Holloway ready to lead Saint Peter's, promises "different" look for Peacocks

Shown here with championship net from Seton Hall's 2016 Big East Tournament victory, Shaheen Holloway is excited to bring winning pedigree and positive energy to Saint Peter's. (Photo by John Fanta/College Hoops Digest)

Thrust into the unusual position of having to hire a new head coach after John Dunne departed for Marist following twelve seasons at the helm, Saint Peter's University did not look very far to find his successor, replacing the affable Dunne with Shaheen Holloway, who had spent the past eight years as Kevin Willard's top lieutenant at the same Seton Hall program from which the Peacocks had plucked Dunne in 2006.

The similarities do not end there, however. Closing in on just 42 years of age, Holloway -- a former student-athlete at Seton Hall and metropolitan area legend on both sides of the Hudson River -- has the same outlook as the man he replaces in Jersey City, a grounded reality encapsulated by his palpable excitement to build something at a program generally dismissed for what it does not have in comparison to its larger brethren before it is lauded for its accolades.

"My dream always was to be a head coach, especially the opportunity of working with someone that you know and trust," Holloway said of what attracted him to Saint Peter's and the opportunity that presented itself this past April, when athletic director Bryan Felt -- a former administrator at Seton Hall -- made the former Pirate his choice. "Off the bat, that attracted me to Saint Peter's. Also, just going over there and getting a chance to work around the league -- I coached at Iona for three years -- I think that's a place where Coach Dunne did a great job, and I also think it's a place where the ceiling is pretty high for improvement."

Through four months with a team ready to contend by virtue of its returning players, such as point guard Davauhnte Turner and forwards Sam Idowu and Quinn Taylor, Holloway has embarked upon the process of not only changing the culture around the program, but also revitalizing it in its second season removed from a CollegeInsider.com Postseason Championship, and was quick to commend his predecessor for not only the tools already in place, but also for continually extracting so much from what was perceived to be so little.

"I saw Coach Dunne on the road in July, and I told him that I was blown away with the type of kids that he had in the program," Holloway said, a profound sense of pride evident in his humble tone. "As far as character kids, these guys all work hard, they're all great kids, all respectful. That's been a blessing, and then I'm excited about the opportunity. We've got some pieces that are pretty good. We've just got to put it together."

One of the unsung heroes behind Seton Hall's resurgence into a Big East power through the better half of this decade, Holloway -- who followed Kevin Willard to South Orange from Iona, where he served as Willard's protege for three years in New Rochelle -- is very much like his mentor in a number of ways, from recruiting to player development, all the way down to the even keel with which he steers his ship. In fact, Willard provided Holloway with valuable advice he brings forth with him into his new endeavor.

"I owe a lot to him," said Holloway of Willard and the impact on his coaching career. "He took a chance on me, hired me when he first got the job at Iona. I've been with him eleven years, and we've been through a great journey together at Iona and at Seton Hall. The one piece of advice he gave me was to look into the league and see how good the coaches are. He said that's one of the things he didn't do when he first got the job at Iona."

"I was blown away by how good the coaches in this league are. I think this is an unbelievable league, a league that people outside this area don't know too much about, but the coaches are big-time coaches. That was one of the main things he told me, to just make sure I knew I what I was going to get myself into."

The preparation for what lies ahead, forged with the experience of having helped build at a higher level, has Holloway taking an open-minded approach less than three months from opening night, and the coach insists he is still learning on the fly, in some aspects.

"I've just learned that when you take over a program, there's a lot of things that when you're younger, you don't understand you're in charge of," he said. "For instance, I'm not only responsible for my players, I'm responsible for my coaches and their families, and also my family. That's a lot of pressure right there. You've also got to channel things a little differently."

"As an assistant coach, you've got to be a little more in-your-face. As a head coach, you've got to treat everybody the same, but different. You've got to know when to hug a kid, when to get on a kid, and the same thing with coaches. I've got to teach them how I want them to be, and the things that I like. It's been a whirlwind."

Although proclaiming Saint Peter's this season would be different, some of the behind-the-scenes work has struck a familiar chord, particularly the first moments on the job after replacing Dunne, something Holloway can relate to from his own playing days.

"I remember when I played at Seton Hall, when Coach (George) Blaney got fired and we brought in Tommy (Amaker)," he said. "It was such a difference for me to get used to him, it took me a couple years to get used to his style. It's going to take some time. I thought John did a great job with what he had and what he tried to do, the way he wanted to play. I'm just used to playing a different way, so it's going to take time for these guys to get to know it and understand it and do it. So far, it's been good. My older guys have been great -- they've taken on a lot of leadership -- but it's going to take time to get my imprint on the program and kind of play it the way I want to play it."

"I'm just coming in trying to do the best I could do and to get these kids to work hard. We'll be able to compete every night at a high level. We're going to have fun, we're going to do it the right way. It's going to take time for me to get to know my players, their likes and dislikes, but it's going to happen. I'm different. I want to go out and challenge my guys."