Seton Hall’s Shaheen Holloway Shares Uplifting Moment With Robbie Avila After NIT

Seton Hall and Indiana State battled in a nailbiter of an NIT Final on Thursday night, with the Pirates pulling away as the tournament's champions, 79–77.

The Sycamores held a lead throughout much of the game, but they struggled down the stretch as Seton Hall took a late lead via a 9–0 run.

After the game, viral Indiana State star Robbie Avila could be seen disappointedly taking in the defeat, which prompted Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway to walk over to him. Avila had his head down as he mired in the despair of defeat, but Holloway didn't hesitate to help him lift his chin up and offer some words of encouragement.

After Seton Hall wins the NIT Title, Shaheen Holloway **quite literally** tells Robbie Avila to keep his chin up.

This is respect between two great representatives of college hoops.

This is sportsmanship at the highest level. pic.twitter.com/1LEjmGIjDB

— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) April 5, 2024

Avila, endearingly nicknamed "Cream Abdul-Jabbar," was the leading scorer of a Sycamores team that won 32 games during the 2023–24 season. He scored 13 points and added five assists and five rebounds in the NIT championship loss. He didn't score in the final 11 minutes and 37 seconds of the game.

Holloway showed plenty of class in refusing to let Avila keep his head down after the loss, and the two shared a brief embrace before going their separate ways.