BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 14, 2024

Shaheen Holloway

Al-Amir Dawes

Madison Square Garden

Seton Hall Pirates

Postgame Media Conference

St. John's 91, Seton Hall 72

MODERATOR: Coach, do you want a statement or do you want to go direct to questions. Let's go to questions.

Can you guys start with Al?

Q. Al, what happened defensively?

AL-AMIR DAWES: We just didn't play our defense, how we usually play it. And we came up short.

Q. How much of that was what St. John's did and how much of that was on you guys?

AL-AMIR DAWES: It was just us. Obviously they, you know, played off our turnovers and scored easy off our turnovers. And that was just the whole -- the whole thing of the game was just our turnovers and them converting them.

Q. You got a few days off now before Sunday. What will the team do for the next few days, and what's your mentality kind of waiting for Sunday and the NCAA tournament?

AL-AMIR DAWES: Probably just, you know, take a day off, get our minds off, regroup and the next day come back at it. Fix off of today's loss and just take it day by day heading into the tournament.

Q. Do you think you've done enough to see your name called on Sunday night?

AL-AMIR DAWES: I mean, yeah. I think so. We beat a couple teams. So, yeah, I think we're selected for the tournament. I think we should be. So, yeah.

Q. Al, you and the team started really hot from three and you were getting the deep ball to go, but in the second half the attempts really went down. What happened on offense? What was the change in mindset?

AL-AMIR DAWES: You know, the shots just wasn't falling. And like I said, our turnovers were defeating us. So it wasn't really mentally going on. It was just our mistakes and us not really correcting them at the right time, at the right moments.

Q. I wanted to ask you as far as the momentum of the game, it seemed like you guys had moments and stuff throughout the game. But just maintaining that in key moments of the game, what did you see from St. John's? And to pile on a little bit there, what was the offensive struggles towards the second half?

AL-AMIR DAWES: We personally -- it wasn't no struggles at all for us and the guys. It's just we wasn't good defensively today. So that's it.

MODERATOR: All right. Let's move on to Coach.

Q. I think the score was 21 to 20. I think it was Bediako got two shots at the rim and the ball didn't go in. And next thing Ledlum hit a three-pointer. When you look back at this game, is that what stood out for you?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: I don't know what play you're talking about. Obviously the game just ended. I haven't watched the tape. So I don't know what play you're talking about.

Q. What happened defensively on the glass for your team today?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: I don't know. That's a good question. You gotta gave St. John's a lot of credit. Thought these guys came out, they was hungry. They did everything that we do to teams that they did to us, which is disappointing.

I don't know. I can't really put my -- I don't know. We just -- we didn't defend like we're capable of defending. They got a lot of stuff in transition. They lived in the paint. They got a lot of paint points. Like I said, everything that we do to teams, they kind of did to us today.

Q. What message would you have to the selection committee with your resumé and your team's capability?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: I'll be honest. I think our resumé speaks for itself. I think this is the best conference in the country. We had 13 wins in the best conference in the country. What else are we talking about right now? I thought we had some good wins early on. I thought some teams beat us that was pretty good.

I mean, people forget that USC was the Top-25 team when they beat us. Iowa is good. So when you go out and you challenge yourself and play a good schedule, right?

I don't look back and say we had one bad loss. Even a good Rutgers team. Rutgers is in-state rival. Those games happen. But, yeah, I thought to get 13 wins -- I think it was 13, right? I don't want to miss -- to get 13 wins in this conference, I mean, that's pretty impressive.

Q. There were so many opportunities this game that seemed like your team was about to turn a corner, about to turn the tide and it just didn't happen.

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: Turnovers.

Q. What was it you were trying to tell your guys?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: Stop turning the ball over. You know, stop -- at key moments, at key moments we had turnovers. And not just one, a couple in a row. So you go down -- whenever we was down and we were trying to fight back and the next thing you know we got a turnover and they got a run on that one. So I thought that was the difference.

And like I said, I don't want to take nothing away from those guys. I thought those guys did well. I know we've beaten that team three times. Obviously I didn't want to lose like this and I didn't think -- you know, for me, this is tough to swallow. I'm super competitive. My stomach is turning right now. I can't believe that we came out and played like this in such an important game.

Q. They played 12 guys with the clear intention of keeping up the tempo and the pressure?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: I don't think that had nothing to do with it. We played them twice and they played 12 guys before. I just thought we didn't -- I don't want to cut you off, but I don't think that had anything to do with it. They didn't wear us down, nothing like that.

We just -- you know, the first half we were depending on the three ball, kept us in the game. And the second half the three don't go in. And I thought they did a really good job on Dre, one of our key guys, not letting him get off, doubled him. Or any time they put the ball on the ground, they would surround him. And we just didn't make the correct plays down the stretch to kind of hurt what they were trying to do on defense.

Q. I know you're just coming out of this game, but what's your plan here for the next few days leading up to Sunday?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: I don't know. I'm down in the dumps right now. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow or even later on tonight, nor do I fucking care, to be honest with you. You know, I'm super, super disappointed. I'm sorry for my language. I apologize if I'm offending anybody, but I'm super down right now.

And I wanted this team to get to Friday night and understand what Friday night is to play in Madison Square Garden, the Big East tournament. And we just didn't do it and I'm disappointed.

Q. You've been real vocal about obviously what losing does to you when you sat here and said how disappointing it is, but what is the main thing you're going to take away from today?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: I think we let an unbelievable opportunity slip away, that we let an unbelievable opportunity slip away. We kind of put our faith in somebody else's hands instead of us, you know, taking care of business.

But can't put your head down. Obviously this sucks right now. This sucks. This sucks real bad. You gotta have a quick memory. And I think we did way more than enough to get in. So obviously we take tomorrow off and get back on it. I don't know what today is. What is today? Thursday? Take tomorrow off and get back at it on Saturday, and then wait to see whether our name is going to be called. And kind of go from there, to be honest with you.