Saint Peter's Shaheen Holloway hired by Seton Hall

Wed, Mar 30, 2022
NCAAB News (AP)

Saint Peter's Cinderella run might have ended in the Elite Eight, but the glass slipper hasn't come off quite yet for Shaheen Holloway.

After leading the Peacocks to the Elite Eight - the first 15-seed to ever advance that far in the NCAA Men's tournament - Holloway has agreed to a six-year contract to become the next head coach at Seton Hall.

Seton Hall announced the hiring of the 45-year-old early Wednesday evening. It was hardly a surprise.

This is a homecoming for Holloway, who was a McDonald's All-American in 1996 before playing his collegiate ball at Seton Hall. The potential for Holloway to replace Kevin Willard has been a hot topic since the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

If Holloway's work in this year's NCAA Tournament is any indication, he is game when it comes time to face the best of the best.

He led the Peacocks on an improbable run, knocking off No. 2 seed Kentucky, No. 7 Murray State and No. 3 Purdue before falling to No. 8 North Carolina in the regional final. He will be introduced as the new head coach of Seton Hall officially on Thursday in a press conference.

"Life has a way of coming full circle," Holloway said in a statement. "This is certainly a full circle moment for my family and I. Seton Hall is near and dear to my heart; it's where I became a man, where I met the love of my life, where I spent countless hours honing my crafts as a basketball player and a basketball coach. To say that I'm excited to get started as the head men's basketball coach at Seton Hall University would be an understatement."

Seton Hall has been a consistent fixture in the NCAA Tournament of late, qualifying for the big dance in five of the last six tournaments, though the program hasn't reached the second weekend since 2000, Holloway's senior year as a player.

Now he will try to replicate the magic he captured with Saint Peter's at his alma mater.