Share this
Twitter
Myspace
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Slashdot
Furl
Yahoo
Technorati
Newsvine
Facebook
Export PDF
Print
E-mail
TagsBY MATT SUGAM
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
SOUTH ORANGE – From the onset of the season it was clear Fuquan Edwin would emerge as the underclassmen that Seton Hall could lean on. Behind the one-two punch of seniors Jordan Theodore and Herb Pope, Edwin would round out Seton Hall’s big three.
As his sophmore season came to a bitter end with a loss to UMass in the second round of the NIT, Edwin now bares the responsibility of leading what will be a callow Seton Hall team. Today he showed he’s more than ready to with his play.
The 6-foot-6 wing scored 21 points in the 77-67 defeat and was the sole reason the Pirates were able to keep it a game with the Minutemen.
“Fu’s played great all year. He had a terrific sophomore season,” head coach Kevin Willard said. “He broke the [school] record for steals in a season. Led the nation in steals most of the year.”
Edwin’s hands are as sticky as the bubble gum he chomps on during games. His 3.1 per game average led to countless transition buckets.
The Paterson, NJ native is the cornerstone of the Hall’s most important aspect of the game. Defense.
“Our rep is defense and we got to continue playing defense next year,” Edwin said.
And they’ll have to do so with extremely young team.
Without a senior on scholarship, Edwin will be thrust into a leadership role whether he’s ready for it or not.
“I’m just going to try and be a leader,” Edwin said. ”Just push my guys to work on defense and everything so it should work pretty well.”
It will have to if Seton Hall wants to build on the success of this season rather than have a rebuild year. And they’ll do so with a few new faces.
Along with the returning players, the Pirates have a slew of players who sat out this year but will be eligible next year.
However, no one will be relied upon like Edwin will be.
While his skillset is ready, whether or not he's able to be the team leader remains to be seen. But he at least got the tutelage of Pope and Theodore this season.
“I learned a lot [from Pope and Theodore],” Edwin said. “Just being more vocal to the guys. Just talking to them. Having a relationship off the court, not just on it.”
How Edwin handles that role with be key in how much success the Pirates can have next season. His role will be paramount in Seton Hall taking the next step in the rebuild process rather than a step back.
Said Edwin: "We got a good rep right now and next year we just have to continue it."
For more Seton Hall basketball coverage follow Matt Sugam on Twitter @MattSugam and on Facebook
