Clash of Coaches: Seton Hall and Wagner’s Leaders Involved in Scuffle

The head coaches of Seton Hall and Wagner’s men’s basketball teams, Shaheen Holloway and Donald Copeland, were involved in a post-game scuffle. Known for their contributions to the sport and respective colleges, Holoway and Copeland attracted attention for this unexpected altercation.

The incident adds a dramatic twist to their coaching roles and raises questions about what led to the confrontation between the two accomplished coaches.

Donald Copeland was a former basketball player turned coach and is currently heading the Wagner Seahawks basketball team. Playing at St. Anthony High School and then later at Seton Hall, Copeland earned All-State honors and was a Second Team All-Big East selection in his senior college season.

Following graduation, he had a brief stint for the Coca-Cola Tigers in the Philippines and played for nine seasons in Europe and Puerto Rico. Transitioning to coaching, Copeland joined Wagner’s staff in 2017. He made a brief return to Seton Hall in 2021 and then became Wagner’s coach afterward, succeeding Bashir Mason.

Meanwhile, Shaheen Holoway, the head coach of the Seton Hall Pirates, is also a former player and manned the point guard position at the same college in his playing years. He earned accolades, led the team to the 2000 NCAA Sweet Sixteen, and played overseas after graduation.

Transitioning to coaching in 2007, he joined Iona College and then came back to his alma mater. Holloway went to Saint Peter’s in 2018 and led the team to the Elite Eight in the 2022 NCAA tournament. In March 2022, he returned to Seton Hall after a successful stint at St. Peter’s.

In the matchup between Seton Hall and Wagner, Seton Hall emerged as the winner, prevailing over Wagner with a wide 21-point lead, 72-51. In the postgame handshake between coaches Shaheen Holloway and Donald Copeland, things got chippy between coaches.

This post-game incident stemmed from a late-game foul. Holloway later took responsibility for the incident and apologized.

“I take full responsibility for that,” Holloway said. “I like Donald. Donald is like a little brother to me. I am super disappointed that that happened. As the bigger brother, I take full responsibility for it because it should have never happened.”

Holloway also added that this is just a result of their competitiveness taking over, as they both want to win for their respective teams. Respect is still there, and he apologized for what transpired.

On the other hand, Copeland also apologized for what happened and reiterated that he respects Holloway as well.

“Unfortunate situation; I don’t want to go in-depth, but I am embarrassed,” Copeland said. “I want to apologize. I apologized to my team for what went on. I have a ton of respect for Sha. I always looked up to him coming up, as a smaller guard. He’s a competitor, I’m a competitor, too. That’s probably a little bit of a part of it.

Despite the handshake drama, both former players turned coaches patched up and, through their words, said that their bond remains strong. Holloway and Copeland shared history within the program, and the recent incident just showed their competitive spirit.