Shaheen Holloway: The Heart and Soul of Seton Hall
Back in the 90’s before the invention of social media there was a player who captivated the world. As a 5’10 high school point guard he was one of the most prolific players that I have had the chance to witness. He was a point guard who seemed to handle a basketball like it was on a string. In every basketball circle and every barbershop you would hear his name brought up with high praise. His name is Shaheen Holloway and he most notably starred at Seton Hall University before playing professionally overseas. He never played in the NBA but he was definitely good enough to make it… probably just another case of basketball politics. He had the complete package as a player and did what a point guard was supposed to do, make his teammates better.
Shaheen Holloway starred at St. Patrick’s HS in Elizabeth, NJ during basketballs golden age. This picture is during a matchup against Brooklyn’s Lincoln HS and Stephon Marbury. Photo NY1 News
Holloway began to really be recognized for his basketball prowess in High School. He attended St. Patrick’s in Elizabeth, NJ where he starred for four years. The 5 star point guard stood out in the basketball world at a time when guys like Kobe Bryant, Stephon Marbury, Rip Hamilton, Stephen Jackson, and Jermaine O’Neal were the cream of the national crop. Holloway was heavily recruited out of High School and when it was time to decide on a school he narrowed down his list down to California, Duke, Georgia Tech and Seton Hall. He decided to stay home and chose the Seton Hall Pirates as his college. For three of his four years in High School he made the All State team and along with Mike Bibby, was one of the best point guards in the country (1996 Class).
Holloway was selected to one of a HS players most highest honors, the 1996 McDonald’s All American Game. Photo COMC.com
He was a fierce competitor and even today has a grand reputation on the court. His senior year he averaged 22.5 points, 9 assists and nearly 6 Steals per game. At St. Patrick’s he accumulated 2,151 points, 727 assists and 540 steals which is absolutely insane. He was ultimately awarded the opportunity to play in the McDonald’s All American game, which is a high school basketball players highest achievement. He was the starting point guard on an East team who was packed with NBA talent including Kobe Bryant. Holloway was awarded the MVP award of that All American game filling up the stat sheet scoring 8 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.
Shaheen Holloway talks with coach Tommy Amaker as Seton Hall faced Connecticut in the 2000 Big East Tournament quarterfinals in 2000. Photo The Star Ledger
At Seton Hall he had a pretty spectacular freshman campaign averaging 17 points and 6 assists, which was good enough to be selected for the All Big East rookie team. He could have came out after his freshman year but decided not to and continued his college career. Sophomore year his numbers went down. Although the numbers weren’t his best, they were still good enough to lead the Big East in assists. He once again returned to school and his junior year at Seton Hall his numbers continued to fall. He had a really tough year and seemed uninspired on the court. Senior year was actually one of his best and he was back to prominence. He was one of the best players on the team and won the Big East most improved player award for upgrading his game. Most notably he increased his shooting efficiency and was shooting a better percentage than his previous years in school. With his improved shooting, he and future NBA Center Samuel Dalembert pushed the 2000 Seton Hall Pirates to a Sweet 16 appearance. In Shaheen’s last game an ankle injury would put an end to his collegiate career. He ended his Seton Hall career with 1,588 career points and he became the all-time assist leader, with 681 assists, a record that he still holds today.
Seton Hall’s Shaheen Holloway rests his sprained ankle while sitting out practice sesion for upcoming NCAA tournament game against Oklahoma State. (Photo by Howard Earl Simmons/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
In 2000, Shaheen’s senior year, he was automatically eligible for the NBA draft. After not being selected in the draft he tried his hand at summer league with the Knicks and the Wizards. He would go on to play in the USBL and later would sign with a pro team in Israel. The next few years he would bounce around the the overseas circuit and played in a number of countries including Germany, Israel, Turkey, United Kingdom and Venezuela.
Holloway embarked on a coaching career after his playing days were over. First at Iona College then at his alma mater Seton Hall. Photo Seton Hall Pirates
When his playing days were over, Holloway decided to pursue a coaching career. He had a definite spot at Seton Hall but decided to join Kevin Willards staff at Iona college. Later, Willard would fill the head coaching job at Seton Hall and everything ended up working out. Shaheen followed Willard back to Seton Hall as assistant coach where he’s been a great help to the young men. Holloway was back in his old stomping grounds helping out the program he was once a part of. In 2012 Holloway was selected to the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame and today still resides as an assistant coach for Seton Hall, one of the Big East Conferences’ best programs.