Clouds over Seton Hall Finally Breaking?

Seton Hall did not have the best run of publicity there for a while. First came the story of Bobby Gonzalez and the trail of scorned players and administrators he was leaving in his wake. Then Herb Pope (pictured) socked someone below the belt the night before Gonzalez was fired. Oh, and the same day Gonzo was fired, it came to light that a recently dumped Seton Hall player was charged with kidnapping, robbery, burglary and possession of a weapon. Then three players -- Pope, Jeff Robinson and Jeremy Hazell -- entered the NBA draft. Oh, and for good measure Pope collapsed during a workout and spent a great deal of time in the hospital.↵↵At that point, a lot of the talent base from a 19-13 season was wiped out and new coach Kevin Willard wasn’t just starting from scratch, but he’d be doing so in the middle of a PR nightmare. But perhaps things are finally turning around.↵

↵↵About two weeks ago, all three Seton Hall players who initially entered the draft decided to return. That news meant the return of 44.1 points and 20 rebounds per game. Of course, a big chunk of those boards -- 10.5 -- come from Pope, whose return to the court was uncertain. That is, until today, according to Zags Blog.↵

↵↵⇥ Seton Hall sophomore forward Herb Pope expects to play for the Pirates next season after collapsing April 30 during a workout.↵⇥↵⇥“He was discharged [from St. Barnabas Medical Center],” said a source with direct knowledge who requested anonymity. “He is looking forward to getting back on the court to train. He will be playing for Seton Hall basketball next season.”↵⇥

↵↵You obviously worry about any player returning to the court after a workout collapse. (It’s the reason Emmanuel Negedu is no longer at Tennessee and wasn’t able to take the court at Indiana. He’ll play at New Mexico.) Pope faces similar medical clearance issues whenever he tries to return. But if he can make a successful comeback and help lead Seton Hall to prominence next season, it would be one of the better redemption stories in college hoops in quite a while given Pope’s turbulent career path to this point.↵