Saint Peter's youth, depth shines in runaway over Manhattan

Freshman Clarence Rupert helped ignite Saint Peter's bench Friday as Peacocks defeated Manhattan handily. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — When addressing his incoming freshmen this past offseason, Shaheen Holloway — candid almost to a fault — admitted he did not know what to expect from the newest recruits to Saint Peter’s University basketball. What the Peacocks’ head coach was sure of, though, was that good things would continue to occur for the program that has turned heads with its latest build into a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference contender.

Friday was only the latest example.

After rebounding from a sluggish start in which Saint Peter’s missed seven of its first nine shots, the Peacocks shot 63 percent from the field for the final 16 minutes of the first half and used an 11-man rotation to stifle Manhattan in their final tuneup before Sunday’s clash with MAAC unbeaten Iona, throttling the Jaspers in a commanding 77-51 decision inside Run Baby Run Arena.

“I just want to make sure we’re playing the right way,” Holloway remarked as Saint Peter’s won its sixth game in seven contests since returning from a 26-day COVID pause. “It doesn’t really matter who we’re playing.”

“They had a tough weekend last weekend, and I was on them. They came in the last couple of days, and it paid off. That’s what I expect from these guys. Right now, I want the guys to understand that when you put the work in, this is what happens.”

Saint Peter’s (9-7, 7-2 MAAC) continues to round into top form following a layoff that saw the majority of its roster struggle to resume a full workload coming out of isolation, the latest positive sign being a grand total of 52 points scored by the Peacock bench, a unit that saw three players — Jaylen Murray, Clarence Rupert and Doug Edert — post double-digit point totals.

“That’s kind of what I envisioned the whole year,” Holloway said of the full roster complement, a quality that made his 2019-20 team so formidable before the pandemic sidelined the entire nation just four days before Selection Sunday. “If you watch my teams, not last year because we weren’t as deep, we played 12 guys double-figure minutes and I thought we kind of wore teams down. I want to get back to that.”

“Tonight, I wanted to make sure the guys who don’t get to play as much got used to playing again. Before Clarence went down, he was a big part of what we were doing, but he was in isolation and now he’s coming back into shape. The same thing with Ju (Murray). So we’re just kind of getting back into things.”

Rupert proved to be an X-factor which Manhattan (10-7, 3-5 MAAC) was unable to solve, exploding off the bench shortly after the opening tip for five quick points on his way to a career-high 13 markers in an outing that allowed the freshman to live up to his coach’s massive and effusive praise.

“In the summer, he expected a lot from me,” Rupert recounted with regard to Holloway’s tough love and unwavering belief. “When I got here, I was working hard because I knew it was college and not high school. The more work I put in, I knew it would get out on the court, so I was ready in the offseason and I’m ready now.”

“This is why I brought him here,” Holloway reaffirmed. “I knew what he could do. It’s going to take some time. I tell these guys all the time: As freshmen, you’re going to have more bad games than good. Some nights, you’ve just got to ride it out, especially with us being a veteran team. These kinds of performances, I’m looking forward to more, but at the same time, it’s all about consistency and kind of getting back in the gym, getting back in the lab.”

The Jaspers attempted to hold their own with the host Peacocks, but after a scramble for what turned out to be a held ball midway through the opening stanza, Jose Perez — the MAAC’s leading scorer with an average of over 17 points per game — was shockingly ejected, with initial reasons why being unclear when watching live. In his stead, Anthony Nelson led Manhattan with 11 points, while Samba Diallo and Warren Williams each tallied 10 apiece after Perez was given the hook following a promising beginning to his night, with six points on 3-of-5 shooting.

The Jaspers will return to Draddy Gymnasium Sunday to face a Marist team looking to gain ground in the middle of the MAAC standings, while a rejuvenated Saint Peter’s — who only saw three players log more than 20 minutes of action Friday — visits Rick Pitino and the Gaels in New Rochelle, seeking a fourth consecutive win against the class of the conference on the heels of another stout defensive effort.

“That’s who we are,” Holloway proclaimed. “That’s what I keep trying to preach to these guys. And the reason why we’re scoring now is we’re getting stops and getting runouts, kind of feeding off our defense. Early on, we weren’t doing that. We had a bunch of guys who thought we could outscore people, and that’s why we weren’t successful. Right now, we’re locking up, and I think that’s helping us.”

“As far as Sunday, that stuff’s going to take care of itself. I’m not looking forward to that yet, tonight when I go home and watch film until 7:00 in the morning, maybe. I was happy I didn’t have to play the older guys more than this, because it’s going to be a war on Sunday.”