OMAHA, Neb. — The retooling continues.
Seton Hall, which will lose four senior starters after its third straight NCAA Tournament bert꧑h, added another piece to an already restocked roste😼r Friday with the verbal commitment of talented New Jersey forward Valdir Manuel.
The 6-foot-8, 210-pound Manuel, of The Patrick School in Hillside, N.J., announced his decision to stay close to home, picking ꦇthe Pirates over Syracuse, Illinois and Temple, amo🍨ng others.
The skilled big man, a consensus three-star recru💜it who averaged 16 points per game this season and is best known for his advanced offensive skill-set, had been heavily recruited by Seton Hall, which will graduate forwards Angel Delgado, Ismael Sanogo, and Desi Rodriguez.
Manuel will be part of a new-look frontcourt that will include Syracuse transfer Taurean Thompson🐼, 7-foot-2 junior college transfer Romaro Gill, current freshman Sandro Mamukelashvili, fellow recruit Darnell Brodie and possibly Michael Nzei, by far the most experienced of the group. Thompson and Gill♓ were in the program this year, but sat out, only able to practice. A redshirt junior and stellar student, Nzei will graduate with his classmates in May, and could opt to transfer with one year of eligibility left or go into the work force.
Manuel’s commitment leaves Seton Hall without any open scholarships for next year at the moment. A high school tea𒁏mmate of freshman guard Jordan Walker, Manuel joins Brodie, Harlem guard Anthony Nelson and Long Island wing Jared Rhode♓n in coach Kevin Willard’s solid 2018 recruiting class.
Pirates leading scorer Desi Rodriguez was selected to participate in the inaugural Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship next week in San Antonio, which will feature 32 four🐬-player teams — one from every Division I conference — comprised of college seniors who have exhausted their eligibility, playing for a $100,000 prize pool in a 3-on-3 tournament.
— Howie Kussoy contributed to this report