Holmes at home on the court
Throughout her career playing basketball for the UNBC Timberwolves, kids just flocked to Emily Holmes.
At five-foot-three, she's one of the most vertically-challenged players in the conference and hasn't let that get in the way of fulfilling her role directing traffic in the T-wolves backcourt as one as one of the league's top-five passers.
Off the court, her small stature and friendly personality acted like an electromagnet that drew in younger fans. Holmes was reminded of that power after her game last Friday, when 1,500 elementary school students packed the Northern Sport Centre to watch the Twolves play the Grant MacEwan Griffins.
"Until you get all those kids out, you don't realize what an impact you do have on the community when you are a Timberwolf, when you have kids coming up to you after the game and you're signing their foreheads and you're their favourite player," said Holmes. "Through my five years of being involved, being that local kid for young ones to look up to, it truly makes you feel like local superstar and that's what's really special about our program, something you won't see at a big school."
Holmes has always had to adjust to her physical shortcomings playing against opponents sometimes a foot taller and she was afforded plenty of court time to develop those skills.
"I always forget how small I am until I see a picture of me and who I'm checking or if I'm next to my teammates," she said. "I'm not ever really thinking about my height, for what my role is, height doesn't matter and it's just about how big you play, not how big you are."
Holmes grew up in a basketball family, coached by her parents, Dave and Louise, who are still coaching her at UNBC. As a kid, she was a regular part of the halftime show playing mini-games in her minor basketball jersey at the Northern Sport Centre and waving the flag with the T-wolves' logo. Fresh out of high school basketball at Duchess Park, she joined the T-wolves as a homegrown 17-year-old. The team finished that season with just three wins, but ever year since then they've been a playoff contender. This season, despite an injurydepleted lineup, they finished 11-9 and head into the playoffs Friday against Lethbridge on an eight-game winning streak.
Fellow fifth-year Maria Mongomo, 25, capped a brilliant five-year career at UNBC in her final home game Saturday with 29 points and 13 rebounds in an 80-62 win over the Grant MacEwan Griffins. The Spanish import and psychology major won the Canada West scoring crown, averaging 24.2 points, and ended up third in rebounds with a 9.8 average.
Holmes, 22, will graduate with a degree in history and psychology and already has a job with a local insurance company that taps her business skills.