Seton Hall basketball rocks Saint Peter's as nostalgia goes out the window

NEWARK – It was generous of Seton Hall basketball coach Shaheen Holloway to schedule a game against Saint Peter’s.

Once the ball went up, though, nostalgia went out the window.

Eight months after Holloway and standout forward KC Ndefo led the Peacocks to the greatest Cinderella run in NCAA Tournament history, an Elite Eight appearance as a No. 15 seed, they crushed their old program 80-44 Saturday before a rocking Prudential Center crowd of 9,000.

Ndefo, who was the lone Peacock to move with Holloway from Jersey City to South Orange, set a tone that went well beyond the box score. He finished with six points and five rebounds, but his defense, passing and hustle were lights-out as the Pirates attacked this game like their lives depended on it.

“We put in a lot of years for that university and it was a great experience for us," Ndefo said. "I think we handled this well, took care of business.”

Junior guard Al-Amir Dawes, a Newark native who transferred from Clemson, also came up big with 13 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, rising to Holloway’s challenge to be “more than a shooter” as the Pirates improved to 2-0.

"Al is somebody we’re going to depend on to do some things for us," Holloway said. "I’m happy that he got near the rebounds, because the last game, he only had one or two, right? But I still gotta get our guys to rebound."

This marked the 6-foot-2 Dawes' first career double-double, which he informed the media as Ndefo burst into applause next to him at the interview table.

“I appreciate the fellas for backing off and letting me get (rebounds),” Dawes said with a laugh.

Saint Peter’s (1-1), which returns three players from the back end of last year’s rotation, got 13 points from sophomore guard Jaylen Murray. Senior guard Kyle Cardaci, a Mater Dei Prep grad who hails from Holmdel, added five points.

“I talked to my guys about character revealed,” first-year Peacocks coach Bashir Mason said. “I thought Seton Hall did a very good job of revealing to us who we are in a moment of adversity. I thought we caved, and if we don’t get that right we’re not going to beat anybody.”

This was the first time these programs met since 2017, ending a series pause that had irked Holloway. Seton Hall is now 65-24 all-time against Saint Peter’s dating back to 1932. The Peacocks’ last victory over the Pirates came in 2013.

“I like their style, similar to us, aggressive defensively,” Mason said. “He gets his guys to play hard and play defense. If they get a bit more fluid offensively, they’re going to have a really good team.”

FIVE TAKEAWAYS

1. All business

Anyone expecting a big display of camaraderie between these programs was in for a disappointment. Starting with the Monmouth postgame press conference, Holloway did his best to bleed the emotions out of this one. Unlike the display of affection between Holloway and King Rice Wednesday, the interaction between the coaches was more cursory this time (it’s not that they don’t get along). And Ndefo was not exactly kibitzing with his former mates during the shootaround.

The reunion story line was for fans and media. Holloway wanted his guys to treat this as another non-conference opponent to beat down, and they did.

"I had no emotion, I went about like I was going about playing another team," Holloway said. "I don’t get into that; that’s not my thing. That was last year, we did what we did, and now I’m here. I don’t really care about that...I’m glad the game is over, to be honest with you. I wish them well, I hope they do really well this year, and I’m just worried about us.”

2. Hustle and discipline

Two telling stats for the Hall: six shot-clock violations forced and four charges drawn.

“That’s just our pride on defense – getting stops, charges and shot-clock violations," Ndefo said. "Whenever we get that, it gets out blood flowing, it gets us pumped.”

The Pirates also followed the plan to attack the paint. There was little hoisting.

“With this team we’re so athletic, I feel like getting to the basket is one of our strengths," senior forward Tyrese Samuel said. "And being able to get to the basket is going to open it up for the shooters on our team.”

This was a high-energy, high-IQ performance for 40 minutes by the host. It was the way Saint Peter's played last year.

“This is just the culture that (Holloway) built over at Saint Peter’s and he’s bringing that same culture to Seton Hall," Ndefo said.

A telling moment in the postgame interview session came when Holloway was asked about the charges his team took. That was not a staple for the Hall in the past.

"I would tell you this: Kadary (Richmond), I’m really mad at him," Holloway said. "Three times, he should have got on the floor for a loose ball, he didn’t. That’s how you get hurt. But we work on it, we work on taking charges. I think Dre Davis is really good at that, Femi (Odukale) is really good at that, and once a couple of guys start doing it, it’s contagious."

For the record, Richmond did take a charge. So did fellow Willard holdover Tray Jackson.

3. Great crowd

Close to 9,000 fans attended, almost all pro-Hall, including another huge student contingent. They were engaged from the get-go. This is and always has been a blue-collar program. It’s obvious fans appreciate the pedal-down, elbows-out way this team plays, as they should.

It was also nice to see a litany of former Pirates, including Daryll Walker, Greg Tynes, Myles Cale, Mike Nzei and Ike Obiagu. Alumni at courtside is always a sign of long-term program health.

“The last two games have been great," Samuel said of the crowd. "I’m pretty sure Wednesday (against Iowa) is going to be insane, like Texas and Rutgers last year. We’re going to play with all the passion we’ve got. We need the crowd to come out and support us, and we’ll give you guys a great basketball season.”

4. A generous gesture

Some mid-major coaches have it built into their contract that if they leave, their new team owes their old one a game, or a home-and-home. The latter was the case when Steve Pikiell moved from Stony Brook to Rutgers.

Holloway had no such provision, yet he gave the Peacocks a game (and the $100,000 or so that goes with it). A lot of coaches would have avoided this potential emotional minefield, but here you see Holloway’s best qualities. He was loyal to the place that gave him a shot to run his own shop, and he didn’t want to repeat the cold shoulder he received when he moved to Jersey City.

Seton Hall and Saint Peter’s had played for decades, but Kevin Willard called off the series when Holloway took over. It was costly for the Peacocks and a little insulting. Credit Holloway for seeing the big picture here. And don’t be surprised if the game remains a staple going forward.

"I would love to play them; I would love to play a lot of the local teams," Holloway said. "It’s up to the local teams to want to play us. If we won’t play, it won’t be on me. I’ll play them -- I’ll play any local team."

5. Next up: first big test

We’ll find out more about these Pirates Wednesday when Iowa comes in for the Gavitt Games. The defending Big Ten Tournament champions, picked to finish seven in the league’s preseason media poll, is 2-0 with romps over low-majors. This could be a good matchup for the Hall, considering Iowa’s emphasis on the perimeter game. Fun fact: Fran McCaffery, then at Siena, was Seton Hall’s first choice to replace Bobby Gonzalez before Willard was hired.

A win could be a major resume boost for Seton Hall. The game tips at 7:30 on Fox Sports 1.

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Seton Hall basketball rocks Saint Peter's as nostalgia goes out window