Post by 01- PirateDave on Mar 6, 2015 10:04:49 GMT -6
Seton Hall duo to exit with much respect
MARCH 4, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY J.P. PELZMAN STAFF WRITER | THE RECORD
Pirates’ Brandon Mobley (2) was part of a six-player recruiting class in 2011, but only he and Haralds Karlis remain. #45 is Stephane Manga ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
Six scholarship freshmen came into the Seton Hall program in the Fall of 2011. Only two, Brandon Mobley and Haralds Karlis, have made it to Senior Night, which will be held tonight when the Pirates host Providence at Prudential Center in the Hall’s home finale.
"It’s going to be bittersweet," Mobley said of his last game at The Rock, "but more sweet than anything because it’s just an accomplishment to be able to stick it out. Me and Haralds are the only two who stuck it out all four years."
Four of the recruits from that 2011 class — Sean Grennan (Fairfield), Kevin Johnson (Cal-State Northridge), Freddie Wilson (Drexel) and Aaron Cosby (Illinois)--transferred before completing their Seton Hall eligibility. Grennan and Cosby subsequently left their new schools.
Mobley battled a debilitating shoulder injury that cut short his sophomore season, but has persevered. The 6-foot-9 native of Savannah, Ga., is averaging 24.2 minutes, 9.7 points and 5.4 rebounds as a senior.
"We’re just going to soak in the moment," Mobley said of himself and Karlis, "but we know [tonight] is not the last game of the season, so we won’t get too caught up in it. ... I’m excited."
The seldom-used Karlis is averaging 2.9 points in 10.6 minutes. However, the 6-foot-6 guard from Latvia tied his career-high with 14 points Saturday and was a key cog in the Hall’s victory over Creighton, which snapped a six-game slide.
"Steve Sauers called me" last week, Karlis said, referring to a former Hall assistant who now is an assistant at Cal-Riverside. "And he said ‘Keep the momentum going, stay positive and work hard and your time might come.’ So I was ready for it.
"You learn through good and through bad," Karlis added. "Most times you learn through bad, especially this season [with] the ups and downs."
Karlis said he still talks regularly with former Hall teammates Patrik Auda and Aaron Geramipoor, who are playing professionally in Poland and Spain, respectively. All three also were teammates at Canarias Basketball Academy in Spain.
"They’ve always been there," Karlis said. "Those were the guys who guided me through CBA and obviously helped me here. They’re my best friends."
"You can’t say anything bad about either one of those two guys," coach Kevin Willard said about Karlis and Mobley. "They’ve represented the program and most importantly the university at the highest level."
Mobley was asked what advice he has given to the younger players at the Hall.
"Just to trust in the system," he said, "no matter the ups and downs you go through. If you can stay together and trust each other and trust the coaches, you’ll be all right. You can’t just quit when things go south. … You can’t feel sorry for yourself.
"If people just stay together as a team and play as brothers," he continued, "you’ll be all right no matter what you go through."
MARCH 4, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY J.P. PELZMAN STAFF WRITER | THE RECORD
Pirates’ Brandon Mobley (2) was part of a six-player recruiting class in 2011, but only he and Haralds Karlis remain. #45 is Stephane Manga ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
Six scholarship freshmen came into the Seton Hall program in the Fall of 2011. Only two, Brandon Mobley and Haralds Karlis, have made it to Senior Night, which will be held tonight when the Pirates host Providence at Prudential Center in the Hall’s home finale.
"It’s going to be bittersweet," Mobley said of his last game at The Rock, "but more sweet than anything because it’s just an accomplishment to be able to stick it out. Me and Haralds are the only two who stuck it out all four years."
Four of the recruits from that 2011 class — Sean Grennan (Fairfield), Kevin Johnson (Cal-State Northridge), Freddie Wilson (Drexel) and Aaron Cosby (Illinois)--transferred before completing their Seton Hall eligibility. Grennan and Cosby subsequently left their new schools.
Mobley battled a debilitating shoulder injury that cut short his sophomore season, but has persevered. The 6-foot-9 native of Savannah, Ga., is averaging 24.2 minutes, 9.7 points and 5.4 rebounds as a senior.
"We’re just going to soak in the moment," Mobley said of himself and Karlis, "but we know [tonight] is not the last game of the season, so we won’t get too caught up in it. ... I’m excited."
The seldom-used Karlis is averaging 2.9 points in 10.6 minutes. However, the 6-foot-6 guard from Latvia tied his career-high with 14 points Saturday and was a key cog in the Hall’s victory over Creighton, which snapped a six-game slide.
"Steve Sauers called me" last week, Karlis said, referring to a former Hall assistant who now is an assistant at Cal-Riverside. "And he said ‘Keep the momentum going, stay positive and work hard and your time might come.’ So I was ready for it.
"You learn through good and through bad," Karlis added. "Most times you learn through bad, especially this season [with] the ups and downs."
Karlis said he still talks regularly with former Hall teammates Patrik Auda and Aaron Geramipoor, who are playing professionally in Poland and Spain, respectively. All three also were teammates at Canarias Basketball Academy in Spain.
"They’ve always been there," Karlis said. "Those were the guys who guided me through CBA and obviously helped me here. They’re my best friends."
"You can’t say anything bad about either one of those two guys," coach Kevin Willard said about Karlis and Mobley. "They’ve represented the program and most importantly the university at the highest level."
Mobley was asked what advice he has given to the younger players at the Hall.
"Just to trust in the system," he said, "no matter the ups and downs you go through. If you can stay together and trust each other and trust the coaches, you’ll be all right. You can’t just quit when things go south. … You can’t feel sorry for yourself.
"If people just stay together as a team and play as brothers," he continued, "you’ll be all right no matter what you go through."
good luck to all!