It’s been less than a week since the transfer portal opened, and Seton Hall men’s basketball officially has as many players in the portal as on the team.
On Monday morning, League Ready’s Sam Kayser reported that senior forward Jacob Dar will exercise his final year of eligibility and enter the transfer portal, which opened on April 7 and will remain open until April 21.
Dar becomes the fifth Pirate to do so, joining the likes of junior guard Tajuan Simpkins, freshman center Najai Hines, sophomore center Godswill Erheriene and junior guard Adam “Budd” Clark.
With a transfer yet to commit to The Hall, the team is theoretically left with just enough players to field a starting lineup. This includes incoming freshman guard Darien Moore, who committed to SHU in February 2024, sophomore guards Jahseem Felton and Trey Parker, junior guard Mike Williams and sophomore center Assane Mbaye.
Appearing in 31 of the Pirates’ 33 games this season, Dar averaged 3.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in 10.1 minutes per game. One of The Hall’s depth players this season, the 6-foot-7 forward was efficient off the bench, shooting nearly 50% from the field (48.7%) on less than five attempts per game.
Dar’s best performance of the season, perhaps of his collegiate career as well, came in the BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinal, when the fourth-seeded Pirates downed the fifth-seeded Creighton Bluejays, 72-61, on March 12 behind a season-high 16 points from Dar, all of which were scored in the second half.
The first player in tournament history to score at least 15 points on six or fewer shots in 15 minutes of play or less, Dar also grabbed a season-high five rebounds and hit 2-of-3 (66.7%) 3-pointers after shooting just 2-for-15 (13.3%) from that range during the season.
“My coaches trust me, my teammates trust me, so it’s just about going out there, playing hard, and putting in the work,” Dar said postgame. “It’s always going to pay off, so it just felt great seeing that.”
Head coach Shaheen Holloway praised Dar, whom he recruited from Rice University in the offseason because of his effort and tenacity, as was on full display against Creighton.
“That’s why he’s here,” Holloway said last month. “You know, sometimes throughout the season, you kind of go through ups and downs, but to give him credit, he always stayed ready, no matter what.”
“I always told him, ‘Just stay ready,’” Holloway added. “He practiced hard, just like he plays, and that kind of stuff is contagious.”
Holloway stressed the importance of having players like Dar who provide a spark off the bench on any given team, especially when the starters aren’t playing as expected.
“So we got guys like that, when the starters are really not playing well, you come in with the bench, and we’ve been kind of doing that the whole year,” Holloway said. “I think that’s been the key to some of our success.”
Zachary Mawby is the head editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at zachary.mawby@student.shu.edu.
