Harvey Leads Hall Past Penn State
by Ray Floriani
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Exit the Seton Hall campus and make a right turn you are on South Orange Avenue. Following the road will take you into the Vailsburg section of Newark. As you proceed through the neighborhood, the avenue will soon branch off to Springfield Avenue, where you run into St. Benedict’s. The trip from the Hall to Benedict’s is just over a mile. The seemingly trivial distance was significant as an initial stop on Bobby Gonzalez’s recruiting trail.
When Gonzalez got the job at Seton hall last Spring, his first priority was to go after Eugene Harvey. The Hall was losing Donald Copeland and had an immediate opening for a point guard. Harvey was on a number of school’s lists and thought to be headed to Rutgers or maybe Illinois. “We took a gamble and he (Harvey) took a gamble,” Gonzalez said. The chance the new coach took was entrusting the lead guard position to a freshman. Harvey, on his behalf, was casting his lot with a program that had a complete change in coaching staff.
St. Benedict’s is coached by former Pirate Danny Hurley. “That didn’t give us an advantage,” Gonzalez said. “Danny was gracious, but we were treated as an equal in the recruiting process.” Weighing on the opportunity to step in a Big East program as a starter and play for a coach who utilized New York point guards well during his Manhattan College days, the Brooklyn, NY native surprised many recruiting observers by choosing Seton Hall.
All this came to mind as Harvey was in the process of putting a team-high 27 points on the board, leading Seton Hall to a come-from-behind win over Penn State. The 69-59 win at Continental Airlines Arena raised the Hall’s record to 6-1. Penn State fell to 6-3.
In the second half run, Gonzalez inserted Harvey, who logged the full forty minutes, in the high post of his zone offense. He simply played with the poise of an upperclassman. If he had the opportunity, Harvey could hit the perimeter shot. He also penetrated with virtual ease. If the defense came out to cut off penetration, Harvey would find a wide-open cutter heading to the basket.
Midway through the second half, Seton Hall trailed Penn State by ten. The Pirates couldn’t buy a basket, the Big Ten visitors controlled tempo and the Continental Airlines Arena crowd was doing their best church mouse impression. Finally, the home crowd got something to cheer about. The Hall and the fans awoke from the slumber. Seton Hall stepped up the defensive pressure and began converting on the offensive end. The deficit whittled away. In the stretch, Seton Hall gained a lead it never lost en route to victory.
Paul Gause hit three crucial three-pointers during the late run. But on a day where the usual mainstays Brian Laing (10 pts on 4-of-17 shooting), Jamar Nutter (2 points) and Stan Gaines (1 point) struggled offensively, this victory was largely made possible by the outstanding play of Harvey.
“There are things I look for in a point guard and we had them at Manhattan,” Gonzalez added. “We like kids that can play up-tempo, get in the lane and are tough defenders. Eugene had all those areas checked.” Not to mention his pedigree. Gonzalez loves New York guards and Harvey is a Brooklyn native.
“At times,” Gonzalez gushed, “He (Harvey) looked like a young Isaiah Thomas.”
Another factor that turned things around was Gonzalez’s switch from man to 2-3 zone just about the time Seton Hall made its run. “We had to,” he said. “(Penn State swingman Geary) Claxton was killing us. If we stayed man he would have fouled us out and we would have lost by 15.” Claxton finished with a game-high 29 points, with 17 coming in the first half.
The Pirates play with an infectious enthusiasm and bounce in their step. Opponents are clearly taking notice of Gonzalez’s club, who are catching his enthusiastic attitude. “Seton Hall is a ‘feel good’ team,” praised Nittany Lion coach Ed DeChellis. “They feed off their defensive pressure, that’s how they want to play.”
DeChellis also had praise for Gause, the sophomore guard whose nine points came on three big treys down the stretch. “He (Gause) is the type of player you watch on tape and fall in love with. He defends, hits shots and anticipates very well. He really made a difference today.”
Hall has a Friday exhibition with William Paterson at Walsh Gymnasium. Following that will be a significant test, with Virginia Tech in the first game of a Garden doubleheader on December 21.
Gonzalez couldn’t reflect how things could have been different regarding Harvey’s decision. “If Lance Thomas doesn’t go to Duke…I don’t know,” Gonzalez mused. Thomas, who starred at Benedict’s also, was a possibility for Rutgers. The word had it that if he went to Rutgers, he might entice Harvey to join him in New Brunswick. All that changed when Thomas cast his lot with Duke. Ironically, Duke will play Gonzaga in the nightcap of that December 21 doubleheader in New York.
