In New Jersey, a handshake between two coaches on Saturday ended in a scuffle.
Shaheen Holloway, the Pirates’ head coach, pulled Donald Copeland by his arm as they spoke after Seton Hall beat Wagner 71-52.
According to the Asbury Park Press, the two former Seton Hall Guards shared a warm embrace before the match.
Wagner’s Tahron Allan fouled a Pirate when Seton Hall only had 37 seconds to dribble out the clock.
Holloway let Copeland know his displeasure before pulling his arm, and then advancing up the line as other coaches stood between them.
After the game, the Pirates’ coach expressed regret.
Things were HEATED going through the handshake line for Seton Hall and Wagner 👀 pic.twitter.com/wQRt5URuBC
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) November 18, 2023
Holloway stated, “I accept full responsibility for this.” “I like Donald. Donald is my little brother. This is a terrible thing to have happened. I am the older brother and therefore fully responsible for what happened. It should never have happened.
“I have to understand that when men are competing, things like friendship and other stuff go out of the window,” said he. “He is fighting for the team and I respect that. As I’ve said, I accept responsibility. I like Donald, I respect him. He is a great person, player, and coach.”
Copeland apologized to his team and the public both.
“I am a huge fan of Sha. As a small guard, I looked up to Sha. He’s a rival, and I am one too. He said, “That’s probably just a small part of it.”
“I only try to coach my own team.” No matter who I play, that’s all I think about now. I want to be the coach of my team, from beginning to end. It’s a shame what happened to him and me. Seton Hall is a place I cherish dearly. We are both alums. It’s the reason I talked to my guys first about the culture article. This is not the way you act and react. I will take responsibility for what I did. “I’m not going into details, but my goal is to coach my team to success from the beginning to the end. That’s what I am doing.”
Holloway was St. Peter’s head coach when, in 2022 as a 15-seed team, the team reached the Elite Eight. This feat was unprecedented.
Copeland was an assistant coach at Seton Hall from 2021-22 before he joined Wagner.
