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It looks like Seton Hall men’s basketball head coach Shaheen Holloway has done it again.
A few months back, the fanbase witnessed players like All-BIG EAST member Budd Clark, freshman standout Najai Hines and Tajuan Simpkins transfer out of the program. It was demoralizing since Hines ended up going to UConn and Clark and Simpkins entered SEC territory by committing to Ole Miss and Mississippi State respectively.
Then, like the year prior, a mass exodus occurred with the roster. Players graduated and transferred out, leaving Trey Parker as the lone returning player from the 2025-26 roster.
However, Holloway appears to have recruited another tremendous transfer portal class. It’s a class full of size, experience, defense, and shooting. It’s one that could potentially lead the program back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
As of July 3, here are the new additions via the portal for the Pirates.
Del Jones (Transferred from Radford)
Holloway did a phenomenal job coaching Clark last season and Jones could be the next great program guard if he’s coached correctly. A second-team All-Big South member last season, the guard can do a little of everything.
Jones is an explosive athlete who can utilize his speed to attack and score, illustrated by his 17.2 points per game last season. The guard can also create for his teammates, something Clark did well last season. The Maryland native is also a good shooter, which will be beneficial for a program that hasn’t been defined by their offense for a bit now.
While Jones is taller than Clark at 6-foot-3, he does come from a small school in Radford. Fans recall that Clark came to New Jersey from Merrimack College so Holloway is hoping that this process works once more.
Simeon Wilcher (Transferred from Texas)
First off, welcome back to New Jersey and the BIG EAST Mr. Wilcher. After struggling at Texas last season following his time at St. John’s, the Plainfield native is back in the “Garden State” looking for better results.
There is history between Wilcher and Holloway as the Pirates’ headman pursued the former four-star recruit multiple times. A versatile defender on the court, there is the belief that he will be a starter on this season’s squad. Knowing that he has history in the physical BIG EAST, his familiarity with the conference will be key for the Pirates’ success this season.
Holloway has brought in former big name stars before such as Elijah Fisher and Zion Harmon, which unfortunately led to some mixed results. Expect Wilcher to be one of the starters for this season’s squad.
Rodney Brown Jr. (Transferred from Loyola Marymount)
Last season, Seton Hall was one of the worst perimeter shooting teams in the nation. One of Holloway’s main priorities this offseason was to find shooters who could help the program shoot better from deep. Brown was one of the finest sharpshooters Holloway found in the portal and the former four-star has the credentials to back it up.
A consistent starter at LMU, Brown was one of the best scorers in the West Coast Conference (WCC) and arguably one of the best three point shooters in the conference. Brown was able to lead the WCC in total three pointers (87) and three point percentage (38.2%) as well.
It’s been an interesting journey for Brown throughout his college career as the guard has made stops at California and Virginia Tech as well. At this rate, Brown will visit all 50 states considering he has traveled to a lot of locations the past few seasons. For SHU fans, if Brown can start the season hot from the perimeter, the team will be dangerous to stop.
Devin Williams (Transferred from FAU)
While gaining valuable perimeter shooting is crucial, the frontcourt needed some retooling following the exits of Hines and Stephon Payne. A massive reason for the program’s bounce back campaign last season was because of the great work of Hines and Payne defensively. When you look at the best block rates in the country, The Hall was among the elites in that category last season.
Hines finished last season in the top 20 in the nation in blocks per game with 2.2 and will now be a critical piece for Dan Hurley up in Storrs. Even with the loss of an incredible young player like Hines, the addition of Williams might terrify some.
Standing at 6-foot-10, the forward was a top five shot-blocker in the country last season, averaging 2.6 blocks per game. On top of his excellent size and defensive skills, Williams has the ability to shoot the ball and also grab offensive boards. Considered one of the best frontcourt pieces in this offseason’s transfer portal, teams like Arizona and North Carolina were eyeing his services.
It’s incredible that Holloway was able to attract a talented player like Williams away from some of the top programs in the nation. Sorry Tommy Lloyd but Williams is heading to the BIG EAST.
Williams will most likely start for the Pirates this upcoming campaign.
Terry Copeland (Transferred from Howard College)
The nickname “Scary Terry” will soon belong to the Orange, New Jersey native if everything goes according to plan.
During his time in the JUCO ranks last season, Copeland was one of the best players in the nation. Named the NJCAA D1 Men’s Basketball Player of the Year last season, Copeland led Howard College (TX) to a national championship. When you look at the numbers he put up, yeah a move up to big time college basketball was inevitable.
19.8 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per game, 67% from the field, 35.3% from three. Someone had to sign the Jersey kid. The Pirates ended up being the team that did.
The former Bergen Catholic standout brings size and inside scoring to the program and should work well with Williams. Standing at 6-foot-9 and 225 lbs, Copeland’s presence will help the Pirates mightily down low and he will more than likely be a starter for the team.
Kareem Thomas (Transferred from Dartmouth)
Is it crazy to say that Thomas might be the next Al-Amir Dawes? As mentioned before, Seton Hall was not a great perimeter shooting team in 2025-26. Thomas might elevate them to a higher-level alongside Brown.
Shooting an impressive 44.7% from three last season, Thomas was a spectacular addition from the transfer portal this offseason. Selfishly, I believe he could find a place in the starting five. But, he will still be a reliable piece off the bench if that’s what Holloway decides to do.
Thomas led the Big Green in points per game with 15.9 and while he is praised for his amazing shooting, he will attack the rim to get his team points. The Pirate faithful will recall that former Pirate, Bryce Aiken, was a product of the Ivy League so it will be interesting to see if Thomas can adapt to the BIG EAST.
Abdulai Fanta Kabba (Transferred from Western Carolina)
With Williams and Copeland expected to lead the frontcourt, Kabba will be huge as a depth piece for the squad. Kabba brings massive size with him as he is listed as a 7-footer and weighs 235 pounds. Including a 7-foot-5 wingspan, he will be a matchup nightmare for opposing bigs.
However, what concerns me is his poor free throw shooting which, let's just say, is below 30% for his career. Still, he will be pivotal in grabbing offensive rebounds and getting additional scoring opportunities for his team.
Let’s hope he develops well for the Pirates.
Roddie Anderson III (Transferred from Xavier)
From Cincinnati to South Orange/Newark, Anderson hit the transfer portal once again this offseason. Though, instead of switching conferences, he remained in the BIG EAST.
Last season under new HC Richard Pitino, Xavier finished 10th in the conference. To the credit of the Musketeers, they played better than most expected and Anderson played a huge role as their sixth man. Despite some uninspiring defense from the team as a whole, Anderson was considered one of their best defenders.
The addition of Anderson will make for a great depth piece and he does bring a ton of college experience with him. Including stops at UC San Diego and Boise State, Anderson will play an important role for Holloway’s team this season.
Mayar Wol (Transferred from Bowling Green)
Holloway’s priority to get better perimeter shooting continued with the addition of Wol from the MAC. Last season, Wol shot 39.1% from three. The forward has had previous stops at Charleston and Eastern Kentucky, where he was named the Atlantic Sun Sixth Man of the Year in the 2024-25 season.
With his 6-foot-8 frame, Wol should be solid for the Pirates off the bench. It may take a bit for him to adjust so a few non-conference games should get his engine going.
Chris Nwuli (Transferred from Rutgers)
It was rather shocking to learn that this was the first time a player transferred from Rutgers to SHU. Nonetheless, Nwuli is a great pickup for Holloway and the Pirates.
Fans understand that Holloway loves defense, and so does Nwuli. Listed at 6-foot-8, Nwuli is of course tall, but also fast and explosive. What makes him an interesting piece for Holloway is that he is a versatile defender who can guard anyone.
Nwuli has the potential to be a great player and he has the experience of playing against some of the best in the country during his freshman season at Rutgers. When he does play, most would assume that Holloway will deploy him at the four and off the bench.
It will be interesting to see how the Rutgers faithful reacts when he returns to Piscataway in December.
The Pirates also added freshman Darien Moore from the high school ranks and Nathan Mariano to their roster. In the case of Mariano, he is a former NBA G-Leaguer which I’m not too thrilled about. Honestly, it was very disappointing to see Holloway bring him on, but that’s college basketball today.