As a great deal of my friends from the Hall know, my interest in the University began because of men’s basketball, family, and WSOU.
The Continental Airlines Arena, now the IZOD Center, in East Rutherford.
During my childhood, my uncle, an alum from the early 90s, and my grandfather held season tickets for Seton Hall Pirates hoops at the Continental Airlines Arena for as long as I can remember. The early association between me and them was pretty mild – after some games, there would be a promotion for a free bag of potato chips upon exit of the arena. Often, those ended up in my lunchbox as I went to school the next day.
However, as I got older and more sports-inclined, I began to attend some games with them. I can still remember the first – a down-to-the-wire thriller with Villanova that Seton Hall somehow escaped with a win. If memory serves, this was the spring of 2004.
By my junior year of high school, I went with my uncle and grandfather to every game – as an unofficial season ticket holder. I brought my high school ID and purchased a discounted ticket for every home game directly at the box office. As my funds dried up (I part-time tutored in high school) and it seemed my time at the games was ending, my uncle came to the rescue on Christmas – with a gift certificate for the Meadowlands that “coincidentally” covered the cost of the rest of the season’s tickets.
It was these experiences that turned me on to Hall Line on WSOU. Between those heated post-game shows and listening to some road games, I knew that I wanted to be on the airwaves of 89.5 FM one day. The rest, well, is history.
When I enrolled my freshman year, the team moved from the arena in East Rutherford to Newark’s Prudential Center. And, my grandfather “retired” from attending the games. It was a tough moment for the family (…and it can be the topic of another post), but it forged a new era of Pirates hoops for me. I went with my uncle on most nights while beginning my careers at WSOU and The Setonian. Soon enough, I was at every game with a suit and a credential dangling around my neck. My uncle, meanwhile, married and now sits courtside at each game with his wife, my aunt.
This chronology dawned on me this week, as the reality hit that Monday is Commencement for the University. It’s held at the IZOD Center, the former Continental Airlines Arena – and, for me, is a trip back to where my association with Seton Hall began.
From my seat on the floor, I’ll likely glance up at Section 212, where a much-younger me sat between my uncle and my grandfather. The memories are so vivid still, it’s incredible. I can recall games by their end result, reactions from my family during those critical Big East battles, even the fact that my grandpa snuck in a sandwich to munch on during halftime.
Commencement offers enough reason to be nostalgic and reflective of the last four years. For me, though, it’s got a bit extra behind it. My time at the Hall… it ends where it all began.
BMW
