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Seton Hall basketball adds European wing to complete 2026-27 roster
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- Seton Hall basketball adds European wing to complete 2026-27 roster
Three days after the start of the fall semester, after nearly wholesale turnover, Seton Hall basketball's 2026-27 roster has been finalized with the addition of European wing Theo Airhienbuwa.
Here is more about the 6-foot-7, 20-year-old from Italy, who is the second international to join the team after the start of the fall semester (Israeli forward Ilay Dolinski came aboard earlier this week), and the roster's composition.
Seton Hall Pirates head coach Shaheen Holloway reacts during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Prudential Center.
1. Airhienbuwa has international experience
The Verona native, who has been listed as weighing 200 pounds, appeared in 10 games during the 2025-26 EuroCup for Trento, a team in Serie A (Italy's top-level domestic league), where he averaged 1.6 points and 1.0 rebounds in 6.5 minutes per game while shooting 5-of-13 from the field (38 percent), 1-of-4 from 3-point range and 5-of-8 from the free-throw line.
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He also appeared in 11 Serie A contests for Trento in 2025-26, averaging 2.5 points and 0.5 rebounds in 4.2 minutes while shooting 8-of-16 from the field (50 percent), 3-of-5 from 3-point range and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line.
In 111 total minutes for Trento this past season, between the EuroCup and Serie A, Airhienbuwa committed just three turnovers.
For context, among his teammates with Trento (and getting major minutes) were former Michigan guard Devonte Jones, former Davidson standout forward Peyton Aldridge and former Butler/Arkansas/Gonzaga guard Khalif Battle.
Airhienbuwa has been a member of Italy's under-18 and under-20 national teams and won a gold medal at the 2025 European U-20 Championship. He was one of the top players on that squad.
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2. The roster appears set at 14 players
Two of the Pirates' springtime commitments never made it to campus: 6-foot-8 Rutgers transfer Chris Nwuli and 6-foot-9 Brazilian and G League forward Nathan Mariano .
Nwuli's mother, who lives in the Las Vegas area, has been battling cancer so he'll likely stay in that area for the time being. The 23-year-old Mariano, who saw time with Brazil's senior national team and averaged 2.4 points and 2.5 rebounds in the G League, did not pass eligibility muster with the NCAA.
The roster maximum is 15, but there is no need to max that out. Shaheen Holloway loves a deep bench for both practice and game purposes, but not even he uses a 15-man rotation. He usually plays 12 to start a season and settles into something closer to 10 as roles become more defined.
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3. An interesting mix
Some notes on the Pirates' roster composition...
Four players with international roots: Airhienbuwa (Italy), Dolinski (Israel), guard Mihailo Petrovic (Serbia) and center Abdulai Fanta Kabba (Sierra Leone). The latter two have some prior Division I experience.
Three players with Big East experience, all guards: returnee Trey Parker, Simeon Wilcher (St. John's) and Roddie Anderson (Xavier).
Seven players with high-major experience: guard Del Jones (Clemson) wing Rodney Brown (Cal/Virginia Tech), forward Devin Williams (UCLA), Petrovic (Illinois), plus the three Big East vets mentioned above.
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Two New Jerseyans: Wilcher (Plainfield/Roselle Catholic) and center Terry Copeland (Orange/Bergen Catholic).
Just one traditional freshman: guard Darien "Payday" Moore. That's similar to last year, when center Najai Hines was the lone freshman.
Probable starting lineup:Jones at the point, Wilcher at two-guard, Williams at power forward, Copeland at center. The wing or third guard spot seems up for grabs.
Seton Hall's projected 2026-27 depth chart
Guards (7): Del Jones, Simeon Wilcher, Trey Parker, Kareem Thomas, Roddie Anderson, Mihailo Petrovic, Darien 'Payday' Moore.
Wings (3): Rodney Brown, Theo Airhienbuwa, Mayar Wol.
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Bigs (4): Devin Williams, Terry Copeland, Ilay Dolinski, Abdulai Fanta Kabba.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com .
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Seton Hall basketball adds European wing to complete 2026-27 roster
