2015 Big East Media Day Seton Hall recap: Notes, quotes and more

Seton Hall is ready to put last year behind them

The Hall were highly touted going into the 2014-15 season, and for pretty good reason. Incoming freshmen Khadeen Carrington, Angel Delgado and Isaiah Whitehead were a terrific trio that head coach Kevin Willard had hauled in, and the expectations.were mighty high for the New Jersey-based program.

Unfortunately, not all stories have a happy ending. As it's been well documented, SHU had a downslide to end the season with a stretch that saw them lose nine of ten games and 13 of their last 17 contests. The freshmen were far from the reason that this occurred - Delgado, after all, won the Big East Rookie of the Year award - but turning the page and washing their hands clean was something that needed to occur this offseason as they roll into 2015.

Having spoken to the three sophomores Wednesday, it appears that that's exactly what's happened.

"That's what we're working hard for," Delgado said when asked about what the mindset is going into next year as they look to turn the page to a new chapter. "Working hard every day to prove to people what we can do."

The double-double machine from the Dominican Republic isn't the only one to have that thought process either.

"It's sort of surprising. The freshmen coming in are just as mad as the people returning from last year," Brooklyn's Isaiah Whitehead said. "I think a lot of us have a chip on our shoulder. We're just gonna try and come in and surprise a lot of people."

"I think we know how that felt last year, so I think that's gonna be a big part of the season," fellow Brooklyn native Khadeen Carrington articulated. "We're always gonna remember that mood of the [2014-2015] season. We don't wanna go through that again, so we're just gonna stay focused."

Pressure? Nah, Angel's got this

As previously mentioned, Seton Hall power forward Angel Delgado is your reigning Big East Rookie of the Year. In his first season in South Orange, the Dominican Republic native nearly averaged a double-double, posting 9.3 points and 9.8 rebounds per game and put up 10 double-doubles during the season.

So when asked about if he was feeling any pressure after such a successful season, Delgado was sharp with his response.

"I really don't care," he said. "I just play the game. That's what I do. I'm just trying to win every game and play hard every day."

Suffice it to say, Angel has tunnel vision locked in on the 2015-16 season.

Whitehead hung out with the NBA MVP, in case you forgot

One thing that Seton Hall sophomore Isaiah Whitehead relished this offseason was the chance to work out with Golden State Warriors guard and 2014-15 NBA MVP Stephen Curry. And it was apparent on Wednesday that Whitehead was thrilled about it.

"It was an amazing experience," Whitehead said. "And he's such a real guy. I can't even say how humble he is. Just being around him—the way he would talk to you if you need help with something. It was just a wonderful experience."

Finally, The Hall is working hard as you might expect

The offseason's been pretty kind to this trio from what they told Big East Coast Bias on Wednesday.

"The offseason's great. We're working hard, trying to come together and gel as much as possible," Whitehead said. "Just hoping to come out running in the first game."

"I expect it to be a good season," Carrington said. "We put in a lot of work in the offseason. We're still putting in work right now."

Carrington last year led Big East freshmen in free throw shooting last season. Has that been emphasized and is that something Seton Hall fans should expect to continue?

"Yeah definitely," he told BECB. "I'll need to get to the basket ... But I think a lot of teams are going to be sitting on that this year and be focused on that this year."

Khadeen said that as a result of that, he's been working on his jump shot.

As for goals this year? The Brooklyn native Whitehead made it pretty simple:

"We wanna come out strong and get out to a strong start and try to keep it through the whole year to hopefully make it to the NCAA Tournament."

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That's all for now. Stay tuned, because a bevy of Big East media day content is coming your way.