Seton Hall Basketball: Weekly Recruiting Roundup, Kevin Johnson Ineligible, Josh Gray Visit, Gonzaga Duo, Boswell and More!

Yesterday we (officially) learned that the Pirates would be without Kevin Johnson for the upcoming season.  No surprise there.  The Pirates are planning on submitting a partial appeal to the NCAA by November 5th, which would be exactly one month after he was ruled academically ineligible by the NCAA.  Seton Hall hopes a waiver will be granted to allow Johnson to practice with the team and work out with the trainer while sitting out the season.  Though, these appeals rarely turn out in favor of the school, the school believes there are special circumstances in play that will help them win the appeal according to Jerry Carino. 

As Carino tweeted yesterday, the appeal is important for Johnson's development as a player at Seton Hall.  Should he be forced to sit out unable to practice and train with the team, both his physical and basketball skills have the possibility of diminishing from the point he was at as a senior at Taft high school.  As JP Guerette pointed out yesterday, we saw what happened to Melvyn Oliver in a similar situation at Seton Hall.  Without the motivation of playing basketball to drive Oliver, he gained weight while his academics slipped, concurrently. Now, I've been told that Kevin Johnson is off to a great start at school and I'm led to believe that Johnson absolutely will not go down the same path as Oliver, but a year is a long time.  A long time coupled with living 3,000 miles away from home and one must keep the dreaded T-word stashed in the back of their mind.  I don't see it happening here, but let's not be naive.  We're hoping for the best. 

The decision that came down in early October is far from all negative news.  In fact, if it were up to me and I had to make this decision again, I'd pull the trigger ten-of-ten, times.  The fact of the matter is, KJ will be eligible for four years at Seton Hall and is projected to be a major contributor for the Pirates, granted there is not a drastic drop off in his skill set should he sit idle for a year.  Though the front-court depth takes a hit this season, next year with the addition of Gene Teague, KJ and the mystery that defies all mysteries, Raymon Austin, set to join AG, Auda and Mobley, the Pirates are going to be one big team.  Onto Saturday's recruiting roundup!

• 2012 PG Josh Gray (Phillis Wheatley, Houston) will be visiting Seton Hall on an official visit beginning Wednesday of next week.  As reported here, I've been told Gray's decision will likely come down to either Houston or Seton Hall.  We know Gray badly wants to play in the Big East and it's undetermined when or if, Houston would eventually join the conference.  I wouldn't be surprised to see a commitment coincide with his visit next week. 
  
• Last Sunday, 2013 Gonzaga Prep (DC) duo, 2013 PG Nate Britt and 2013 PF Kris Jenkins took unofficial visits to Seton Hall.  Britt is ranked as the 15th overall recruit in the class of '13 and the 2nd highest rated point in the class.  His teammate, Jenkins, is a 6'5PF who is rated a '90' on ESPN, while checking in as the 30th ranked PF in the class.  Britt, a potential program changer out of the 2013 class is a stretch target for Seton Hall if we've ever seen one. 
  
• 2013 PF Jason Boswell (Trinity Catholic) has a laundry list of potential collegiate suitors as he included Seton Hall amongst 13 other schools he's considering.  The Pirates offered Boswell in early August and the player has previously cited close relationships with former Pirates and St. Patrick's alumni, Shaheen Holloway and Grant Billmeier.  Boswell attended St. Pat's before transferring to Trinity Catholic this season.  He is rated as an, '89' by ESPN and 3-stars by Scout. 
  
• Monday, I was told that the Pirates remain in, "very good shape," with 2013 PG Jaren Sina.  Despite their standing, the staff remains committed to bringing in a point guard out of the 2012 class, a decision that could eventually impact Sina's recruitment.  Villanova and Alabama both watched the GSB junior workout on Thursday. 
• 2013 SF Jared Nickens (St. Patrick's) listed Seton Hall along with: UVA, ND, VCU, Fordham, PSU, SMU, St. Joe's and Rutgers.  He visited the Pirates in August and they subsequently offered. 
  
• I'm told 2013 SG Kevin Johnson (Summit Country Day School) currently has a list of six favorites: Seton Hall, Illinois, Cincinnati, Dayton, Davidson and St. Joe's.

Follow the jump for the second half of this week's recruiting roundup!

QUICK HITS:

• Seton Hall is among a growing list of schools interested in 2014 PF Abdul-Malik Abu (Kimball Union).  Temple, Cincinnati, Kansas St., Virginia Tech and Rutgers are also involved.  Abu recently gave his list to Alex Kline and Seton Hall wasn't included and so, I believe Seton Hall's interest remains in the initial stages. 
• I've been told that Central Michigan, URI, Campbell and Detroit lead for 2013 SG Anton Wilson (Flora MacDonald Prep).  Seton Hall reached out to Wilson last week, but I'm led to believe the player will likely stay in the mid-west.  Wilson will be visiting the University of Detroit around Christmas break. 
  
• In comical recruiting news of the week, 2012 PF Jarrod Davis (Robinson School) popped for UMES.  The name might sound familiar as David once committed to Seton Hall without acknowledgement or acceptance from the staff.  Just a year ago, Davis was linked to Seton Hall, Marquette, Tennessee and Georgia Tech, but he wound up at Maryland Eastern-Shore. 
  
• One-time stretch Seton Hall target, 2013 PG Jaylen Brantley (W&M Academy),  recently gave his list to Alex Kline that saw the Pirates absent.  He's reportedly down to: Syracuse, Cincinnati, Georgetown, URI, Missouri, Iowa St., Hofstra, UVA, Richmond, GT, UConn, ND, Florida, Stanford.  The Pirates had offered Brantley. 
  
• Still no word on 2012 SF Daniel Dingle (St. Raymond), who was thought to be nearing a decision last week.  Dingle will reportedly choose between Seton Hall, Miami, Temple and Auburn.  You might as well count the Pirates out of this one.  I think Dingle's between Temple and Auburn and if I had to call it, I'd go with the Tigers. 
  
• Finally, Seton Hall is interested in 2012 PF Darion Clark (Oak Hill Academy).  Others schools reportedly involved are URI, Charlotte, FGCU, UNCG, not the stiffest of competition.  Clark is very athletic, but raw, which goes a long ways in explaining the list of schools considering him at the moment.