SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Louis Orr already has a few victories
as Seton Hall basketball coach.
After being hired Wednesday, Orr, the former New York Knicks and
Indiana Pacers forward, convinced at least two and possibly three
key players not to leave now that Tommy Amaker has gone to
Michigan.
|  | | Louis Orr became Seton Hall's 17th head coach on Wednesday. |
Freshman Marcus Toney-El and junior Ty Shine said they're
anxious to stay and rebuild with Orr. And Toney-El said another
freshman, Andre Barrett, also was leaning toward staying.
Orr left Siena to become the Pirates 17th coach, and must
concentrate on holding together a team whose players are
considering transferring in the wake of a disappointing season and
the past week's upheaval.
"I don't want to leave," Toney-El said. "Transferring would
be the end-all; it wouldn't have been right."
Shine wants to erase the bad taste of this season.
"This season didn't go the way it should have," he said.
"This can be a good thing. It's tough losing a coach like coach
Amaker, but I think coach Orr is a great coach. I'm looking forward
to getting started. Hopefully we can get this thing turned around
and start getting some more W's."
Orr will not be able to keep the team totally intact, however.
Forward Eddie Griffin said Tuesday he was leaving Seton Hall after
his freshman year to enter the NBA draft.
Sophomore guard Samuel Dalembert also was considering entering
the NBA draft, according to published reports. Dalembert has not
yet informed the university about his intention, sports information
director Marie Wozniak said Thursday.
"If he makes that decision, we will announce it," Wozniak
said.
Orr realizes some players are thinking about playing elsewhere
next season.
"I can understand the turmoil and anguish these young men are
going through, having lost a good coach like Tommy Amaker," he
said. "Change is inevitable; it's a part of our life. But change
doesn't have to be bad; it can be a good thing."
Orr will seek to preserve as much of the current roster as he
can before focusing on recruiting efforts.
"I've got to recruit the players we've got rather than
concentrating on new ones," Orr said. "This is my family now.
When you're family, you fight to keep your family."
The Pirates reached the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament in
2000, and there was much anticipation about how far they would go
this season.
Seton Hall was ranked as high as No. 7 early in the season, but
the Pirates collapsed shortly after Griffin was suspended for
punching Shine after a loss at Georgetown.
Seton Hall didn't qualify for the Big East tournament until it
beat Connecticut in the final regular-season game. The Pirates
reached the conference tournament semifinals before losing. The
Pirates finished with a 16-15 record after a first-round loss to
Alabama in the NIT.
Orr played two seasons with the Pacers and six with the Knicks,
retiring in 1988. As a coach, he has been an assistant at Providence
(1994-96) and Syracuse (1996-2000) before taking over as
Siena's head coach last year.
He led Siena to a 20-11 record and a berth in the Metro Atlantic
Athletic Conference semifinals. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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ALSO SEE
Freshman Griffin leaving Seton Hall for NBA draft
Division I basketball coaching changes
AUDIO VIDEO
 Louis Orr is named Seton Hall's new head men's basketball coach.
RealVideo: 28.8
 Louis Orr embraces the task of becoming a major part of his student athletes' lives.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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