Saint Peter’s University Director of Athletics Bryan Felt announced the hiring of Shaheen Holloway as the 15th head coach of the men’s basketball program on Wednesday.
Holloway will be formally introduced to the Saint Peter’s University community and media at a press conference on Thursday, April 12 at 12 p.m. in the Victor R. Yanitelli, S.J. Recreational Life Center gym. The press conference will also be streamed live on the Saint Peter’s Athletics YouTube channel.
“With his outstanding experience as a Division I coach and student-athlete, Shaheen Holloway is the perfect fit to take our men’s basketball program to the next level,” said Saint Peter’s University president Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D. “This choice further solidifies our deepened commitment to the future of the Saint Peter’s athletic program as a whole.”
“It has been a dream to become a head coach, and I am honored and humbled by the opportunity that President Cornacchia and Bryan Felt have afforded me to become the head coach at Saint Peter’s University,” said Holloway. “This is a special place with terrific people, and I couldn’t be more excited to start working with our student-athletes to help them reach their goals on and off the court. In working with our administration, coaching staff, the student-athletes and the Saint Peter’s community, together we will help elevate Peacocks men’s basketball here in New Jersey and in the MAAC.”
Holloway brings superlative credentials to Jersey City after spending the past eight seasons as the associate head coach at his alma mater, Seton Hall, under Kevin Willard. With Holloway on the sideline serving as Willard’s top assistant, Seton Hall became one of the BIG EAST’s premier programs, winning the 2015-16 BIG EAST Tournament title for the first time since 1993. In the last three seasons from 2016 to 2018, Seton Hall recorded three straight 20-win seasons, the first time the program had done that since 1991-93, and three straight BIG EAST seasons of 10 wins or more for the first time in program history. Holloway helped Seton Hall advance to the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons and in 2018, the Pirates won the program’s first NCAA Tournament game since 2004 with him on the bench. The Pirates also climbed back into the national rankings on multiple occasions. The Pirates enjoyed being ranked by the Associated Press 15 times with Holloway aboard since 2010, and this included a No. 13 ranking on Jan. 8, 2018, the highest the program had reached since 2001.
“We are excited to announce Shaheen Holloway as our head men’s basketball coach at Saint Peter’s University,” said Felt. “Coach Holloway’s reputation as a recruiter and his ability to develop and mentor high quality student-athletes was a resounding factor in our decision. He is a tremendous fit for our program with his metropolitan area connections and track record of success as a player and coach. Shaheen brings a tremendous energy to our University and Jersey City community. I look forward to our student-athletes, fans, alumni and supporters getting to know Coach Holloway and his family and watching this program flourish under his direction.”
With Holloway serving as the lead recruiter, the Pirates experienced an abundant amount of success during his tenure, producing 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. His recruiting ability helped Seton Hall produce a top-15 national recruiting class in 2014 which included 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.
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 for head coach Bobby Gonzalez 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 started his coaching career serving as an assistant coach at the high school level at Bloomfield Tech.
Holloway was a four-year standout at Seton Hall from 1996-00 and helped lead his team to the 2000 NCAA Sweet Sixteen, where he hit the game-winning layup in overtime to defeat Oregon in the NCAA first round. A 2012 inductee of the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame, Holloway’s preeminent playing career landed him in the Seton Hall record books as the all-time assist leader with 681, 17th in scoring with 1,588 points, fourth in steals with 231 steals, and eighth with 185 three-pointers 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.
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.
The Queens, NY native was a McDonald’s All-American who played at St. Patrick’s High School in Elizabeth, NJ.
Holloway has two children, a son, Xavier and a daughter, Shatanik. He is married to Kim Holloway.
http://saintpeterspeacocks.com/sports/mbkb/2017-18/releases/.Ws4YqD6DfKs.twitter
