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Two college basketball coaches with a shared history had to be separated during a tense handshake line Saturday after the Seton Hall Pirates defeated the Wagner Seahawks 72-51 in Newark.
The incident occurred between Seton Hall head coach Shaheen Holloway and Wagner’s Donald Copeland, both of whom played for the Pirates and served as assistants under Holloway’s predecessor, Kevin Willard.
As reported by the Asbury Park Press, the incident was sparked by a late foul by Wagner’s Tahron Allen. The fact that this happened with 37 seconds left in a 19-point blowout didn’t sit well with Holloway, who was apparently content with the clock running out against the Seahawks.
The two initially appeared friendly as they crossed paths during the post-match handshake line, but after exchanging words, Holloway violently yanked Copeland’s right arm, leading to a near brawl.
Copeland did not respond, but did attempt to approach Holloway, 47, again before the two were separated.
Seton Hall head coach Shaheen Holloway (left) and Wagner’s Donald Copeland (right)
Holloway violently yanked Copeland’s right arm, leading to a near-fight on Saturday
Holloway (right) continued to talk to Copeland (left) as the two were separated
“I take full responsibility for that,” Holloway told the Asbury Park Press. ‘I like Donald. Donald is like a little brother to me. I’m extremely disappointed that that happened.
“As a bigger brother, I take full responsibility for it because it should never have happened.”
Copeland also admitted he felt “embarrassed.”
“I want to apologize,” he said. “I have apologized to my team for what happened.
‘I have a lot of respect for Sha. I always looked up to him, as a smaller guard. He’s a competitor, I’m a competitor too.
Later, Shaheen Holloway took responsibility: ‘I’m super disappointed that that happened’
Both Donald Copeland (left) and Shaheen Holloway (right) played at Seton Hall University
“That’s probably part of it.”
Seton Hall (4-0) has its first real test Thursday at No. 16 USC, while Wagner (1-3) hosts NJIT next Saturday.
Holloway was a Pirates guard from 1996 to 2000, averaging 13.7 points and 5.9 assists per game during that time.
Although Copeland was a lesser-known player at Seton Hall from 2002 to 2006, he started 30 games as a senior while averaging 16.1 points and 4.5 assists. Until 2015 he played in Europe.