The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) announced its 2026 Division I Men’s Basketball All-ECAC Teams and major award winners on Wednesday, with Seton Hall men’s basketball Head Coach Shaheen Holloway named its Coach of the Year.
Since 1938, the ECAC has sponsored championships, leagues, tournaments, and more across all three NCAA Divisions throughout the Northeast. The organization has over 200 member-schools, SHU being one of them.
This latest coaching-related accolade marks Holloway’s fourth of the season, already named the AP’s BIG EAST Coach of the Year, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Mid-Atlantic District Co-Coach of the Year and, most notably, the unanimous BIG EAST Coach of the Year.
Holloway has received such recognition from these organizations and the conference itself after leading the Pirates to the greatest turnaround in program history, amassing 21 wins after just seven the season prior. The Hall’s 14-win improvement was also the second-best of any team in the nation this season.
While 20 wins in the regular season was good enough for SHU to finish in fourth place in the BIG EAST standings, earning them a first-round bye in the conference tournament, The Hall’s eventual 21 wins was not enough to earn them a spot in the NCAA Tournament, to the disappointment of Holloway and those in Pirate Nation.
“Obviously [I’m] disappointed that certain things didn’t fall our way—I thought we did enough (to get in the NCAAs)," Holloway told Asbury Park Press’ Jerry Carino. “It’s crazy to think that for me, two of my four years here, we won 20-plus games and normally in this league when you do that, you’re a lock. I can’t believe it man.”
Rather than play in the College Basketball Crown Tournament instead, Holloway and the team decided to decline all non-NCAA postseason tournament invitations for this year.
Instead, they will turn their attention to next season, with Holloway saying that player retention and adding 3-point shooters through the transfer portal are his offseason priorities.
Zachary Mawby is the head editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at zachary.mawby@student.shu.edu.
