For Holloway, first month at Saint Peter's has been trial by fire

Shaheen Holloway's career at Saint Peter's has already seen thrills and growing pains as Peacocks prepare for MAAC play. (Photo by Gabe Rhodes/Saint Peter's University Athletics)

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

JERSEY CITY, NJ -- Shaheen Holloway frequently describes his first season at Saint Peter's as a learning experience.

In essence, that sums up the rookie head coach's situation.

As he often does, Holloway took in a Saint Peter's women's basketball game Friday night, less than 24 hours before his own Peacocks program hosts defending Northeast Conference champion LIU Brooklyn. Regardless of the short window for which to prepare for the visiting Blackbirds, there was still time for the former Seton Hall assistant to reflect on the first month at the helm and the experience of moving over one chair on the bench.

"I think it's been a learning experience, for me as a coach and the team itself," Holloway said. "We've had a tough schedule. It hasn't been easy, but I can say I'm really looking forward to the second half of the season."

At 2-6 entering Saturday's contest, Saint Peter's has scored victories against Lafayette -- a team against whom the Peacocks erased a 13-point deficit to score a dramatic overtime win in Holloway's debut -- and Maine. Along the way, Holloway has been unafraid to test his team, taking it into high-major venues to face nationally ranked outfits the likes of NC State and Auburn. Another high-major opponent -- Clemson this past Tuesday -- saw Saint Peter's nearly post a massive upset, as the Peacocks took the Tigers to the limit before narrowly falling five points short.

"Playing in hostile environments, like an Auburn or a Clemson, will only serve us down the road," Holloway said, citing the long-term payoff for a young team still finding its way. "We'll be better equipped to handle pressure situations on the road. Auburn and Clemson, those are big-time environments."

Looking at Saint Peter's from an individual perspective, Holloway admitted he knew what he inherited in incumbent upperclassmen Davauhnte Turner and Sam Idowu, both of whom saw significant minutes for John Dunne in recent years, but the Peacocks have also been the beneficiary of the immediate contributions of freshmen such as KC Ndefo -- who posted a double-double in his debut against Lafayette -- and 6-foot-4 Dallas Watson of St. Raymond's, who continues to show how strong Holloway's ties are to the New York high school circuit.

The mix of new blood and veteran players will only continue to help Saint Peter's grow as it navigates the remnants of non-conference play, with St. Francis Brooklyn, Fairleigh Dickinson and Hampton all left on the schedule before Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play begins at home on January 3 against Siena, a school that has not won in Jersey City since 2010. Before that day comes, though, the Peacocks' leader has day-to-day concerns on what is needed to be done in order to make the team a better unit.

"We have to defend the three-point shot better," said Holloway, recognizing his team's inefficiency in guarding the line, as opponents have shot better than 40 percent from long distance against the Peacocks, ranking as the 14th-highest margin in the nation according to Ken Pomeroy. "We also have to share the ball better," he added, citing a 46 percent assist rate that also places within the bottom quarter of the 353 Division I teams. Regardless, it is a marathon, not a sprint, and incremental progress -- though underappreciated by casual fans -- is something Holloway is quite content to achieve at this stage of the game.

"We're all learning on the job," he reiterated. "It's just a case of getting out there and getting better every day."