Seton Hall hires Saint Peter's coach Shaheen Holloway after March Madness run

March 31 (UPI) -- Seton Hall hired former star player Shaheen Holloway as its newest men's basketball coach after Holloway led No. 15 seed Saint Peter's on its historic run to the Elite Eight, Seton Hall announced.

The Orange, N.J., school announced the hire Wednesday, three days after North Carolina beat Saint Peter's to advance to the Final Four.

"Life has a way of coming full circle," Holloway said in a news release. "This is certainly a full circle moment for my family and I. Seton Hall is near and dear to my heart; it's where I became a man, where I met the love of my life, where I spent countless hours honing my crafts as a basketball player and a basketball coach.

"To say that I'm excited to get started as the head men's basketball coach at Seton Hall University would be an understatement. Thank you to president Joseph E. Nyre and [athletic director] Bryan Felt for this opportunity. It is a dream come true. Pirates fans, I look forward to seeing you all in the community, on campus and at the Prudential Center."

Holloway, 45, averaged 13.7 points, 5.9 assists, 3.9 rebounds and two steals per game as a player at Seton Hall from 1996-97 through 1999-00. He helped the Pirates reach the Sweet 16 in 2000.

The Queens native played professional and semiprofessionally in the United States, Europe and Asia until he became an assistant coach in 2007 at Iona. Holloway held that role until 2010, when he became an assistant at Seton Hall. Saint Peter's hired Holloway in 2018 as its head coach.

He led the Peacocks to a 64-54 record over four seasons, including a 22-12 regular-season campaign in 2021-22. Saint Peter's went on to become the first No. 15 seed in the history to reach the Elite Eight round in the Division I men's basketball tournament.

Holloway worked under former Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard when he was an assistant for the Pirates. Willard, who posted a 225-161 record in 12 seasons at the school, accepted the head coaching job earlier this month at Maryland.

The Pirates went to the NCAA tournament five times under Willard, but only advanced past the first round one time. They went 21-11 this season and lost to No. 9 seed TCU in the first round of the 2022 tournament.

Holloway will be officially introduced Thursday as the Pirates coach. He agreed to a six-year contract with the Orange, N.J., school.