Shaheen Holloway knows new challenge awaits him with Seton Hall leap
Last March was a fairytale, and this season will be a dream realized.
nypost.com
By Zach Braziller
Last March was a fairytale, and this season will be a dream realized.
After Shaheen Holloway made history by guiding No. 15-seed Saint Peter’s to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, he landed the head-coaching position at his alma mater, Seton Hall, the job he always wanted.
“This is too important to me,” the 46-year-old Queens native told The Post after his introductory press conference. “This is home. This is something I dreamed about. I can’t afford to mess it up. I won’t mess it up. I’m going to work, work and work.”
Now comes the hard part: Building off Kevin Willard’s success — the former coach led the Pirates to five of the last six NCAA Tournaments before leaving for Maryland following last season — and taking it to the next level.
There may be absurd expectations because of what Holloway achieved for the tiny MAAC school, particularly when taking into account the Pirates lost top scorers Jared Rhoden, Myles Cale and Bryce Aiken from their 2022 NCAA Tournament team, along with defensive anchor Ike Obiagu. The offseason was littered with injuries, and forward Alexis Yenta, one of the key returnees, is out indefinitely with a knee injury.
Holloway, a star point guard for Seton Hall, and his staff were busy on the transfer market. They landed four potential difference-makers: guards Al-Amir Dawes (Clemson) and Femi Odukale (Pittsburgh), wing Dre Davis (Louisville) and forward KC Ndefo, Holloway’s star at Saint Peter’s. They will join an unproven core that includes returnees Jamir Harris, Kadary Richmond, Tyrese Samuel and Tray Jackson. Seton Hall was picked to finish seventh in the Big East, but expectations don’t bother Holloway. Nobody expected much out of Saint Peter’s, either.
“When you get the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament and make the run that we made into the Elite Eight, to me, I’m hungry now,” Holloway said at Big East media day. “Now I want the Final Four, I want the national championship. That’s the goal. The goal is to keep building.
“I’m in the best conference with the best coaches in the country, so I gotta step my game up.”
Why Seton Hall will make the NCAA Tournament
The Pirates develop into an elite defensive team, Holloway maximizes the potential in Richmond and Samuel, and they find a way to pick up a few big wins during their daunting non-conference schedule. High-upside wing Tae Davis is one of the best freshmen in the Big East, and Holloway does more with less, as was the case at Saint Peter’s.Why Seton Hall will miss the NCAA Tournament
Too much is new, from the coach to the roster, which includes just five returning players. The Pirates are offensively challenged, after losing its top three scorers from last year, and begin the season slowly due to myriad offseason injuries, which carried over into the preseason and limited practice time.3 Key Questions
Is there enough offense?Last year’s edition wasn’t exactly an explosive group at the offensive end, and the top weapons moved on. There is no obvious No. 1 scorer. Ndefo, the top newcomer, is best known for his defense. Fellow transfers Davis, Dawes and Odukale have never been go-to scorers. They profile better as complimentary options. Richmond and Samuel have yet to average in double-figures.
How will Holloway adjust to the Big East?
Yes, he has coached in the Big East before as an assistant — nine years at Seton Hall under Willard — and Holloway proved himself in March, but this is still different. There will be a learning curve, adjustments that need to be made. Coaching at the high-major level is new to Holloway, and he won’t sneak up on anyone.
Is Tyrese Samuel ready to emerge?
The 6-foot-10 Canadian really has no choice but to step to the forefront at this point. Yetna’s knee injury will keep him out at the start of the season, creating an even bigger need for Samuel to realize the potential he arrived with as a top-100 recruit a few years ago. The ability has always been there — Samuel can score in the post and shoot from the perimeter — but Seton Hall has to get consistent production out of the senior now.
X-Factor: Kadary Richmond
He’s Seton Hall’s most talented player, a 6-6 point guard who has battled consistency issues throughout his college career. But when Richmond is right, he’s a dynamic talent capable of taking over a game. Bringing it on a game-by-game basis, however, is the challenge for the Brooklyn native.
Games to Watch
At Kansas (Dec. 1)A trip to Allen Fieldhouse to face the defending national champions is an early opportunity for Seton Hall to make a statement in the annual Big East-Big 12 Battle. Kansas lost a lot off its 2021-22 team, but was ranked fifth in the preseason, returns star wing Jalen Wilson and added difference-making transfer guard Kevin McCullar Jr. from Texas Tech.
Vs. St. John’s (Dec. 31)
Considering this rivalry is sandwiched between road games against Xavier, Marquette and Creighton, it will be even more important for the Pirates to take care of home court on New Year’s Eve. Seton Hall has won the last seven games against the Johnnies in Newark.
Vs. Villanova (Feb. 28)
This has become one of the best rivalries in the Big East, and the games at the Prudential Center are frequently tense nail-biters. The matchup is almost always the highlight of the Pirates’ home slate, drawing large crowds that fill the building. But the tenor of those meetings will be very different now that the coaches have changed, Holloway for Seton Hall and Kyle Neptune for Villanova.
Anonymous Coach’s Take
“The biggest thing is consistency. Kadary had games like against UConn last year where he was the best player on the court and there were others games they were probably better off without him. Tray Jackson had games he would go for 20 and he would have games where he would go for two points. Getting those guys to be consistent as juniors will be huge. Al-Amir Dawes was a starter on an NCAA Tournament team at Clemson, Femi will be a solid piece for them and KC has postseason experience. [Holloway] brought in transfers, but he brought in older transfers, which I think will help them out. They’ll be able to understand what he’s looking for better.”Prediction
18-15, seventh place in Big East, NIT
Between the offseason injuries and the uncertainty over so much of the roster, this team has too many unanswered questions. A challenging non-conference schedule will add to the degree of difficulty for Holloway in his first season. A late-season run won’t be enough to reach the NCAA Tournament.
