Seton Hall Magazine, Winter 2003 - Seton Hall University
Seton Hall Magazine, Winter 2003 - Seton Hall University
Seton Hall Magazine, Winter 2003 - Seton Hall University
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Freshman J.R. Morris,<br />
from Milwaukee, was a<br />
finalist for McDonald’s<br />
All-America honors.<br />
The 6-foot-6 wing<br />
player is considered<br />
a good finisher who<br />
can hit the outside<br />
shot, but also can<br />
beat opponents off<br />
the dribble. The<br />
versatile Morris<br />
can help the<br />
Pirates at either<br />
the number<br />
two or three<br />
position.<br />
Although<br />
senior Raheem Carter saw limited<br />
playing time in his first<br />
season last year, he is a tough<br />
competitor. Carter leads by<br />
example, constantly pushing<br />
others to perform during<br />
practice. This season,<br />
Orr hopes to use<br />
the 6-foot-3 guard more frequently<br />
in the rotation. Senior<br />
Jamar Wise and junior Jerel<br />
Cokley also return after earning<br />
spots on the squad last season<br />
as walk-ons, giving the team<br />
even more depth.<br />
The Pirates’ frontcourt will<br />
be tested this year. Although<br />
Orr has added some talented<br />
newcomers, the young group is<br />
short on game experience. Senior<br />
Greg Morton, the most seasoned<br />
forward, is the team’s<br />
third starter from last year.<br />
However, his return to the<br />
starting lineup may be delayed<br />
by his rehabilitation from postseason<br />
shoulder surgery.<br />
Although Morton missed a few<br />
early-season games, he has<br />
recovered and is back on the<br />
court. The 6-foot-7 senior will<br />
be looked upon to provide<br />
leadership and experience to<br />
the young group of frontcourt<br />
players. The Pirates’ “bluecollar”<br />
player, Morton has a<br />
Marcus Toney-El<br />
tremendous work ethic and<br />
prides himself on defense<br />
and rebounding.<br />
Junior<br />
Damion Fray,<br />
one of the<br />
most<br />
tal-<br />
ented and athletic<br />
players on<br />
the roster, is<br />
the one whom<br />
Coach Orr feels<br />
is<br />
the team’s<br />
“x factor.”<br />
Fray can play<br />
either forward or center and is a<br />
good inside scorer who can<br />
rebound and block shots. The<br />
6-foot-8 forward showed<br />
glimpses of his potential last<br />
year and worked hard on his<br />
game<br />
in the off-season, so Orr is<br />
hopeful that this will be<br />
Fray’s breakthrough year.<br />
For his first full recruiting<br />
class as head coach, Orr has<br />
brought in a talented frontcourt<br />
group. Kelly Whitney, a 6-foot-<br />
8 forward and All-State selection<br />
from Chicago, enrolled at<br />
<strong>Seton</strong> <strong>Hall</strong> in January 2002<br />
and practiced with the Pirates<br />
during the second half of the<br />
season. He and Morris were<br />
teammates at Christian Faith<br />
Center Academy in North<br />
Carolina. Whitney has the<br />
tools needed to be one of the<br />
Pirates’ best inside scorers<br />
while bolstering the team’s<br />
rebounding, which was a<br />
weakness last year.<br />
Also expected to help the<br />
team’s rebounding efforts is<br />
freshman Eric Davis, a 6-foot-9<br />
forward from Camden High<br />
School. Named an Honorable<br />
Mention All-America by Street<br />
& Smith’s, Davis is a particularly<br />
good post defender, giving<br />
the squad a strong, physical<br />
player down low.<br />
Alex Gambino, a 7-foot<br />
center, came to <strong>Seton</strong> <strong>Hall</strong> last<br />
year but redshirted in his<br />
freshman year. Having gained<br />
a great deal of strength and<br />
confidence during that year,<br />
he provides the Pirates with a<br />
physical presence.<br />
Overall, Orr is confident<br />
that the lessons<br />
learned last year will help<br />
the Pirates during the<br />
season. “Our team<br />
is very determined<br />
and focused. I<br />
expect us to be a<br />
better defensive<br />
team and use our quickness<br />
and athleticism, playing<br />
a more in-your-face<br />
defense,” he says. “With<br />
our perimeter depth,<br />
plus our quickness and<br />
the ability of the big guys<br />
to get up and down the<br />
floor, we’ll be a more<br />
versatile team. We want<br />
to diversify and generate<br />
offense from our defense<br />
and rebounding, while<br />
trying to increase the<br />
tempo.”<br />
In the season opener,<br />
the Pirates defeated San<br />
Francisco 77-51 — the<br />
team’s largest winning margin<br />
(26 points) since Orr<br />
became head coach<br />
last year. Another<br />
early<br />
season win against St.<br />
Francis, in which the<br />
Coach Orr on TV<br />
Catch the <strong>Seton</strong> <strong>Hall</strong><br />
Basketball Show with Louis<br />
Orr on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m.<br />
throughout January and<br />
February on the YES Network.<br />
Hosted by local sportscaster<br />
Bob Papa, the show provides<br />
fans with exclusive insights into<br />
<strong>Seton</strong> <strong>Hall</strong> basketball and the<br />
<strong>University</strong>’s athletic programs.<br />
Pirates shot an impressive 54.4<br />
percent from the<br />
floor, is a good indicator of<br />
the team’s<br />
ability to compete in<br />
the BIG EAST, as<br />
was its win over<br />
Monmouth,<br />
a traditional<br />
rival.<br />
“The good<br />
thing about<br />
this team is we<br />
have a very<br />
competitive<br />
environment,”<br />
Orr says. “I look<br />
to play<br />
nine or 10 guys<br />
every game to<br />
keep defensive<br />
energy<br />
up throughout the<br />
game. We have a<br />
number of players<br />
who can help us<br />
win. They are<br />
not all going to<br />
score 20 points, but<br />
we have players<br />
who can do other<br />
things that also<br />
Greg Morton<br />
are important. My<br />
goal is to be a high-<br />
WINTER <strong>2003</strong> 23