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2020 Pirate Player Preview: Jared Rhoden

Date: May 25, 2020

By: Jorie Mickens

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Seton Hall Athletics

Last year, Jared Rhoden made sizable improvements in nearly every facet of his game. With three of Seton Hall’s top five scorers from last season now gone, the rising junior could have his best season to date.

Rhoden’s freshman season was plagued with inconsistent minutes, but as the season rolled on and head coach Kevin Willard gained trust in the young wing, Rhoden did not disappoint. In the Pirates’ final regular season game of the 2018-19 season, No. 23 Villanova was in town and Seton Hall desperately needed a win to secure a spot in the NCAA tournament. In just 13 minutes, Rhoden scored 15 points and hauled in three rebounds in the Pirates 79-75 win over the Wildcats. One week earlier in a game against Georgetown, Rhoden flirted with a double-double, scoring nine points and coming down with nine rebounds.

Rhoden laid a great foundation at the tail end of his freshman season, and during his sophomore season, Rhoden saw an increase in minutes, points, rebounds, assists, steals and all his shooting percentages.

While he was not a starter to begin his sophomore season, Rhoden scored double digits in three of the Pirates’ first five outings. Rhoden also tallied his first career double-double in the Pirates’ blowout win against Florida A&M, scoring 10 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

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Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports

During Seton Hall’s second meeting with Iowa State, Pirates’ starting forward Sandro Mamukelashvili fractured his right wrist which forced him to miss nearly two months of action. While many believed the injury dashed the Pirates’ hopes of winning the BIG EAST, with the insertion of Rhoden into the starting lineup, the Pirates never wavered.

Rhoden started 12 of the Pirates’ next 13 games and the Pirates went 11-2 in the span. In those 13 games, Rhoden averaged 10.4 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 47 percent from the field and 37 percent from three.

One of Rhoden’s best performances was during a game against DePaul where he totaled 14 points and 11 rebounds. Facing one of the premier players in the BIG EAST in DePaul’s Paul Reed, Rhoden won the battle of the boards and got the best of him defensively, limiting him to just six points on 29 percent shooting from the field.

Although he stands at just 6-foot-6-inches, Rhoden was one of the best rebounders in the BIG EAST last year. He was eighth in the conference in rebounds per game (6.4), and his defensive rebounding percentage of 20 percent was fifth in the BIG EAST.

Rhoden uses his freakishly long arms and elite athleticism to corral rebounds, but also his high basketball I.Q., which always puts him in great position when the ball comes off the rim.

Rhoden could see a slight bump in his rebounding numbers this upcoming season, as I project him to average around seven to eight rebounds per game.

It is difficult to measure a player’s impact on defense with statistics, but according to advanced stats, Rhoden was one of the best defenders in the BIG EAST last season. Rhoden ranked fourth in the BIG EAST in defensive rating, although he benefited from playing on one of the best defensive teams in the country, and was also 11th in defensive win shares and 13th in defensive box plus/minus.

With Quincy McKnight now gone, Rhoden may become the Pirates’ top perimeter defender. Do not be surprised if Rhoden is tasked with guarding the best opposing perimeter player throughout the upcoming season.

Offensively, Rhoden improved as a three-point shooter, and although his total three-point attempts rose from his freshman season, his percentage of field goals from deep decreased during his sophomore year.

Evident by his poor free throw shooting percentage, (60 percent free throw shooter in his career) Rhoden will likely never become a “lights out” three-point shooter. But if Rhoden can remain reliable enough from deep so defenders cannot sag off him and clog the lane, that should be enough for a team that already has three dynamic offensive players in Mamukelashvili, Bryce Aiken, and Takal Molson.

That said, one aspect of Rhoden’s game that needs improvement is his shot creation. Last year, Rhoden was often the beneficiary of being left open when Myles Powell was double teamed. Heading into his junior season, Rhoden should expect more defensive pressure, which means he needs to elevate his offensive repertoire beyond spot-up shooting.

While Rhoden thrived as a starter for the Pirates last season, he may not be a lock for this year’s starting lineup. In 11 of the 15 games Rhoden started last season, he was listed as a power forward. Rhoden did start four games alongside Mamukelashvili and center Romaro Gill near the end of the season, but he was eventually replaced by Myles Cale.

Mamukelashvili and Aiken are seemingly guaranteed starting positions next season, and unless coach Willard decides to start Mamukelashvili at center, which did not happen once last season, Ike Obiagu looks to be the Pirates’ starting center. That leaves two available spots for Rhoden, and he will be competing with Molson and Cale.

With Seton Hall’s emotional leader in McKnight now gone, Rhoden will have to become the heart and soul of this Seton Hall team. Rhoden plays with immense passion and energy every possession and him becoming more of a vocal leader this year will be imperative to Seton Hall’s success.

Jorie Mickens is an Assistant Sports Director for WSOU Sports and can be reached at jorie.mickens@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Men's Basketball, Sports, WSOU

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