Legendary Seton Hall player and NCAA tournament star coach Shaheen Holloway is returning to his alma mater to fill the position as director of the program, the university announced Wednesday. Holloway’s historic elite-eight run with Saint Peter’s marked the first time in tournament history that a No. 15 in the table had advanced that far. The Peacocks also became the first team in tournament history to win twice as a double-digit underdog.
According to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, Holloway’s contract is for six years. An introductory press conference is planned for Thursday.
Just 45, Holloway played for the Pirates in the late 1990s and was a three-time All-Big East cast member. Once a star recruit and McDonald’s All-American as a high school player, he chose Seton Hall over Kansas, Duke and Syracuse and became the face of the program, where he averaged 13.7 points and 5.9 assists over his four-year career scored per game.
“I am incredibly excited to welcome Shaheen Holloway and his family to Seton Hall,” sporting director Bryan Felt said in a statement. “Shaheen is a winner in every sense of the word, and not only is he an incredible coach, he’s also an incredible educator of young men. He works tirelessly to empower his student-athletes to be successful, and he makes them believe that with hard work and determination, they can achieve anything. His historic NCAA tournament run this month shows that.”
In just four years as a collegiate-level head coach, Holloway grew Saint Peter’s from a 10-22 team in their freshman year to a program that won three straight seasons. With an overall record of 64-53, he led the school to its first of three NCAA tournament wins and left a legacy as the head coach of one of college basketball’s greatest Cinderella stories in March Madness.
At Seton Hall, Holloway will take the reins from longtime coach Kevin Willard, who left his position earlier this month to take the same job in Maryland. Willard has been 225-161 with the Pirates since taking over the program in 2010, but he left after a 27-point loss to TCU in the first round of the NCAA tournament — the program’s third-worst loss in the History of the Program – Bad Grade Phase of the NCAA Tournament.
“Life comes full circle,” Holloway said. “This is certainly a moment to come full circle for my family and I. Seton Hall is dear to my heart; this is where I became a man, where I met the love of my life, where I spent countless hours honing my craft as a basketball player and basketball coach. To say I’m excited to start as the head men’s basketball coach at Seton Hall University would be an understatement. Thank you President Nyre and Bryan Felt for this opportunity. A dream becomes true . Pirates fans, I look forward to seeing you all in the community, on campus and at the Prudential Center.”