NEWARK – Seton Hall basketball center Manny Okorafor caught a nice pass at the rim and missed a two-handed dunk. In past seasons, or even earlier this season, the Prudential Center would have been filled with a collective groan.
On Wednesday night, there was but a faint murmur.
Truth is, hardly anyone was there to see it.
A sea of empty seats at the Prudential Center greeted the Pirates as they got pummeled by a bad Butler team 84-54, the Hall’s eighth straight loss as the program’s longest losing streak since 2013 continues to unfurl.
Playing without three injured mainstays – starting guards Dylan Addae-Wusu (ankle) and Chaunce Jenkins (knee) and wing Scotty Middleton (ankle) – Seton Hall dropped to 6-17 overall and 1-11 in the Big East. The Pirates’ shot bricks (34 percent from the field), got throttled on the glass (minus-18) and played matador defense (Butler shot 58 percent).
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But the most telling number of all is the attendance. Although actual turnstile figures are not made public – the announced attendance is always tickets distributed – a trained eye knows there were no more than 2,000 fans in the stands. That included two rows of students.
In a season of small crowds – with the exception of the opener against Saint Peter’s and the St. John’s game, they’ve all been under 4,000 – this was the smallest. Aside from the empty arena amid a snowstorm during a 2014 loss to St. John’s, it’s doubtful that there’s been a more miniscule turnout since Seton Hall moved into the Rock in 2007.
This is low tide for the program, and it comes just a year after a 25-win campaign and fourth-place finish in the Big East.
“It’s a feeling I never thought I would be experiencing,” Hall coach Shaheen Holloway said. “I don’t feel great. I feel bad, not for me, I feel bad for those young men in my locker room. I’m a big boy, this comes with territory and sometimes you have a tough season. I feel bad for them because they reworking hard, they’re trying. It’s not good feeling, it’s hard to explain how I’m feeling, but it doesn’t feel good right now.”
In fact, the loss to Butler guaranteed that the Hall will finish under .500 in the Big East for the first time since 2015. They are one of just nine high-majors to post .500-or-better league records for the past nine campaigns, joining the likes of Kansas (35), Duke (29), Virginia (13), Oregon (13), Villanova (12), Creighton (9), Houston (9) and Florida (9).
The collapse on the court and the apathy in the stands are signs of just how quickly a perennially competitive program can go south in the age of free agency if the funding isn’t there.
“I’m not expecting everyone to be diehard fans like me,” said Jack Fortin, a senior leader in the student section, as he took a break from staring down Butler’s bench. “I get that it’s a rough season – I understand. What we really need going forward is NIL (name-image-likeness funds for players).”
Definitive numbers are hard to come by, but Holloway is believed to be dealing with one of the smallest NIL war chests among high-majors – a total that was around $1.5 million last offseason (by comparison, most Big East programs are believed to be in the $3-5 million range).
When asked about his roster, Holloway replied, “It is what it is right now. I can’t do nothing about it right now. The team I got, we brought them here, so I’m responsible for this. I’m a big boy and I’ve got to take it.”
“I know it’s not looking good, but programs do turn around,” Fortin said.
That is true, and in the free-agency area it’s easier than ever to flip the script with a combination of capital, smart personnel decisions and good coaching. Missouri is a prime example. Under head coach Dennis Gates, the Tigers went from 8-24 overall and 0-18 in the SEC last season to 17-4, 6-2 so far this winter. And they didn’t clean house; five players returned and Gates added a strong five-man transfer class.
Missouri bottomed out, and the embarrassment sparked a turnaround.
Other high-majors have done about-faces this season as well: Louisville, Michigan, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Georgetown and West Virginia.
“Sha needs some help,” Fortin said. “He needs more to work with. What I would say to fans is don’t boo – donate.”
Fans can’t do it alone. It will require commitment from all corners – the university’s administration, corporate partnerships, creative scheduling and yes, alums and fans.
Right now, with empty seats galore, that last group is sending a message to the first.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
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