Despite a report that Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez could be fired this week at a Board of Regents meeting, Seton Hall AD Joe Quinlan says it’s not true.
“Coach Gonzalez’s status is not on the agenda,” Quinlan told the New York Post. “As far as I know, he will be the coach next season.”
The Pirates finished 17-15 and made the Big East tournament in Gonzalez’s second season. Seton Hall is 30-31 in Gonzo’s first two years.
Yet he and Quinlan have clashed numerous times in the media and the two men are said to have a chilly relationship. Quinlan openly criticized Gonzalez in a New York Post story after Gonzalez gave his views on the favorites in the NCAA tournament in a story that appeared in the New York Times.
Quinlan also suspended Gonzalez for one Big East game next season after Gonzalez questioned one of the officials in the last game of the regular season between Rutgers and Seton Hall. Big East Commissioner MIke Tranghese said at the time that he was “embarrassed” by the behavior of Gonzalez and Rutgers coach Fred Hill, and the suspension by Seton Hall pre-empted further punishment from the Big East.
From where we sit, it is unfortunate that these two men cannot put aside their differences and work for the betterment of the Seton Hall basketball program. If they cannot, it’s hard to imagine the present arrangement lasting for more than another year or so.
**In other Seton Hall news, assistant coach Scott Adubato will not leave to work for new Loyola Marymount coach Bill Bayno. Adubato and Bayno are close, but we know Adubato loves it at Seton Hall and is working hard to help recruit players who can help the program.
**Speaking of recruiting, Seton Hall is still hoping that 6-5 shooting guard Chris Turner will still end up with the Pirates. Turner’s coach at Humble Christian Life Center, Carlos Wilson, recently told ZAGSBLOG that Turner was down to Seton Hall, Wake Forest and East Carolina, but it remains unclear if Wake has actually offered Turner a scholarship. Baylor is also in the mix. Turner is due to take the SAT in early May, and he must get a qualifying score before he can play anywhere.
**Seton Hall also has hopes that Gary Flowers and Mike Glover will someday join its frontcourt. Greg Heiar, Flowers’ coach at Chipola (Fla.) College, told ZAGSBLOG that the 6-8 forward will spend another year at Chipola before going Division I. Seton Hall may still be recruiting him, but Heiar has made his announcement regarding the young man’s immediate plans.
Seton Hall also holds out hope that Glover will be eligible next year, but this saga has had so many ups and downs, we’ll believe it when we see it.