Sometimes it's best to stick with something new—but other times, it’s just as important to return to what feels familiar.
On Friday, Seton Hall men’s basketball senior forward Jacob Dar announced to his Instagram that he has committed to Rice University out of the transfer portal, returning to the program he last played for before joining The Hall.
Appearing in 31 games for SHU last season, Dar averaged 3.2 points and 1.9 rebounds in 10.1 minutes per game, all while shooting 40.6% from the field and 76.9% from the line.
Dar saved one of his best performances as a Pirate for when it mattered most: In The Hall’s first game of the BIG EAST Tournament on March 12, Dar had a season-high 16 points, all scored in the second half, on 5-of-6 shooting to lead the fourth-seeded Pirates to a 72-61 win over the fifth-seeded Creighton Bluejays inside Madison Square Garden.
Such a performance made Dar the first player in tournament history to score at least 15 points on six or fewer shots in 15 minutes of play or less.
If that wasn’t enough, Dar also grabbed a season-high five rebounds while hitting 2-of-3 3-pointers after shooting just 2-of-15 from that range during the regular season.
Postgame, head coach Shaheen Holloway praised the 6-foot-7 forward for his athleticism, effort and poise, which were aspects of Dar’s game that motivated Holloway to recruit him to The Hall in the first place.
“That’s why he’s here: he’s different than Elijah [Fisher], different from Josh [Rivera], he’s more athletic,” said Holloway. “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.”
As a junior, Dar appeared in 30 games for Rice, starting in 13 of them, while averaging 7.5 points, 3.7 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game.
That season, Dar also had the second-most blocks on the team with 19, third-most dunks with 16 and was the team’s leading scorer and rebounder four times, scoring in double-figures on 10 different occasions.
Zachary Mawby is the head editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at zachary.mawby@student.shu.edu.
