Ex-Hoosier Holt on way to Providence
PROVIDENCE – As far as Hank Plona is concerned, the choices that Emmitt Holt made in the past have absolutely no bearing on the young man’s future, which for the next two seasons will include playing basketball at Providence College.
Holt will celebrate his 20th birthday this coming weekend. He will do so as a Friar after verbally committing to coach Ed Cooley on Tuesday. A 6-7, 230-pound forward who drew interest from Wichita State, Mississippi State, Seton Hall and had a visit planned to Tennessee, Holt is eligible to suit up for PC next season after spending the 2015-16 season at Indian Hills Community College in Iowa.
Plona is the head coach at Indian Hills. He also holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Providence. Plona was a team manager when Tim Welsh coached the Friars and later held the title of graduate assistant under Welsh and Keno Davis.
“I know what a great place Providence can be,” said Plona when reached Tuesday night. “I think Emmitt fits their system well and what they’re looking to do. He’s a bright kid and a good student. He’ll do well on campus and in the city and people will like having him around.”
Such words from Plona should lessen the concern that Friar fans might have regarding Plona, who was dismissed from Indiana University following a well-publicized incident that took place in the summer of 2015. Plona suited up for just season for the Hoosiers and aver- aged 3.6 points and three rebounds in 11.4 minutes.
“Obviously at Indiana, there’s a major microscope on the program and Emmitt realized that every single decision that he makes as a basketball player is under a microscope and that he needs to make sure that he’s smart about it,” said Plona. “He’s a kid who’s been through some things publicly. He’s had to get stronger and realize why things happen.
“I don’t think Emmitt is a risk. Yes, there’s a few negative articles out there, but he’s not a risky kid,” Plona added. “He’s a high character young man and obviously a good basketball player.”
Holt is originally from Rochester, N.Y. whose basketball reputation grew as a result of competing on the Albany City Rocks of Nike EYBL fame. He and his mother Caroline visited Providence this past weekend.
Plona noted that Holt had been on PC’s radar for the past few months. Providence assistant coach Brian Blaney recently flew out to Iowa to meet with Holt in person.
“He had to go through the process and talk to people, but PC’s staff did a good job in making Emmitt feel comfortable,” said Plona. “He was interested in heading back east and the interest was there on both sides.”
The Friars are getting a player who from an offensive standpoint can hit the midrange jumper and has worked hard to develop his three-point shot. Holt’s first and only season at Indian Hills saw him average 11.6 ppg and 6.4 rebounds in 23 minutes. He appeared in 31 games, though he missed some time late in the year with an ankle injury.
Defensively, Holt has the ability to clog the lane and guard away from the basket.
“He cares less about his numbers than any player I’ve been around in junior college. He just wants to help the team win. He plays hard and has a big strong body. He’s a little undersized but has a huge wingspan,” said Plona. “I think he’s going to be a guy who goes out and gets crazy, big numbers, but he certainly has the ability to affect a lot of different areas. As a coach you like that.”
Holt joins a PC frontcourt that at the moment includes Rodney Bullock, Jalen Lindsey, Isaiah Jackson, Ryan Fazekas and Quadree Smith. Retaining Ben Bentil for his junior season remains a possibility, though as Cooley has stated several times recently, he plans to recruit as if Bentil is definitely on his way to the NBA.
“I don’t think anyone has anything bad to say about Emmitt. He’s a real good kid who does what he’s asked to do,” said Plona. “He’s had some success at Indiana and he had a good year for us. I think he’s one of the better frontcourt players out there and has shown he can contribute right away at the high-major level.”