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College basketball coaches have altercation during handshake line; apology issued
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College basketball is in full swing, and there was a heated moment between a pair of head coaches on Saturday afternoon.
Seton Hall defeated Wagner 72-51 to move to 4-0 on the season. But after the game, Seton Hall head coach Shaheen Holloway and Wagner coach Donald Copeland got into a brief altercation in the postgame handshake line.
Halloway appeared to be frustrated with Copeland as the two approached each other. After a short conversation, Holloway ripped his arm away in apparent disgust at something Copeland had said.
Here’s video of the altercation:
Some handshake beef between Seton Hall Head Coach Shaheen Holloway and Wagner Head Coach Donald Copeland.
Both are former Seton Hall players and Copeland was a Seton Hall assistant the year before Holloway took the head coaching job. pic.twitter.com/7HdlnGnieb
— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) November 18, 2023
Holloway was asked about the moment during his postgame press conference. He told reporters he took “full responsibility” for what happened and said Copeland is “like a little brother” to him.
“As a bigger brother I take responsibility for it because it should have never happened,” Holloway said. “I’ve got to realize when guys are competing, kinda like friendship and stuff like that goes out the window. He’s fighting for his team and I respect it.
“So like I said, I take responsibility for that. I like Donald. I respect him. He’s a good person, he was a good player and he’s a good coach.”
Here’s video of Holloway’s apology:
Seton Hall men's basketball coach Shaheen Holloway addresses his heated postgame conversation with Wagner head coach Donald Copeland:
"I take full responsibility for that. I like Donald. Donald's like a little brother to me. I'm super-disappointed that that happened." pic.twitter.com/z4k3JTt3Ju
— SNY (@SNYtv) November 18, 2023
According to college basketball writer Jerry Carino, the scuffle happened because Holloway took issue with Wagner’s decision to play press defense even after the outcome of the game had been decided.
College basketball fans will remember Holloway as the former head coach of Saint Peter’s. He led that program all the way to the Elite Eight as a No. 15 seed in 2022. Holloway is in his second season as Seton Hall’s head coach.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
