SOUTH ORANGE – Back in July, when Seton Hall’s basketball players reported for workouts after some time off, head coach Shaheen Holloway did not like what he saw from guard Al-Amir Dawes.

“I wasn’t in shape, I was tired, and he let me have it,” Dawes said.

Holloway gave Dawes an assignment: run two miles first thing in the morning. At 6 a.m., Dawes hit the incline treadmill.

“We had a talk after that,” Dawes said. “He said, ‘I did that for a reason.’”

Dawes wasn’t exactly bringing up the rear in the aforementioned workout. But Holloway, who has known Dawes since the Newark native was in sixth grade, knew he was capable of more.  

“To get where I want to get, I’ve got to be in tip-top shape,” Dawes said.

Fast-forward two months, to Tuesday. During a 45-minute backcourt workout, Dawes led every drill. In one dazzling 15-second sequence, he swished three straight catch and shoot 3-pointers from different spots along the arc – sprinting to the half-court line and back between attempts.  

Dawes, who transferred from Clemson with two years of eligibility remaining, got the message. And now he’s spreading it as one of the Pirates’ leaders.

“He’ll draw the most out of you,” Dawes said of Holloway. “I knew that because I’ve known him. He’s been in my life for a long time. When I committed here, I knew what I was going to get, and I’m 100 percent on board.”

Holloway has been good friends with Dawes’ guardian, Ayton Branch, for many years. Even before he attended the Patrick School, Dawes would come around to the Hall’s auxiliary gym, watch Kevin Willard and Holloway run practices, and then work out on the same court.  

“I’ve been on this campus since I was a young kid, so to come back is awesome,” he said. “It’s home for me.”

Seton Hall was his very first scholarship offer, but he wound up at Clemson after Holloway took over at Saint Peter’s in 2018. He made an impact at Clemson, averaging 10 points and shooting 39 percent from 3-point range over the past two seasons and helping the defensive-minded Tigers reach the 2020 NCAA Tournament. He displayed that shooting touch in Tuesday’s workout, and also handed the ball well. But Holloway is looking for more. It’s no coincidence Dawes went first in every drill, modeling the coach’s instructions for his teammates.

“He trusts me a lot,” Dawes said. “We talk about me taking that next step, which is becoming a leader, setting the tempo from the start. If I set the tempo, everyone will follow.”

On multiple occasions, as Holloway’s intensity percolated, he pulled aside younger teammates for a quick word of encouragement.  

“I try to be in their ear letting them know that he’s not just ripping us,” Dawes said. “He’s going to get the most out of you.”  

Following are five observations from Tuesday’s workout, which was split into separate sessions for guards and big men. Dawes, Kadary Richmond, Jamir Harris, Femi Odukale and Jaquan Sanders worked with the guard group. Tyrese Samuel, KC Ndefo, Tray Jackson, Dre Davis and Tae Davis worked with the bigs.

Forwards Alexis Yetna and Abdou Ndiaye and guard JaQuan Harris sat out due to injuries. Yetna is recovering from a lingering knee issue that he played through last season. Harris, a freshman who barely played the past two seasons at St. Thomas Aquinas High School due to injuries, did a shootaround after the workout for the first time.

It’s amazing Holloway retains a voice at the end of these workouts. He’s constantly on full throttle, exhorting with the volume on high, calling out mistakes, high-fiving successes, moving about at a pace only slightly slower than his players’.

“You have to be mentally tough and physical tough to play for me,” he said. “I want guys to fit my personality.”

This summer has been a feeling-out process. For the holdovers from Willard’s tenure it’s certainly a departure from a more clinical, less in-your-face brand of instruction.

“I worked with Coach Willard for 11 years, so I know what he likes and dislikes, and a lot of my schemes, I got from him,” Holloway said. “But I put my own mix into it.”

Full-scale practices start in late September. For now, the focus is on skill development. Tuesday’s workouts centered on shooting and ball-handling.

The guards worked on 3-point shooting, and the results were a mixed bag (Sanders, a freshman who is playing his way into shape, showed a nice touch). The big men focused on 15 feet and in and devoted time to dunking -- not just dropping the ball in the tin, but hammering it home. It’s clear Holloway wants his bigs to attack the rim hard.

Everyone shot free throws early and often, going one at a time, surrounded by the entire team, with Holloway watching from arm’s length away. A miss led to an individual wind sprint. The guards were highly efficient from the line.

The workout ended with a two-ball dribbling drill that tested everyone’s stamina and focus, with Holloway in a defensive stance just a few feet in front of the dribblers. He’s champing at the bit to unleash the physicality of four-on-four and five-on-five work once full-scale practices commence. So far he’s kept it to drills as various players dealt with bumps and bruises (Richmond only recently got on the court).

“I’m looking forward to seeing what I really have,” he said, “so I can connect the dots.”

Among the frontcourt players, Holloway is looking to KC Ndefo to set the tone. The postgrad played four years for him at Saint Peter’s and his contributions to Holloway’s Hall regime will consist of way more than the series of rim-rattling dunks he threw down Tuesday.

“He’s telling guys, ‘This is what Coach likes and doesn’t like,’ but I don’t think the other guys on the team really understand what he can bring to the table yet,” Holloway said. “It’s hard to see his skill in these workouts. His skill is playing. He’s at his best when he’s guarding five different positions, being tough, and showing the grit we played with at Saint Peter’s. They’re going to see that when practice starts, more of who is really is.”

Keep an eye on freshman forward Tae Davis. He’s got the body of an upperclassman and head-turning hops and burst. Like most rookies there’s polish needed, but he’s impressed the coaching staff and seems poised for a spot in the Pirates’ rotation.

“His upside is unbelievable,” Holloway said. “One of the most athletic kids I’ve been around.”

Seton Hall great Andre Barrett, Holloway’s successor at point guard, was on hand Tuesday and has been a regular at workouts. Barrett, who is the NBA’s Youth Basketball Development Program manager, has a close friendship with Holloway.

“He’s probably been here 10, 11 times already,” Holloway said.

He’s not the only program alum to come around this summer. Holloway said Dan Callandrillo, Jerry Walker, Terry Dehere, Jordan Theodore, Isaiah Whitehead, Khadeen Carrington, Desi Rodriguez, Marcus Toney-El and Reggie Garrett have dropped in. So has Arturas Karnisovas, who is executive vice president of the Chicago Bulls. Holloway said he’s also heard from Toronto Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin and former longtime NBA center Sam Dalembert. And yes, he’s chatted with Willard both on the recruiting trail and over the phone.

“I’ve spoken to everybody that I’ve played with and the people who came before me and the people who came after me,” he said. “And mostly every coach in New Jersey and New York.”

That’s a lot of people. Holloway said his phone has been burning up for months.

“I’ve had tremendous support,” he said.

It’s more than moral. There’s tangible value in having an Andre Barrett in your gym. After Tuesday’s workout Barrett took Dawes aside for a constructive chat on a topic he knows well -- how to make everyone around you better.

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.