It's June and as I do every year I will post small tidbits from our spring and summer interviews.
First up is Jerry Carino who did a 3 part Q&A with our Trove writer Zack.
Here's a very small part for our free board readers.
You've covered Shaheen Holloway for a long time in various capacities. What has it been like to cover him in the last year and a half or so? What's surprised you and what is what you expected in covering him as the head coach of the Pirates?
"It's been different. Of course. I've always had a good relationship with Sha. I was really one of the only media members who would drop in occasionally at Saint Peter's to write about him once a year there, his progress. I showed up when he was first introduced. And then obviously I covered him extensively in March of 2022 when he won the MAAC and went on that incredible, all-time NCAA tournament run. And so, I know him well. I think highly of him as a person and as a coach. And I feel like I'm qualified to say that it's been a difficult adjustment to coaching at the high major level for Sha. I think he would tell you that.
There's a lot involved that wasn't the case at Saint Peter's. The scope is much bigger in terms of the public face of the job, media, dealing with fans and alumni and donors and boosters and also the type of player you have or want to get and the people around them. It's just much different. When Sha was at Saint Peter's, the guys that he had there were all last chance, grinder-type of guys. This was their chance to play Division I basketball and they had to work their butts off just to stay in that foothold. I think that kind of fits with his mentality, Sha really identified with that type of player."
"And so, this is much different now. You're dealing with higher-profile players who believe they're going to play in the NBA and their people think they're going to play in the NBA, and they want certain things that might not be compatible for a team's success. Not that Sha didn't have that experience at Seton Hall the first time, he did when he was Kevin Willard's right-hand man, but when you combine that with him now making final decisions on personnel matters, and then the new landscape that has sort of accelerated that 'I'm going to get mine' attitude among this high major-type player, that's been a lot for him, and I think it's kind of been a shock to the system, to be honest.”
First up is Jerry Carino who did a 3 part Q&A with our Trove writer Zack.
Here's a very small part for our free board readers.
You've covered Shaheen Holloway for a long time in various capacities. What has it been like to cover him in the last year and a half or so? What's surprised you and what is what you expected in covering him as the head coach of the Pirates?
"It's been different. Of course. I've always had a good relationship with Sha. I was really one of the only media members who would drop in occasionally at Saint Peter's to write about him once a year there, his progress. I showed up when he was first introduced. And then obviously I covered him extensively in March of 2022 when he won the MAAC and went on that incredible, all-time NCAA tournament run. And so, I know him well. I think highly of him as a person and as a coach. And I feel like I'm qualified to say that it's been a difficult adjustment to coaching at the high major level for Sha. I think he would tell you that.
There's a lot involved that wasn't the case at Saint Peter's. The scope is much bigger in terms of the public face of the job, media, dealing with fans and alumni and donors and boosters and also the type of player you have or want to get and the people around them. It's just much different. When Sha was at Saint Peter's, the guys that he had there were all last chance, grinder-type of guys. This was their chance to play Division I basketball and they had to work their butts off just to stay in that foothold. I think that kind of fits with his mentality, Sha really identified with that type of player."
"And so, this is much different now. You're dealing with higher-profile players who believe they're going to play in the NBA and their people think they're going to play in the NBA, and they want certain things that might not be compatible for a team's success. Not that Sha didn't have that experience at Seton Hall the first time, he did when he was Kevin Willard's right-hand man, but when you combine that with him now making final decisions on personnel matters, and then the new landscape that has sort of accelerated that 'I'm going to get mine' attitude among this high major-type player, that's been a lot for him, and I think it's kind of been a shock to the system, to be honest.”