Holloway: Saint Peter’s defense could even be better than this
Florida Gulf Coast had its high-flying dunk showcases, which played to rave reviews in Philadelphia. Oral Roberts had a pair of flashy, highscoring stars.
Saint Peter’s has something neither of those vaunted 15-seed Cinderellas have: an Elite Eight game to prepare for.
Shaheen Holloway’s squad is gritty and committed to dogged defense. The team is the star and the “star” is a mustachioed reserve who doesn’t average double-figures. It’s led by a coach who defines the identity without seeking to become the story, even occasionally reticent to play along with the story.
Consider the reaction to Friday’s 67-64 win over thirdseeded Purdue in the Sweet 16. The Peacocks smothered the Boilermakers, holding a likely lottery pick in Jaden Ivey to nine points and negating a massive height advantage in the post. And yet, Holloway wasn’t all that impressed by it.
“You know what, I’m going to say no,” the 45-yearold said when asked if it was their best defensive outing. “If you watched us play the last month, we’ve been locked in. Like really locked in. … It wasn’t one of our best defensive performances. I know you might say I’m crazy for saying that, but if you watched us play, then you would know that it’s not.”
This from the same coach that chastised guard Doug Edert for leaping on a courtside press table to celebrate after the final whistle, shooting him a withering glare in the press conference.
Pinning down the magic of Saint Peter’s requires nuance. They’re talented for their seeding and their conference, but not compared to the blue-chippers they’ve scythed along the way. Holloway makes the whole exceed the sum of its parts with its cohesiveness, what he called on Friday a “connectedness.”
“I’ve been saying it the whole tournament, these guys really play with their chip on their shoulder, and some of these guys that were sitting up here feel like they belong at schools like that (UNC),” Holloway said Saturday, the eve of their Elite Eight tilt with the Tar Heels. “So this is their opportunity to kind of showcase their talent and show what they can do.
“I just think that we’re just playing at a different level right now, being connected. No one is worried about who’s getting the shot, no one is worried about who’s getting to shine, no one is worried about this or that.”
Holloway has nine players average at least 12 minutes per game. It keeps them fresh to hound opponents defensively, able to be patient and methodical offensively to raise the stakes on each stop. A core of six juniors that comprised Holloway’s first recruiting class has built the program, and the bonds between them pay off night after night.
“When I came out of the game yesterday, everybody on the court told me, ‘I got your back, brother,’” forward KC Ndefo said. “And I wasn’t worried about anything because I know these guys would definitely have my back at the end of the day.”
“They’re connected in terms of their preparation, their practice and their play,” North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said. “They understand where they want to go and how to get there. They’ve identified what allows them to be successful, and everybody understands that, and everyone
has accepted their role in a place where they feel like it’s beneficial for them to be the best team that they can be.”
Davis and Holloway are in accord that the seeds don’t matter much, certainly not now. Fitting, in an Elite Eight where the seeds sum to 47, the highest in history. In case there’s any complacency, UNC’s Davis pointed out Saturday that, “they’ve beaten two teams that we’ve lost to,” in Kentucky and Purdue.
As for Holloway, however you want to characterize his team or its run, they belong, with one more chance to
prove it Sunday, in an arena that holds nearly 10 times the university’s enrollment.
“This is what it’s all about,” Holloway said. “It is the American dream. College basketball is March Madness. It’s match-ups, it’s playing, it’s upsets, it’s the team that wants it the most, it’s the team that’s most connected.
“Yes, we’re the underdogs; yes, we’re the Cinderella team. But at the end of the day, we’re a team that’s ramping up just like anyone else. You take the name off the front of the jersey, it really doesn’t matter.”