Person close to university: Bobby Gonzalez fired as Seton Hall’s men’s basketball coach

AP source: Seton Hall fires hoops coach Gonzalez

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. — Seton Hall basketball coach Bobby Gonzalez has been fired, a source has told The Associated Press.

The source close to the university who spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity because an official announcement has not been made confirmed the dismissal for cause. The school called a news conference for later Wednesday to discuss its basketball program.

Gonzalez was fired a day after the Pirates (19-13) were beaten by Texas Tech in the opening round of the NIT.

Gonzalez met with Monsignor Robert Sheeran early Wednesday and was informed of the decision, the person said.

The firing comes two days after women’s basketball coach Phyllis Mangina resigned after 25 years.

Gonzalez posted a 66-59 record in four years at the Big East Conference school, including a 29-45 mark in the league. The 19 wins this season gave him his best mark, and that’s not what got Gonzalez fired.

The fiery coach, who got a contract extension through 2015 before the season started, was on a short leash because of his actions on the court and some problems off and on the court by players.

Forward Herb Pope was ejected early in the game Tuesday night for punching Darko Cohadarevic below the waist. Pope maintained that the Texas Tech player elbowed him in the head before he retaliated.

Gonzalez later picked up his seventh technical foul of the season, a problem that athletic director Joseph Quinlan had warned him about after last season.

Gonzalez also kicked Robert Mitchell off the team on Sunday for comments the forward made after the Pirates were eliminated in the Big East tournament.

Mitchell was quoted by the Record of Hackensack as saying: “It’s hard to stay consistent as a player, when the coach isn’t consistent.”

Fans at the Prudential Center on Tuesday night started chanting “Robert Mitchell,” as the game started.

The chant later turned to “Fire Bobby,” and later became the chant across the court, with students on each side chanting “Fire” and the other side chanting “Bobby” rhythmically, much like they usually do for “Seton” and “Hall.”

One fan was heard, “Why don’t you do the right thing like Mangina and leave?”

Another said, “The future WAS now, Gonzo.”

When asked after the game if he heard the chants and taunts, Gonzalez just said, “No,” three times to questions about the fans.

A week before this season started, transfer guard Keon Lawrence was involved in a traffic accident on the Garden State Parkway in which he was driving in the wrong direction, seriously injuring the driver of the other vehicle.

Lawrence was charged with assault by auto and driving with a suspended license. He was suspended for the first eight games of the season.

Gonzalez had a tough time recruiting within New Jersey, with only Paterson Catholic (current guard Jordan Theodore and incoming freshman Fuquan Edwin) sending recruits to Gonzalez.

“I had an unusual relationship with Coach Gonzalez,” legendary St. Anthony head coach Bob Hurley said Wednesday. “There never really was a comfort zone. I thought his focus was always on the New York City players and that didn’t include us. I had a comfort zone with Seton Hall, sending many players there in the past, but not recently. Whoever gets the job will personality-wise be different than Coach Gonzalez. I would consider sending our players there.”