JERSEY CITY, N.J. (March 31, 2022) - Saint Peter's University men's basketball head coach Shaheen Holloway, who led the Peacocks on a magical postseason run to the Elite Eight in this year's NCAA Championship after guiding the program to its first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) tournament title in over a decade, has been named the head men's basketball coach at Seton Hall University.
"Saint Peter's University is proud of our Division I men's basketball team, Coach Holloway and his entire staff," said Saint Peter's University President Dr. President Eugene J. Cornacchia. "We wish Coach Holloway the best in his new position and are grateful for everything he has done for our student-athletes and institution."
"On behalf of Saint Peter's University and all of Peacock Nation, I would like to congratulate and commend Coach Sha for his remarkable leadership of our men's basketball program," said Director of Athletics Rachelle Paul. "Under his guidance, and thanks to his undeniable work ethic, he led the program to unprecedented levels of success, both in the classroom and on the basketball court. His impact was felt immediately and helped positively change the lives of so many young men while instilling a sense of great pride that resonated not only within the Saint Peter's University community, but all of Jersey City and beyond."
"Coach Sha is leaving our program in a better position than when he began, and he will forever be a valued member of the Saint Peter's University family," Paul added. "We wish him and his family the very best as they start their new chapter. As we shift our focus to the future of the Saint Peter's University men's basketball program, we will immediately begin a national search for our next head coach."
Holloway, a Seton Hall alumnus and Hall of Fame inductee for the Pirates in 2012, departs Saint Peter's as one of the program's most impactful and successful coaches in program history over the course of just four seasons. The Queens native tallied 64 victories over that span, including an impressive 54-32 mark (.628 win percentage) over his last three seasons alone.
Holloway's finest work of his young head coaching career came just this past month. After leading the Peacocks to the program's fourth MAAC Tournament title, Holloway helped Saint Peter's make history by orchestrating arguably the most memorable, improbable and captivating Cinderella runs in the history of the NCAA Tournament. Saint Peter's went on to become the first No. 15 seed in tournament history to advance to the Elite Eight, as the Peacocks knocked off a true blueblood program in second-seeded Kentucky, followed by equally stunning wins against seventh-seeded Murray State and third-seeded Purdue to grab headlines nationwide and cement their status as the darlings of this year's installment of March Madness.
The 2020 MAAC Coach of the Year, Holloway also led the Peacocks three straight campaigns with 10-plus victories in conference play, becoming the first coach to win double-digit conference contests in three consecutive seasons since Ted Fiore did so 1986-89. Holloway never lost an opening game in the MAAC Tournament in four trips, and he led Saint Peter's to at least the semifinal round of the MAAC Championship in each of the last three years.
Holloway's student-athletes have thrived under his direction in his time with the Peacocks. In his four seasons, SPU has had 11 players earn All-MAAC accolades, including the three-time MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, 2019-20 MAAC Sixth Player of the Year and the country's leading shot-blocker in KC Ndefo.
His players have also excelled in the classroom with 14 total MAAC All-Academic team selections and a phenomenal 3.07 team GPA in the fall semester of 2021, one that followed a stellar 3.38 GPA to close out the 2021 academic year the previous spring. Holloway also guided the Peacocks to a 100-percent graduate success rate throughout his time at Saint Peter's.
For his efforts this season, Holloway was named as a finalist for three prestigious national coaching awards: the Ben Jobe Coach of the Year, presented to the top minority Division I head coach; the Hugh Durham Coach of the Year, presented to the top Division I mid-major head coach; and the Skip Prosser Man of the Year, presented to a coach who achieves success on the court and displays moral integrity off the floor, as well.
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