DFRITZ
If last week’s Sportscenter spot of the NBA three-point range buzzer beater to knockoff then No. 2 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) was your introduction to La Lumiere’s (La Porte, Ind.) 2023 point guard Aden Holloway, you’ve missed the consistent rise of one of the top floor generals in the country this season.
“I’ve been working,” Holloway said. “I feel like my game has grown so much this season, and I’ve learned so many lessons.”
Chief among those is one that is as simple as it is loaded: The importance of confidence.
“I’ve always known how important it is to play confident, but this year has taught me that more than any other time,” Holloway said. “You can’t second guess yourself and you have to trust in the work that you’re putting in every day. You have to be confident on both ends of the floor; if you’re not it’ll show.”
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Makes sense that Holloway’s epiphany came to fruition during his first year in the most grueling high school basketball conference in the country, the NIBC, which features 20 prospects ranked in the SI99 and national powerhouses like No. 1 Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.), No.3 IMG Academy and No. 4 Montverde (Fla.) Academy, among others.
When he’s not duking it out with the top players in the country during games, Holloway is earning his stripes in practice going head-to-head with elite point guards like Notre Dame signee J.J. Starling, who is ranked No. 25 overall in the SI99, and Michigan State commit Jeremy Fears, a junior.
“That’s the best part,” Holloway said. “That’s why I wanted to come because you’re literally getting better every day. We go hard in practice, and we all benefit from it.”
The only benefit he got from his game winning Sportscenter appearance was a bump in his social media following.
Holloway didn’t need the attention from college coaches, he’s already a household name in their eyes as the No. 8 Lakers top scorer (15.6 ppg.) and the top free-throw shooter in the NIBC (88%).
Holloway took his first-ever official visit last week to Auburn, while Wake Forest, Michigan, Notre Dame, Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Northwestern, Cincinnati and UCLA remain in constant pursuit.
“I had a great time at Auburn,” Holloway said. “I would say it was a 10 out of 10. It was a great overall experience in terms of what I’m looking for in a college. The Alabama game was crazy; the atmosphere was wild. I got to connect with Coach (Bruce) Pearl on a deeper level and my mom really liked how he runs his team and the confidence he puts in his players. The whole visit really spoke for itself.”
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Now, Holloway is eager to compare, and as such, is in the process of lining up visits over the next couple of months.
“I know I’ll get to Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Michigan and I want to try to get to UCLA,” Holloway said. “I don’t have dates, but I want to get out to those schools next.”
Holloway will readily admit that his plan for mulling top tier offers was longer term but said he’s remaining committed to letting the process play out.
“I didn’t think the schools would be coming at me this quickly,” Holloway said. “I definitely thought they would come, but I thought it would take a little longer. Now that they’re here, I want to take my time, so I pick the school that is the best fit for me.”
