Seton Hall Athletics and the men’s basketball team hosted an open media day on Oct. 13 prior to their attendance at BIG EAST Media Day at Madison Square Garden. Student and experienced journalists alike attended to grasp the outlook for the season ahead. Senior guard Dylan Addae-Wusu, junior center Elijah Hutchins-Everett, sophomore forward Sadraque NgaNga and senior center Jaden Bediako have transferred to Seton Hall for the 2023-24 season.
The new players accomplishments and potential make them intriguing pickups, and Pirate fans will be seeing them on the court often in 2023.
Addae-Wusu was the leader of St. John’s, though he decided to play for Holloway for his senior season. With the toughness that Addae-Wusu brings when he pours his heart out onto the court, as he did for the Red Storm over the past three years, the fit with Coach Holloway is seamless.
The Pirates have great depth at the guard position, including Addae-Wusu, Kadary Richmond, and Al-Amir Dawes. There is a possibility that the Pirates will play a “small ball” lineup, featuring Addae-Wusu at small forward.
“I believe I can guard multiple positions, so I’m not afraid about guarding a bigger sized player,” Addae-Wusu said.
Addae-Wusu may be a bit undersized for a small forward, though the paint will be manned by Elijah Hutchins-Everett. Hutchins-Everett is a 6’11” center that spent his first two seasons at Austin Peay and has impressed Coach Holloway enough to get the opportunity to play on an even bigger stage. He grew up watching Seton Hall basketball as a West Orange native. He prides himself upon doing defensive dirty work: taking charges, diving on the floor, and fighting for rebounds.
A player like Hutchins-Everett is a “glue guy” that coaches would love to have on his side. He can do a bit of everything and will be a versatile weapon for Holloway to have at his disposal.
NgaNga is another lengthy defensive piece to this year's team. The 6’10” forward says he can do it all, playing both vital offensive and defensive roles. NgaNga is a sophomore transfer from Boise State University, who chose Seton Hall after noticing “the way they work here,” as he put it.
“We’re trying to make each other better every day” he said while talking about how it has been working with his new squad.
Another key piece to Seton Hall’s defense this year in Jaden Bediako, he said he brings “toughness, rebounding, and playing [his] role,” to the team. He made an impact at Santa Clara University, as Bediako averaged six points and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 52% from the floor.
“I want to be newcomer of the year and make all-defensive team” he said when asked about his goals for this year. Defense is Bediako’s specialty on the court and, while off the court, the graduate student is a history buff studying for his master’s in business administration.
"Since it’s my last year of college, I want to enjoy the season we have. I just want to have a great last year; I’m glad to have 5th year,” Bediako mentioned, and he will be adding to the old school Seton Hall defense.
Heading into his senior season, Kadary Richmond has aimed to be more vocal as a team captain. The mild-mannered point guard has been coming out of his shell because he knows the defensive potential that the team possesses.
“Once everybody learns the terminologies we use, we’ll be just fine,” Richmond said. “Once we get that down pat, we’ll be one of the top defensive teams in the country.”
Richmond has active hands and a 6’10 wingspan that make him a fearsome defender in the BIG EAST. He averaged 2 steals per game last year and was often guarding the opposing teams’ best offensive player.
Holloway has made it clear that he intends on playing gritty, hard-nosed basketball that comes down to outwilling the team for wins. The Pirates’ first regular-season matchup of 2023 will be against the Saint Peter’s Peacocks on Monday, November 6th at the Prudential Center.
Beth Berardi can be reached at beth.berardi@student.shu.edu. Matt Soetebeer can be reached at matthew.soetebeer@student.shu.edu.
