Sandro Mamukelashvili on His Return to Seton Hall

Date: August 3, 2020

^{By: Wilnir Louis}

^{(Danny Lemoine)} 

Seton Hall fans were able to go to sleep on Aug. 1 even more excited for the 2020-21 season when forward Sandro Mamukelashvili announced that he opted out of the NBA draft and will return to South Orange, NJ to play his final season. 

Although I had a lot of options on the table, there’s is a lot more I can do as a student-athlete and as a Pirate. It’s time to unveil true MAMU to the world ! Let’s run it back. pic.twitter.com/YBSXphlWLF

— Mamu (@Mamukelashvili5) August 2, 2020

Mamukelashvili had a tremendous junior campaign when he was on the floor, finishing second on the team with a 11.9 points per game average, while shooting 54 percent from the field and an efficient 43.4 percent from behind the arc, which trailed guard Shavar Reynolds for the best on the team. Those percentages would’ve been second in the BIG EAST as well if he qualified for conference rankings. 

The major bump in Mamukelashvili’s season was when he suffered a wrist injury early in December against Iowa State which sidelined the forward for 10 contests. When Mamukelashvili came back from his injury, he did not lose a step in his productivity on the court. In the nine games he started for Seton Hall post-injury, Mamukelashvili averaged 14.3 points and 8.2 rebounds while shooting 55.7 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. This includes a 26-point scoring outburst against Marquette on Feb. 29 and an unforgettable game against Butler where he scored 15 points, which included the final two points to give the Pirates the win. 

Sandro heroics pic.twitter.com/tjHk804yPS

— WSOU Sports (@WSOUSports) February 20, 2020

With Mamukelashvili returning, he will be expecting to lead the charge for the Pirates not only on the court but off the court as well. With the 2019-20 season ending abruptly due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the 2020-21 season still in the air, Mamukelashvili’s wants to ensure that everyone does their part in slowing down the spread of the virus. 

“Right now, I want to tell everyone to wear their mask and try to stay as protected as they can if they want a season.” Mamukelashvili stated, “I’m looking forward being that guy, that leader, that voice, who tells everyone to stay cautious so we can have a season”

Being a leader is going to be one of the main focuses of Mamukelashvili’s senior campaign. When talking to NBA scouts and general managers while he was in the draft process, he noted that many of his abilities on the court were highly praised, but the scouts still want to see a little bit more from him. 

“[The scouts] said they like my size, my dribbling ability, passing, shooting, all kinds of stuff and they also told me I have to work on everything, improve my skills and be a leader…they want me to show that I can be the go to guy and that I can be the guy to help his teammates get better” 

While there were many factors that caused Mamukelashivili to come back to Seton Hall for his final season, an overarching theme was the connection that the forward has with his teammates. A brotherhood was one of the reoccurring ideas that often was spoken about in post-game pressers with former Seton Hall player Myles Powell and it looks like we can expect to see more of the brotherhood and that camaraderie between the players this coming year. 

“The love we have for each other and the chemistry that this team has and having the opportunity to come back and be a leader and showcase my skills will help me in the future and also help the team.” 

^(AP)

The expectations for Seton Hall now that Mamukelashvili has officially returned will potentially be rather high; to compete for another NCAA Tournament berth while also being competitive at the top of the BIG EAST conference. With the addition of players on the roster, the expected growth of returning players on the roster, as well as now the leadership for Mamukelashvili, those expectations could very well be met and even surpassed. The hype is definetly now palpable in South Orange, NJ. 

^{Wilnir Louis is the Sports Director of 89.5FM WSOU and can be reached at wsou.sports@gmail.com}

Posted in: WSOU, Sports, Men's Basketball