Mt. Lebanon grad Holmes an all-time great in D-III
Tri-State Sports & News Service
No women’s player in the history of Division III basketball has grabbed more rebounds or blocked more shots than Jordan Holmes of Denison University.
All of which begs the question: Which of the two records mean more to this Mt. Lebanon High School graduate?
“Well, I would have to say ...,” Holmes said, pausing briefly. “It would have to be ... I’m not sure.”
Forgive Holmes for being extra contemplative on the subject. Truth is, there is no wrong answer when one is the greatest of all time in two significant statistical categories.
The 6-foot-1 senior set the shot-blocking mark Nov. 27 against Thomas More with eight. She had a stunning 590 all-time entering this week.
She set the rebounding record nine days ago by pulling in 17 at Kenyon College to shatter a 17-year-old mark. Her total of 1,578 through 102 career games ranked sixth in NCAA history, across all divisions.
But wait. … There’s more.
Among all NCAA shotblockers, only two have recorded more rejections than Holmes at any level. They are former Division I standouts Brittney Griner of Baylor (748, 5.1 per game) and Louella Tomlinson of St. Mary’s (663, 5.3).
Of the 3, Holmes owns the best per-game average at 5.8.
“Pretty humbling,” Holmes said.
Honest and candid in assessing her game, Holmes allows that she never saw this coming four years ago. How could she have?
Standing just a shade over 6 feet — making her shorter than many opposing centers — and sporting a slender frame, Holmes could be termed the Accidental Superstar.
Just don’t let her hear such utterances. Because it transforms this mild-mannered psychology major into an unstoppable force.
“Opposing players will say to each other, ‘Why do you let that skinny girl get to you?,’” said Holmes, who helped Mt. Lebanon to backto-back WPIAL and PIAA titles. “I hear them, but I don’t let it get to me. I use it as motivation. Because once I get into their heads, they start looking for me more. They start to wonder where I’ll be coming from.”
As a shot-blocker, Holmes has sent balls into bleachers, benches, foreheads and cross-court. Sometimes, her block parties induce a favorable reaction from opposing fans.
“They’ll start rooting because they’ll see one after another,” she said. “It’s pretty interesting.”
An expansive wingspan and impeccable instincts have enabled Holmes to average 15.4 rebounds and the 5.8 blocks in her storied career. She also contributes 13.0 points.
This season alone, she has had rebounding games of 25, 21, 19, 18, 18, 17 and 16 (three times). She has also recorded 10, 9, 9, 8 and 8 blocks. Her single-game high of 14 rejections occurred last season. Ditto for her single-game rebounding mark of 28.
Holmes ranked first in Division III last season in blocked shots (5.4 per game) and double-doubles (24). She was second in rebounds (17.8). At her current pace, she’ll leave Denison, located in Granville, Ohio, as a four-time Division III shotblocking champion.
The reigning North Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year and a Third-Team CoSIDA Academic All-America pick, Holmes holds the distinction of being the only player in Division III history with 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 career blocks.
“She changes the complexity of the game more than any player I’ve seen at this level,” said 28-year Denison coach Sara Lee, whose team was 10-10 through 20 games. “When we get beat defensively, Jordan is there to make us look better. She really covers up for any errors we might make. She’s an amazing player.” Cerebral, too. This trait was gleaned from her father, Cornelius, who played at Robert Morris University. Holmes smartly maneuvers past bulkier post players to gain perfect position for rebounds.
She also has an innate ability to predict when a player is about to launch a shot, allowing her to swat it away, oftentimes without having to leave her feet.
And get this: Holmes had never fouled out of game until last week against Overland. It’s just another in a long line of staggering statistics.
“When I got here my freshman year, I just wanted to have fun,” said Holmes, who hopes to play professionally overseas next season. “I never expected the amount of success that I’ve had the past four years. We seniors came up with a motto this season, which is, ‘Honor and Legacy.’ I’m just trying to leave a great legacy behind.”