We continue our recruit and return series with the Seton Hall Pirates, whose season ended Thursday with a loss to Gonzaga in the first round. A look at what the 2016-17 season could hold:
Possible 2016-17 starting five (statistics reflect regular-season average)
G: Isaiah Whitehead (17.9 PPG, 5.0 APG)
G: Khadeen Carrington (13.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG)
F: Ismael Sanogo (4.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG)
F: Desi Rodriguez (12.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG)
C: Angel Delgado (10.2 PPG, 9.7 RPG)
Who is lost: UMass transfer Derrick Gordon is the lone senior on the roster, and while that might seem like a relatively small loss, his presence was critical to Seton Hall’s maturation this season. On the surface, he’s a defender and capable slasher, but his impact far exceeded that. On an otherwise young team that had some growing pains early in the year, his leadership was absolutely critical. While Gordon’s value is perhaps greater than most realize, the Pirates have grown exponentially this season and are now prepared for his departure. The looming question is whether Isaiah Whitehead returns for his junior season. From the time he was in high school, he was expected to make the earliest possible jump to the NBA, and following his breakout sophomore season, this would appear to be his first legitimate chance.
Who is added: New Jersey native and ESPN 100 shooting guard Myles Powell is one of the best shooters in the entire country. He’s the type of guy who can make tough shots -- and make them in bunches. He’s undersized to play off the ball, not a natural athlete and in need of improving his overall conditioning before he’s capable of defending at a high level -- but his ability to put points on the board and space the floor is undeniable. The team also adds Kansas State transfer Jevon Thomas, who provides another ball-handling playmaker and an insurance policy should Whitehead make an early jump to the NBA.
What it means for next season: Thomas is an insurance policy, but he’s one Seton Hall is hoping not to have to utilize on a full-time basis next season. The Pirates' lack of perimeter depth, specifically at the point guard position, was one of their biggest question marks coming into the season. However, Whitehead made a seamless transition to playing the point on a full-time basis, and even Carrington proved he could take on some ball-handling responsibility as those two and Gordon essentially formed a three-guard rotation. Fortunately for them, they stayed relatively healthy and so their lack of depth was never an issue. If Whitehead were to leave now, Seton Hall would essentially be rolling the dice again, hoping that a trio of Thomas, Carrington and Powell could duplicate the success of this year’s trio and again hoping that none of those three faced significant injury. Conversely, if Whitehead returns, Seton Hall won’t just return its starting backcourt, but the Pirates will actually improve their perimeter depth all while returning the entire frontline rotation with the starting trio of Angel Delgado, Desi Rodriguez and Ismael Sanogo, along with Michael Nzei and Veer Singh off the bench.
Trending: With Whitehead, things only continue to improve for Seton Hall, as the Pirates would bring back all five starters and perhaps the preseason player of the year in the Big East, which would ultimately make them one of the top preseason picks in the conference, as well as a probable top-25 team. Without Whitehead, they’re still dangerous, but vastly different, especially with the question marks that would exist in the backcourt.