Isaiah Whitehead is gone, but his departure for the NBA has not tempered expectations in South Orange.
With practices kicked off and the season less than a month away, it’s not about the team that Whitehead left.
It’s about the team that has four returning starters and several key new arrivals. No one will fill Whitehead’s role, but the Pirates can improve upon a 2015-16 season that included a NCAA Tournament appearance and a Big East Championship.
“I’ve always been focused, even when [Isaiah] was here. I guess I got to get more focused now,” Khadeen Carrington said at Big East Media day on Tuesday.