Report: Saint Peter's hones in on replacement for Shaheen Holloway

The darlings of the 2022 NCAA Tournament have a new leader. According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Saint Peter’s is honing in on Wagner’s Bashir Mason as the next leader of the Peacocks, amid the loss of Shaheen Holloway to Seton Hall.

“Sources: Saint Peter’s is hiring Wagner coach Bashir Mason as the school’s next coach,” tweeted Thamel. “He went 165-130 in 10 years at Wagner and won three league championship. He’s a Jersey City native with deep ties to the area. w/@jeffborzello. Presser on Wednesday.”

The 38-year old Mason brought substance and style to Wagner, and the program has found continued success over his time with the program. While the team struggled at times during his tenure, he led the Seahawks to three Northeast Conference titles.

Now, he’ll be tasked with continuing the work of now-Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway. As the Peacocks lost a bevy of their best players to the transfer portal, it’ll be interesting to see how Mason rebuilds the roster.

Nevertheless, Bashir Mason is an admirable choice to lead Saint Peter’s in the post-Holloway era. While the Peacocks gave us a memorable run in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, Mason will now look to find continued success for the program.

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With Bashir Mason, Saint Peter’s is making their first big addition after an exodus took place following a memorable season.

First, coach Shaheen Holloway took off for Seton Hall. The Peacocks simply couldn’t match what the Pirates were offering — both financially and historically. Seton Hall represents home for Holloway, and a beautiful chapter in his basketball story.

Then, multiple stars of the memorable run decided to enter the transfer portal. Led by breakout star Doug Edert, the sharp-shooting guard was joined in his decision by guards Daryl Banks III and Matthew Lee. Now, Mason has to not just replace Holloway’s voice in the locker room, but a bevy of talent.

Still, stranger things have happened. Saint Peter’s did just go to the Elite Eight as a No. 15 seed, so the basketball world has learned not to count out the Peacocks. Nevertheless, Bashir Mason has his work cut out for him in Jersey City.