Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
By JOHN FANTA
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. — Entering his sixth season at the helm at Seton Hall, Kevin Willard will look to the biggest addition that he has made in his time in South Orange to run the show on the offensive end of the floor.
A season after garnering All-Big East Rookie Team honors, Abraham Lincoln High School product Isaiah Whitehead will direct traffic for The Hall in his sophomore season. For the 2014 McDonald’s All-American, leading the Pirates’ offense is one of many reasons why Whitehead came to Seton Hall in the first place.
One thing is for certain following a 16-15 campaign that saw the Pirates lose Sterling Gibbs and Jaren Sina, though – Seton Hall’s star-studded sophomore class has seen it all, and Willard believes they are better off because of it.
Got Em Lol ???????????? #SHBB @Mcmoxli pic.twitter.com/iacbc7B7PN
— Isaiah Whitehead (@IsaiahW_15) October 7, 2015
“Life’s about learning lessons, good and bad,” said the sixth-year head coach. “Usually you learn better lessons from the bad ones than you do with the good. You try to improve on the good and you really try to improve on the bad. This group has really had a great summer and they’re off to a great start to practice.”
Whitehead was able to fly out of the gates for The Hall in his freshman season, scoring in double-digits in six of his first 11 contests with the Pirates. His highlight was winning the Joe Calabrese MVP trophy in the 81-54 rout over Rutgers on Dec. 5. Whitehead finished with 25 points to go along with five assists and four rebounds in that victory. With expectations continuing to heighten for the consensus top-15 recruit, a stress fracture injury to Whitehead’s right ankle left the star out for nine games.
“I think the high expectations came so quickly for two reasons,” said Willard. “He was playing really well before he got hurt. Everybody was amazed by how well he played as a freshman. I think those expectations grew when he came back that he was going to give us a big boost. People forget – he did not play basketball for six weeks. That’s very tough for a young kid to deal through that. And I think as a result, expectations became unrealistic in a sense.”
It’s a new year though for the sophomore, who aspires to eventually land in the NBA, and his ability to not only score, but more importantly, generate opportunities for the players surrounding him, could very well be the determining factor in whether The Hall is able to complete Willard’s season goal of reaching the NCAA Tournament.
“We love what we’re seeing from Isaiah,” said Willard. “He knows so much more than how to make plays for himself. He really does it for his teammates as well. I can’t wait to see what’s next for him.”
