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The Pride of the Pirates
By JP Pelzman
Shaheen Holloway is coming home.
The head coach who gained national recognition by leading underdog Saint Peter’s on an improbable run through the NCAA Tournament is returning to the place where he has been a familiar name and face for more than two decades, dating back to when he led Seton Hall to the 2000 NCAA Tournament and a first-round win against Oregon.
Holloway, 45, has been named to replace Kevin Willard as head coach. Willard, who coached the team for 12 seasons, resigned last week to become Maryland’s head coach. Holloway was an assistant under Willard at both Seton Hall and Iona and Willard publicly endorsed him as his successor.
The deal between Holloway and Seton Hall was agreed to, in principle, on March 16, a source said. That was two days after Willard agreed on the framework of a deal to coach Maryland and one day before Holloway and the Peacocks turned the NCAAs upside down by knocking off second-seeded Kentucky in overtime.
His hiring is hardly a surprise, as high-major openings kept being filled while the Peacocks were still in the midst of their run. This clearly is the job he wanted, and he is the coach Seton Hall wanted once Willard left.
As for Saint Peter's, assistant coach Ryan Whalen is believed to be the frontrunner to replace Holloway. Seton Hall associate head coach Grant Billmeier and Rutgers associate head coach Brandin Knight also are under consideration, a source said.
Holloway has always had the support of Seton Hall athletic director Bryan Felt, who hired him four years ago when Felt was the athletic director at Saint Peter’s and Holloway was Willard’s lead assistant. But Holloway made his own case emphatically by guiding Saint Peter’s to a historic run in the NCAAs, with the Peacocks becoming the first 15th seed to reach the Elite Eight. That journey ended with a loss to North Carolina in the East Regional final in Philadelphia on Sunday.
Holloway compiled a 64-57 record in four seasons with Saint Peter’s. He won his first MAAC tournament title with the Peacocks by knocking off Monmouth in the final. Coincidentally, the Hawks were led by ex-Pirate Shavar Reynolds, whom Holloway had worked with when Reynolds was a freshman walk-on in Holloway’s last season with Willard before leaving for Jersey City.
Holloway will take over a team in transition in more ways than in terms of its leader. The 2021-22 Pirates were a veteran team featuring players who now are out of eligibility, such as ace defender Myles Cale and guard Bryce Aiken, who missed the last two months of the season after suffering a concussion.
It remains to be seen whether Holloway can convince players such as Jared Rhoden and Jamir Harris to come back for their extra year of COVID-granted eligibility.
No matter what, Holloway’s fiery demeanor on the sidelines will be a departure from Willard’s calmer veneer.
In that 2000 NCAA Tournament, Holloway was limited to eight minutes in a second-round upset of Temple due to a severe ankle sprain, and sat out a Sweet 16 loss to Oklahoma State. But now he's come back full circle to his roots. And the former Pride of the Pirates will be resurrecting that title once again in South Orange.
