HURLEY EXPECTS ‘STREET FIGHTS’ WITH SETON HALL
Dan Hurley’s UConn team played
Saint Peter’s once when Holloway coached the Jersey City school -- and that was enough.
The Huskies beat the Peacocks, 66-56, on Dec. 18, 2019, but Holloway’s club outscored Hurley’s team, 34-26, in the second half.
And that was two seasons before Holloway led the Peacocks on a Cinderella run to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament that included wins over
No. 2 Kentucky,
No. 3 Purdue and
No. 7 Murray State -- before they fell to
No. 8 North Carolina, the national runner-up.
“There’s a reason why we played Shaheen once at Saint Peter’s and never invited them back, you know,” Hurley, the Jersey City native and former Seton Hall guard, said this week while at a coaches clinic at White Plains (N.Y.) Archbishop Stepinac High School.
“Shaheen coaches it the way he played it, the way we all played it in North Jersey and New York. I think our games with them are going to be an absolute friggin’ street fight and they’re going to bring that to every game. I think his identity fits the school and the area really well.”
Holloway,
who was named the best coaching hire of 2022 by CBSSports.com, is one of four new coaches in the Big East this season along with Villanova’s Kyle Neptune, Xavier’s Sean Miller and Butler’s Thad Matta.
“I think it’s exciting, it’s always fun and exciting getting ready for some really accomplished coaches, especially with Sean and Thad coming into the league,” Hurley said. “It’s an honor to coach in such a historic league and a great basketball league.”
HOLLOWAY TARGETING TOP 2024 RECRUITS
During this live recruiting period, Holloway and his staff have been out visiting with some of the top Class of 2024 prospects in the area.
On Wednesday, Holloway was at Stepinac for Boogie Fland, the No. 12 player nationally according to 247Sports.com.
“He’s interested, they want me at their program,” Fland said.
Asked Holloway’s message to him, he said, “Just mostly keep working.”
There is a long line of coaches coming after Fland, a Bronx native who won a gold medal this summer with the USA U17 team in Spain.
North Carolina’s Hubert Davis, Oregon’s Dana Altman
, UConn’s Hurley and Villanova’s Neptune were all in last week for Fland, who has set an official visit to North Carolina for Sept. 30.
“It’s exciting seeing them on the sidelines, it just means I gotta play up to expectations,” Fland said. “It’s just excitement , I enjoy it.”
Seton Hall was also at Cardinal Hayes on Tuesday for Ian Jackson, the No. 1 shooting guard in the Class of 2024, and Elijah Moore, the No. 13 shooting guard.
The Pirates are also involved for Class of 2024 Hudson Catholic guard Tahaad Pettiford, who this weekend took an official to Auburn and is setting up visits to UCLA and Kentucky.
Pettiford won’t take an official to Seton Hall, but can always visit unofficially.
“Shaheen is great,” said Travis Pettiford, Tahaad’s father.
In the Class of 2023, Seton Hall will host 7-footer Youssouf Singare of Our Saviour Lutheran on Thursday and Friday. Singare recently visited UConn and will also visit Providence.
The Pirates will also host 6-10 Baye Fall and 6-10 Assane Diop of Lutheran High School (Parker, CO) on Sept. 28. Fall also has
Rutgers in his final seven and visited earlier this month. The duo visited Seton Hall unofficially in May.
Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.
