DONS INSIDER: Holmes making quick adjustments to new role
1/6/2014 2:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
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When the season began, there was no question who the point guard was. That all changed four games into the season and the Dons have had to adjust into new roles, none more so than Avry Holmes.
The sophomore guard was the league's best three-point shooter a year ago and was originally slotted in as the shooting guard but has now taken on the task as being the primary ball handler for a Dons team that seems to have turned a corner.
"Avry's our point," San Francisco head coach Rex Walters said. "Avry gets more of the reps, Avry's our quarterback. He has a dominant skill in his ability to shoot the basketball but he's also a calming influence for our team in terms of getting us organized and running us."
"I'm enjoying Avry, his growth."
That development has shown itself in the last few games.
Holmes is averaging a team-best 14.4 points in USF's first five conference games and has taken it upon himself to be more aggressive going to the basket, creating opportunities for his teammates. With Holmes on the floor against Loyola Marymount on Thursday night, the Dons outscored the Lions 64-47 (+17) and trailed 11-14 (-3) with him on the bench.
"The big difference at first was I was looking to force a lot of things but now I let the game to come to me," Holmes said. "The biggest thing for me is getting my guys involved. It helps if I knock down shots but getting my postmen going, getting my other players in a good rhythm helps me out."
Instead of looking for his own shot, he has become increasingly more conscious about getting his teammates involved and the results have shown on the court. Against a very good defensive team in Pepperdine Saturday, he recorded four assists and no turnovers.
That change started in practice.
"In practice, I definitely try to do things I'm not comfortable doing because it helps me out during the game," Holmes said. "If I shoot the ball a lot in practice, it's not going to make me better. I try to come off ball screens and figure out who's going to be open."
His value in crunch time is heightened and that came into play in the team's league opener at Portland, where late in the game Holmes took over.
"I think the Portland game, he makes three great plays off a ball screen," Walters said. "He pulls up on a switch, hits it over a 6-foot-9 guy, turns on the corner on the next one, finishes a layup. On the third one, he turns the corner, they help, and he drops it off to Kruize [Pinkins] for a layup. He went through three big progressions that you have to make great reads, the right reads and have the talent to make the play."
"He understands what he's looking for."
It is a new role for Holmes but it seems he is making quick adjustments to it. As he has gotten better, so has the team and Walters said, "It's only going to get better, he's only a sophomore."
GOING BIG
The Dons made a change in the starting lineup against Loyola Marymount and started Kruize Pinkins to go along with Mark Tollefsen and Cole Dickerson on the frontline. It was Pinkins' first career start and gave the Dons a different feel against the Lions.
"I like the lineup if they continue to get better from here. I think from a rebounding, a shot blocking, a protection of the paint, from a length standpoint," Walters said.
"We literally decided this after the Gonzaga game that this is a route we needed to go. We're not going to beat you with a [Przemek] Karnowski, a [Brad] Waldow, an Erik Mika. We don't have the 6-foot-11, just freak body type, quickness, skill. It does give us better paint protection, better rebounding, better shot blocking, length."
AROUND THE WCC
The Dons have gotten off to a solid start in West Coast Conference play and look to continue that into their games at Pacific and Saint Mary's this week. Nine of the 10 teams have suffered a loss to this point and the team picked to finish last in the WCC, Pepperdine, came into Saturday tied for first place.
--Zack Farmer, Communications Assistant
When the season began, there was no question who the point guard was. That all changed four games into the season and the Dons have had to adjust into new roles, none more so than Avry Holmes.
The sophomore guard was the league's best three-point shooter a year ago and was originally slotted in as the shooting guard but has now taken on the task as being the primary ball handler for a Dons team that seems to have turned a corner.
"Avry's our point," San Francisco head coach Rex Walters said. "Avry gets more of the reps, Avry's our quarterback. He has a dominant skill in his ability to shoot the basketball but he's also a calming influence for our team in terms of getting us organized and running us."
"I'm enjoying Avry, his growth."
That development has shown itself in the last few games.
Holmes is averaging a team-best 14.4 points in USF's first five conference games and has taken it upon himself to be more aggressive going to the basket, creating opportunities for his teammates. With Holmes on the floor against Loyola Marymount on Thursday night, the Dons outscored the Lions 64-47 (+17) and trailed 11-14 (-3) with him on the bench.
"The big difference at first was I was looking to force a lot of things but now I let the game to come to me," Holmes said. "The biggest thing for me is getting my guys involved. It helps if I knock down shots but getting my postmen going, getting my other players in a good rhythm helps me out."
Instead of looking for his own shot, he has become increasingly more conscious about getting his teammates involved and the results have shown on the court. Against a very good defensive team in Pepperdine Saturday, he recorded four assists and no turnovers.
That change started in practice.
"In practice, I definitely try to do things I'm not comfortable doing because it helps me out during the game," Holmes said. "If I shoot the ball a lot in practice, it's not going to make me better. I try to come off ball screens and figure out who's going to be open."
His value in crunch time is heightened and that came into play in the team's league opener at Portland, where late in the game Holmes took over.
"I think the Portland game, he makes three great plays off a ball screen," Walters said. "He pulls up on a switch, hits it over a 6-foot-9 guy, turns on the corner on the next one, finishes a layup. On the third one, he turns the corner, they help, and he drops it off to Kruize [Pinkins] for a layup. He went through three big progressions that you have to make great reads, the right reads and have the talent to make the play."
"He understands what he's looking for."
It is a new role for Holmes but it seems he is making quick adjustments to it. As he has gotten better, so has the team and Walters said, "It's only going to get better, he's only a sophomore."
GOING BIG
The Dons made a change in the starting lineup against Loyola Marymount and started Kruize Pinkins to go along with Mark Tollefsen and Cole Dickerson on the frontline. It was Pinkins' first career start and gave the Dons a different feel against the Lions.
"I like the lineup if they continue to get better from here. I think from a rebounding, a shot blocking, a protection of the paint, from a length standpoint," Walters said.
"We literally decided this after the Gonzaga game that this is a route we needed to go. We're not going to beat you with a [Przemek] Karnowski, a [Brad] Waldow, an Erik Mika. We don't have the 6-foot-11, just freak body type, quickness, skill. It does give us better paint protection, better rebounding, better shot blocking, length."
AROUND THE WCC
The Dons have gotten off to a solid start in West Coast Conference play and look to continue that into their games at Pacific and Saint Mary's this week. Nine of the 10 teams have suffered a loss to this point and the team picked to finish last in the WCC, Pepperdine, came into Saturday tied for first place.
--Zack Farmer, Communications Assistant
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