(PHOTO CREDIT TO BOB DEA, DALY DOSE OF HOOPS)
Reigning National Player of the Year KC Ndefo has followed former Saint Peters head coach Shaheen Holloway down route 280 to his new destination, Seton Hall, for his final year of eligibility.
Ndefo becomes the first former Peacock to make the jump from Jersey City and head west to South Orange. Following the Peacocks’ improbable Elite Eight run and hiring of the Holloway, as mentioned above at his alma-mater, the thought was some of the stars from the run might join Holloway.
That was not the case until May 28, when he verbally announced his commitment to the Pirates program.
#Hallin pic.twitter.com/gMke3q5EYl
— Kc Ndefo (@kcndefo_) May 28, 2022
“I committed to Seton Hall because it’s basically a no-brainer to go to the coach who’s been recruiting me since my high school days,” he told 247sports.com.
The 6-foot-7 forward from Elmont, NY, comes with a hefty resume that includes being named the Lefty Driesell National Player of the Year award as the top defensive player in all of Division I. Ndefo was also named MAAC Defensive Player of the Year for the third year in a row. He averaged 10.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.8 blocks (ranked 11th in DI) per game.
The second-to-last statistic sticks out to most, especially in the latter stages of the 2021-22 season, which allowed Ndefo to become one of the most dominant passers in the country and enable his Peacock teammates to execute, and alas, a trip to the Elite Eight. The first program in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) history.
Ndefo concluded his Saint Peter’s tenure by graduating with a degree in Sport Management, with Holloway in attendance.
This is why we do what we do.. super proud of you young bull!! pic.twitter.com/Uobku0mZKo
— Shaheen Holloway (@CoachSha10) May 26, 2022
During the NCAA Tournament’s Round-of-32 against No. 20 Murray State, Ndefo put up jaw-dropping numbers featuring 17 points and 10 points, marking a dominant double-double in the team’s run.
This past season for Ndefo at Saint Peter’s also allowed him to be the lone Peacock to start in all 34 games and become ranked second in Division I among active players with 310 career blocks. He also broke his record, finishing with 98 blocks on the season, which was good for 7th in Division I during 2021-22.
With Ndefo in South Orange, head coach Shaheen Holloway will have his elite rim blocker in the Big East, perhaps replacing the now-graduated Ike Obiagu. Things won’t come as easy for the Long Island native, who looks to make an immediate impact in the more vital conference, which boasts dominant frontcourts (with much more height) than the other ten teams.
Can he replicate those numbers with more talent around him?
Coming into the afternoon, the Pirates now have four big men, including holdovers from the Kevin Willard-era in Tyrese Samuel and Alexis Yetna, and newly (verbally) committed forward Abdou Ndiaye out of Illinois State.
Head coach Shaheen Holloway has re-bolstered his Seton Hall roster with others like Pittsburgh combo Femi Odukale and Dre Davis, formerly at Louisville, also in the ACC. As well as Clemson guard Al-Amir Dawes. Those student-athletes join a core that includes Kadary Richmond and Jamir Harris, the incoming freshman from the previous coaching staff, Jaquan Sanders, and Harris’ brother Jaquan.
