By DENNIS CHAMBERS & ADAM ZAGORIA
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Their NCAA Tournament game may not be the only thing Seton Hall lost Friday afternoon.
Head coach Kevin Willard will meet with star big man Angel Delgado on Tuesday to discuss Delgado’s plans of either returning to school for his senior year or turning pro, sources told ZAGSBLOG.
Following a wildly successful junior season that saw Delgado cement himself as one of the nation’s elite big men, the Dominican Republic native now seems to be mulling over a decision to forego his last year of collegiate eligibility.
“I’m gonna sit down with my family and see what we can do,” Delgado said immediately following Seton Hall’s 77-71 first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Arkansas.
Should Delgado decide to walk he would leave behind nothing short of an incredible résumé at Seton Hall. A finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabar award, given to college basketball’s top center, Delgado led the Pirates to their second-straight NCAA Tournament by averaging 15.2 points and 13 rebounds a game. He led the nation in double-doubles with 27, and notched both his 1,000th point and rebound this season.
Sources told ZAGSBLOG that there was a legitimate concern on the coaching staff at the beginning of the season Delgado could turn pro. Sources also said Delgado is unsure how much another year of college could improve his NBA draft stock.
He’s not currently projected on the DraftExpress.com mock.
Returning Delgado for his senior season could do more than just keep the current core of Delgado, Khadeen Carrington, Desi Rodriguez, Ish Sanogo and Myles Powell together for another ride. His presence could help bring a new member into the fold. Seton Hall is still in the running for 2017 No. 1 point guard Trevon Duval, and a source suggests the Pirates are a legitimate landing destination for him should Delgado stick around.
Duval is also considering Duke, Kansas, Arizona and Baylor.
While getting Delgado back on the team for another season would put Seton Hall in position to make an NCAA Tournament run, Carrington will support him no matter what decision he makes.
“That’s his decision,” Carrington said. “I’m going to support whatever he wants to do. At the end of the day, you’re not gonna be in college forever. So I’ll support whatever he does.”
Carrington added that he would talk to Delgado about the situation after some time passes following the loss to Arkansas, so he could “let them wounds heal.”
Despite admittedly not giving the decision to return or go much thought, Delgado was quick to mention that he wasn’t leaning towards jumping ship.
“It’s more a chance I come back to school,” Delgado said.
Photo: NCAA.com
