Seton Hall emerges from calmer offseason with renewed focus, clearer mission

Shaheen Holloway’s first season at Seton Hall was a whirlwind, but Pirates’ head coach has better handle on roster and program entering second year at the helm. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. — Shaheen Holloway’s first season at Seton Hall was, in his own words, a self-admitted whirlwind.

The former Pirate point guard turned Cinderella coach, who guided Saint Peter’s to an historic NCAA Tournament run and the doorstep of a Final Four, barely had time to breathe following the Peacocks’ unprecedented March journey. Three days after Saint Peter’s played North Carolina in the Elite 8, Holloway was introduced at Seton Hall, succeeding former mentor Kevin Willard. Through various media engagements in the offseason, including throwing out ceremonial first pitches at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field, as well as announcing Jeremy Ruckert as one of the New York Jets’ newest draft picks, Holloway was thrown into the fire of an offseason that saw several Willard holdovers meshed with incoming transfers in a campaign marked by adjusting on the fly to numerous injuries and the physicality of the Big East Conference.

“I think it’s different,” Holloway reflected at Seton Hall’s annual media day this past Friday. “I just got a chance to breathe for a second. I think last year when I got the job, it was like a whirlwind, everything was going 100 miles per hour. I got the job in April and there were four scholarship guys on the roster, I was trying to fill the roster and then just establish who I am and what I’m about with the team.”

With more continuity and less turmoil this offseason after the Pirates went 17-16 a year ago, Holloway had the opportunity to implement more of his system and philosophies with a returning group of players with a year of his defense-oriented schemes under his belt. And save for a few minor injuries, the early returns have been largely positive.

“This summer was good for us,” he added. “I thought we had ten guys that were healthy and were playing, that got to know my system better, and I think we’ve had better leadership this year for sure. So I would say being here for a year, I got a chance to calm down and settle down and not have everything going 100 miles per hour.”

“Sha really got a chance to actually get a feel for the guys that are here this year,” forward Dre Davis revealed. “Things kind of happened fast last year. It helps a lot just knowing the experience of what to expect, knowing what his goals are, what he’s looking for, I think that’s a huge piece I think we can provide with our play this year. This is a new team. I feel like I had to step into a leadership role just being here, having the knowledge, the experience of what Sha is expecting.”

Davis is one of three captains on the Pirate roster this season, Kadary Richmond and Al-Amir Dawes being the others, rewards not so much bestowed by Holloway as they were earned by his three incumbent upperclassmen for their contributions on and off the floor. While Davis has become a leader just on the strength of his experience, Richmond has embraced the role a different way, building a bond with Holloway as an extension of the coach on the floor as Seton Hall’s point guard. Richmond’s first two years in the Seton Hall program were marked by a generally reserved demeanor, not usually speaking unless directly spoken to. That personality change has undergone a complete 180, with the Brooklyn native now front and center as the most resonant voice in the huddle and in his own social media segment, Kooks’ Korner.

Kadary Richmond’s personality has blossomed this offseason, as point guard has become a more vocal leader. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

“It helped because I understand where (Holloway) comes from,” Richmond said. “I was also there at a point, so just listening to him and buying into what he tells me, building that relationship with him, it’s one of the best things that happened to me. It was always in me, but I didn’t feel like it was needed in me at the time. So as I matured, I started to look back like, ‘I could have been doing this.’ And the things I’m doing now, I’m just happy to be here and happy to play for him. A lot more talking, a lot more energy, and a lot more winning.”

Richmond has also been spurred on by the arrival of Dylan Addae-Wusu, a former adversary of his at St. John’s who now comes across the Hudson after the firing of Mike Anderson to join Holloway, who recruited him out of high school while still the coach at Saint Peter’s.

“He was always a physical matchup at St. John’s,” Richmond said of Addae-Wusu. “Now having it in practice every day, it’s like iron sharpening iron. I think he’s been very good for me, he’s bringing out my competitive side in practice day in, day out. He’s been a great addition for us.”

“I just looked at him and he’s just somebody that fit who I am from a defensive standpoint, from a toughness standpoint, and he can shoot the basketball,” said Holloway. “So you bring those things in, he’s taking Stacks (Jaquan Sanders) under his wing and taking care of him. That’s what I’m looking for. He’s helped Kadary out, he’s helped Al out, he’s been that guy that’s been a good piece for us.”

The Pirate frontcourt is a work in progress with transfers Jaden Bediako and Elijah Hutchins-Everett replacing Tyrese Samuel and KC Ndefo, but Richmond insists that his teammates’ talent and ability to be versatile no matter the situation will overcome whatever gaps exist in evaluating the team from top to bottom.

“I think there’ll be a lot more space on the floor this year in terms of everybody’s ability to shoot the ball, make plays and do other things,” he said. “I think that’s going to help us a lot. Once everybody learns the terminologies we use and the positioning on the court, we’ll be fine. Once we get that down pat, we’ll be one of the best defensive teams in the country again. I’m not worried about that.”

Nor are the Pirates worried about a potential adjustment period in a season where they will likely be picked toward the bottom of the Big East poll, believing a common knowledge of one another and the work that has gone into building their foundation will translate when the ball is tipped, beginning on November 6 against Saint Peter’s.

“I think we know what we’re getting from (Holloway) and from everybody that comes in the gym,” Richmond said. That’s the biggest difference. We’re not worried about outside noise or whatever’s going on in the media.”

“I feel like we’re one of the best teams in the Big East,” Davis declared. “I’m not just saying that because I feel like it’s the right answer, I feel like we put in the work every day we come in and compete against each other, and I feel like that work’s going to show. That competitive edge could take us much further than any talent can.”