Reyes recalls recruiting Holt
TNT coach Chot Reyes is happy to see Stephen Holt thrive with his PBA team Terrafirma right in his rookie season.
Reyes admitted that he had his sights set on a young Holt some 10 years ago, when he personally flew to the United States to try to recruit the Filipino American guard to play for Gilas Pilipinas.
“I went and personally visited Saint Mary’s College,” Reyes said, moments after steering TNT to a nail biting 100-97 triumph over Holt and the Terrafirma Dyip on Saturday. “As far back as 10 years ago, I was already talking to this guy because I knew he was going to be a really, really good point guard, especially for Gilas.”
However, Reyes said his plans didn’t materialize.
Holt went to have a productive final season in college at Saint Mary’s where he registered careerhigh numbers of 15.2 points and 3.9 assists in 34 games.
From there, the 6-foot-4 Filipino American took his act to the G League briefly with the Canton Charge, followed by an NBA Summer League stint with the Atlanta Hawks in 2015, before building a pro basketball career overseas that included a 2017 championship in the Czech Republic league.
Now, Holt is playing in just his second conference in the PBA and in such a short period of time, he’s been showing his worth for the Dyip, who are looking to end 17 consecutive absences in the playoffs.
“Stephen Holt is finding his place,” Reyes said. “I’ve always known Stephen would be a very good player.”
Holt in fact, showed why he’s a gem of a player after logging in all-around numbers of 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists against TNT.
Reyes wished Holt could have strut his wares for Gilas, a dream that never became a reality.