Saint Peter’s retools, but remains undaunted and unfazed in MAAC upswing

Shaheen Holloway loses KC Ndefo this season, but still has veteran roster as Saint Peter’s seeks third consecutive finish in MAAC’s top tier. (Photo by NJ Advance Media)

Looking back at last year’s Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference season, it would be easy for the casual fan to lose Saint Peter’s in the shuffle considering how Iona and Rick Pitino stole headlines in March on a postseason run following a 51-day pause.

However, the well-informed MAAC aficionado would know the Peacocks were perhaps the most consistent and stable program in the conference, the only one among the 11 league institutions to emerge from a tumultuous season without experiencing a single positive COVID-19 test. But while the good medical fortune kept Saint Peter’s in the mix, head coach Shaheen Holloway and his players were still victims of circumstance, having to shut down three times due to contact tracing and positive tests incurred by their opponents, adding to an unprecedented period of strife that affected the mental health of everyone in the locker room. Nevertheless, they pushed forward.

“I give everybody a lot of credit,” a candid Holloway, never one to mince words, reflected with regard to how his team traversed the pandemic-ravaged court of both sport and life through a season that saw the Peacocks finish 14-11 and tied for third in conference wins. “It was a life-changing thing for our kids. I didn’t let them do anything. Didn’t let them go to the barbershop, couldn’t see their family, they couldn’t do anything. So I give our kids a lot of credit, because that’s a hard thing for anyone to do.”

“As far as the basketball side, I was disappointed, but at the same time, happy. I’m disappointed because we could have — should have — had a better year. I was also happy because I didn’t know what kind of team I was going to have going into the season, losing two key players (Zarique Nutter and Dallas Watson). You just don’t know, and those guys were young. Everybody keeps thinking I had an old team. I had a bunch of sophomores and KC (Ndefo).”

Ndefo has since entered the transfer portal, rendering Saint Peter’s into a transitional unit without its leading scorer, rebounder, and defensive backbone. In his absence, though, his supporting cast — headlined by guards Daryl Banks III, Doug Edert and Matthew Lee, as well as twin forwards Fousseyni and Hassan Drame — is poised to become a more integral piece of the puzzle while Marty Silvera, Oumar Diahame and five incoming freshmen continue to learn the ropes in a program looking for a third straight finish among the MAAC’s top three.

“I’d be lying to you if I didn’t tell you we were going to miss him,” Holloway said of Ndefo. “He was the heart and soul of our team the last couple of years, he had a big presence for us and his personality fit my personality a lot, but it’s going to give other guys a chance to step up. It’s going to give the twins a chance to step up, it’s going to give Matt, Doug and Daryl a chance, it’s going to give Oumar a chance, it’s going to give Marty a chance, it’s going to give the new guys chances.”

“I’m expecting good things. We’ve got a good core coming back, five guys that played a lot as freshmen and sophomores, and it’s time for them to take a big jump. I thought this summer was really good for some of those guys, being able to get in the gym and work on their games, their bodies. But here’s the thing: I know what to expect from those five. I don’t know what to expect from everybody else. That’s kind of where we are right now. I went from being very small to very big. Now I’ve got 6’11, 6’10, 6’9, 6’8. We’re huge now.”

In Banks, a third team all-MAAC selection who could very easily have pushed for higher recognition, and perhaps the steadiest backcourt hand in the conference in Lee, the Peacocks remain forwardly positioned as Edert recovers from a bout with turf toe that hindered his sophomore season. Still, the loss of Ndefo has caused critics to wonder if Saint Peter’s can sustain its momentum, and while Holloway remained noncommittal, he did assure that one characteristic that has defined his program would be unaffected.

“You know me, I don’t say anything,” he said of potential naysayers. “We’re just going to come in, we’re going to scrap, we’re going to fight, and you’re going to be in for a war. I don’t know where we’re going to finish, I don’t know anything. But the one thing I do know is, when you come in to play Saint Peter’s, you’re going to be in for a war. Period. That’s what I can tell you.”