Seton Hall basketball: Holloway preseason Q&A
Last year around this time, Seton Hall basketball coach Shaheen Holloway was telling anyone who would listen to pump the brakes.
Although the Pirates had individual talent, Holloway was concerned about how it would come together under a new regime, and that bore out in a mixed-bag campaign that produced a 17-16 record and NIT bid.
Heading into season two at the helm, Holloway is much more optimistic about the Pirates’ prospects. That’s notable for a guy whose candor is his calling card.
As full-scale practices get underway this week, here is our preseason Q&A with the Hall’s head man.
Q. What are your impressions of this group so far?
A. “I like being around this group. It’s different; it’s a breath of fresh air. Forget basketball — it’s a good group of guys that like being around each other. They’re way more together this year, and I’m not pointing a finger at anyone from last year. They do more things together.
“Dylan (St. John’s transfer guard Dylan AddaeWusu) is a big part of that. I think Dylan brought that over here with him. And the guys who were here last year, you see a difference among those guys, the way they are with each other, and that’s what time brings.”
Q. So Dylan has impressed you?
A. “He’s an older guy who’s been in this league for three years. Very physical — plays my brand of basketball and that’s why I wanted him. The thing I like best about him is he’s very outspoken. He’s got a lot of leadership potential. He’s loud. He’s done an unbelievable job with (sophomore guard) Jaquan Sanders, took him under his wing. They went to the same high school (Our Savior Lutheran in New York).
“This whole summer Dylan’s been mentoring him, and you can see the difference in Stacks (Sanders’ nickname) him because of that. So Dylan’s been a breath of fresh air, and he’s been good for (fellow guards) Al (Dawes) and Kadary (Richmond) as well.”
Q. What kind of offseason did Kadary have?
A. "It was great. He actually had a summer (Richmond sat out most of the previous two summers due to ailments). He worked on his body, and we changed his shot a bit got his confidence up with that. I made Kadary, Al and Dre (Davis) leaders, and that’s been good for us.”
Q. You named them captains? I don’t recall you naming captains last year.
A. “Yeah, and I’m making sure they hold everyone accountable and hold themselves accountable. I told them, there are four people who can’t have a bad practice: You three and me. Now, you’re not always going to play well, but attitude and energy have to be at an all-time high to carry this team.”
Q. What do you think of this backcourt’s potential?
A. “I think we have the best backcourt in the league. I’m not worried about those guys from the shoulders down. Shoulders up, I’ve got to keep working on them. But you’ve got guys who averaged double figures in this league and if they stay healthy and their heads are right, I think they’re going to carry us.”
Q. What have you seen from your new two-headed center, Jaden Bediako and Elijah Hutchins-Everett?
A. “JB is physical. Elijah wasn’t as physical, and JB taught him this summer. I wanted them to lose some weight, but I think they lost too much weight. Their body fat was a crazy number and now it’s great, but in this league I need them to have more muscle. But they both did an unbelievable job of transforming their bodies to where they are now, and they complement each other. They’re completely different, but they’re two guys who work hard and push each other.”
Q. How do you envision their platoon working?
A. "We kind of have three guys (in the post). Arda (freshman Arda Ozdogan), our young Turkish big guy – if not in the games, he’ll definitely help in practice. He gets a chance to play with two older guys, gets a chance to bang, and he’s a skilled European big. This is a change for our rotation. Now I’m not playing just two big guys in every practice and them wearing each other down. That’s what happened last year. Having more bodies, that’s only going to help us.”
Q. What else has caught your attention so far?
A. "(Freshman wing) Isaiah Coleman has a chance to be very good in this league. He’s a tremendous talent, got tremendous potential. Now we’ve got to put it together. He’s probably one of the most athletic kids I’ve ever coached. He has a scoring mentality. Now we’ve got to tune it all in.
“What I wanted this year was more height and more shooting. We’re a way better shooting team than we were last year. It’s not even close. And we’ve got more height and more depth.”
Q. For you as a head coach, going into season two here, what’s different?
A. “Coming in after what we did at Saint Peter’s was a whirlwind, and not knowing what to expect here. Obviously the transfer portal and NIL (players profiting off their name, image and likeness) changed the whole landscape for college athletics. What I wanted to do was get guys in that fit me and what I’m about, and I think we brought in guys like that.”
Q. What do you think of your non-conference schedule? You’re facing five high-majors – four of them away from home.
A. “Tell me about it. I’m disappointed about (playing at) Baylor because we had a road game in that (Big East-Big 12 Battle) last year, too (at Kansas). We should have a home game; that doesn’t make sense to me. The Missouri game (in Kansas City, Dec. 17), I think it’s a great game for us, and there’s a good chance we’ll get a return game next year.”
Q. A return game at the Rock?
A. “We don’t know. We’re working out the logistics. Somewhere in the area — I don’t know where and I don’t know when. I want to be clear: It’s still not 100 percent. We’re trying to make it happen.”
“With the (Feast Week) tournament in San Diego, we have a great partnership with Fox, this is Fox’s first year doing it, and they asked us to be in it. I thought it would be good, to continue the good relationship we have with them.”
Q. The groundbreaking ceremony for your new practice facility is Oct. 14. It probably won’t be ready until the fall of 2025, but what’s the feeling on finally getting construction underway?
A. “It’s going to be great. It’s something that already should have been done, something that’s going to help us, something that’s going to help the school. The timing was not great (coinciding) with NIL, but it’s needed and I’m happy that we’re having it.”
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.