Weekly throughout the summer, the BIG EAST will check-in with each of its 11 men's basketball programs. Highlighted by a one-on-one interview with each head coach and NBC Sports' John Fanta, the BIG EAST Summer Check-In Series will cover a wide range of topics from roster changes, highlights from summer workouts, and scheduling updates.
This week, the Summer Check-In series heads to Seton Hall to talk with head coach Shaheen Holloway. Entering his fifth year at the helm of the Pirates, Holloway discusses the new arrivals, his emphasis on finding shooting in the portal, and how his team needs to match his intensity level - which registers at 10-out-of-10, each and every day.
“Every day, I put my best foot forward. I told my guys, in the beginning of practice, you never have to worry about me not bringing it every single day. I'm bringing it every single day. I'm never having an off day. I'm on 10 every day, all day. If you're not bringing what I'm bringing, then we've got a serious problem.
I want to take Seton Hall to the highest height. I want to not just make the tournament, but make a deep run. I want to win a BIG EAST Championship...I'm just trying my best, competing and playing at a high level, coaching my butt off every single game, to try to put my team in the best position to try to win. Period. That's it.”
Head Coach Shaheen Holloway on setting the tone each and every day
Seton Hall's 2026-27 Scheduling
Notable 2026-27 Non-Conference Matchups:
- Nov. 13 at Alabama
- Nov. 19-20 vs. Wisconsin, N.C. State, TBD (Baha Mar)
- Dec. 4 vs. Kansas State
- Dec. 12 at Rutgers
Seton Hall's 2026-27 Roster
"I think we can be pretty good, but I thought last year's team was pretty deep. There's competition at every spot, two or three guys which I love - the players might not love it, but I love it. It gives you a lot of opportunities to see who really wants it.
I'm really impressed with our bigs. Our wings have been battling, our guards have been battling, and everybody's not here yet. But the tone has been set. These guys understand exactly what I want and how I want it. It's gonna take some time for some guys to pick it up, because they're not used to the intensity or the passion I coach with - and we play with - every single day. There's no days off here."
Holloway on what he has seen with his Pirates' squad through summer workouts
Newcomers
#0 Del Jones - Jr. - G - 6-3 - 187 - Landover, Md.
- Three-star ranked transfer (EvanMiya) from Radford; 2025-26 Second Team All-Big South selection
- Averaged 17.1 points and 3.5 assists per game a season ago; Began his career at Clemson
"Del is a young man that I recruited out of high school and he ended up going to Clemson. Had a solid freshman year and then went to Radford last year and tore it up. He played very well and scored at a high clip. So with Del right now, I'm trying to figure him out. Figure his sweet spots out, figure out what he does very well. He's a better shooter than his percentage is showing, once he shoots the ball the same way every time. He's dynamic, he can really go off the bounce. He can really make plays and sometimes he's very flashy. But now, do I let him go, do I let him not go, do I try to hold him back - and I just want to let him play. I want him to have freedom, but I want him to play under the structure of the offense...he's a scorer, he's a flat out scorer. And we're gonna need that."
Holloway on Del Jones' knack for scoring the basketball
#2 Kareem Thomas - Jr. - G - 6-5 - 195 - Wilmington, Del.
- Three-star ranked transfer (EvanMiya) from Dartmouth; led the Big Green in scoring, at 15.9 points per game
- Logged 21 games in double-digits in 2025-26, including nine 20-point performances
#4 Simeon Wilcher - Sr. - G - 6-4 - 200 - Plainfield, N.J.
- Four-star ranked transfer (EvanMiya.com) from Texas; averaged nearly 6.0 points, 2.0 boards, and 2.0 assists per game for the Longhorns
- Began his career at St. John's; McDonald's All-American selection as a prep at nearby Roselle Catholic
"When we got Sim, I was excited because he was someone who I wanted since I got here. I thought we had him and then he went to St. John's. And we tried talking with him before he went to Texas, but now he's back. The first couple weeks, I was trying to get Sim to understand that this is completely different than both of your stops. I need you to be the Sim Wilcher you were in high school. Not a piece or just a role guy. I need you to be THAT guy, and he wasn't used to doing it because three years of being a role guy is tough. The first three weeks has been getting his mind right, getting his confidence, and letting him know I'm with him. Sim is a guy that if he knows you've got his back, he'll give you everything he's got. I think the last three weeks, you're starting to see the Sim that I envision him to be...understanding that he can play multiple spots, he's got good size for a guard. I think he can be one of the better defenders out there with his size and length. "
Holloway on getting Simeon Wilcher to Seton Hall and what he can bring this season
#6 Rodney Brown - Sr. - G - 6-6 - 185 - Perris, Calif.
- Three-star ranked transfer (EvanMiya.com) from Loyola Marymount; honorable mention All-WCC selection in 2025-26
- Logged 14.0 points per game while leading the WCC with 87 made 3-pointers at a 38.2% clip; Began his career at Virginia Tech
#7 Darien Moore - Fr. - G - 6-2 - 170 - Hudson, N.Y.
- Four-star rated recruit by ESPN and 247Sports from Brewster Academy
- Averaged nearly 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 steals in Nike EYBL Scholastic league
#9 Terry Copeland - Jr. - G - 6-9 - 225 - Orange, N.J.
- 2025-26 NJCAA Division I Player of the Year from Howard College; averaged 19.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game while connecting on 67% of his shot attempts
- Led Howard College to a 33-4 record en route to capturing the 2025-26 NJCAA Division I national title
"Terry Copeland is everything I thought he was going to be, coming in. He had a tremendous year at JUCO - was the JUCO Player of the Year and kind of dominated - and he's doing some things that I didn't think he could do. I knew he could post up and throw his body around, but I didn't know he has the perimeter skills that he has. "
Holloway on the versatility that Terry Copeland has demonstrated in his time with Seton Hall so far
#15 Mayar Wol - Sr. - F - 6-8 - 196 - Raleigh, N.C.
- Three-star ranked transfer (EvanMiya.com) from Bowling Green; scored 10.5 points per game, making 50 3-pointers on nearly 40% shooting from beyond the arc
- Began his career at Eastern Kentucky, earning 2024-25 Atlantic Sun Sixth Man of the Year honors
#17 Mihailo Petrovic - Jr. - G - 6-2 - 180 - Prokuplke, Serbia
- Three-star ranked transfer (EvanMiya.com) from Illinois; saw action in 18 games for the Illini
- Averaged 14.2 points and 7.3 assists while playing with Belgrade's KK Mega Basket in the Adriatic League in 2024-25
#22 Devin Williams - Jr. - F - 6-10 - 205 - Riverside, Calif.
- Four-star ranked transfer (EvanMiya.com) from FAU; led the Owls in blocked shots with 85 swats
- Began his career at UCLA; was a consensus top 75 ranked recruit as a prep
"Very interesting young man. Very passionate about the game of basketball. Has a great personality, tremendous personality. I think he's got a lot to prove, being at UCLA for a couple years. And then last year, he had a solid year at Florida Atlantic. I think he's going to show everybody that he can play at this level. I like him because he's very versatile. He can shoot the ball from the outside, he can handle the ball way better than I thought he could. And he's working on his weaknesses, to me, that shows a young man that's trying to become really good.
Holloway on Devin Williams' impact on both ends of the floor
#23 Roddie Anderson - Gr. - G - 6-3 - 195 - Orange County, Calif.
- Three-star ranked transfer (EvanMiya.com) from Xavier; ranked fourth on the Musketeers in scoring (10.9 ppg)
- HoopsHD tabbed him as the 2025-26 BIG EAST Sixth Man of the Year; Previously played at UCSD and Boise State
"Roddie is a guy that's very, very intriguing. He's very quick, he's very fast, he can shoot the basketball. He's looking to score every time he touches the basketball. Now I've got to get him to understand when to go and when not to go. That's what we've been working on. He's super talented, super confident - which I like. I think he can be a really good on-the-ball defender, if that's something he really wants to do. Now I've got to get him to slow down a bit, because he plays at one speed - quick, quick, quick. I've got to get him to play at two speeds and read the game a little bit. He has all the tools to be a really good basketball player for us."
Holloway on Roddie Anderson's offensive abilities and changing speeds
#43 Nathan Mariano - F - 6-9 - 211 - Franca, Brazil
- Played in the NBA G-League a season ago with the Valley Suns; averaged 2.4 points and 2.5 boards in limited minutes
- Member of Brazil's national team that captured the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup gold medal; played with Sesi Franca in the NBB league in Brazil
#77 Abdulai Fanta Kabba - Jr. - C - 7-0 - 235 - Kenema, Sierra Leone
- Three-star ranked transfer (EvanMiya.com) from Western Carolina; averaged nearly 5.0 points, 6.0 rebounds while shooting 67.4% from the floor
- Named to 2025-26 SoCon Academic Honor Roll; Began his career at Denver
Returnees
#1 Trey Parker - Jr. - G - 6-0 - 180 - Fayetteville, N.C.
- Saw action in 32 games for the Pirates off the bench in 2025-26; averaged 4.3 points and 2.8 boards in nearly 16 minutes per game
- Posted a 1.34:1 assist/turnover ratio last year; began his career at N.C. State
"I think Trey Parker is trying to take on a leadership role because he's been here, so he's been more vocal and has been talking a lot....It was a simple process with him (to return). I gave the guys a couple weeks to decompress and re-evaluate if they wanted to be here and what was important. I didn't want guys who didn't want to be here. A couple guys did, a couple guys wanted to test the water a little bit. My thing was this - if you want to be here, I want you here. If you don't want to be here, I don't want you here. Trey wanted to be here, he made that very clear. Year two, guys always do better with me so I'm looking forward to a great year with him."
Holloway on Trey Parker's desire to return and his emerging role as a team leader
Departures
- Budd Clark - transfer; Jacob Dar - transfer; Tajuan Simpkins - transfer; Stephon Payne - transfer; Josh Rivera - transfer; Patrick Suemnick - eligibility expired; AJ Staton-McCray - eligibility expired; Jahseem Felton - transfer; Elijah Fisher - eligibility expired; Mike Williams - transfer; Najaf Hines - transfer; Assane Mbaye - transfer; David Gabriel - eligibility expired; Godswill Erheriene - transfer
By The Numbers
10-for-10 - A season ago, Del Jones posted two games with a perfect 10-for-10 percentage from the free throw line. His team was 9-3 when he shot 90.0% or better from the FT line a season ago.
85 - Devin Williams blocked 85 shots a season ago - seventh-most nationally. His 2.62 blocks per game average was fourth-best in the country.
17-19 - Terry Copeland poured in 40 points on 17-of-19 shooting a season ago in a game against Midland College. The NJCAA National Player of the Year made nearly 68% of his field goal attempts during the 2025-26 season