Andre Barrett and John Allen are Seton Hall’s leading scorers, but the X-factor for tonight’s Big East tilt against Syracuse and superstar freshman Carmelo Anthony – and perhaps for the Hall’s entire season – will be junior forward Marcus Toney-El.
Barrett and Allen have provided the team’s only consistent offense, but Toney-El has been the barometer for its success. The Pirates are 5-2 when he scores nine or more, 0-3 when he doesn’t. He’s averaging 12.2 ppg in their wins and 6.2 ppg in their defeats, furthering the theory that as Toney-El goes, so goes the Hall.
“I’ll buy that. I take it hardest when I’m not on the floor. When I’m not on the court I’m hurting the team,” said Toney-El. “When I have a big game and play well, the team will follow.
“We have as good a team as anybody,” he added. “We can beat anybody in the league when we put it all together. Now the Big East schedule is coming up, I have to be more aggressive in getting shots, but do it within the flow of the offense.”
Toney-El will get a chance to prove his value as the Pirates (5-5, 0-1 Big East) host the red-hot Orangemen, winners of eight straight against non-league cupcakes.
He posted back-to-back career-high 16-point games in routs of Stony Brook and Rider before fouling out with four points in Saturday’s loss to St. John’s.
“So far he’s been the guy,” coach Louis Orr admitted. “He does make a difference when he scores. Andre and John, they’re the guys teams focus on. Marcus is unique in that he scores in different ways, not from a volume of shots, but transition, offensive rebounds, spot-up 3s, steals.
“He’s an opportunist. You don’t have to always run stuff for him. When he gives us double-figures it’s a bonus. Kelly Whitney, too; when we get all four on the same page, we’re a different team, a dangerous team.”
The Orangemen are dangerous every game, averaging 89 ppg with four double-figure scorers. The Brooklyn-born Anthony, touted by some as the potential second pick in the NBA draft, is fifth in the NCAA at 24.9 ppg and third in the league in rebounds at 10 per game.
“Any time you have a prolific scorer, you just want to contain him,” said Toney-El, who will alternate with Greg Morton to guard Anthony. “I’m just going to work hard, make his shots tough and make him earn anything he gets.”