Peacocks do not want to wake up from NCAA dream

Saint Peter's started its magical NCAA Tournament run by beating Kentucky in overtime. (Vicky Graff Photo)

Saint Peter’s could make history tonight if it beats North Carolina to become a 15 seed to make the Final Four with wins over Kentucky, Murray State, Purdue and North Carolina to do it. The Peacocks have become the feel-good story of the NCAA Tournament, so here is just a bit of what coach Shaheen Holloway said today during his pre-North Carolina press conference.

Q. I asked this to your guys, but this run that you guys have been on, it’s been kind of hard to put into words. You’ve got the entire country behind you. You’re going on this show, that show, this podcast — like all the media attention, do you ever take a second to realize what you guys have accomplished so far?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: Not yet. No. I’ll say it, man. It’s a dream. I don’t want to wake up, and these guys don’t want to wake up. We want to continue living in this dream that we’re in right now.

I’m so happy for these guys. They put so much time and effort into it. These guys really — for six months of the year, seven months of the year dealing with me, like this is easy for them.

I’m so happy for them. I’m proud of them. They’re doing an unbelievable job. I love the way they handled themselves right now. I love it. No one is really big-headed. Everybody understands what that’s about. I wasn’t happy with Doug jumping on the table, but outside of that, it’s good.

Q. People love to romanticize a Cinderella story, but do you find having to walk a balance with people, remembering this is the ultimate goal and you guys think you can win this thing?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: That’s a great question. You know, you’re right, it’s a balance. You’ve got to be really careful with it because it’s a thin line. I said something last night after the game, and I’m like, what are they going to say now? Some people kind of took that the wrong way.

What I meant by it is you hear all these stories about why we shouldn’t be here, and my thing is every year a team like us is there.

So it’s just one of those stories, it’s a great story, yes, it’s a Cinderella story. It’s great that the whole country is behind us. That’s kind of what this NCAA Tournament is all about.

That’s why it’s so much different than pro sports. Stories like this don’t really happen. They happen once every year and everybody kind of gets behind it, especially the last two years with COVID and everything. It’s a great story, and I’m just happy that we’re a part of it.

Q. Last night after the game you’re doing your interview on the court and your guys kind of interrupt, have that moment with you. What was that moment like for you for them to interrupt and have a good time with it, and what does that say about your connection with them and their connection with you and your relationship?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: Well, that’s what it’s all about. That’s who we are. Those are our guys, and that’s what we do. That’s why I tell you all the time, every time we have a press conference, I make sure these six guys are up here. They’re the guys that started the foundation of it.

Last night them coming into my interview was great. We’re like that. We’re for real. That’s genuine, that’s not for now. If you watch us, you come to our practice, you take bus trips with us, this is who we are. We’re not changing because we’re here. We’re a tight-knit family.

Q. I know you don’t care about seeding, but I do want to ask you, upsets are part of March Madness, but in the last 10 years, like 15 seeds have won a lot more games than they did the first 25 years of that. I was just wondering as a sport, since you were a player, what has changed to make this more possible now than maybe it was in 1990 or whatever?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: I think the players got better. The players are better. They’re more athletic. They’re more skilled. But I think the teams that make runs are older teams. If you’re old in college basketball, you have a chance.

This new era of one-and-done or guys going to the same team, five guys, like All-Star team, like it’s hard to get that kind of camaraderie because those guys, they’re trying to look like the pros, so they’re like, let me get mine.

When you’re on a team where no one cares about the success and they grew together for three or four years, they understand what’s at stake, they just go out there and play for each other. I think that’s what’s happening right now.