Cal Basketball: Coaching Star of Saint Peter's Nearly Played for the Golden Bears

Shaheen Holloway made a recruiting visit and had Cal among his final four schools.

Coach Shaheen Holloway, whose cool sideline demeanor has steered Saint Peter’s historic NCAA tournament run, almost played for Cal.

Truth be told, we don’t actually know how close the Bears were to landing the one-time backcourt star from St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth, N.J.

But he had Cal among his final four schools, along with Duke, Syracuse and Seton Hall. Georgia Tech also was in the picture at one point.

Holloway, although barely 5-foot-9, was a dynamite high school player. He beat out the likes of Kobe Bryant, Stephen Jackson and Rip Hamilton for MVP honors at the 1996 McDonald’s All-America Game after totaling seven points, eight assists and six steals.

Saint Peter's coach Shaheen Holloway

Photo by Mitchell Leff, USA Today

Holloway, whose Peacocks have become the first-ever 15th seed to reach the Elite 8 round of the tournament, made a recruiting visit to Berkeley in mid-October 1995 and returned home impressed.

I talked afterward with St. Patrick coach Kevin Boyle, who told me, “He enjoyed himself. I think it was a good visit. But all three of his visits have been good, so it’s hard to say where he’s at.”

Blue Chip Illustrated, a top recruiting source at the time, listed Syracuse as the favorite. Bob Gibbons, a long-time recruiting specialist, predicted Duke would land Holloway.

“But Cal has made a believer out of me,” Gibbons told me. “When they go hard for a guy, they certainly can get their share.”

Holloway wound up staying home to play for Seton Hall, Boyle’s college alma mater.

This was Todd Bozeman’s final season as coach at Cal, and he scoured the country for the best players. Shareef Abdur-Rahim was playing his one-and-done freshman season for the Bears in 1995-96, and Holloway wasn’t the only elite point guard prospect Bozeman was pursuing. He also was after two-sport star Mateen Cleaves, who eventually led Michigan State to a national title.

Among Holloway’s concerns, Boyle said at the time, was the glut of young backcourt talent on the Cal roster. “Most places are recruiting him to start and play 35 minutes,” Boyle explained. “That’s a big obstacle for Cal to overcome.”

Guards Ed Gray, Randy Duck, Prentice McGruder and Anwar McQueen all returned to Cal the next season but Jelani Gardner, a former high school All-America point guard, left the program after his sophomore season in 1995-96.

Depending on Holloway’s connection to Bozeman he may never have made it to Cal, even if he’d chosen the Bears. Bozeman resigned under pressure following the 1995-96 season amid a growing list of alleged improprieties.

The Bears were facing an NCAA investigation and Bozeman was dealing with allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a female former Cal student. Bozeman eventually received an eight-year coaching ban from the NCAA after admitting he paid $30,000 to Gardner’s parents.

Abdur-Rahim won Pac-10 Player of the Year honors after leading the conference in scoring at 21.1 points per game, then was selected third in the 1996 NBA draft, behind Allen Iverson and Marcus Camby.

Cal hired Ben Braun, who led the Bears to a 23-9 record in 1996-97 and their most recent appearance in the Sweet 16, where they lost 63-57 to a North Carolina team featuring Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison.

Holloway had a terrific career at Seton Hall, averaging 13.7 points and 5.9 assists over four seasons, earning a spot in the university’s athletic hall of fame. He started 109 of 116 career games and scored 27 points in a win over Oregon in the opening round of the 2000 NCAA tournament.

Now 45 and in his fourth season as head coach at St. Peter’s, Holloway is focused in a spotlight brighter than any he faced as a player.

The Peacocks have become’s America’s team while upsetting Kentucky, Murray State and Purdue during the first two weeks of the NCAA tournament. They are one step away from becoming the most improbable entry in Final Four history.

Riding a 10-game win streak, the Peacocks (22-11) take on No. 8 seed North Carolina (27-9), which has advanced via wins over Marquette, top seed and defending national champion Baylor, and UCLA. Tipoff is Sunday at 2:05 p.m. on CBS.

Cover photo of Saint Peter's coach Shaheen Holloway by Bill Streicher, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo