What did we learn about Seton Hall in the preseason?

Championship aspirations are in the air for the Seton Hall squad, the third in our series looking at the Big East squads and what they had to say in the preseason.

Angel Delgado came back from a shot at a professional career overseas or even on the fringes of the NBA (he was a projected second-round pick), because he thought his teammates had a real shot at collegiate glory.

From the Setonian, from the talented senior stars, Delgado, Khadeen Carrington and Desi Rodriguez:

“I feel like we can take it all [in the NCAA Tournament], I just want to be humbled by it and work hard,” [Desi] Rodriguez said. “I think it will come, it will show that we put in a lot of work. Definitely, my expectation is to make it out of the first round. We haven’t done that in the past two years, so this year make it out of the first round then go as far as we can.”

[Khadeen] Carrington won’t be happy unless the team advances in at least three or four rounds of the tournament.

“No, I don’t think winning a game is enough,” Carrington said. “I think making a deep run, at least three, four games. Not that that’s gonna be enough, I think that’s where we need to set our level and just achieve from there.”

For Delgado, it’s all or nothing.

“This team has a lot to prove,” Delgado said. “Winning a game isn’t enough. Only a national championship will be enough.”

Well, those are some sights set very high. The newcomers, many of whom will not see much time, and the transfers are adding competitiveness to practice. The Hall has two players sitting out, and newcomers Romaro Gill ( a seven footer from the JUCO ranks), local point guard Jordan Walker, 6’5” top-100 wing Myles Cale and promising forward Sandro Mamukelashvili could see minutes.

Of interest: sophomore Eron Gordon, who played sparingly last year, could be the backup point guard.

This isn’t Seton Hall with the praise, but Seton Hall’s vote for #1 in the Big East Media Day poll is from Ed Cooley.

More from Double G Sports:

“That was me,” Cooley said. “They have veterans. They know how to win. They’ve won in this building, they’ve won a (Big East) championship. And they’re men — they’ve got dudes, man.”

There’s a lot to like about this Seton Hall squad. Do they have the star talent to get past Villanova and Xavier?

St. John’s faces the rivals across the river on New Years Eve, Sunday December 31st with the time TBD in Newark, and again at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, February 24.

Wendell Cruz