This year’s National Championship between UConn and Michigan on Monday must have been tough to watch for Seton Hall men’s basketball fans of old.
With the Wolverines emerging victorious, not only did they witness a fellow member of the BIG EAST fall, but also one led by former Pirates guard-turned-head-coach Dan Hurley.
But more importantly (and painfully), the game likely reminded them of what could have been almost 37 years ago to the date.
April 3, 1989 was The Hall’s last and (only appearance) in the National Championship, where they likewise fell to Michigan in a game that lives in infamy among the SHU community—so much infamy, in fact, that students at the university refused to believe it at the time.
Following the loss, The Setonian published a special edition of their newspaper in April 1989 honoring the Pirates’ season. While its front page refers to the team as a “1989 NCAA Finalist,” the back page tells a different story.
“Who are they?” it says. “The Seton Hall Pirates: Our 1989 NCAA Champions.”
The edition doubles down on this inside: included in its masthead, where all those who contributed to the edition are thanked, is a special, final thanks for the men’s basketball team.
“And of course [a thank you] to our NATIONAL CHAMPIONS, the SETON HALL PIRATES, for making this entire edition possible with their outstanding performance from Anchorage to Seattle,” it reads.
The edition also features space for other on-campus organizations to congratulate the team on their season, with them following suit.
“The SHU Crew congratulates Coach [PJ] Carleismo and the Pirates for a fantastic season,” one says. “To us, you are the Real Champions.”
A contemporary fan may question what prompted such a response from Pirate Nation at the time—and they don’t have to look any further than this very edition for an explanation.
Included is “Pirates go out in style: Michigan steals 80-79 win in OT,” The Setonian’s coverage of the game that “will be etched in every SHU fan’s memory for years to come,” and the reason why.
As the tape will show, it all came down to a “phantom foul call” in the final seconds of overtime that cost SHU the game—which may even be putting it lightly. In 2014, Asbury Park Press’ Jerry Carino commemorated a quarter-century since the infamous call, which he dubbed “the most controversial whistle in the history of the sport, maybe of any sport.”
As The Setonian’s Managing Editor Red Birch recounts, after legendary Pirates big-man John Morton missed a second attempt at a game-sealing layup while leading 79-78 in overtime, Michigan’s Glen Rice grabbed the defensive rebound with just nine seconds left.
He then found Wolverines guard Rumeal Robinson, who brought the ball up court, and cut into the lane with Pirates guard Gerald Greene sliding alongside him, both of Greene’s hands raised—before a foul was called with just three seconds left, Robinson hitting both free throws to seal the game and title.
Voicing the frustration felt by the SHU community, Birch kept things concise in describing the decisive call:
“A whistle sounded with three seconds remaining. The call went against Seton Hall. Robinson went to the line. The rest is history,” it reads.
It is often said that history repeats itself: fast forward 37 years later, and not only did SHU fall to Michigan again, this time indirectly through Hurley, but the win came behind complaints of poor refereeing. UConn were called for 22 fouls compared to the Wolverines’ 13, with several Huskies suffering from foul trouble throughout the contest.
But Carino, who graduated from SHU and has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996, was the first to dispel any comparisons between Monday’s game and Michigan’s last title.
“89’ was a travesty. Tonight was a poorly officiated game,” Carino replied to a follower of his on X after the game. “There's a difference.”
And that difference has helped foster a special bond between members of Pirate Nation and the university’s basketball program, as Birch aptly described in the special edition.
“This special group of young men accomplished what few teams—professional as well as amateur—have been able to do,” Birch writes. “They transcended sport into something so much more than just a game. Through athletic competition, the Pirates became the common link that brought Seton Hall people together.”
Zachary Mawby is the head editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at zachary.mawby@student.shu.edu.
