Shaheen Holloway and Saint Peter’s are inextricably linked in college basketball history. Now the coach of Seton Hall, Holloway will face his former program Saturday when the Pirates host the Peacocks at Newark, N.J.
Holloway moved to Seton Hall, his alma mater, at the end of March after guiding Saint Peter’s to a MAAC championship and an unprecedented run as a No. 15 seed to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight.
On Monday, Holloway and KC Ndefo — who transferred from Saint Peter’s to Seton Hall — returned to the Peacocks’ gym in Jersey City as they raised their banner to honor the 2021-22 team.
But Holloway does not want to make Saturday’s game about him.
“It’s like every other game. It’s no different for me,” Holloway said. “I’m locked in right now. I’m just worried about our guys getting better every time we step on the court.”
The Pirates (1-0) beat Monmouth 79-52 on Wednesday to win Holloway’s debut. Ten Seton Hall players scored, led by Tray Jackson’s 12 off the bench.
Seton Hall missed 16 free throws Wednesday and was badly outrebounded in the first half (26-19), two areas Holloway pointed to after the game.
“It was a good win but I thought we could’ve done a lot better,” Holloway said. “But it’s going to be games like this to get us to where I think we could get eventually.”
After Monday’s banner raising, Saint Peter’s (1-0) beat NJIT 73-59. Freshman guard Corey Washington was in the starting lineup and posted team highs with 18 points and eight rebounds in his collegiate debut. He shot 5-for-5 from the floor and 8-for-10 from the foul line.
New coach Bashir Mason, a Jersey City native who moved to Saint Peter’s after a successful stint coaching Wagner, is tasked with keeping the Peacocks’ program strong after most of last year’s key pieces moved on.
“We’re not trying to forget about what happened, we’re trying to build on it, without living in that moment,” Mason told the Asbury Park Press. “That happened, tomorrow came and now we have to keep moving forward.”
–Field Level Media