Seton Hall took a risk, but received no reward. Not even close.
When Jevon Thomas was involved in an altercation in an intramural basketball game last February, Pirates coach Kevin Willard stuck his neck out for the Queens guard, believing the Kansas State transfer could atone for his error in judgment and help the program this year. Instead, Thomas struggled on the court after serving a suspension for the first semester, and left the program on Wednesday, the school announced.
“Jevon has made the decision to leave our program,” Willard said in a statement released before Seton Hall hosted Providence at Prudential Center. “We wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Sources said Thomas’ decision was over a lack of playing time; he was unhappy playing just a combined 13 minutes over the last three games. The volatile junior, who has one year of eligibility left, didn’t even appear in a Feb. 1 loss at No. 24 Xavier.
Thomas got into trouble last February, when he allegedly put his hands around graduate assistant Kevin Matthews’ neck during a fracas at an intramural basketball game. Thomas, a highly rated and well-traveled high school recruit, had committed to St. John’s in 2012 before winding up at Kansas State.
Thomas averaged just 0.7 points, 1.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game in 10 contests this season, playing just 10.2 minutes per game. He received a season-high 14 minutes in a Jan. 7 rout of DePaul. He committed 11 fouls while scoring just seven points, never coming close to replacing Madison Jones as the Pirates’ starting point guard.
With Thomas leaving and junior forward Ismael Sanogo held out with an ankle injury, the Pirates had just nine scholarship players to face Providence. Three of those players — forward Rashed Anthony and guards Dalton Soffer and Eron Gordon — aren’t part of the rotation. While Thomas wasn’t playing much, his departure thins the backcourt, leaving Willard with just three true guards he trusts: Jones, junior Khadeen Carrington and freshman Myles Powell. Junior wing Desi Rodriguez might be forced to spend some time at shooting guard.
Thomas is the third player to leave the Seton Hall program this season, joining forwards Veer Singh and Myles Carter. Singh opted to transfer Dec. 17, while Carter was dismissed from the team Dec. 22 after repeated off-court issues.
Seton Hall is in desperate need of a point guard for next year, and has been active on the recruiting front. The Pirates are finalists, along with Duke, Kansas, Arizona and Baylor, for five-star guard Trevon Duval of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. The entire Seton Hall coaching staff, several players, and a large number of fans attended a recent game when Duval (who used to attend St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark) and IMG Academy defeated Hillside, N.J., powerhouse The Patrick School. The Pirates also are actively recruiting The Patrick School point guard Jordan Walker.
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