I’m writing a story about Bobby Gonzalez and Seton Hall transfers Herb Pope and Keon Lawrence that will appear Thursday on SNY.tv. In going through my interview with Gonzalez, here are some quotes that won’t make the story but might be of interest to fans….
ON HOW TOUGH THE BIG EAST IS THIS YEAR
“We’re trying to get good (with the transfers), and this league is unmerciful. It’s like growing old, nobody’s going to wait for you. Like they say, ‘Time waits for no man.’ In this league, no one cares, no one feels sorry for you. You have to get players and win games, man. This league is just brutal.”
ON WHO WILL COACH THE SUSPENSION GAME AGAINST SYRACUSE
“I’ll probably have Dermon (Player) do the defense and I’ll probably have Kevin Murphy help him with the offense because he knows how I think in terms of stuff I call offensively. I’ll have Scott Adubato talking to the guys on the bench. It’ll sort of be by committee, a joint group effort kind of thing.”
ON THE PLAY OF FRESHMAN POINT GUARD JORDAN THEODORE
“I’m very happy with Jordan so far. It’s only been a couple of days, but he’s got a great attitude, he’s a natural leader. And I’ll tell you what, that kid’s a rocket. He’s really quick.”
ON ELVIS VALCAREL TAKING A VIDEO JOB WITH THE PHOENIX SUNS:
“He’s going to get a two-year contract, he’s going to get a $20,000 raise per year. I lost Steve Sauers (to Iona) and Elvis, but really it’s a compliment. These two guys were with me for two years each, and they both moved up, got bigger jobs, got more money. Especially Elvis, he’s a kid and he’s going to the Phoenix Suns.”
ON NEW HIRES
“I have plans to hire a Director of Basketball Operations and an administrative guy in Elvis’ spot, but it’s not public yet.”
**Coach Gonzalez would not comment on the ongoing Mike Glover situation, but the Providence Journal had an interesting story today on Glover’s lawsuit against the NCAA and the Big East.
The suit says, “At the time Mr. Glover enrolled at Seton Hall University, there was no indication that he was not a qualified incoming freshman pursuant to the NCAA’s initial eligibility guidelines.” And, the suit says, “Mr. Glover’s GPA in his first semester at Seton Hall also met applicable NCAA and Big East minimum eligibility requirements.”
The NCAA gave no reason for its investigation or for invalidating Glover’s transcript, the suit says, and the NCAA declined an appeal to review its decision.
