Seton Hall women’s hoops team strives for a strong Big East finish
Now in his 11th season as head women’s basketball coach at Seton Hall University, Anthony Bozzella said this season is both a pleasure and a frustration. He is absolutely enjoying coaching this group of players, but disappointed with their inconsistency. Over the course of two recent games, the Pirates went 2-36 from 3-point range.
“It’s my favorite group I’ve ever coached at Seton Hall,” said Bozzella. “Great kids; they work hard; they are always in the gym shooting; they’re always in the gym practicing. I’m trying to instill in them confidence in [shooting], but at this stage of the year you have to have your own set of confidence. They’ve got to play better and they’ve got to make shots.”
Bozzella said Seton Hall’s defensive effort, toughness and desire have been strong—even in a lopsided loss to University of Connecticut last week—but the players are not shooting the ball with confidence. The Pirates are without three key players who provided leadership in recent years: Lauren Park-Lane, who decided to play her fifth year of eligibility at Mississippi State, along with Sidney Cooks and Andra Espinoza-Hunter, both of whom graduated and finished five years of eligibility. The rest of the team would feed off their confidence.
“At some point we’re going to need to make a couple of big shots, and I think when we do, we’ll have a chance to go on a good winning streak,” said Bozzella. “We don’t have an alpha in terms of ‘Give me the ball. I’ve got it.’ Azana [Baines] is a very good player, but that’s not her personality. Her personality is very team oriented, very unselfish. Micah Gray (new to the Pirates this year) has been a tremendous addition, but she’s a sophomore and she’s struggling right now with making shots.”
Several players have dealt with injuries. As they return to form, that could provide positive energy. Despite frustrations, Bozzella is optimistic about the future. “We do have a great core of guards, and they’re getting better,” he said. “I feel for these kids because they’re good players and nice people.”
Seton Hall scored an 86–62 win over Xavier this past Saturday. They take on DePaul, also having a rough season, this Saturday. Big East Conference play continues until March 3. The Big East Tournament starts on March 8.
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