The biggest star of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament thus far is the Saint Peter’s coach who defeated Kentucky. His name is Shaheen Holloway.
Before the game, even many college basketball fans would not be able to tell you where Saint Peter’s is located. It was a shocking win for the program and one of the biggest upsets in tournament history.
The win put the program on the map and gave Saint Peter’s fans a ton to cheer about in the process. Although the bracket-busting performance had excellent contributions (especially from Daryl Banks and Doug Edert on the offensive side and KC Ndefo on defense), it was the team’s coach who stole the show.
Although he was matched up against a legend in John Calipari, Holloway (who was an excellent college basketball player at Seton Hall) never backed down and continued to fight until the final seconds of the game.
Shaheen Holloway. Unwavering resilience. pic.twitter.com/0jseC7uYUN
— Dylan Manfre (@Dylan_Manfre11) March 18, 2022
Holloway also showed extreme confidence during walk-off interviews, too. When asked if he was nervous during the game, he slyly answered that he did not — it’s just basketball.
That mentality is exactly what brought Holloway’s team into this big moment despite the fact that the resources Saint Peter’s has at its disposal are nowhere near what a program like Kentucky offers.
Public records indicate Kentucky spends more than ten times as much as Saint Peter’s does on their respective basketball teams. In fact, Kentucky reportedly has four assistant coaches who make more money on their salaries than Holloway does as head coach.
But that didn’t matter when the two teams actually matched up on the floor.
St. Peter’s is considered by many the hardest job in the MAAC. It exists in a different solar system than Kentucky in terms of budget, facilities and support. Credit to Shaheen Holloway. This is truly an all-timer.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 18, 2022
Despite the lack of resources, Saint Peter’s only even made it into March Madness by winning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) conference. Then, with a win over Kentucky, his legend only continued to grow.
In the process, Holloway made a lot of new fans around the nation. Now, especially after the massive win over Kentucky, many believe that his recent successes are only just the beginning for Holloway.
One of those individuals is former Kentucky head coach Rick Pitino, a two-time NCAA tournament champion. Pitino, who currently coaches at Iona in New York, was named MAAC Coach of the Year over Holloway.
As a UMass alumnus I'll stick my two cents in: Shaheen Holloway, head coach at Saint Peter's, would be a super star hire for my alma mater.
— Rick Pitino (@RealPitino) March 2, 2022
Pitino, who played college basketball at the University of Massachusets in the early 1970s, said he believes Holloway could be an excellent candidate to replace Matt McCall at UMass (via NJ.com):
“I think Shaheen is one of the young superstars in coaching. He has the total package that fits UMass … He’s a terrific recruiter. He knows how to recruit inner-city kids, which UMass needs. He plays a tough style of play to go against. He was a great player himself from an area that he would have to recruit the University of Massachusetts, so I think he checks all of the boxes. He’s a wonderful guy.”
However, it is not just Pitino who walked away impressed by Holloway. Former NBA players including Magic Johnson and JJ Redick shared their thoughts, and so did many fans around the world.