Saint Peters is hiring Wagners Bashir Mason as its

Saint Peter’s is hiring Wagner’s Bashir Mason as its next men’s basketball coach, sources tell ESPN

Sports News / By /

1:34 p.m. ET

  • Peter Thamel

  • Jeff Borzello

    ConcludeSaint Peters is hiring Wagners Bashir Mason as itsESPN Author

    • Basketball Recruiting Insider.
    • With ESPN since 2014.
    • Graduated from the University of Delaware.

After a historic run to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight, Saint Peter’s University is hiring a coach who shows their commitment to returning to the postseason.

The school is hiring Wagner’s Bashir Mason as its next head coach, sources told ESPN. A deal is expected to be finalized on Monday and the move to bring in an experienced and established coach demonstrates the school’s commitment to keeping the program competitive at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Mason replaces Shaheen Holloway, who returned to his alma mater, Seton Hall, after leading Saint Peter’s on a run to become the first No. 15 in NCAA tournament history to reach the Elite Eight.

2 relatives

With the hiring of Mason, Saint Peter’s shows some of the ambition that can come with such a run. Mason is an established coach in the Northeast Corridor having guided Wagner to three NEC regular-season championships since 2015. He’s also from Jersey City, where Saint Peter’s is located, so this is a homecoming.

Mason is 165-130 in 10 seasons as Wagner’s head coach and has won more than 62% of his conference games. Wagner’s accomplishments in his time include three Northeast Conference Coach of the Year Awards, an upset against No. 18 UConn in 2016, and a NIT win over St. Bonaventure in the same season.

Mason, 38, was the country’s youngest head coach when he was hired in 2012. He replaced Dan Hurley after Hurley left for Rhode Island. Mason also played for Hurley in high school at St. Benedict’s in Newark, New Jersey.

Mason brings a history of consistent and competitive program construction. In six of his 10 seasons with Wagner, the school finished first or second in the NEC.

He takes on a situation that is in flux at Saint Peter’s as five of the school’s top six players have entered the NCAA transfer portal. Saint Peter’s has long been the least-funded school in the MAAC, which athletic director Rachelle Paul said she hoped to change after the unprecedented run.

The hiring of a sitting head coach is expected to bring both an increase in resources and staffing support for Mason.

A press conference to announce his hiring is expected on Wednesday.