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Other Linda Gonzalez archives

Here's some other stuff that I have saved on my computer that seems to be generating some interest on the net lately.

Linda Gonzalez's blog post from June 16, 2010, titled "Ridiculous"

"On Lunacy and Antics" from January 28, 2010

and snippets from "On NY Times Article" from March 8, 2010

These were all accessed freely using Google search cache and were at one time posted in their entirety on PirateCrew and several other forums.  They are being archived here for anyone who is curious about the actions that led to Bobby Gonzalez's dismissal from Seton Hall in 2010.

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Linda Gonzalez on the man purse theft

Since Linda Gonzalez has once again removed her words from the Internet, I figured that I'd do my part as an archivist.

 

Posted to the PirateCrew message boards under the name "lindag"


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Seton Hall Lands 2011 Commit Cosby

According to a report from Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com, Seton Hall and Coach Kevin Willard have their first 2011 commit- Aaron Cosby.

Cosby, a 6'2" guard from Louisville and Northfield Mount Herndon (Mass.), was recruited by several schools, including Providence and Indiana along with Boston College, Northwestern, and the Pirates.

From the linked article above:

"Yes, it was a comfortability with the coaches," Cosby said by phone.  "I built a relationship with the coaches . They recruited me the hardest these last three months. Coach [Kevin] Willard and coach [Dan] McHale have been seeing me since I was a freshman in Louisville."

REACTION: From what I've seen and heard of Cosby, he's very much like Keon Lawrence- he can score, but he's trying to become more of a true point guard as well. Assistant Coach Shaheen Holloway should help tremendously in this regard. He also is capable from beyond the arc, something that Lawrence has yet to show in a Seton Hall uniform.

A good get for the Hall, as they appear to have signed a potential replacement for Jordan Theodore down the road. Cosby also has some hops, as you'll see in this video.

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Commentary from JP: SHU vs Bobby Gonzalez Gets Ugly

We all knew that Bobby Gonzalez was dismissed last March because of things that occurred off the court (mostly). What we didn't know until today was the exact nature of those things.

Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv and Zagsblog.com reported that one of the major things that ousted Gonzo was a profanity laced tirade at not just JP Pelzman of the Bergen Record, but also at Patrick Hobbs, the SHU Law School Dean who is overseeing the basketball programs at Seton Hall.

It's safe to say that the plot has officially thickened.

Gonzalez is currently in the process of suing the Hall for the remainder of his contract, which he says he is owed. Seton Hall's stance is that he breached the contract, and is thus owed nothing. 

The counterclaim states that Gonzalez committed "malicious and repeated breaches of his Employment Agreement during the 2009-2010 basketball season."It also says that Gonzo owes Seton Hall $50,000 from an outstanding loan given to Gonzalez in 2006.

But the really interesting development is what Gonzalez did prior to his firing, according to the counterclaim. According to the court documents obtained by SNY, Gonzalez fired two separate profane tirades: one at Pelzman, the second at Hobbs. The Pelzman tirade was related to comments made by former Pirate Robert Mitchell when Pelzman called Gonzalez to inform him of the comments, which led to the tirade. Dean Hobbs received word of this, and called Gonzalez to ask him about it shortly thereafter. This led to another tirade, which according to the documents included this rather shocking quote, even for Gonzo:

"Nobody's gonna tell me how to run my motherf---ing program. Not you, not Monsignor, not Joe Quinlan. This is my f---ing program. My f---ing program." 

Follow the jump for more commentary from JP:

Poll
WIll Bobby Gonzalez ever be hired again as a coach?
Yes
43 votes
No
62 votes

105 votes | Poll has closed

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Seton Hall's Schedule Begins to Take Shape

One of the things that various people liked to harp on concerning the Pirates last season was the outrageously weak strength of schedule. This included games against the likes of NJIT, LIU and Monmouth. It was discussed at length by the sports staff at WSOU, myself included, and it made the rest of the season that much harder- when your most impressive non-conference game is a win over Cornell, that's one weak S.O.S (strength of schedule), even though the Big Red competed with the likes of Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament.

The non-conference schedule basically stated that if the Pirates were going to make the NCAA Tournament, they needed to a) take care of the teams they should beat, and b) beat a couple they weren't supposed to. This occurred for most of the season, but hearken back, Pirate fans, if you will, to December 26th and 29th of 2009.

Seton Hall played West Virginia and Syracuse on those days. The general consensus is that if the Pirates had won EITHER of those games, they would have been in the NCAAs. And honestly, they were in a position to win both games.  But they didn't, and a stronger strength of schedule would have helped the Pirates' case dramatically. Coach Willard seems to realize this as well, and so far the schedule is shaping up to be pretty good.

The non-conference schedule includes a road game at Temple (part of a home-and-home that started last season) and a home game with defending NIT champion Dayton (starting a similar home-and-home). Both of those games are great- they are both A-10 teams with recent success, and considering the A-10 is one of the best non-power conferences for basketball, these two games should help Seton Hall tremendously. One or both (more likely Temple) may even be ranked when they play the Blue and White.

Follow the jump for more 2010-11 schedule analysis from JP.  

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JP's Thoughts on Remaining Scholarships (UPDATED)

With Jamir Hanner spending another year with NIA Prep, let's break down the remaining scholarships Seton Hall will be able to dish out.  

Hanner had previously given a verbal commitment to former Pirate coach Bobby Gonzalez, and was reportedly "shocked" that Gonzo was fired. Nevertheless, he decided to spend another year at NIA Prep (Newark, NJ) about a week prior to this latest update.

While his de-commitment doesn't hurt the team directly (since he wasn't signed), it still narrows by one the possible guys who could fill out Seton Hall's scholarship roster for 2010-11.

The Pirates currently have 11 players under scholarship for the next season (including the 3 new recruits Edwin, Auda and Okoloji). This means that they are allowed to sign two more players to scholarships (and maybe three if the rumors surrounding Melvyn Oliver are true).

With the roster makeup right now, they would do well to use the freed-up scholarships. Here's what I think Coach Willard and Co. should do:

1. Sign a backup PG.

People may disagree with me on this, but I think this is crucial. The Hall needs someone who can handle the ball behind Jordan Theodore, especially with a ruling on Keon Lawrence and his wrong-side-of-the-parkway driving case still pending. Even if Lawrence gets off scot-free, he isn't by any means a natural point man. This is why one of these 2/3 'ships should be used on a point guard.

There are still some guys out there who can play. One of them is Desmond Wade, a New Jersey native and former all-state performer in high school who is transferring from Houston. He's looking at some non-power conference schools right now, and at the moment his list doesn't include SHU. But he's a 5'8" ball of defense and energy and a terriffic, unselfish guard (think Paul Gause-ish with better passing skills). If a Big East school like Seton Hall came calling, he'd have to listen.

Now, he isn't even my first choice right now due to the NCAA Transfer Rules- he'd be sitting out this year, which doesn't help the here-and-now one bit. But I think he's gotta at least be considered by Coach Willard- he seems like he'd be great playing for a guy who emphasizes defense. And just think about next year's possibilities: Theodore and Wade at the point is quite a unit. Opposing PGs would be on lockdown. If Wade is signed, next year's possible point guard situation would be fantastic.

Of course, it also means that Pirate fans would be basically praying for Theodore to stay healthy every night before they tune in. A point guard out of high school/prep school would be more appropriate.

UPDATE: According to Zagsblog, former Hofstra point guard Chaz Willams (5'9", 170 lbs.) took an unofficial visit to Seton Hall on Friday. I have not seen Williams much, but here are his numbers from his freshman season with the Pride: 9.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.6 spg, .372 FG%, .383 3P%, .733 FT%. He was second on the team in scoring and 3-point percentage, first on the team in assists. The 4.2 rebounds per game would suggest that he's a tough little guy. In fact, his numbers are eerily similar to Wade's. The fact that he was second to Metro Player of the Year Charles Jenkins in scoring is a pretty good achievement as well. Either Wade or Williams would be a great fit at the Hall. Both, however, are transfers who would have to sit out a year.

Follow the jump for further analysis from JP on how the Pirates should use their remaining scholarships.  

Poll
What should the Pirates do with the remaining scholarships?
Nothing- SHU will be fine. They've already got decent depth
8 votes
Fill them, but not with transfers
21 votes
Fill them!
20 votes

49 votes | Poll has closed

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Auda, Okoloji Officially Signed - JP's Reaction, Prediction, and Welcome

Editor's Note:  I'm thrilled to announce the addition of J.P. Guerette as a contributor to Gonzo Ball.  J.P. has done an outstanding job covering the Pirates over at his blog, Seton Hall Basketball - A Student's Perspective and can be followed on twitter @JPGuerette.  I'm very excited to have him on board through the remainder of the offseason and the upcoming 2010-2011 season. 

Also of note, JP put together the majority of the article below before information came out that Melvyn Oliver would be leaving Seton Hall.  The news on Oliver first surfaced on the message board, PirateCrew.com and Melvyn would later confirm that he would be leaving with a less than flattering message for the members on the board.  We've been awaiting official word from Seton Hall that Melvyn won't be returning before we posted the news, but SHU will probably wait a few weeks longer before we see that type of statement. 

First of all, let me say that I am thrilled to be posting on Gonzo Ball for the first time. A special thank-you to the editor for letting me on board this ship (I promise to keep the pirate references to a minimum). I look forward to being a recurring and consistent poster on Gonzo Ball, and sharing the posts with the Gonzo Ball community. Check out my profile for more on me and what I do.

Now, on to the article! 

On Friday, Seton Hall announced the signings of two players- Patrik Auda (Brno, Czech Republic) and Anali Okoloji (Brooklyn, NY).

Auda is listed at 6'9", 235 pounds, otherwise known as roughly the same size as Herb Pope.

He has been compared to former Pirate forward Arturas Karnishovas in terms of his playing style. His coach at Canarias Basketball Academy in the Canary Islands, Rob Orellana, had this to say:

"He’s a driver, he’s a shooter, he’s a passer, an unselfish player," Orellana said. "I was at UNLV many, many years ago and I used to watch Arturas Karnishovas play for Seton Hall. This is a very similar type of player. He hits threes, he puts it on the floor. He’s got toughness and he knows how to play. And he’s passionate about the game. We’ve been done for the last three weeks and today he came in and hit 1,500 jump shots."

Follow the jump for video, what this means for Seton Hall's roster and further analysis from JP!

Poll
Which little-used/new Pirate will have the greatest impact next season?
Melvyn Oliver
2 votes
Patrik Auda
44 votes
Anali Okoloji
11 votes
Fuquan Edwin
28 votes

85 votes | Poll has closed

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"Bobby Gonzalez Truth" Archives




Here it is!  The archive of the Bobby Gonzalez Truth website, before it was taken down in last month.  Enjoy!

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BREAKING NEWS: SETON HALL TO LEAVE THE BIG EAST FOR THE A-10.


A source close to the school under the condition of anonymity told me today that Seton Hall will leave the Big East following the 2011-12 season along with DePaul for the Atlantic 10.  It's going to be a trade as Xavier and Temple will both be moving to the Big East.  This is obviously not the news new coach Kevin Willard wanted to hear as after three days of recruiting, he now can no longer use playing in the Big East and at MSG every year for the tournament as a selling point.  This news also should frustrate Seton Hall students, alums and fans who no longer can be guaranteed of a tourney bid if they win 20+ games.  I, for one, have expected this to happen for many years already since the Big East is too big, but I didn't expect a trade off with the A-10 powers.  I will further analyze this news after the jump.

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re: your choice for coach

My choice to be the next head coach of Seton Hall is Chris Collins, the current assistant coach at Duke. He was Amaker's assistant coach at Seton Hall for three years and was the primary recruiter that built the 2000 Sweet 16 team Seton Hall had. With those points in mind, he is a Coach K disciple, has had loads of experience on the bench for the NCAA Tournament, and is, more importantly, a Seton Hall man who is aware of the standards expected of him both on and off the court.

 

With that in mind, I believe it is clear why I want him to be the coach of Seton Hall. What do you all think?


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