AMHERST — Basketball is simple for Rashaan Holloway.
At 6-foot-11 and more than 300 pounds, the fifth-year senior knows what he is on the court. When things are clicking for him, there is no one in the country capable of slowing down Holloway’s production. He can secure a double-double with relative ease, as he’s done several times during Atlantic 10 play this season.
When Holloway is in a zone, the UMass offense becomes trying to find ways to move the ball to Holloway with two feet in the lane and let him go to work.
“He don’t know it, he still doesn’t know it, I keep trying to tell him for years now, ‘when you get in your zone, no one can stop you if you start from the beginning to the end,’” junior guard Luwane Pipkins said. “When he gets going, he’s going. I just try to feed him as much as I can and build his confidence to a higher level. When he does that, he’s just a different animal.”
What has happened off the court to Holloway is a far more complex story.
He sat out his entire first year on campus as an academic redshirt and two seasons later had to survive a coaching change. Last season, he was academically ineligible for the second half of the season after getting off to a good start under Matt McCall.
Those rough patches have influenced how Holloway has approached his senior season. Although he hasn’t played as consistently as he preferred or perhaps played as much as he would like, Holloway has emphasized how much he appreciates his final year of college basketball and enjoying it for what it is — good or bad.
“I just wanted to go into this season humble and appreciate the opportunity I had to be back on the court,” Holloway said. “I just appreciate, UMass, I appreciate UMass basketball, the coaches I had, my (current) teammates and all the teammates I had over the years. They all had an impact on the way I play the game and the way I think about the game.”
That became evident after Tuesday’s practice when the team watched highlights of Holloway’s high school and UMass careers. There was a raucous applause for most of the package and each player also said some words to Holloway about the impact he’s made on them.
Those statements hit home for Holloway, who said he was moved by the effect he’s had on his current teammates, even those who haven’t been playing with him long. Djery Baptiste, who joined the Minutemen in December, gifted Holloway some polo shirts as a parting gift.
“There were a lot of good things, a lot of bad things, a lot of ups and downs, but I’m here and UMass basketball made me who I am,” Holloway said. “I appreciate it. I appreciate all the people that I’ve met and taught me different things and different lessons.”
But most important of all is Holloway is set to leave UMass in May with a degree, something no one could have predicted a year ago. For all the work Holloway has put in on the court for McCall, the coach said what he’s proudest about is the turnaround Holloway has had in the classroom.
“He’s always been a very gifted player,” McCall said. “Great hands, great feet, ability to score, great touch. But to me that’s the most improvement he’s made is putting himself in a position to get his degree.”
PRESSURE OFF — No matter the results of UMass’ final two games of the season, the Minutemen will be playing next Wednesday afternoon in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament in Brooklyn, New York. Their seeding is still not settled, though, and they can finish anywhere from 12th through 14th.
UMass (10-19, 3-13 Atlantic 10) hosts Richmond (12-17, 6-10) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the final game of the year at the Mullins Center. The Minutemen are expecting Pipkins to return after missing the last three games with a hamstring injury, although Curtis Cobb, Samba Diallo and Khalea Turner-Morris will all be out.
Holloway said it is important for the Minutemen to stick together through this adversity and play free with the stakes being so low.
“Our main thing is just staying together through the ups and downs,” Holloway said. “Let’s play together, let’s do what we have to do to try to get wins while we’re out there. We had a rough middle of theseason, we’re having a rough ending, but we can only win games from now. Let’s go out there and play together and see what happens.”