Saint Peter’s HC Shaheen Holloway on Blowout Loss to UNC: 'Tough Way to Go Out'

Sunday was a bittersweet occasion for Saint Peter's head coach Shaheen Holloway.

The Peacocks saw their improbable NCAA tournament run end at the hands of North Carolina in the Elite Eight. Holloway described the defeat as a "tough way to go out" but added that "words can't describe and explain how happy I am for this group."

He also said that Saint Peter's has a "very bright" future ahead. Whether he'll be a part of that future is unclear, though.

"I'm not worried about that," Holloway told reporters of questions about his next step from here. "I'm worried about those 15 young men whose heart is down and what they've done the last two weeks. We're going to walk out of here the same way we walked in—with our head up."

Jerry Carino of the Asbury Park Press reported Holloway is expected to come to terms with his alma mater, Seton Hall, to fill the Pirates' head coaching vacancy.

The 45-year-old played four seasons at Seton Hall, earning second-team All-Big East honors twice and helping the Pirates reach the Sweet 16 as a senior in 1999-00. Before taking over as head coach of Saint Peter's, Holloway was an assistant under Kevin Willard after following him from Iona.

There's a sense of inevitability about Holloway's move back to his old stomping grounds.

Assuming this is the end, he has certainly left his mark on the Peacocks.

The school went from being almost totally unknown across the country to becoming everybody's second favorite school during this year's Big Dance. Beyond the more intangible benefits that can provide, a run to the Elite Eight will significantly pad the bottom line for Saint Peter's.

Real life isn't a Disney movie. The Cinderella run had to come to a conclusion at some point.

But what the Peacocks achieved this March will live long in the history of college basketball.