Holloway returns to South Orange after leading Saint Peter’s on a miraculous run to the Elite Eight at this year’s NCAA Tournament.
South Orange, N.J. — A favorite son of Seton Hall University is returning home.
Shaheen Holloway, a former associate head coach and standout student-athlete at Seton Hall, has been named the new head men’s basketball coach at his alma mater, Director of Athletics Bryan Felt announced Wednesday. Holloway will be introduced to the media and the entire University community at a press conference inside historic Walsh Gymnasium on Thursday, March 31 at 1:30 p.m.
Holloway returns to South Orange after leading Saint Peter’s on a miraculous run to the Elite Eight at this year’s NCAA Tournament. The 2020 MAAC Coach of the Year, Holloway led the Peacocks to the 2022 MAAC Tournament title and three straight campaigns with 10-plus victories in conference play.
Holloway’s teams in Jersey City played with a toughness and intensity that mirrored the way he played the game at The Hall, where he holds the program record with 681 career assists and was inducted into the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012. He becomes the first Seton Hall graduate to lead the men’s basketball program since all-time great Richie Regan ’53 led the Pirates from 1960-70.
“I am incredibly excited to welcome Shaheen Holloway and his family home to Seton Hall,” Felt said. “Shaheen is a winner in every sense of the word, and he is not only an incredible coach, but also an incredible educator of young men. He works tirelessly to put his student-athletes in a position to succeed, and he makes them believe that they can achieve anything with hard work and determination. That is evidenced by his historic NCAA Tournament run this month.
“Shaheen made an unforgettable impact here at Seton Hall first as a student-athlete and then again as an assistant coach, and now we’re ready to watch him take over our men’s basketball program as head coach and lead our Pirates to further greatness. Welcome home, Coach Holloway!”
“Today is a day of joy and celebration at Seton Hall University as we welcome Shaheen Holloway and his family back home,” said Dr. Joseph E. Nyre, President of Seton Hall University. “Coach Holloway is a dynamic leader and a proud alumnus of our great University with great affinity for our community. He is the perfect choice to lead Seton Hall men’s basketball and maintain the program’s position as a national power.”
“Shaheen Holloway is one of Seton Hall’s all-time greats, having accomplished so much as both a student-athlete and a coach,” said Kevin Marino, Chair of Seton Hall University’s Board of Regents. “The love that he has for this University combined with his considerable talent as both coach and recruiter makes him the quintessential person to lead our men’s basketball program.”
“Life has a way of coming full circle,” Holloway said. “This is certainly a full circle moment for my family and I. Seton Hall is near and dear to my heart; it’s where I became a man, where I met the love of my life, where I spent countless hours honing my crafts as a basketball player and a basketball coach. To say that I’m excited to get started as the head men’s basketball coach at Seton Hall University would be an understatement. Thank you to President Nyre and Bryan Felt for this opportunity. It is a dream come true. Pirates fans, I look forward to seeing you all in the community, on campus and at the Prudential Center.”
Holloway led the Peacocks to a run of three consecutive top-three finishes in the MAAC, a first for the program since the school’s first three seasons in the conference in the early 1980s. Under Holloway’s tutelage, Saint Peter’s produced five All-MAAC selections, the NCAA Division I leader in blocked shots, the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, and 10 student-athletes that were named to the MAAC All-Academic Team.
Saint Peter’s steady climb under Holloway culminated in a March run that made shock waves across the nation. It started with the Peacocks earning the No. 2 seed in the MAAC Tournament and defeating Monmouth in the championship game to clinch the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Peacocks then did what many outside of Holloway’s squad thought was unthinkable, defeating second-seeded Kentucky in an overtime game in the first round before knocking off seventh-seeded Murray State in the second round and then toppling third-seeded Purdue in the Sweet Sixteen. Saint Peter’s became the first 15-seed ever to reach the Elite Eight. For his efforts, Holloway was named a finalist for the Hugh Durham Coach of the Year, Ben Jobe Coach of the Year and Skip Prosser Man of the Year awards.
Prior to his tenure at Saint Peter’s, Holloway helped build a foundation at his alma mater that turned it into a program that competes for NCAA Tournament bids and BIG EAST championships on a yearly basis. In eight seasons as associate head coach under Kevin Willard from 2010-18, the Pirates experienced a multitude of success both on and off the court. The Pirates had three Associated Press All-America honorable mention selections, 12 All-BIG EAST selections, three BIG EAST All-Rookies and 36 BIG EAST All-Academic team selections. From 2016-18, Seton Hall became one of the premier programs in the BIG EAST as it recorded three straight 20-win seasons, three consecutive NCAA Tournament selections, and three straight BIG EAST seasons of 10 wins or more. That three-year stretch was highlighted by the 2016 BIG EAST Tournament championship, a run that was capped off with a 69-67 victory over eventual national champion Villanova in the title game at Madison Square Garden.
The core of that 2016 BIG EAST championship team was brought together by Holloway. With Holloway serving as a lead recruiter, Seton Hall boasted a top-15 national recruiting class in 2014, led by Isaiah Whitehead, the program’s first McDonald’s All-American since 2001 who went on to become a 2016 NBA Draft pick; Angel Delgado, the 2018 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award National Center of the Year and BIG EAST all-time rebounds leader; and Khadeen Carrington, who finished his Seton Hall career as the ninth all-time leading scorer in program history. Holloway was also the lead recruiter for Jared Rhoden, who was named All-BIG EAST First Team this past season and helped lead the Pirates back to the NCAA Tournament after a one-year absence.
Prior to joining Seton Hall, Holloway served on Willard’s staff at Iona, where he helped turn the Gaels program around. Inheriting a team that went 2-28 in 2006-07, Holloway and Willard recruited and coached student-athletes to one of the greatest turnarounds in college basketball history as their 2009-10 team won 21 games to complete a 19-win turnaround in only the third year of the administration.
During his original stint on the Seton Hall coaching staff, Holloway was an administrative assistant from 2006-07. Holloway was responsible for coordinating film exchange, analyzing game tapes and assisting with scouting of opponents. He supervised fall conditioning as well as the year-round weight training program. Holloway was also responsible for academic progress reports for team members as well as the organization of all aspects of team travel for the Pirates. Holloway made his way back to his alma mater after serving as an assistant coach at the high school level at Bloomfield Tech.
He was a four-year standout at Seton Hall from 1996-00 and helped lead his team to the 2000 NCAA Sweet Sixteen, which included hitting the game-winning layup in overtime to defeat Oregon in the NCAA first round. Holloway ranks 18th all-time in program history with 1,588 points and also recorded 231 steals (fourth all-time) and hit 185 three-pointers (eighth all-time) in 116 games. In 2000, he was named the BIG EAST’s Most Improved Player, while earning All-BIG EAST status three times and All-Metropolitan accolades in each of his four seasons at Seton Hall. A native of Queens, Holloway was a McDonald’s All-American who played at St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth, N.J.
After his collegiate success Holloway played professionally in England for the Chester Jets and London Towers as well as a season in Ulm, Germany and Istanbul, Turkey. Back in the U.S. he had stints with the Brooklyn Kings of the USBL and Newark, Las Vegas and Chicago in the ABA. He was invited to three preseason NBA camps with the Knicks, Nets and Golden State Warriors.
Holloway is married to his wife Kim, a 2001 Seton Hall graduate, and he is a proud father of three; daughter Shatanik, a 2018 Seton Hall graduate, and sons, Xavier and Tyson.
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