BY JEREMY FUCHS
NEWARK — Seton Hall fell out of NCAA Tournament contention with a February swoon, losing six of seven, including two bad losses to DePaul and Marquette.
Then, to make matters worse, star guard Sterling Gibbs was suspended two games for throwing a punch at Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono. He wasn’t having his best month up until then, averaging 13 points in the five games he played.
In his return Wednesday night against No. 24 Providence, a 79-66 loss, Gibbs showed just how important he is to the team’s offensive flow. Beyond that, Gibbs’ strong play showed just how good he is.
Gibbs was confident and poised in his return, scoring 11 and dishing out four assists. He also vastly improved the team’s ball movement, which was pretty non-existent in February.
“I missed shots,” Gibbs said, after shooting 4-of-9 from the field. “It was an adjustment.”
Seton Hall (16-13, 6-11) lost to Providence not because they were out of sorts, or because they didn’t play fundamentally-sound basketball. They lost because the Friars are a better team, and could be a dangerous one come Tournament time. Joe Lunardi currently has the Friars as a No. 6 seed. The trio of LaDontae Henton, Ben Bentil and Kris Dunn, who all scored in double-figures, was too much for the Pirates. The three combined for 59 points.
Ball movement was such a key component to Seton Hall’s early season success. It was finding the open man in the corner, not rushing. In most of their losses, the Pirates too often resorted to one-on-one, show-off ball. In Gibbs’ return, though, the old ball movement that had gotten all of South Orange excited was back in earnest, even if it didn’t result in a victory.
“He did okay,” coach Kevin Willard said. “I thought he showed pretty good character. [He] bounced back nicely.”
Gibbs also revealed that he suffered a concussion on Friday, and did not get to practice until Tuesday. “Just tried to force myself through it,” he said.
When Providence (21-9, 11-6) started out on an 8-0 run in the second half to take the lead, it was Gibbs who responded with a big 3-pointer. When the Friars tied it up on the next possession, Gibbs answered with a nice floater.
Gibbs is averaging 16.7 points per game this season, including 25 in the team’s upset over St. John’s and 20 in the upset over Villanova. That’s tied with Butler’s Kellen Dunham for fourth in the conference. After those two victories early in the Big East play, there had been Gibbs as Big East Player of the Year talk. That has died down with Seton Hall’s fortunes, but Gibbs’ play didn’t really drop off too much.
Gibbs’ play in his return made a positive impact on the team, showing how good of a floor general he is—terrific handler, can direct the offense with ease, and a potent scoring threat. The team lost the game in the second half, where Providence proved how good they are, but Gibbs had a nice performance in his return.
“Oh yes,” Brandon Mobley said when asked if Gibbs’ return helped the offense. “Some open shots he usually hits [he missed]. It takes a minute to get your feet under you.”
Any chance at the NCAA Tournament passed a long time ago for the Pirates, barring a miracle run at the Big East Tournament to secure an automatic bid. The NIT is alive and well, however. With Gibbs’ poise and leadership on the court, it would not be shocking to see this team, despite its flaws, make a nice run.
