Seton Hall’s basketball reputation extends far beyond the decorated varsity team.
With one of the most competitive intramural basketball leagues in the country, students not on the varsity team compete in the winter for an intramural championship.
While most students are pleased with the intramural route, Jack Heenan wanted more for those who wanted to play at a higher level without the commitment required for a varsity team.
After graduating from SHU in 2023 with a degree in sports management, Heenan was hired as assistant director of athletic facilities and operations at the Richie Regan Recreation and Athletic Center on campus. It was from there that he founded and became the head coach of the school's club basketball team in 2024.
“I always grew up playing hoops,” Heenan said. “So when I took the job, I knew about other schools having club teams and knew that was something I would have wanted as a student, especially the ability to travel and compete with other schools.”
SHU club basketball founder and head coach, Jack Heenan, posing with the team | Photo via Jack Heenan | The Setonian
While often mistaken for intramural sports, club sports take a different approach. Heenan clarified the difference between the two, explaining that students only play against others from their school in intramural basketball, while club basketball allows students to travel and compete against players from other schools. Now in the program’s second year, Heenan believes he has grown immensely with his leadership and management skills from year one to year two.
“Year one was definitely a learning curve,” he said. “There were a lot of details behind the scenes, especially with finances and scheduling, that I had to learn about.”
“But now I know what I’m getting into,” he added.
Heenan’s commitment has also shifted in year two, with his focus now more on coaching than on managing the team. Heenan has two practices a week, on Friday nights and Saturday mornings. The practices are action-packed, with Heenan having the team go through an active warm-up, defensive drills, live scenarios, and a scrimmage.
Heenan manages the team with assistance from Omar Usmani and Sean Love, the team’s club president and vice president, who help with the team’s workload.
“They really drive the club in a lot of ways behind the scenes,” said Heenan about Usmani and Love. “They work out the budget, they talk to the league we joined about scheduling and logistics—without them none of this could work.”
While they each have different roles, senior roommates Usmani and Love have an incredible dynamic that allows for great leadership and communication.
“[Love’s] my right-hand man in everything I do,” Usman said. “It’s like, I'm the main at this, you’re the main at that, and we help each other out whenever we can.”
Because the participating athletes are students like Usmani and Love, in Heenan’s eyes, it opens the door for a unique support system between the team and the student body.
“It’s unique because these guys on our team are regular students and have many friends on campus,” Heenan said. “With the varsity team, not many people know the athletes on a personal level, whereas with the club, almost everyone at our games knows someone personally and it creates a great environment with the team and the fans.”
In addition to the support from the student body, the team has created a strong sense of community and identity for the players.
“There’s a lot of really good players that come into Division I schools that don’t have an opportunity to play on the varsity team,” Love said. “Whether that be a missed opportunity, an injury, or timing, the club basketball team has given everyone something to show pride for their school while getting to play the game we love.”
Similarly, Usmani shared how close the team was during the club’s first year of operation—something he and Love hope to recreate this season in the new roster.
“That first year we legitimately created a family,” Usmani said. “We would always be hanging out after games, getting food, watching MMA.”
“We all knew each other from playing together at the rec,” he added. “But once we all put on the same jersey, everyone went to war for one another.”
Heenan and the team are in the thick of a long season that started in September and will continue through March. This month, the team beat Lafayette College in their first two games of the season. They will play Lehigh University next on Nov. 15 before hosting Hofstra University on Nov. 16. Other teams on their schedule include in-state rivals like Princeton University, Fordham University, and their bitterest rival of all—Rutgers University.
Now that the club is off the ground and running, Heenan has lofty goals for the team. Earlier this year, he entered SHU into the National Club Basketball Association (NCBBA), making them eligible to compete for national championships.
Although the Club National Championship in April is still a long way away, with a year under his belt and everything in front of him, Heenan is fully committed to the team’s present and future success—as well as ensuring his players enjoy their experience no matter how the season goes.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to win a national championship," he said. “But I’ll be content if these guys have a great time, and meet new friends.”
William Gilhooly is a writer for The Setonian’s Sports Section. He can be reached at william.gilhooly@student.shu.edu.
