The Jersey Benchwarmer's Guide to Sports

It’s safe to say that when people think of Seton Hall Athletics, their minds immediately goes to basketball. Truthfully, I was on the same ship when I was younger. That of course has changed and honestly for the better.  In particular, I love the fall season a lot and what I experienced two years ago was incredible. I was announcing matches for a ranked men’s soccer program, I covered numerous volleyball matches and I photographed a few women’s soccer matches as well.  Obviously, the school doesn’t have football which is a bummer of course. But, I gained a huge appreciation for these programs and they deserve the recognition.  Last year, my schedule was a little chaotic when it came to covering these programs. Between covering high school football, Red Bull New York and working full-time in retail, I just had very limited time to cover all these programs.  For the events I was able to cover, they were all through my camera lens . Notably, I photographed the home open...

HARRISON - A lot has changed since May 16.  Specifically in the soccer world, the FIFA World Cup took over North America and by all metrics, it was an incredible success. For most casual soccer fans, their perception of the sport changed drastically.  Over the past few years, the attendance numbers at Sports Illustrated Stadium have varied depending on who was playing on the field. In the case of Red Bull New York (6-7-4, 22 points), it’s been a mixed bag. Saturday, however, the stadium was lively and the post-World Cup boom appeared to bring in more fans than usual.  It helps that Red Bull are running a program called “First Match on Us” in an effort to bring new fans to the stadium.  Playing in their second match since returning from the extended break, Red Bull wanted to get back to their winning ways quickly. Following a disastrous 3-1 away loss to the Philadelphia Union Wednesday night, the results had to be better against Charlotte FC (7-6-4, 25 points). ...

SOUTH ORANGE - Summers on the campus of Seton Hall University are often very quiet for the most part. Everyone is at home on vacation, the athletic programs are not playing any games and there isn’t really much to do on campus.  However, the historic Walsh Gymnasium saw life on Tuesday evening due to a large and enthusiastic crowd. Given that it’s near the end of July, what could a bunch of people be doing there at this point of the year? Well, they were watching some TBT action.  The Basketball Tournament (TBT) for over a decade now has been a big part of any basketball fan’s summer. A major reason for why people have been attracted to this event is really contributed to the teams that participate in it. Alumni teams, for example, have been major draws for the TBT and this year, Seton Hall got involved.  Back in the tournament for the first time since 2018, Hall In (Seton Hall Alumni) (0-1) were hoping to take game one away from Boeheim’s Army (Syracuse Alumni) (1-0). Ju...

There was a time last summer where I thought I was going to "Big Sky Country." I love the state of Montana a lot. One of my goals in life is to visit that beautiful state and call a game there.   Someway, somehow, I was able to secure two interviews with a Montana television station and I felt like I got the job. So much so that I started to plan out when I would make the move out West and start my role as a reporter.  Unfortunately, life threw me a curveball and I wasn’t offered the position. Not securing that role was one of the more frustrating moments of 2025 and I still wonder what could have been had I earned that position.  Looking back, it was even more frustrating when you take into account the season Montana football had in 2025.  The Grizzlies are by far one of my favorite FCS teams and I wished that they had more nationally televised regular season games so I could watch them more. Historically, they are an incredible program and they are always in c...

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has been, by all accounts, a smashing success here in the United States, Canada and Mexico.  Despite a chaotic lead up to the event, the tournament has smashed everyone’s expectations and then some. For foreigners, they have experienced a culture shock for the ages. On the other side, casual American viewers have been amazed by the likes of Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.  Just looking at the television ratings from FOX and Telemundo, the numbers have been huge. The final combined viewing number for the United States men’s national team’s (USMNT) Round of 16 match vs Belgium ended up being 50.1 million viewers . Truly, an insane number to imagine.  Unfortunately, the USMNT lost 4-1 and the aftermath has been rough. One thing that has been talked about since last Monday’s defeat were the words uttered by FOX Sports’ play-by-play announcer, John Strong, near the end of the match. “If you’ve enjoyed what you’re seeing, well, support your local team,...

For any high school football player looking to play at the next level, why wouldn’t you pick the University of Washington? Furthermore, if you play there, why would you want to leave a storied program like the Huskies? I have a soft spot for Washington. The 2016 Huskies are one of my favorite teams in the history of the sport. The likes of Jake Browning and John Ross III took the former Pac-12 school to the College Football Playoff and I loved it.  When I got a hold of NCAA Football 14, I used Washington in Dynasty mode and I had so much fun with them. I had (and possibly created) a tight end from Alaska who won the Heisman in the mode and he was genuinely a cheat code for me.  As an East Coast guy, I would love to visit Husky Stadium for a game one day. Maybe announce a game there when the time comes too .  But, while I was studying up on this team, I truly could not understand why quarterback Demond Williams Jr. nearly left the Pacific Northwest this offseason.  Lo...

December 30, 2021 was one of the strangest days of my life.  On that particular day, I went on a date with a girl. In retrospect, it was really terrible. Seriously, who brings a girl to watch a movie about… Kurt Warner?  Anyway, I got home from that date and immediately rushed to my TV to put on the Peach Bowl. Pittsburgh and Michigan State were in a tight contest, which eventually saw the Spartans win it, 31-21.  Outside of their incredible 2015 season, this was one of my favorite MSU squads. Headlined by running back Kenneth Walker III, the Spartans finished the season 11-2 (7-2 Big Ten) and great things seemed to be ahead for them at the time. I still fully believe that Walker should have won the Heisman Trophy over Bryce Young. However, since that Peach Bowl win, the Spartans have not been to a bowl game, nor have they had a winning season. 2022 to 2025 were essentially some of the darkest seasons the program has had to endure in awhile.  Within the past few year...

It looks like Seton Hall men’s basketball head coach Shaheen Holloway has done it again.  A few months back, the fanbase witnessed players like All-BIG EAST member Budd Clark, freshman standout Najai Hines and Tajuan Simpkins transfer out of the program. It was demoralizing since Hines ended up going to UConn and Clark and Simpkins entered SEC territory by committing to Ole Miss and Mississippi State respectively.  Then, like the year prior, a mass exodus occurred with the roster. Players graduated and transferred out, leaving Trey Parker as the lone returning player from the 2025-26 roster.  However, Holloway appears to have recruited another tremendous transfer portal class. It’s a class full of size, experience, defense, and shooting. It’s one that could potentially lead the program back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2021-22 season.  As of July 3, here are the new additions via the portal for the Pirates.  Del Jones (Transferred fro...