Now four years into his tenure as head coach at his alma mater, Shaheen Holloway hasn’t exactly seen the results he’s wanted with the Pirates. He led Seton Hall to the NIT championship in his second year back in 2024, but followed that up with a disastrous 7-win season that was one of the biggest disappointments in the sport.
Last year was a step back in the right direction, as Seton Hall finished 21-12 and again finish 4th place in the Big East. Unfortunately, the Pirates did not do enough to make the NCAA Tournament and still haven’t reached the Big Dance under Holloway’s leadership. Patience may be running thin in New Jersey, with Holloway knowing that he needs to guide this team over the hump sooner rather than later.
Reload fo the Pirates
If the Pirates are getting into that position this season then it’s coming with a roster that’s almost completely rebuilt. Only one notable player is returning from last season, with seniors like Elijah Fisher, Stephon Payne, and A. J. Staton-McCray among the biggest offseason departures. Seton Hall lost a few other guys into the transfer portal, but this staff has utilized the portal as a weapon to quickly the lost talent.
It’s too early to say if the offseason moves were the right ones or not, though we’ll give you a brief look at each of the important pieces in this rotation, including our best stab at the starting lineup. Seton Hall’s season can truly go in a number of directions, especially with so many new faces, but Holloway knows that another disappointment will make his hot seat scorching by season’s end.
Projected Starters
Guard – Del Jones (Junior)
A 6-2 point guard from Maryland, Jones was previously at the power conference level with Clemson as a freshman but really found his footing at Radford. Last year saw him average 17.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, earning Second Team All-Big South honors in a nice season with the Highlanders. Jones is a great scorer and facilitator and will be expected to step into an important role, though having someone like Holloway mentoring him can only help his career.
Guard – Simeon Wilcher (Senior)
We’re entering year four for Wilcher, who is still trying to truly realize his potential. The former Top 40 prospect had a pair of years at St. John’s before spending last season at Texas, averaging 5.6 points and 1.7 assists off the bench for the Longhorns. Wilcher is a talented and skillful combo guard with all kinds of physical gifts, though it’s all about his ability to put it together and be a great scorer for the Pirates.
Guard – Rodney Brown Jr. (Senior)
This becomes his fourth school in four years, though Brown is at least fresh off the best season of his career. A former bench piece at Cal and Virginia Tech, he shined in a significant role at Loyola Marymount, averaging 14.0 points and 2.4 rebounds while knocking down 38% of his 3-pointers. Brown is a decently talented wing who’s a knock-down shooter and affects the game in multiple ways, though we’ll see if he can emerge in a larger role back at the power conference level.
Forward – Mayar Wol (Senior)
Another player constantly on the move, Wol spent time with Charleston, Eastern Kentucky, and Bowling Green before joining Seton Hall this offseason. A resourceful forward, he averaged 10.5 points and 2.7 rebounds largely off the bench for the Falcons, making 39% of his 3-pointers last year. There’s a lot to like in Wol’s game, plus an additional sharpshooter is never a bad thing in this lineup.
Forward – Devin Williams (Junior)
Williams is a former Top 100 recruit who just didn’t see the court much, playing ten games across two years with UCLA, including a redshirt season. Last year was much better, with Williams putting up 7.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks at Florida Atlantic, becoming the American’s best shot blocker. Whether he becomes a consistent scorer is one thing, but Williams should be a key piece of Seton Hall’s interior defense.
Key Reserves
Guard – Trey Parker (Junior)
The only notable returning player from last season, Parker spent his freshman year as a reserve at NC State only to assume a similar role with the Pirates. He contributed 4.3 points and 2.8 rebounds while playing decent minutes off the bench. His familiarity with this system and offense works in his favor, alongside his explosiveness and playmaking ability; expect to see him more on the court this year.
Guard – Kareem Thomas (Junior)
A 6-5 guard originally out of Delaware, Thomas joins the Pirates after a pair of seasons playing ball at Dartmouth. A bench piece initially, he took a major step forward as a sophomore with 15.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while knocking down nearly 45% of his 3-point attempts. Thomas has sharpshooter potential and could see significant run at the 2, though we’ll see how he transitions against tougher Big East defenses.
Guard – Darien Moore Jr. (Freshman)
Moore is the notable freshman addition for this Seton Hall staff, who are excited to see what he can become on the court. A 6-2 shooting guard from New York, Moore is an intelligent floor general that plays hard on both ends of the court and could develop into a very notable point guard by the end of his career.
Forward – Terry Copeland Jr. (Junior)
We’ll likely see significant minutes from Copeland this season if he lives up to the preseason hype. One of the best junior college players last year, he averaged 19.8 points and 7.9 rebounds and won a JUCO title with Howard College, demonstrating his great playmaking ability in the paint. He previously played very briefly at Northern Illinois and isn’t brand new to D1 ball, but there’s certainly pressure on him in an enhanced role at a major college program.
Guard – Mihailo Petrovic (Junior)
A 6-3 guard from Serbia, Petrovic has extensive experience playing European basketball but also spent last year on a Final Four squad. Petrovic was a backup player at Illinois, putting up 1.6 points and 1.1 assists for the Fighting Illini before finding his way to the Pirates. Petrovic is a fantastic passer and distributors who adds experience into the Pirates’ backcourt while also hoping to see more time on the court in this offense.
Guard – Roddie Anderson III (Senior)
Anderson was a great starter at both UC San Diego and Boise State before playing a smaller role with Xavier last season. That Big East experience is important and he did average 10.9 points and 3.3 rebounds last season with the Musketeers. Anderson is the type of player who’ll certainly carve out an important role, especially fresh off his best offensive season of his career.
Center – Abdulai Fanta Kabba (Junior)
A 7-footer originally from Sierra Leone, Kabba will play for this third D1 college after previous work with Denver and Western Carolina. The numbers don’t jump off the page after averaging 4.7 points and 5.8 rebounds with the Catamounts, but Kabba has great size and did make nearly 68% of his field goal attempts, with the potential to really dominate solely around the rim.
Schedule Outlook
A few early home games lead into a rare neutral-site matchup with Charlotte at the Palestra in Philadelphia on November 9th, but the real challenges begin after that. Four days later, the Pirates head to Tuscaloosa for a tough road test at Alabama. They’ll be in the Bahamas a week later for the Baha Mar Championship, setting Wisconsin and then either Murray State or NC State during that event.
Fortunately, it’s not exactly a difficult nonconference slate beyond that. The Pirates come back home for a slew of home games, including Kansas State on December 4th. They’ll also head over to Piscataway and a date with Rutgers for the Garden State Hardwood Classic, but Big East play then begins right before Christmas.
With two looks at every Big East foe there isn’t too much to say, though the schedule is frontloaded with tough road tests and early home games with UConn and St. John’s. The Pirates really have to take care of business on their home court if they’re going to make noise this season. The last few weeks include difficult road tests at Creighton, UConn, and Marquette before the regular season ends at Butler on March 3rd.
Season Outlook
Two seasons ago, Seton Hall put together a very disappointing season that included a last-place finish in the Big East standings. There’s nobody on this roster from that performance, but you can’t help feeling like that season still looms over this coaching staff. It’s not that we expect something like that to happen again, but that the floor seems significant compared to the ceiling for this group of Pirates players.
It’s not all doom and gloom by any means, because there’s great talent added into a backcourt that’s always been well coached by Holloway, the former point guard. Jones is a resourceful point guard who’ll likely share those responsibilities with a number of players on this roster, while Wilcher might finally be in line for that next step in this offense. Seton Hall has to like the number of long-range shooters they’ve added into the fold as well, especially in Brown and Thomas.
There’s new talent in the frontcourt just as well and the Pirates are really hoping that both Wol and Williams can step into major roles likely as starters. Seton Hall likes the potential both players have, not to mention what Kabba brings as a replacement at the 5 for his interior work. We also have to mention Copeland, who starred at the JUCO level and might become the main answer at center, though we’ll have to see how his game translates into Seton Hall’s system after that dominance last season.
Seton Hall needs this new crop of talent to get the job done. We’re not saying Holloway’s job is depending on a successful season but a fifth year of missing the NCAA Tournament wouldn’t be good, especially with the Tourney field expanding in the offseason. Regardless, the Pirates have pieced together a lineup with varying levels of experience, scoring, and playmaking ability and could certainly surprise some people in the months to come.
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