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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). Just taking a look at Hall In’s roster, they were a good matchup for Boeheim’s Army on paper.
Hall In’s roster featured many talented and fan-favorite Seton Hall players from teams of seasons past. Included on the roster was 2024 NIT Most Valuable Player Al-Amir Dawes, 2019-20 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Romaro Gill and of course, Isaiah Whitehead.
Whitehead is a school icon and he will forever be thanked for what he did for the school in leading them to a BIG EAST Tournament Championship in the 2015-16 season. With him, the aforementioned players and a few non-Seton Hall alums on the roster, how would they fare against one of the TBT’s best alumni teams?
Historically, Boeheim’s Army has arguably been the most successful alumni team to ever play at the TBT with them capturing their first title back in 2021.
Turns out it wasn’t great at all for Hall In.
Before the game even tipped off, the many Pirate fans in attendance learned that Whitehead would not play in Tuesday's contest. Heading into the game, Whitehead was questionable to play and this left many in attendance disappointed and perhaps even frustrated for some.
On the court, it was a complete utter domination by Boeheim’s Army.
Earning the 82-52 victory on Tuesday night, Syracuse’s alumni squad suffocated a lackadaisical Hall In defense badly. Whether it was the incredible scoring touch of Cole Swider or the play of a great scorer like Elijah Hughes, Hall In had no answers.
It’s worth noting that because of Hall In’s awful performance defensively, it allowed a 39-year-old Eric Devendorf to score seven points. All due respect to Devendorf but I didn't expect him to make plays Tuesday night despite him being one of Syracuse’s best scorers in their long history.
One player, however, stood out more than the rest Tuesday. Center Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu was, all things considered, terrifying on the court in the Boeheim’s Army win. Finishing with a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, Hall In could not stop him. From high up in Walsh Gym, the former UT Arlington and Memphis player looked just as tall as Victor Wembanyama and was as athletic as him.
KAE’s highlight dunks were a thing of beauty and he definitely earned my respect after Tuesday’s game.
From Hall In’s perspective, what went wrong for them besides their poor defensive play? A slow start to the game did play a role in Hall In’s defeat and it looked like the team was never in sync. Poor shooting was also a factor for Seton Hall’s TBT team with them shooting 32.8% from the field and 20.7% from three.
Shockingly, Dawes struggled mightily from three in a place that he loves very much. Dawes took ten shots from behind the arc and made none of them. Granted, former Michigan State guard Tyson Walker defended him nicely and college basketball fans remember that Walker was a great defender a few years back.
Gill also didn’t put in a great performance which for the Pirate faithful was upsetting.
Now leading the series 1-0, Boeheim’s Army will look to win the series on Thursday at The Oncenter in Syracuse. For Hall In, they hope Whitehead can be available then. For the Pirate faithful, they will have to just wait and see.