Year three of Shaheen Holloway as the head coach of Seton Hall basketball starts up with a game against his old program.
Seton Hall basketball opens up the 2024-25 season against in-state rival Saint Peter’s. It’s hard to forget the Peacocks’ run in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, which eventually got Shaheen Holloway the job at his alma mater. The Peacocks should be some good competition for the Pirates’ first game on a long road ahead.
General Information:
Teams: Seton Hall (0-0) and Saint Peter’s (0-0)
Tip-Off Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
Watch: FS1
Listen: The Varsity Network
What to know about Saint Peter’s
Saint Peter’s looks to build off a successful 2023-24 season, where they won 19 games and took a trip to the NCAA Tournament, ultimately losing to Tennessee in the first round. (I was at that game, I can confirm.)
In the NIL era, small schools like Saint Peter’s have the potential to fall off, but Bashir Mason has kept the Peacocks relevant after their famous run to the Elite 8 in 2022.
This season, the Peacocks will have to find new team leaders, as they lose their top four scorers from a year ago. The biggest loss is Corey Washington, who transferred to Wichita State after averaging 15.9 PPG and 6.3 RPG a season ago.
The top returning scorer is Marcus Randolph, who averaged 6.5 PPG last season. He can get hot from three, nailing over 40% of his shots from downtown a year ago. The Pirates will always have to have an eye on him.
Armoni Zeigler is another player to watch. As a freshman, he put up 6.2 PPG and 2.5 RPG. He’s a bigger guard who can also cause problems from three. How much he has developed between his freshman and sophomore seasons will be crucial to the Peacocks’ success.
Mason will need to get good minutes from an influx of transfers. 6-7, 230-pound forward Zaakir Williamson comes in from Buffalo, where he averaged 2.7 RPG in just 12.3 MPG. He should be called upon in a larger role with Saint Peter’s. Tyreck Morris played at Indian Hills CC in 2023-24, averaging 10.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 2.9 APG. He can affect the game in a lot of ways and fits right into Mason’s system.
Saint Peter’s season will ultimately come down to growth between now and March. On day one, there are a lot of question marks but never underestimate the Peacocks.
Latest on Seton Hall basketball
While the Pirates have enjoyed some solid success since the Big East realignment over a decade ago, there isn’t a lot to know about SHU heading into this season. It’s a deep team – but there are no lineups that seem set in stone on Nov. 4. Holloway might play around with different rosters to start this season, which is always an unnerving way to start a season.
But don’t get it twisted – even after losing Kadary Richmond, Dre Davis, and Al-Amir Dawes, the Pirates have a lot of talent. Isaiah Coleman and Dylan Addae-Wusu return and are joined by Ohio State transfer Scotty Middleton, Boston College transfer Prince Aligbe, Providence transfer Garwey Dual, and a number of mid-major gets. They might not have the star power now, but neither did Richmond, Davis, or Dawes before they transferred to South Orange.
Former Old Dominion guard Chaunce Jenkins figures to have a major role in the backcourt and Zion Harmon is another guard who can affect the scoring game and be a facilitator.
It’s never fun going into a season with a bunch of unknowns, but there seems to be some optimism for a team with a coach who knows how to pry out the best in his players. The Hall won’t get a lot of press to start the season, but what’s new? This is November, and Shaheen Holloway cares about March.