Kevin Willard Press Conference

Kevin Willard and Anne Donovan were formerly introduced this afternoon as the new faces of Seton Hall Basketball in a dual press conference at Walsh Gymnasium.  Watch the press conference in it's entirety here:

From Tim LeCras of The Setonian:

"These two hires, we announce to the college basketball world that Seton Hall is back in the game and we intend to win it," Patrick Hobbs, Dean of the Seton Hall Law School and current overseer of the Athletic's Department, said.

Kevin Willard and Anne Donovan were both greeted with standing ovations as members of the Seton Hall hierarchy introduced them in Walsh Gymnasium.  Willard will be joined on staff by Seton Hall alums Shaheen Halloway and Grant Billmeier, as well as Dan McHale and Stephen Sauers.

Actually, it is believed both Grant Billmeier and Marcus Toney-El will both be on board in administration roles.  Both were in attendance and received long standing ovations.

Notable quotes from this afternoon, courtesy of Tim LeCras and Brendan Prunty:

Shaheen Holloway: "For four years I gave my heart, my blood, sweat, my tears for this place," Halloway said. "I like being around this environment, it's always been a special place for me."

Kevin Willard: "My main goal here is to have the opportunity to hang banners year in and year out."

Kevin Willard: "The one thing you need to do to win championships, is to play defense."

Kevin Willard: "It's the first team not winning a national championship that has three guys going to the pros. But I'm a big believer in kids reaching their dreams. So if those three guys can get drafted in the first round, we're going to do everything as a staff, as a university, to make sure that can happen."

Kevin Willard: "We want to recruit some character, kids that want to get an education and at the same time have a great basketball experience."

Kevin Willard: "I can't wait. Me and Big Mel (Oliver) were running on the treadmill this morning at 7 a.m. I looked over at Mel and said, 'Isn't this great?'"

We were also lucky enough to have a member of the Gonzo Ball community, in attendance, ouellery, who provided the following quotes:

During Q&A:

Kevin Willard: "One thing you need to do to win championships is you have to play defense.  We have great scorers but you gotta defend. Cant make every shot but you gotta defend every time."

Kevin Willard: "Looking forward to building something special with Anne, put some more banners up there.  To say it is a privilege to be here would be an understatement.  I stand here humbled, hungry, determined, and ready to get going."

Great stuff, you've got to love his focus on defense.  Thanks for the quotes Ryan. 

From Steve Edelson: Anne Donovan: "I look forward to building the program and just re-energizing it. Are you all watching the women's tournament right now? Are you all sick of UConn beating up on folks? So am I."

Jerry Carino's thoughts:

-The buzzwords of the day, coming from the SHU brass, were "character" and "integrity." Contrast that with four years ago, when it was all about "excitement."

Click on the picture of Kevin Willard for the full gallery of pictures from today's presser, including hilarious pictures of Willard and Donovan standing side-by-side.