[caption id="attachment_16363" align="alignright" width="221"]
Angel Delgado is using his physicality to get to the line. Joey Khan/Photography and Digital Editor[/caption]
It’s just two games into the season, but two Seton Hall men’s basketball players are off to hot starts.
Those playeres would be none other than juniors Angel Delgado and Khadeen Carrington.
Before the season started, head coach Kevin Willard said that multiple players will have to step up their games in order to help fill the gap left by NBA-bound Isaiah Whitehead. He mentioned players increasing their point contributions. So far, Delgado and Carrington have done just that.
In the first two games, Delgado averaged 18 points and 15 rebounds, big numbers from a big man who sprained his ankle over a week ago.
Those numbers nearly double his contributions last season. Delgado averaged 9.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore.
“He’s definitely going to get the ball more, he has to do better when he has it,” Willard said following the team’s 91-70 win over Fairleigh Dickinson University on Nov. 11. “Five turnovers is a big issue for me. He’s a better passer than that and has to make better decisions when he gets doubled, because he’s going to start getting doubled.”
With Delgado’s play on the rise, thoughts of a 20-point, 20-rebound game are on the player’s mind.
“That’s something I got with coach. I got to get it, but he said don’t worry about it just let your game go,” Delgado said.
Carrington is also kicking his play into high gear to start the season. He was named to the Big East Honor Roll this past week after averaging 22.5 points, three assists and 4.5 three-pointers per game.
Last season, Carrington averaged just 14.1 points and 1.6 three-pointers per game.
“This is a funny group,” Willard said. “Khadeen played in the Big East Tournament, he had 27 [points], 24 [points] and he didn’t play very good [in] the Villanova game. He had been playing like this the second half of [last] season.”
For Carrington, putting up those numbers is just another day on the job.
“I didn’t take it as any pressure. Just basketball, I’ve been doing this my whole life,” Carrington said. “I just try to keep the guys focused, keep them calm, go out and get a W.”
Delgado, Carrington and the Hall face a tougher test on Thursday, Nov. 17 than they did in games against Fairleigh Dickinson and Central Connecticut, as the team will go up against a Big Ten opponent in the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Gavitt Games.
“[Iowa is] a really good team, they got a really good team, and we got to prepare really good for them,” Delgado said. “They can give us a lot of trouble in the game, and we got to prepare for that.”
Elizabeth Swinton can be reached at elizabeth.swinton@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @eswint22.
Comments
