newjerseynewsroom.com

BY MATT SUGAM

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

NEWARK – When things seemed to be bursting at the seams for Seton Hall as DePaul cut what was at one time a 24 point lead to nine, the Pirates turned to none other than Jordan Theodore. And the senior leader responded.

With his team only scoring once in the last 8:22, Theodore would hit back-to-back jumpers followed by a three pointer. The sequence would end DePaul’s frantic comeback and spark Seton Hall to put the game away.

But first, Theodore needed to take a seat on the bench.

“Their press actually got to me and sped me up. For about two or three minutes I looked a little out of control. I didn’t look like the poised point guard that I’ve become over the years. I really got sped up. Coach [Kevin Willard] sat me down and let me know,” Theodore said. “Let me know that you got to control this team because there’s a trickle down effect.”

So as the point guard faltered, so did his team. That was until Theodore took over the game.

In a span of 1:12, after seeing their lead go down to nine, Theodore would plug the sinking ship and get the lead back up to 14.

“That’s just what he did [took over the game],” Herb Pope said. “We expect it out of him every game. Whenever the going gets tough, then he gets going.”

In turn, that gets everyone else going.

Normally, the Englewood native likes to do it by getting his teammates involved. This time, however, the felt he needed to do it by scoring himself.

“I’m the point guard of this team,” Theodore said. “Me and Pope are the leaders, but as the point guard I’m the general and I’m supposed to control the whole flow of the game, and I can sense when we need a bucket or my team needs me to take over, and I did that.”

Which is exactly what his head coach wants out of him. Willard has said many times this season that Theodore has not only embraced the role of being “the guy,” but it’s something he wants to do.

While such a role is something many players shy away from, the Paterson Catholic product hasn’t. And now he’s emerging as a top-flight basketball player.

“He’s turning himself into one of the premier players  — not just point guards, but players — in the entire country,” Willard said.

And that’s not just coach-speak. He’s fourth in the country in assists with 7.6 a game. Apparently, that’s not enough to get him on the Bob Cousy Award list for the best point guard in the country, even though he arguably is. Along with his assists, he’s averaging 16.5 points per game and 3.4 rebounds.

And then of course, there’s his ability to take over a game and give his team a boost when they need it most.

Said Theodore: “It’s a role that I haven’t had to do in the past, but this year I’ve taken it upon myself to step up when my team needs me.”

And he’s done so on a nightly basis. Something he’ll need to continue to do for his team’s success.

With such a young team, this was the first of what should be many times that Theodore has to take over a game in the Big East guantlet.

“That was really me taking control,” Theodore said of his three-shot sequence. “It really starts with me. I can’t have an off night.”

For more Seton Hall basketball coverage follow Matt Sugam on Twitter @MattSugam and on Facebook.