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After wrapping up summer workouts with 11 players – 10 of them new – Seton Hall basketball coach Shaheen Holloway addressed the state of the team and the sport with reporters during a wide-ranging discussion Aug. 4. Here are five takeaways along with his comments.
Two of the Pirates' springtime commitments never made it to campus: 6-foot-8 Rutgers transfer Chris Nwuli and 6-foot-9 Brazilian and G League forward Nathan Mariano.
It was well known within Rutgers basketball circles that Nwuli’s mother, who lives in the Las Vegas area, has been battling cancer so he’ll likely stay in that area for the time being. Aggressive on both ends and embracing of defense, Nwuli seemed like a good fit for the Pirates and projected to contribute as a key part of the frontcourt rotation.
Holloway left it this way: “He has some personal issues he has to iron out and he won’t be with us this year.”
Mariano, who saw time with Brazil's senior national team in FIBA Americup and FIBA World Cup qualifying competition and in the G League averaged 2.4 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 29.4 percent from the field and 23.1 percent from 3-point range, hasn’t passed eligibility muster with the NCAA.
“I have no idea where that’s at,” Holloway said. “The NCAA keeps asking for more information.
Holloway also said the status of Mihailo Petrovic, a guard transfer from Illinois and a Serbia native, remain in flux because “we’re waiting on his status with his Visa.”
As far as new additions, Holloway said, “We have to guys right now on the cusp of whether we’re going to take them our now. They’re power forwards and they’re from Europe.”
Addressing the power forward position in particular, he said, “We’ll probably be playing Devin (Williams, a 6-foot-10 transfer) at the four some, but no matter what we’re looking to add them.”
With the NCAA locked in a court battle over last year’s senior class seeking an extra year of eligibility, Holloway was asked if it’s possible Stephon Payne, Josh Rivera or Elijah Fisher – three key players on last year’s team who could potentially regain a season of eligibility – will rejoin the program for the upcoming season.
“I don’t know – I’m not ruling anything out because I have no idea what’s going to happen,” he said. “Those guys played a big part in our season last year, I’ve been in contact with two of them this summer, to see how they’re doing.”
Of the uncertainty surrounding the sport, he said, “It’s very tough. Each year I’m bringing in eight, nine (new guys) and I don’t know it’s that good for my health. You have no idea what’s going on (rules-wise)– it changes so much it changes every freaking week or month. For a coach the unknown is not very good, but you have to roll with the punches and adapt to it and keep believing in and what you do.”
According to various insider accounts Holloway’s roster budget was about $8 million at the start of last spring’s free-agency period, and eventually wound up a bit higher than that as the athletic department raised a couple of million through corporate partnerships.
Concrete figures are difficult to come by, but various reports have the median Big East budget coming in somewhere between $12-15 million.
Asked for his thoughts on Seton Hall’s commitment to the sport in the midst of this arms race for roster budgets, Holloway replied:
“You look across college basketball the way this thing is going, it’s pretty scary. The school, we did what we could do. Obviously we know who we are and kind of where we are. I thought the school put their best foot forward, tried.
“As a coach obviously you want more, and you need more. But like I said the school tried and put their best foot forward. But I look at what teams in our league are doing, and man we’ve got some ways to go. I don’t want to sound like I’m not appreciative of what the school did. I’m definitely appreciative. I know where we are and I know where the other teams in our league are. We’ve got to keep moving forward.”
At the outside of the conference call, it was made clear that Holloway would not discuss his reported contact extension – the second of his tenure (his original deal was first extended after the NIT title in 2024). But the extension is it’s a clear substantiation of Holloway’s point – “we know who we are” – because in the past, a Seton Hall coach who entered year five without an NCAA Tournament appearance would have been on a hot seat.
By the start of year six, both P.J. Carlesimo’s and Kevin Willard’s seats were white-hot because neither had made the Big Dance. No matter what happens this season, Holloway won’t face that kind of situation because the variables have changed – and Seton Hall has moved the goalposts to reflect that, understandably.
Holloway made it clear that when putting this roster together, “I didn’t want just one point guard dominating” and so he brought in several players to compete at the position, and it seems like he envisions shared duties at that crucial sport – a stark contrast to the ball dominance by Kadary Richmond and Budd Clark in his two most successful seasons in South Orange (and more like the situation he had at Saint Peter’s).
He praised Texas transfer and former Roselle Catholic standout Simeon Wilcher, who projects as more of a two guard, as someone who “can be (Big East) Defensive Player of the Year with his size and length,” adding, “He has all the tools to be a good lock-down defender along with good defensive player.”
Holloway did say he’s emphasizing more paint touches with his guards this season, in terms of getting the ball inside and perhaps playing inside-out as more a steady diet. He also praised freshman guard Darien “Payday” Moore as holding his own and showing signs of being ready to contribute right away.
Holloway is known for his long, demanding practices and the high level of physicality in them. But in a move that may signal a new approach, he called off the dogs late in the summer session after Williams suffered a strained calf and some other injuries cropped up.
“I think I’m getting smarter as I getting older – first time in my coaching career I shut down practice early,” he said. “Because toward the last week of practice guys started dropping with ankle injuries and stuff like that.”
Holloway also said former four-year walk-on guard David Gabriel, a fan and locker-room favorite, will remain with the program as a graduate assistant.
After winning 21 games an finishing fourth in the Big East, Holloway made it clear that he wanted the Pirates to accept their invitation to the College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas, but he allowed the players to decide (as he did with the NIT in 2024) and he gritted his teeth and abided by their choice.
“I was looking forward to it (the Crown) for a couple of reasons,” he said. “One, for our seniors. Two, because these guys love money so much, they had an opportunity to win some money; like everybody they’re in love with money so much. And three, these guys had an opportunity to play and showcase their talent on a different platform against different opponents. So I was disappointed in that, that the guys chose not to play.”
“I didn’t want to make them play because I did that my first year here in the NIT (in 2023) and we went out and didn’t play well. But I want it to be on record that I was disappointed that he guys didn’t want to play. I almost made them play, and then guys started saying they were hurt, so that was disappointing.”
Asked all of his undergrads transferring out except backup point guard Trey Parker – and in particular losing All-Big East point guard Budd Clark and rising star center Najai Hines – Holloway seemed at peace with it.
“I thought some guys were coming back,” he said. “We had some good conversations with guys and had a good package for a couple guys, and guys told me they were going to come back, and at the end of day they had to choose what’s best for them. But it’s art of the game right now.”
“I tell people all the time, fall in love with the name on the front of the jersey, not the back. The front is not going anywhere.”
Apparently this was a big topic of discussion at the programs’ recent golf-outing fundraiser.
“A lot of our donors don’t like where it’s at, and I don’t blame them,” he said, referring to the state of the sport. “You’ve got to adjust and change, but you love the game for what it should still be – and it’s somewhere no one ever thought it would be.”
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Seton Hall basketball: Shaheen Holloway sounds off on the team, sport
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1. The roster remains unfinished
Two of the Pirates' springtime commitments never made it to campus: 6-foot-8 Rutgers transfer Chris Nwuli and 6-foot-9 Brazilian and G League forward Nathan Mariano.
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It was well known within Rutgers basketball circles that Nwuli’s mother, who lives in the Las Vegas area, has been battling cancer so he’ll likely stay in that area for the time being. Aggressive on both ends and embracing of defense, Nwuli seemed like a good fit for the Pirates and projected to contribute as a key part of the frontcourt rotation.
Holloway left it this way: “He has some personal issues he has to iron out and he won’t be with us this year.”
Mariano, who saw time with Brazil's senior national team in FIBA Americup and FIBA World Cup qualifying competition and in the G League averaged 2.4 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 29.4 percent from the field and 23.1 percent from 3-point range, hasn’t passed eligibility muster with the NCAA.
“I have no idea where that’s at,” Holloway said. “The NCAA keeps asking for more information.
Holloway also said the status of Mihailo Petrovic, a guard transfer from Illinois and a Serbia native, remain in flux because “we’re waiting on his status with his Visa.”
As far as new additions, Holloway said, “We have to guys right now on the cusp of whether we’re going to take them our now. They’re power forwards and they’re from Europe.”
Addressing the power forward position in particular, he said, “We’ll probably be playing Devin (Williams, a 6-foot-10 transfer) at the four some, but no matter what we’re looking to add them.”
With the NCAA locked in a court battle over last year’s senior class seeking an extra year of eligibility, Holloway was asked if it’s possible Stephon Payne, Josh Rivera or Elijah Fisher – three key players on last year’s team who could potentially regain a season of eligibility – will rejoin the program for the upcoming season.
“I don’t know – I’m not ruling anything out because I have no idea what’s going to happen,” he said. “Those guys played a big part in our season last year, I’ve been in contact with two of them this summer, to see how they’re doing.”
Of the uncertainty surrounding the sport, he said, “It’s very tough. Each year I’m bringing in eight, nine (new guys) and I don’t know it’s that good for my health. You have no idea what’s going on (rules-wise)– it changes so much it changes every freaking week or month. For a coach the unknown is not very good, but you have to roll with the punches and adapt to it and keep believing in and what you do.”
2. On Seton Hall’s commitment level
According to various insider accounts Holloway’s roster budget was about $8 million at the start of last spring’s free-agency period, and eventually wound up a bit higher than that as the athletic department raised a couple of million through corporate partnerships.
Concrete figures are difficult to come by, but various reports have the median Big East budget coming in somewhere between $12-15 million.
Asked for his thoughts on Seton Hall’s commitment to the sport in the midst of this arms race for roster budgets, Holloway replied:
“You look across college basketball the way this thing is going, it’s pretty scary. The school, we did what we could do. Obviously we know who we are and kind of where we are. I thought the school put their best foot forward, tried.
“As a coach obviously you want more, and you need more. But like I said the school tried and put their best foot forward. But I look at what teams in our league are doing, and man we’ve got some ways to go. I don’t want to sound like I’m not appreciative of what the school did. I’m definitely appreciative. I know where we are and I know where the other teams in our league are. We’ve got to keep moving forward.”
At the outside of the conference call, it was made clear that Holloway would not discuss his reported contact extension – the second of his tenure (his original deal was first extended after the NIT title in 2024). But the extension is it’s a clear substantiation of Holloway’s point – “we know who we are” – because in the past, a Seton Hall coach who entered year five without an NCAA Tournament appearance would have been on a hot seat.
By the start of year six, both P.J. Carlesimo’s and Kevin Willard’s seats were white-hot because neither had made the Big Dance. No matter what happens this season, Holloway won’t face that kind of situation because the variables have changed – and Seton Hall has moved the goalposts to reflect that, understandably.
3. The backcourt is a work in progress
Holloway made it clear that when putting this roster together, “I didn’t want just one point guard dominating” and so he brought in several players to compete at the position, and it seems like he envisions shared duties at that crucial sport – a stark contrast to the ball dominance by Kadary Richmond and Budd Clark in his two most successful seasons in South Orange (and more like the situation he had at Saint Peter’s).
He praised Texas transfer and former Roselle Catholic standout Simeon Wilcher, who projects as more of a two guard, as someone who “can be (Big East) Defensive Player of the Year with his size and length,” adding, “He has all the tools to be a good lock-down defender along with good defensive player.”
Holloway did say he’s emphasizing more paint touches with his guards this season, in terms of getting the ball inside and perhaps playing inside-out as more a steady diet. He also praised freshman guard Darien “Payday” Moore as holding his own and showing signs of being ready to contribute right away.
4. A shift in practice philosophy?
Holloway is known for his long, demanding practices and the high level of physicality in them. But in a move that may signal a new approach, he called off the dogs late in the summer session after Williams suffered a strained calf and some other injuries cropped up.
“I think I’m getting smarter as I getting older – first time in my coaching career I shut down practice early,” he said. “Because toward the last week of practice guys started dropping with ankle injuries and stuff like that.”
Holloway also said former four-year walk-on guard David Gabriel, a fan and locker-room favorite, will remain with the program as a graduate assistant.
5. What happened at the end of last season
After winning 21 games an finishing fourth in the Big East, Holloway made it clear that he wanted the Pirates to accept their invitation to the College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas, but he allowed the players to decide (as he did with the NIT in 2024) and he gritted his teeth and abided by their choice.
“I was looking forward to it (the Crown) for a couple of reasons,” he said. “One, for our seniors. Two, because these guys love money so much, they had an opportunity to win some money; like everybody they’re in love with money so much. And three, these guys had an opportunity to play and showcase their talent on a different platform against different opponents. So I was disappointed in that, that the guys chose not to play.”
“I didn’t want to make them play because I did that my first year here in the NIT (in 2023) and we went out and didn’t play well. But I want it to be on record that I was disappointed that he guys didn’t want to play. I almost made them play, and then guys started saying they were hurt, so that was disappointing.”
Asked all of his undergrads transferring out except backup point guard Trey Parker – and in particular losing All-Big East point guard Budd Clark and rising star center Najai Hines – Holloway seemed at peace with it.
“I thought some guys were coming back,” he said. “We had some good conversations with guys and had a good package for a couple guys, and guys told me they were going to come back, and at the end of day they had to choose what’s best for them. But it’s art of the game right now.”
“I tell people all the time, fall in love with the name on the front of the jersey, not the back. The front is not going anywhere.”
Apparently this was a big topic of discussion at the programs’ recent golf-outing fundraiser.
“A lot of our donors don’t like where it’s at, and I don’t blame them,” he said, referring to the state of the sport. “You’ve got to adjust and change, but you love the game for what it should still be – and it’s somewhere no one ever thought it would be.”
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Seton Hall basketball: Shaheen Holloway sounds off on the team, sport
Continue reading...
