Former St. Peter’s head coach Shaheen Holloway has been named the next head coach for the Seton Hall Pirates. Holloway, who led the first 15 seed to an Elite Eight in tournament history, was a standout point guard for Seton Hall from 1996-2000.
Shaheen Holloway Named Seton Hall Head Coach
Cinderella Man
Holloway won over the hearts of many basketball fans during St. Peter’s improbable Elite Eight run. This fierce Peacocks team was the embodiment of their leader. With every interview and on-court interaction, we could all see exactly where St. Peter’s players got their confidence and work ethic from. The Peacocks became one of the biggest stories in the tournament and many believed that coach Holloway would be a prime candidate for coaching openings at major programs.
Holloway leaves St. Peter’s with a career record of 64-54. He took a team that went 10-22 in his first year as coach and helped guide them to three straight winning seasons, culminating in a MAAC Tournament Championship and tournament berth this season. The Peacocks first took the national stage with a stunning upset of two-seed Kentucky. They continued to climb the tournament ladder, collecting new fans along the way.
Home Sweet Home
It is no surprise that Holloway returns to Seton Hall, where he was a four-year starter at point guard. Not only did Holloway run the offense in every game that he played but he did so in an exceptional manner. The High School All-American was a three-time member of the All-Big East team, a member of the Big East All-Freshman team, and the conference’s Most Improved Player in the 1999-00 season.
Holloway’s biggest accomplishment on the court in the eyes of Pirates fans would arguably be the team’s Sweet Sixteen run in the 2000 NCAA tournament. Holloway teamed with freshman and future NBA center Samuel Dalembert to lead the Pirates to wins over the Oregon Ducks and Temple Owls. Holloway played professionally for seven years in the United States and overseas.
Shaheen Holloway Head Man at Seton Hall
Holloway becomes the 20th head coach in Seton Hall’s history, following Kevin Willard who had coached the team since 2010. With Willard leaving for Maryland, Holloway takes over a good situation in New Jersey. Seton Hall enjoyed a 21-11 record last season, winning 11 of their 19 conference games. The Pirates were ranked as highly as 15th in the AP poll last season. However, the season ended in a disappointing first-round tournament loss. Pirate fans will hope that Holloway can dial up his old (or new) magic to lead them on another deep tournament run in the near future.
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