“In my eighth-grade yearbook quote, I wrote that I would play Division-1 basketball,” said David Gabriel, who achieved that goal after walking on to Seton Hall’s men’s basketball team during his freshman year.
Not only did Gabriel reach the Division I level, but he also became a leader in a program considered a premier program in the tri-state area. The senior was named a captain for this year’s Pirates squad and is the only player since 2022 to play at The Hall for all four years.
Gabriel was born and raised in North Bergen, New Jersey, and had big basketball dreams from the time he dunked on a Little Tikes hoop as an infant. Growing up, Gabriel admired his brother, Aristotle, who set a high athletic standard by playing Division I soccer and later professionally in the Greek Super League, with AE Ermionida being the last club he played for.
After an unconventional high school career interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Gabriel ultimately met that standard and accomplished the goal he set in his eighth-grade yearbook.
Gabriel attended North Bergen High School, where he played varsity basketball for four years. Going into his junior year, however, the future of his basketball career felt uncertain.
“I see other juniors and seniors getting offers to big colleges, and I'm a junior, and COVID hit, and I have no options,” Gabriel said.
Instead of quitting, Gabriel did what he says he’s always known to do—he prayed.
“I was praying to God and asking for guidance, and for things to fall into place,” Gabriel said.
That is exactly what happened coming off his junior season, during which he averaged 10 points per game.
During his senior year, Gabriel met his mentor, SHU Athletics Hall of Famer and North Bergen native Dan Callandrillo. He took Gabriel under his wing and became more than a basketball mentor—he became a life mentor that Gabriel talked to about everything.
After taking Gabriel to several SHU games, Callandrillo told him he believed Gabriel could play at that level.
“He planted a seed in my brain,” Gabriel said.
Gabriel said his character and work ethic impressed Callandrillo, who then arranged a meeting between Gabriel and newly hired Pirates head coach Shaheen Holloway.
When Gabriel arrived on campus, Holloway asked where he had gone to high school.
"North Bergen," Gabriel replied.
Holloway, standing beside a few of his assistants, asked, "North Bergen, that's the game we were at the other day?"
The game Holloway attended was the best performance of Gabriel's career. North Bergen faced New Jersey powerhouse Hudson Catholic in an overtime thriller. Five of the six players who played that day for Hudson Catholic are currently playing Division I basketball, and Gabriel admitted that Holloway was originally at the game to see them, not him.
Without realizing who was in attendance, though, Gabriel scored 25 points while sinking five 3-pointers against Power 4 talent, nearly leading North Bergen to a road upset over one of the top teams in the state.
The interaction with Holloway felt like an answer to Gabriel's prayers.
Entering his first semester at SHU in fall 2022 as a business management major, Gabriel said he was not intimidated. Callandrillo had instilled in him the mindset that it was "just basketball."
On the court, Gabriel simply played, but off of it, he admitted to feeling anxious. He said he felt frustrated and emotional, and that he and his family were in constant prayer, asking God for direction amid the uncertainty of being a walk-on.
One Sunday, just weeks before his roster spot was decided, Gabriel asked for a word from God for clarity. When he walked into the church service, he took a seat and listened to the pastor on the pulpit. Gabriel recalled the pastor saying, “When you rest in God, ‘suddenly’ becomes more sudden.” Gabriel said the message brought him peace and that God reminded him that his future was in good hands.
A few weeks later, now-Director of Basketball Operations Kevin Lynch called Gabriel in for a meeting. Gabriel said he rushed over with his heart racing. He sat down and was told he had made the team. On the way back to Aquinas Hall, where he lived, Gabriel called his family and his closest friends.
“We did it,” he told them.
Once he made the team, Gabriel said he made it his mission to contribute in any way possible. He knew he wouldn't always play, but that never discouraged him.
“I started being a sponge to what the coaching staff was like,” Gabriel said.
Gabriel quickly fell in love with the program and decided he would stay, even in an era where transferring is common. While some close to him encouraged him to transfer to a lower-level Division I or a Division II program for a better role on a team, Gabriel said he never found those opportunities very enticing.
"I'm big on loyalty. I’m big on building things long term,” Gabriel said. “You don't have to always hit a home run — you can also just get on base.”
One of Gabriel’s responsibilities on the team became mentoring younger players, most notably his suitemate, SHU freshman standout Najai Hines.
Hines, a fellow New Jersey native, had a lot in common with Gabriel. Gabriel helped Hines adjust to college life and handle the challenges of being a college athlete.
Hines credited Gabriel as one of the main contributors to his success during his freshman year.
“DG would get me out of bed when I didn’t want to go anywhere,” Hines said. “He would take me places I didn’t want to go, but I would always enjoy it.”
The two spent nearly every day together, and they both said they consider each other great friends.
“I was the only dude that was around him all the time,” Gabriel said of Hines. ”He's the main reason I'm living in Xavier.”
That leadership is something Holloway has valued over the last four years. Many view it as one reason Gabriel was such a pivotal piece of the team, even without playing many minutes.
Before Senior Night, Holloway expressed his appreciation for Gabriel.
“Dave has been a great addition to the program,” Holloway said. “Good leadership, good quality person, does a lot of little things to help the team out — a voice, a big brother, took a couple guys under his wing.”
“Dave has been nothing but enjoyable to be around, to coach, and I'm going to miss him,” Holloway added.
Gabriel played in 30 games for The Hall during his time as a Pirate, but he said SHU shaped him beyond basketball as well.
“Seton Hall taught me a lot about how to be a good person and how to interact with people from all over the world,” Gabriel said.
Now, Gabriel said he feels ready for anything and no longer worries about the future.
“God already has my future planned out for me,” Gabriel said. “It’s like I’m playing the game, I’m having fun. I know that whatever I do is going to be a huge success story.”
Although he still loves basketball, Gabriel said he is open to other opportunities that may come his way.
“I love the game of basketball, but there’s also other opportunities I have,” Gabriel said. “Something will be set in stone soon, where I will say to myself that it’s 100 percent the right decision to make.”
Manuel Pereira is a writer for The Setonian’s Sports Section. He can be reached at manuel.pereira@sttudent.shu.edu.
