NEWARK – Can Garwey Dual be Seton Hall basketball’s point guard of the future?
If there was one positive to emerge from the Pirates’ sixth straight loss, a 69-67 heartbreaker to Providence Tuesday, it was the sophomore guard’s best performance of the season.
The Providence transfer tallied 13 points, four assists and three steals against his old team and helped the Hall rally from 15 down to pull within one possession down the stretch.
Asked what he’s seeing from Dual now compared to his sluggish start to the campaign, Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway replied, “A lot. For one, he’s shooting the basketball. He wasn’t shooting the basketball early. Obviously for him it’s a little personal because he went there (Providence). For the most part he played a good floor game, made some good reads down the stretch.”
Here was the biggest sign of growth for Dual: After he shot with confidence in the first half, scoring 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, Providence tightened up on him. So he responded with four assists in the second half, including some impressive half-court dimes in traffic.
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“I wanted the ball in his hands a couple of times down the stretch and we didn’t get the ball in his hands – I was a little upset about that because he was making good reads,” Holloway said. “So I think the progression is coming along. But he’s still got some ways to go.”
A four-star recruit coming out of high school who didn’t gain traction at Providence last winter, Dual arrived in the offseason as the Hall’s presumed starter at point guard but struggled mightily out of the gate and at one point seemed to be falling out of the rotation. But taking advantage of an opportunity to play major minutes as the injury bug hit his teammates, he averaged 8.3 points, 3.7 steals and 3.7 assists during the three games prior to Tuesday, averaging 33 minutes per contest.
He has a ways to go as a defender – he is disruptive in the passing lanes, but easily screened and sometimes loses his man. But his overall improvement has been noticeable and bears watching over the next six weeks, as Holloway figures out who should be part of an extensive rebuild in the offseason.
“He was pretty close to the best version of himself offensively,” said Providence coach Kim English, who coached Dual last year. “I thought he played well. He let us know in Providence that he’d play better the second time, and he did.”
Despite Dual’s step forward, Seton Hall (6-15 overall, 1-9 Big East) has lost six straight games for the first time since the 2014-15 squad dropped six in a row during a late-season swoon.
Providence (11-10, 5-5) swept the season series with the Pirates and now leads the rivalry 60-56 dating back to 1927.
In the end, sophomore wing Isaiah Coleman couldn’t convert on three free throws with the Hall down three and 3.0 seconds left, capping an ice-cold night after returning from back spasms. He missed the the first foul shot, made the second and a lane violation negated the third attempt.
FIVE TAKEAWAYS
1. Locker room ‘a mess’
For the third straight home game, no players were made available to the media afterward. In the past, that might happen once a season or once every other season, but never three times at home in a single year.
“The locker room is a mess right now,” Holloway said. “They’re all super down, crying. And it’s supposed to hurt, it’s supposed to sting. But we can’t come out like we did (in the second half) – we can’t wait until we get 10 points down to play hard.”
What does he make of their postgame reaction?
“I’ve never seen that the whole year: I’ve never seen them like this,” Holloway said. “I told them it should hurt. When it hurts, that means you care. I’ve got to be honest with you: I want to cry every frickin’ game. But I’ve got to be strong for them; I’ve got to be strong because I’m the captain of the ship. I’m not happy they’re crying…but it’s good to see they’re feeling what I’m feeling, because this sucks right now.”
2. Injury update
Coleman returned after missing Saturday’s loss at Creighton with back spams, but his shot was way off (he finished 0-for-10 from the floor). This after he came in ranking second in the Big East in scoring (conference games only) at 20.6 points per game.
“Yesterday was the first day he did something since the Marquette game (last Tuesday),” Holloway said. “He had one practice. Him and Dylan (Addae-Wusu) weren’t supposed to play this much tonight. I might get in trouble with the doctors and trainers, but we were trying to win the game and we both wanted to be out there. His back is feeling better, though; I’m sure he’s a little banged up after today.”
Postgrad guard Chaunce Jenkins (11.4 ppg) missed a third straight game with a knee injury (the original report, that his hamstring was hurt, was incorrect). The injury is not believed to be season-ending but there is no timetable yet for his return.
Addae-Wusu looked more like his old self after missing three games with a foot injury and being limited at Creighton. He recorded his 400th career assist and ended up with 13 points and four steals.
Holloway said he did not play two of his bigs, postgrad Yacine Toumi and junior Manny Okorafor, because he didn’t like the matchups against Providence’s speed.
3. A gentler Holloway?
Since the St. John’s game, where Holloway was visibly agitated much of the night and expressed embarrassment in the postgame press conference, the coach has seemed notably more positive and encouraging in his on-court demeanor.
At one point, after freshman Jahseem Felton dove and got deflection, Holloway raced upcourt, grabbed the freshman (who tallied 8 points, 2 assists and 2 steals) and enthusiastically pulled him up.
Afterward, Holloway acknowledged the change in demeanor.
“I’m trying everything: Positive stuff, trying to do more (personal) things with them,” he said. “Everyone is not built a certain way, so you’ve got to adjust to your team. Everything you can name, I’m trying. We’ve just got to get that one. We get that one, I think we can make a run.”
4. Attendance still flagging
After about 2,500 fans showed up for last week’s home loss to Marquette, the crowd was closer to 3,500 this time around. Once again, there were shockingly few students in attendance.
Reliable attendance figures are hard to come by; Seton Hall’s box scores contain the so-called paid attendance figure (in reality, the number of tickets that were distributed – some of them are comps). The actual turnstile count is not published, but using the eye test, this certainly is the lowest-attended season for the Pirates since the Prudential Center opened in 2007.
5. Approaching history?
Here are Seton Hall’s worst Big East records ever. If the Pirates can’t win at DePaul Sunday and against Butler at home Feb. 5, this season could end up joining the list:
1982-83: 1-15 (6-23 overall): P.J. Carlesimo’s first season included a win over Pittsburgh in Walsh Gym and a defeat of Providence in the play-in game of the Big East Tournament.
1984-85: 1-15 (10-18 overall): The Pirates lost 19 straight before ending the regular season with a win over UConn at Walsh Gym.
1983-84: 2-14 (9-19 overall): It seems hard to believe now, but Carlesimo won just seven Big East games over his first four seasons combined.
2012-13: 3-15 (15-18 overall): Kevin Willard’s third season at the helm featured a nine-game losing streak.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
In a hard-fought battle against Providence, Garwey Dual showed his resilience and determination on the court. Despite the loss, Dual’s performance stood out as he stepped up and delivered a strong performance for his team.
Dual’s offensive skills were on full display as he made crucial shots and contributed significantly to his team’s scoring efforts. His defensive presence was also felt, as he made key stops and disrupted the opposition’s plays.
Although the final score may not have been in their favor, Dual’s performance was a bright spot in the game. His determination and leadership were evident throughout the match, and he proved to be a valuable asset to his team.
As Garwey Dual continues to showcase his skills and talent on the court, it is clear that he is a player to watch out for in future games. His performance in the loss to Providence only solidifies his place as a standout player in the league.
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