Seton Hall hadn’t been this bad (7-25) since 1982-83, when the Pirates went 6-23 under P.J. Carlissimo. Six years later, the Hall was playing for a national championship. Incredible! This time? The cards don’t seem in the Pirates’ favor.
The Seton Hall basketball history ended Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden, home of the Big East Tournament. The Villanova Wildcats ended the Pirates season with a 67-55 victory in the first round of the conference tournament.
Shaheen Holloway (photo courtesy SHU Athletics)
It couldn’t end soon enough for Seton Hall head coach Shaheen Holloway and his players. Their lone Big East Tournament game seemed like the last rites of this forgettable season rather than an opportunity to make something out of it.
No one kidded themselves about the Pirates making a Cinderella run, and Holloway has to wonder where he and the program go from here. He has so much to think about this summer, and it isn’t going to be pleasant.
This season had nothing to do with coaching because it was over before it started. Dre Davis and Kadary Richmond bolted to greener pastures in the name of NIL money, and Seton Hall couldn’t find anyone else to replace them. The university doesn’t have the money to pay players, which St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino gleefully pointed out after his team beat Seton Hall 79-51 on January 18.
College sports have become a different world. The days of Cinderella in college basketball and college football are over, with the transfer portal and NIL being factors. The rich get richer when it comes to universities that can boast boosters with big pockets.
Isaiah Colemen (photo courtesy SHU Athletics)
How will Seton Hall come up with the money to acquire players for Holloway to succeed? I am not sure the school has any answers, which isn’t very encouraging. Forget finding the money to acquire players. There’s more to it. Who knows if the Pirates can even keep anyone on the current roster? After a season like this, players such as Isaiah Coleman, Garwey Dual, and Godswill Erheriene could end up better off elsewhere.
After Wednesday’s game, Holloway begged alums, boosters, and the fanbase to do their part in funding NIL money. It’s the worst place for a head coach to be, especially when he is trying to elevate a woeful program.
It’s fair to wonder if Holloway has a shot at doing well at Seton Hall. This program has always done more with less, but college basketball is different now. Holloway has no shot here if the Pirates can’t find more money.
After what happened this season, the third-year Seton Hall head knows he has to make it right next season. But what if he can’t? That’s the question Holloway and the athletic administration must be considering. If the Pirates don’t get money to pay players, the Holloway era might be over next year. Why would he want to stay? Why would the administration keep him?
Kevin Willard at Seton Hall (photo courtesy NJ.com)
Besides, I don’t see Holloway as a Seton Hall lifer. This is not a school where coaches stay forever. Tommy Amaker left for Michigan in 2001, knowing he had done all he could at Seton Hall. The same thing happened with Kevin Willard when he bolted to Maryland a few years ago. No one could blame them, and it would be hard for Holloway to stay even if the Pirates got money.
Everyone wants to see the Seton Hall coach do well at his alma mater. He has represented the school with grace and class as a player and a coach. He takes pride in the school and wants to coach the Hall.
I met Holloway once when he coached Saint Peter’s. He is a pleasant man to root for–affable and generous with his time. But at some point, realism comes into play. The bottom line is that Holloway is up against it.
All I can say is good luck, Shaheen.
