Seton Hall Works Overtime To Defeat St. Francis In Opener

The post-Jeremy Hazell era begins Saturday for the Seton Hall basketball team when the Pirates host the St. Francis Terriers (7 p.m., SNY, ESPN 1050 AM, WSOU 89.5 FM).

After losing 2,000-point scorer Hazell and second-leading scorer Jeff Robinson after last season Seton Hall will be led by seniors Jordan Theodore and Herb Pope. The duo of returning starters combined for 20.8 points last season. Outside of Theodore and Pope, the Pirates will rely mostly on youth, with just one other senior and no juniors on the roster.

Haralds Karlis, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard from the Canary Islands, could start in the position vacated by Hazell. That does not mean the coaches expect Karlis to fill the role of 2,000-point scorer immediately; however, Karlis impressed during the team's Blue & White scrimmage. After watching Karlis catch fire, the South Orange Juice blog stated that he "was the best player on the court, period."

St. Francis finished last season 15-15, and was picked to finish 11th out of 12 teams in the NEC preseason polls. 

-- For more Seton Hall coverage, visit our team page, or our blog South Orange Juice.