. Davis led Christ the King to a 24-5 record and the New York City Catholic High School title game while averaging 13.2 points per game his senior year. Harvey joins Seton Hall as one of the nation’s most highly regarded point guard prospects and could be running the Pirates’ offense sooner than later. Pratt averaged 15 points and six rebounds for Rice High School, but is even better known as a defensive specialist. The SHU backcourt is in good shape for years to come.

NUTTER, LAING PASS 500 POINTS

At Notre Dame, junior Brian Laing became the 100th player in Seton Hall history to record 500 career points. He now has 629 and is in 76th place on the all-time points list. Teammate Jamar Nutter passed the same milestone earlier this season and currently has 757 points tying him for 59th all-time.

The highest scoring output by a Seton Hall player this season was 27 points accomplished by a pair of freshmen against Pennsylvania teams. Eugene Harvey scored his career-high 27 points against Penn State on Dec. 9. He played all 40 minutes and also pulled down five rebounds. Larry Davis matched Harvey with 27 against Penn on Dec. 23. He added 10 rebounds for his first double-double. The totals are the highest individual point totals for a Seton Hall freshman since John Allen scored 31 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 31, 2001.

LAING LIKES UTAH

Junior Brian Laing has clearly found a second home...Utah. In three games at the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic, he averaged 19.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Laing led the Pirates in scoring in all three games and added career double-doubles #3 and #4. For his efforts, Laing was named to the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team. BYU’s Keena Young was named the tournament’s M.V.P.

BENCHMARKED FOR SUCCESS

Joining head coach Bobby Gonzalez on the bench this year are three experienced and talented assistant coaches that will surely prove to be a positive influence on the 2006-07 Pirates. Kevin Murphy followed Gonzalez to Seton Hall after three years as his assistant at Manhattan. There, he helped guide the Jaspers to the 2004 MAAC title and NCAA Tournament berth. Geoff Billet joins the SHU staff after five seasons as an assistant at Monmouth. As a player, Billet scored 1,480 career points for Rutgers and graduated as the school’s all-time leading three-point shooter. Dermon Player brings a standout basketall acumen and remarkable recruiting skills to the Pirates. As a coach and athletics administrator, Player is no stranger to the metropolitan high school and AAU scene.

HOLLOWAY RETURNS

Shaheen Holloway, the school’s all-time assist leader who played from 1996-00 and helped lead the Pirates to the 2000 NCAA Sweet Sixteen, has returned to Seton Hall as the team’s administrative assistant. Holloway scored 1,588 points during his career, which ranks him 12th all-time at SHU. He dished out 681 assists and had 231 steals (2nd all-time), while also hitting 185 three-pointers (5th all-time) in 116 games. In 2000, he was named the BIG EAST’s Most Improved Player, and he earned all-league status three times in his career.

SETON HALL BASKETBALL HISTORICAL NOTABLES

* The men’s basketball team went to the Final Four in 1989 and lost in the championship game to Michigan by one point in overtime, 80-79. The Pirates won BIG EAST tournament titles in 1991 and 1993 and regular season titles in 1992 and 1993. All of the above was under the guidance of current San Antonio Spurs assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo.

* Seton Hall has a national championship under its belt. The Pirates won the 1953 NIT, then considered the premier national tournament.

LOOKING AHEAD

SENIOR DAY

SETON HALL vs. SOUTH FLORIDA

Continental Airlines Arena • East Rutherford, N.J.

TV: FSNY

Radio: WABC 770 AM / WSOU 89.5 FM

Seton Hall vs. South Florida: SHU, 2-0

NOTEBOOK: Seton Hall will face South Florida for their lone matchup of the 2006-07 season and only the third time in the history of the programs. Seton Hall has won both of the prior matchups, most recently defeating the Bulls, 70-65, in Tampa on Feb. 8 of last season. South Florida is struggling to earn one of the final spots of the BIG EAST Tournament and currently has three BIG EAST victories.