McCloud Plays Basketball in Obscurity at Seton Hall

Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, Walter Berry, Ed Pinckney and Michael Adams are just a few of the names that come to mind when the Big East Conference is mentioned.

But there is seldom a word about Seton Hall’s Andre McCloud, even though he’s the second leading scorer in a conference considered by some to be the best in college basketball. And he is doing it all on a team that has not won a conference game this season.

“I think everyone realizes he is a good player,” said Seton Hall Coach P.J. Carlesimo. “But when you are a good player on a team that does not have a good record, it doesn’t get you a lot of recognition.”

McCloud’s recognition comes mostly from his statistics. Through 21 games this season, the 6-6 forward from Washington, D.C., has averaged 19.8 points per game, while hitting at a 19.4 clip in 10 conference games, second only to the 19.8 average of Rafael Addison of Syracuse.

Ironically, it might have been Addison’s decision to go to Syracuse that helped McCloud get to Seton Hall.

Both were recruited by Syracuse three years ago, but McCloud could not decide whether he wanted to go there or to Ohio State, Maryland or North Carolina.

Addison accepted the Syracuse scholarship and McCloud said the Orangemen lost interest in him.

“I had not made up my mind and I guess they didn’t want to wait that long so they went with Addison,” McCloud said.

Carlesimo, meantime, got the head coaching job with the Pirates in April 1982 and immediately went after McCloud.

“He was one of the best players available when I got the job and Syracuse had already done a good job selling him on the Big East,” said Carlesimo. “We told him we were going to build a program here and it would be an opportunity to for him to get playing time.”

It was an idea McCloud liked.

“I liked coming into a program that needed help and where you can contribute right away,” he said. “And with Seton Hall, I could contribute right away.”

The first year’s contribution was 481 points, a 16.6 points per game average, and 6.6 rebounds per game. It earned him a spot on the first team of the conference’s all-rookie squad.

The figures declined slightly during McCloud’s sophomore year, down to 14.8 points per game and 5.7 rebounds. But Carlesimo saw improvement elsewhere.

“He’s always been a good offensive player,” the coach said. “However, his rebounding has improved. His defense is better and he is a better ballhandler.”

McCloud has added another role this season, as leader of a team that puts three and four freshman on the floor at a time.

“They look to me to be a leader, I’m the oldest of the group and this is my third year,” said McCloud. “I play the role because I know what P.J. wants us to do and I try to translate it to the freshmen so they can cope with it.”

It has been hard coping with losing. The Pirates opened the season with a 9-2 mark. The conference play began and they have not won since, falling to 9-12.

“The thing that’s impressed me about him is that he has competed, and it’s been frustrating the last couple of years,” said Carlesimo. “But he has always played hard. You can see how much he wants to win.”

The Pirates had six victories during McCloud’s first year, nine his second and nine so far this year.

McCloud thinks that will change.

“We’re close,” he said. “We’re trying to put two halves together and give a solid performance. We almost did it against St. John’s. Next year we’re not going to let things slip away.”

It’s an attitude Carlesimo likes.

“He has scored a lot and he has gotten some recognition, and there are people who might be satisfied with that,” said Carlesimo. “He has not been satisfied with that though, which is a good thing.”