Seton Hall basketball has a rich history dating back to the inaugural season of 1903-1904, approximately fifty years after the school’s establishment in 1856.
With a relatively modest sized student population of approximately 5,000 undergraduates, the private Catholic university located in the New York metropolitan area known as South Orange, New Jersey has a remarkable tradition of competing in the highly competitive Big East Conference. When it comes to college football, the Big East is generally considered a BCS-caliber fringe conference that lacks the multitude of perennial powerhouse programs that can be found in other parts of the country where football receives more emphasis. However, in the field of basketball, the Big East Conference is often second to none in terms of consistently producing squads that are in a position to compete for national championships year after year. Among the highly touted basketball programs that can be found in the Big East Conference are the University of Connecticut, Georgetown University, University of Louisville, St. John’s University, and Villanova. The five schools just listed are just a few of the programs accomplished among the sixteen-team conference.
While the Big East Conference to which Seton Hall University belongs was established in 1979, the history of the men’s basketball program in South Orange, New Jersey goes back much further. After first taking the field in the fall of 1903, the program went on hiatus for five years before returning and posting a memorable winning season during the winter of 1908-1909. The pirate mascot that has been associated with Seton Hall University athletics for as long as almost anyone alive today can remember was first attached to the school in 1931, the year after the 1930 team scored an impressive 19- 0. Proximity to New York City basketball talent coupled with a loyal following helped propel Seton Hall basketball into the national spotlight during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Notable achievements of the era included a winning streak of 41 games, Bob Davies was named to the All-American team and an NIT title in 1953 which was earned by defeating area rival St. John’s in the championship. In the early days of college basketball, the NIT title was considered the national championship long before the NCAA championship became the flagship award for the best team in the nation.
While the Seton Hall Pirates have never won a modern-era national championship in the NCAA tournament, they have come as close as an overtime loss in the 1989 championship game. PJ Carlesimo, who can now be Find himself covering NBA games on TNT, he was the head coach who led the Pirates to their only Final Four appearance that ended with a championship game loss to the Michigan Wolverines. Two years later, under Carlesimo, the team came close to repeating their success before being eliminated from the 1991 tournament after reaching the Elite Eight. Throughout the 1990s, Big East Conference Championships were abundant under Coach Carlesimo before his eventual departure from the NBA to coach the Portland Trail Blazers.
Despite the lack of an NCAA tournament trophy on campus, Seton Hall’s basketball history boasts many honors, including nine NCAA tournament appearances, fifteen NIT tournament appearances, three Hall of Famer Naismith’s basketball fame and eight retired numbers.
