JERSEY CITY, NJ - On the surface, the scene at the Yanitelli Center on Monday seemed very normal in a lot of ways.
One by one, the players on the men's basketball team strolled out onto the court to warm up for practice, the managers set up the day's music playlist, and the coaching staff huddled together to discuss practice plans for the day.
It was a normal October practice day for the Peacocks. Except for one thing that none of the players have ever been used to before: the cameras. To the side of the court were media members eager to hear from the players and head coach, and their prospects for the upcoming season.
The 2018 Saint Peter's Men's Basketball Media Day was more than just a first time occurrence; it was the start of a new era for the Peacocks. This new era is not only personified by a new coach and a new style of play, but by a new outlook and vision for the program. The time has come for people to truly take notice of the Peacocks, not simply just with their results on the court, but with their personalities off it.
The glare of a camera is something new head coach
Shaheen Holloway is quite familiar with, dating back to his time as a star point guard for the St. Patrick Celtics, and of course, the Seton Hall Pirates. Before arriving in Jersey City, Holloway served as an assistant for the Pirates, helping lead his alma mater to three straight NCAA tournament appearances and their famous 2016 Big East Tournament championship. Even his relatively young age of 42 still does not speak to the youthful exuberance he displays while coaching his team.
"He gets on the court and sometimes he wants to be a player and do all the drills and stuff" said redshirt freshman Manny Dixon of his new mentor. "I see it every day. He's ready to work every day."
It was a slightly more subdued Holloway that stepped up in front of the cameras, but one who still let his emotions show. On his rise through the ranks, he put things into perspective.
"It's been a heck of a journey. Starting off as a player, coming to Jersey as a ninth grader to now being the head coach at Saint Peter's; it's been an unbelievable whirlwind these past five or six months. The players have been great, they've welcomed me with open arms. It's been a great journey for me."
It is not only the youth and energy from Holloway that represents the new era of Peacocks basketball, but also his vision of how his team should play the game. Upon being reminded of his team having finished last in the MAAC in every major offensive category last year, Holloway smiled and said, "Really?" This, of course, was more of a product of the slow paced, defense-oriented style the Peacocks have been accustomed to playing the past several years, as shown by the Peacocks' number one ranking in defense in the MAAC last year. This provides a difficult conundrum for Holloway, who, naturally as a point guard, wants his team to run.
"I've kind of gone back and forth with it," Holloway said on his team's tempo. "We're definitely going to play faster than last year. We're going to press."
The change of pace has been the biggest change for the players as well. When asked what the biggest difference has been with Holloway at the helm, redshirt junior guard Cameron Jones said, "Really just emphasizing playing up tempo. Coach Dunne was very defensive oriented. Coach Sha still emphasizes defense, but he wants us to be more up and down this year."
This puts a lot of the onus on the team's point guards. As a point guard himself, Coach Holloway would have it no other way.
"I put a lot of pressure on my point guards even when I was at Seton Hall, because to me that's the most important position on the court," said Holloway.
Senior guard Davauhnte Turner put it in a different perspective, "He's probably going to text me tonight to tell me something I did wrong in practice."
While Holloway, of course, wants to put his own unique stamp on the program, he remains appreciative of what he inherited from predecessor John Dunne. "I'm happy with these guys. These guys have been working hard. The one thing I can give Coach Dunne a lot of credit with, he's a great coach, but he's got great kids. His kids have been working hard for me."
One subtle change under Holloway is not something that can be seen, but rather heard. Onlookers may be surprised to hear music playing during warm ups and some early drills during practice for the Peacocks - a stark contrast from the quiet gyms of the Dunne era. For Holloway, this was a no brainer.
"I'm big with that. I think that guys work well when they have things that they like. Everybody likes listening to music and getting hyped up. I'm used to doing that at Seton Hall, and we have that at every practice. We have the music playing, guys getting involved, so it's been good. The guys bought into it it, they love it, and it keeps me going as well."
The players seem to notice the change as well. As Jones put it when asked about the atmosphere, "It's been different. The music gets people hyped up and gives us energy for practice."
As for the players, the brand new experience of media day seemed to put their season into a different perspective. "It's very exciting and very different," said Dixon. "For me, being here for one year, we didn't have this last year, but now that we do have a media day it's good because everybody wants to hear what we have to say and what coach has to say, so it's really hyping us up and it's really giving us confidence."
Whether or not this newfound swagger and confidence translates into immediate success for the Peacocks remains to be seen. But if anything was made clear during media day, it is that Saint Peter's is no longer a program to sleep on. Holloway's recruiting prowess, displayed prominently at Seton Hall, is already showing here with the addition of players such as 7-1 center
Majur Majak from Holloway's alma mater, now known as the Patrick School.
And with the energy that he has brought to the team, it's changed the outlook for Saint Peter's men's basketball for the near future and beyond. Coach Holloway knows that, win or lose, the investment put in this year and the steps made in the right direction will be sure to pay off in the years to come.
"I'm not putting any expectations of how many games we're going to win or lose. What I can tell you is that we are going to work hard, we're going to play hard, we're going to have fun, and we're going to do it the right way."
