GAME 2 vs. IONA • NEWARK, N.J. • PRUDENTIAL CENTER GAME INFORMATION Date/Time: Monday, Nov. 30 • 9 p.m. Eastern SETON HALL PIRATES (0-1) Site: Prudential Center • Newark, N.J. HEAD COACH: Kevin Willard (Pittsburgh, ‘97) TV: FS1 • Scott Graham & Jim Spanarkel RECORD AT SETON HALL: 190-138, 11th Season | CAREER RECORD: 235-187, 14th Season Online: FOXSports.com/Live vs Radio: AM970 • Gary Cohen & Dave Popkin IONA GAELS (0-0) SHU Pirates Mobile App • TuneIn HEAD COACH: Rick Pitino (UMass, ‘74) Social: @SetonHallMBB RECORD AT IONA: 0-0, First Season | CAREER RECORD: 770-271, 33rd Season Seton Hall All-Time vs. Iona: 29-9 INSIDE THE SERIES: IONA • One of those transfers is Bryce Aiken (Randolph, N.J.), a two-time All-Ivy League honoree who 2020-21 SCHEDULE • Seton Hall leads the all-time series with Iona, 29-9. scored 1,090 points and issued 174 assists in 65 • The Pirates defeated the Gaels, 73-59, in the last career games with Harvard. DATE OPPONENT TV TIME/RESULT meeting between the two teams on Dec. 31, 2005. • His success in Cambridge impressed enough BIG In that game, current Seton Hall assistant coach EAST coaches that Aiken was named Preseason Nov. 27 at Louisville ! ESPN2 L, 70-71 Grant Billmeier dropped 11 points and collected All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention entering his first Nov. 30 IONA FS1 9 PM five rebounds for The Hall. season in the conference. • The two teams have only played twice this century, • The second transfer is Takal Molson (Buffalo, N.Y.), Dec. 2 at Rhode Island CBSSN 7 PM on Dec. 27, 2001 and Dec. 31, 2005., and four times the 2018 MAAC Rookie of the Year and a first-team Dec. 6 at Penn State BTN 8 PM since 1993. All-MAAC selection at Canisius. • There are multiple Iona connections on Seton Hall’s • Molson’s debut with the Pirates marked his 66th Dec. 8 WAGNER FS1 5 PM coaching staff and its university administration. career game and he put up eight points and six Dec. 11 DePAUL * CBSSN 4:30 PM • Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard’s first head rebounds in 29 minutes of action. coaching job was at Iona where he went 21-10 and Dec. 15 at Xavier * FS1 8 PM won MAAC Coach of the Year honors in his final MAMU’S READY Dec. 17 at Marquette * FS1 9 PM season. * • Director of Basketball Operations Kyle Smyth was • After dealing with a difficult 2019-20 season Dec. 20 PROVIDENCE FS1 4:30 PM an All-MAAC Rookie Team performer for Willard at that saw him lose 10 games due to a wrist injury, Dec. 23 GEORGETOWN * FS1 5 PM Iona in 2010. Sandro Mamukelashvili (Tbilisi, Georgia) went • Willard served under current Iona head coach through the NBA Draft process over the summer All games in CAPS and BOLD are home games. All home games are Rick Pitino at Louisville from 2001-07 – starting as before electing to return for his senior year. played at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. unless noted otherwise. an assistant coach before working his way up to • He kicked off his senior campaign the right way Game times and opponents are subject to change. associate head coach – and in the NBA with the in the season opener against Louisville where led Boston Celtics from 1997-01. the Pirates with 22 points and 10 rebounds for his * BIG EAST game • Seton Hall’s Executive VP for Operations and Chief eighth career double-double. ! Wade Houston Tipoff Classic of Staff Pat Lyons served as director of athletics at • It marked the second 20 and 10 game in his career Iona for seven years before accepting the same and the 31st 20 and 10 game under Kevin Willard. position at Seton Hall in 2011. • Mamukelashvili picked up where he left off last • Seton Hall president Dr. Joseph E. Nyre served in season where he averaged 15.1 points and 7.8 PIRATE NOTABLES the same position at Iona from 2011-19. rebounds while shooting 57 percent from the field and 50 percent from three over the final eight RELOADED, NOT REBUILDING games of 2019-20. • 13 Seton Hall is one of only 13 Div. I programs to earn a • In the preseason, he was named to the Preseason berth into each of the last four NCAA Tournaments (2016- • Despite losing three very critical members of the All-BIG EAST first team and watch lists for the 19). Iona is also one of those 13 teams. 2019-20 team, Seton Hall still returns 44 percent Naismith Trophy and the Karl Malone Award. of its scoring, 63 percent of its rebounding and 50 percent of its three-pointers made from last • 17 The Pirates have won 17 games against nationally season’s BIG EAST Championship squad. COMING OFF A HISTORIC CAMPAIGN ranked opponents over the last five seasons, including six • Plus, the Pirates gain the services of two transfers • The 2019-20 season came to an unfortunate against top-10 teams. who have combined for over 2,000 points at the demise due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Div. I level. it was still an incredible year for the Pirates, who • 20 Kevin Willard has led Seton Hall to six 20-win seasons, including five years in a row (2016 20). It’s the most 20-win seasons by a Pirates head coach in school history. LAST GAME’S STARTERS 2020-21 STATISTICS No. Name Pos. Cl. Ht. Wt. PPG RPG APG FG% 3FG% FT% • BLM Seton Hall and the other 10 members of the BIG 14 Jared Rhoden G Jr. 6-6 210 11.0 6.0 3.0 25.0 20.0 80.0 EAST Conference will all wear Black Lives Matter patches on 21 Ike Obiagu C Jr. 7-2 270 6.0 8.0 0.0 33.3 0.0 66.7 their uniforms in 2019-20 to help raise awareness to and eradicate racism & social injustice. 22 Myles Cale G Sr. 6-6 210 6.0 3.0 0.0 25.0 00.0 66.7 23 Sandro Mamukelashvili F Sr. 6-11 240 22.0 10.0 2.0 47.1 50.0 80.0 33 Shavar Reynolds, Jr. G Sr. 6-2 185 11.0 3.0 3.0 50.0 50.0 82.8 PRONUNCIATIONS Myles Cale ............................................KALE Jahari Long . juh-HAR-ee KEY RESERVES Sandro Mamukelashvili...........ma-MOO-kell-osh-VEE-lee Takal Molson......................................tah-CALL 0 Dimingus Stevens G/F Fr. 6-6 180 0.0 0.0 0.0 00.0 00.0 00.0 Jeff Ngandu.................................nuh-GHAN-doo 1 Bryce Aiken G Sr. 6-0 180 3.0 0.0 0.0 25.0 00.0 100.0 Dimingus Stevens............................ dih-MING-gus 4 Tyrese Samuel F So. 6-10 235 3.0 2.0 1.0 50.0 100.0 00.0 15 Takal Molson G Jr. 6-5 205 8.0 6.0 1.0 16.7 20.0 60.0 25 Jahari Long G Fr. 6-5 210 0.0 1.0 0.0 00.0 00.0 00.0 2020-21 GAME NOTES 1 #HALLin @SETONHALLMBB captured their first BIG EAST regular season A STELLAR STAFF INSIDE THE HALL championship since 1992-93 with a 13-5 record. • Although The Hall shared the title with Villanova • Head coach Kevin Willard has turned Seton Hall GENERAL INFORMATION and Creighton, the Pirates were the only team into a consistent winner and he has received Location ............................................................... South Orange, NJ 07079 to be in first place wire-to-wire, opening the some help from some stellar coaching staffs. Founded .....................................................................................................1856 league schedule with eight straight wins and Willard’s assistants these past two seasons are Enrollment ............................................................................................. 10,400 remaining there until clinching on March 1. no different. Affiliation .............................................................................. NCAA Division I • The most senior assistant on staff is Grant Conference.........................................................................................BIG EAST • In addition, the Pirates were in the national rankings for 16 out of a possible 20 weeks, Billmeier, who was a standout at The Hall from Nickname ............................................................................................... Pirates 2003-07 and played in two NCAA Tournaments. Colors ...................................................................................... Blue and White mostly in the top15, and reached as high as No. • Billmeier ranked second in a poll of the top Home Court (Capacity) .............................. Prudential Center (10,481) 8, the program’s first top-10 appearance since Secondary Home Court (Capacity) .........Walsh Gymnasium (1,655) 2000. assistant coaches in the BIG EAST by his peers President ...........................................................................Dr. Joseph E. Nyre in a 2020 Stadium survey and he received an Director of Athletics ......................................................................Bryan Felt RHODEN IS EXPLODIN’ invite to the prestigious 2020 TopConnect Athletic Department Phone ............................................(973) 761-9498 Virtual Seminar, which identifies the top Ticket Office Phone ............................................................(973) 275-HALL • Junior forward Jared Rhoden (Baldwin, N.Y.), basketball assistant coaches in the country blossomed in BIG EAST play last season when and connects them with mid-major Athletic MEN’S BASKETBALL COACHING STAFF turned into one of the Pirates’ top rebounders Directors providing tremendous networking Head Coach ...............................................................................Kevin Willard and consistent scorers. opportunities for both parties. Alma Mater/Year ...............................................................Pittsburgh/1997 • In 18 conference games, Rhoden made 12 • Duane Woodward has made an impact in his Record at Seton Hall/Years ......................................... 190-138/10 years starts and averaged 9.9 points and 6.6 rebounds short time at The Hall after helping build two Career Record/Years ...................................................... 235-187/13 years per game with a 44.6 three-point percentage MAAC regular season championship teams at Assistant Coaches .................................Grant Billmeier (Seton Hall ‘07) and a 50.0 field goal percentage.