Seton Hall Basketball: Freshman Progress Report

It must also be noted how important extended minutes, games started and overall experience is to the development of a young player. Will Cosby turn into the kind of leader that JT has developed into by virtue of this opportunity? Time will tell, but enjoying this type of success as a freshman should also provide an understanding of what it can be / should be / takes to be successful. Speaking of leadership, we are currently seeing the fruits of said experience and leadership in both JT and Pope, and that is precisely what I believe (hope) Aaron Cosby is on a path towards over the next 3 ½ years.

Haralds Karlis – Guard - Seton Hall’s out of conference schedule allowed fans to see a lot of minutes from the incredibly athletic Karlis, averaging roughly 22 minutes per game. Karlis didn’t disappoint, as he showed flashes of tremendous skill and athleticism. His passing is always crisp with a bunch of zip on it, and I get the feeling he’s walking on hot coals – tons of energy. Since then, Karlis has seen a significant decline in minutes, as he is now averaging only 10 minutes per game in Big East Conference play (the bulk of those minutes came in mop-up time toward the end of the Syracuse massacre). In large part, Karlis’ dip in minutes is due to the return of fellow freshman Brandon Mobley, who was sidelined with a shoulder injury until recently. Additionally, Coach Willard explained that Fu is playing just "too well to be taken out" right now, so, no soup for you. I believe that Karlis will be an intricate piece for the future Pirates, but it will take him time to learn the American game, as it’s clearly been an adjustment for him, Auda and A.G. But again, I do believe that Harlds Karlils will have a bright future as a Seton Hall Pirate.

Brandon Mobley – Forward - Having recently returned to action myself after similar reconstructive shoulder surgery (and by action, I mean sitting at my desk enjoying a bottomless bag of red Twizzlers), I know how painful the surgical process, rehab and therapy is for this particular surgery; it’s ghastly. Mobley’s injury occurred over the summer, and he officially returned to game-play on December 18th, 2011 and has participated in all 8 games since then. In an effort to curb my expectations of the talented freshman, I set the bar very low in terms of projecting a realistic output for his production. Egg. Meet. Face. I feel fairly confident in saying that Mobley has far exceeded expectations to this point. More importantly, he appears to continuously get stronger, provide more minutes off the bench, and show that he’s really acclimating to Kevin Willard’s system. Think, for just a moment, about what it might feel to be a freshman coming off of a significant shoulder surgery – having yet to play at the collegiate level – and then return for Big East conference play (sans Mercer, Dayton and Longwood). That’s a tall order, and the freshman almost immediately responded in a way that shows character, poise and production.

YEKSHEMESH! Through just eight games, Mobley has averaged roughly 4 points, 4 rebounds and is giving his team an average of 16.5 important minutes per game off of the bench. Most notably, Mobley’s performance against then #8 UConn, was gargantuan. He poured in 10 points and grabbed 7 boards in the FIRST HALF of that game - off the bench. One might say it would be fatuous to tinker with a starting lineup that’s gone 15-2, has an RPI of 3, a SOS of 4 and is ranked #24 in the nation (honestly, people, how bloody brilliant is it to say "Seton Hall is ranked #24 in the nation"?). But, how long can Mobley remain out of the starting lineup, especially since Patrick Auda, to this point, isn’t having the kind of breakout sophomore season that most had hoped? To draw a parallel, highly touted recruit from the wrong side of the Raritan River, Myles Mack, now comes off the bench for Rutgers and is excelling in the 6th man roll. Perhaps Auda would excel in such a roll? Time will tell (dum, dum, dum – insert dramatic music).