The Seton Hall Pirates men’s basketball team put on a clinic against the Albany Great Danes in their third consecutive home game on Nov. 15. The Pirates offense was sparked by several players, creating a balanced scoring attack. However, the main storyline coming out of the game was the impressive play from freshman guards Malachi Brown and Isaiah Coleman.
Coleman was attacking the basket with tenacity, making tough layups and drawing fouls. The 6’5” guard was leaping for rebounds on defense, often getting the board and breaking into transition with his teammates or going coast-to-coast for a bucket.
“I think Isaiah’s gonna be really, really good once he gets used to everything,” head coach Shaheen Holloway said.
Holloway spoke glowingly about Coleman’s future, and he believes that Coleman will thrive once he gets used to the tough grind of being a student-athlete. Coleman recorded an impressive 13 points and 8 rebounds against Albany.
The other Pirate freshman guard, Malachi Brown, scored 10 points, including a three near the end of the game. Brown showed off his quickness, blowing by defenders as they pressed up onto him. His handles were tight, and his shot selection was on point, shooting 3-for-3 from the field.
After seeing little action in the Pirates opener against Saint Peter’s, Brown has played significant minutes in the past two games. He has yet to miss a field goal in his collegiate career, shooting 5-5.
The usual suspects were back at it again, stringing together solid performances. A 17-2 run in the first half gave the Pirates a commanding lead that they wouldn’t come close to losing.
Al-Amir Dawes led the Hall with 15 points, but surprisingly enough, he didn’t hit a single three. Dawes is an elite shooter from long distance, shooting at least 38% from behind the arc for each of the past three seasons.
Kadary Richmond scored 13 points on an ultra-efficient 6-for-8 shooting. He was taking high percentage shots in the paint, and Albany’s interior defense was struggling to stop him from getting to the cup. Richmond controlled the flow of the game, knowing when to push and when to slow the offense down. His five rebounds also gave the Pirates an important edge early in the game.
Jaden Bediako scored 11 points, many of which came from great passes by his teammates. The Pirates were running a lot of pick and roll using Bediako, and the ball movement created opportunities and easy shots at the basket.
Dre Davis racked in nine points, scoring at ease. He was a spark off the bench for the Pirates last season and is still transitioning into his new role as a starter.
Amar Marshall scored valuable points for Albany that gave them a 7-2 lead early in the first quarter. This includes two threes that he hit near the start of the game, which were Albany’s first scores of the night. He finished the game with 21 points.
Seton Hall improves their record to 3-0 and will face the Wagner Seahawks on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at the Prudential Center.
Matthew Soetebeer can be reached at matthew.soetebeer@student.shu.edu.
