Seton Hall men’s basketball is off to a 4-0 start, but the only moment non-diehards will remember occurred after one of the victories had finished.
Saturday’s 72-51 win over Wagner at the Prudential Center was marred when a postgame handshake turned into an ugly squabble between the head coaches.
Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway and Wagner coach Donald Copeland — both former Seton Hall guards — shook hands for a moment and began arguing before Holloway pulled away in anger.
Several assistant coaches then stood in between, ensuring the viral moment got no worse.
According to the Asbury Park Press, the disagreement arose from Wagner’s Tahron Allen committing a foul with 37 seconds left and Wagner trailing by 19 while Seton Hall tried to dribble away the clock.
After the brief fight, both coaches apologized publicly.
“I take full responsibility for that,” Holloway told reporters, according to the Asbury Park Press. “I like Donald. Donald is like a little brother to me. I am super disappointed that that happened.
“As the bigger brother, I take full responsibility for it because it should have never happened.”
Copeland, who also was a former Seton Hall assistant under Kevin Willard, said he felt “embarrassed.”
“I want to apologize,” he told reporters. “I apologized to my team for what went on. I have a ton of respect for Sha. I always looked up to him coming up, as a smaller guard. He’s a competitor, I’m a competitor, too.
“That’s probably a little bit of a part of it.”