At least one player is transferring out of Seton Hall, while others could be joining the program via the transfer market.
Taurean Thompson, the 6-foot-11 junior forward from New York who was at the center of the transfer scandal that led to both Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard and Saint Peter’s coach Shaheen Holloway serving suspensions, will transfer out, Willard told NJ Advance Media.
The news was previously reported by verbalcommits.com.
Thompson spent virtually all of Seton Hall’s highly successful season riding the bench, playing in just one game.
As a freshman at Syracuse, he averaged 9.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game.
Willard earlier this season served a two-game suspension for allegations of tampering involving Thompson, who transferred to Seton Hall from Syracuse in September 2017.
The NCAA said Holloway, who served a four-game suspension at Saint Peter’s, had more than 150 phone conversations with Thompson’s mother while he was at Seton Hall and Thompson was still enrolled at Syracuse.
In November, the NCAA mandated that Seton Hall lose one scholarship during the 2020-21 academic year and pay a $5,000 fine in the wake of the transfer tampering case.
The loss of scholarship brings Seton Hall to 12 instead of 13 scholarships for next season.
Seton Hall also got a two-week ban on recruiting communication during each of the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, while Holloway was “prohibited from all recruiting communication for six weeks during the 2019-20 academic year.”
Meantime, Willard told NJ Advance Media on Monday that he was looking to add “at least two more” players heading into the 2020-21 season, adding he needed at least one guard and one big man.
Harvard graduate transfer Bryce Aiken, who played high school ball at The Patrick School and took his official visit to Seton Hall with Myles Powell in the fall of 2015, is high on the Pirates’ wish list, with one source saying it would be a “perfect fit.”
The Randolph native averaged 16.7 points for the Crimson this season, but missed the latter part of the season with a foot injury.
Aiken graduates Harvard May 29 and sources said Seton Hall, Michigan, Michigan State, Maryland and Marquette are “strong in the mix right now.”
The Pirates are involved with several high school guards including Zion Harmon, who will announce his plans March 24, and Femi Odukale, who recently visited Seton Hall.
As for big men, Seton Hall has been actively involved with Adama Sanogo, the 6-10 big man from The Patrick School who is also considering UConn and Nebraska among others.
The Pirates will lose Powell, point guard Quincy McKnight and center Romaro Gill to graduation.
Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media.