After Shaheen Holloway led Saint Peter’s to the Elite Eight in their magical tournament run, everyone knew it was only a matter of time before he was poached by a bigger program.
And what better program to be poached by than the one he grew up in.
Today Seton Hall announced they were bringing Holloway back home to the South Orange, NJ campus where he was a four-year star for the Pirates.
“I am incredibly excited to welcome Shaheen Holloway and his family home to Seton Hall,” said director of athletics Bryan Felt in a statement. “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!”
Holloway brought his New York toughness and New Jersey basketball roots to Saint Peter’s and built a program that shook up the tournament this year.
During their run, the Peacocks beat Kentucky, Murray St. and Purdue before finally losing to Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels.
But that did nothing to detract from what he accomplished with the 2022 MAAC Tournament champions.
“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 returns to the Pirates where he starred from 1996-00, helping to lead Seton Hall to the Sweet Sixteen in the 2000 NCAA Tournament.
He was named the Big East’s Most Improved Player in 2000 and earned All-Big East three Times.
The Queens, NY native played his high school ball at St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth, NJ before making the short trip to South Orange to play college ball.
“What a meaningful moment for Seton Hall to have Shaheen Holloway become its next coach and leader,” said Harvard head coach Tommy Amaker. “He has become one of the best young leaders in our sport. There is no better person to usher in a new era for Seton Hall University—not just Seton Hall basketball. Congratulations to all.”
The official press conference takes place tomorrow afternoon, but the hype is already bubbling for Holloway’s return.
