By CHUCKIE MAGGIO
The seeds for Jaren Holmes’s emergency point guard role were planted when he first joined the St. Bonaventure basketball team in 2019.
“When I was brought here my first year, [head coach Mark Schmidt] told me that I was gonna be a backup point guard,” Holmes recalled, “and I never really understood why. But he always said that I could handle it. And I’m just now figuring it out, in two years.”
Holmes has recorded 17 assists to just three turnovers since backcourt mate Kyle Lofton went down with an ankle injury. His performances against Buffalo and Loyola Maryland put him in exclusive company, as he became the first Bonnie to tally eight or more assists and no more than two turnovers in consecutive games since Jaylen Adams in January 2018.
The senior attributes his success in his temporary new role to an authentic mindset.
“At the end of the day I’m not Kyle, and I’m not trying to be,” Holmes acknowledged Wednesday night. “Kyle’s been playing point guard his whole life. That’s not my goal; I’m trying to be the best player that I can be and the best player for this team. Those guys just told me to go out there and play my game. That’s what I did.”
Jalen Adaway and Osun Osunniyi have been the biggest beneficiaries of Holmes’s distribution, each scoring five baskets on his assists. The Bonnies moved the ball as well as they have all season against Loyola, notching a season-high 23 assists.
Holmes ranks fifth among Atlantic 10 players in assist percentage (minimum 30 minutes per game), trailing only Saint Joseph’s sophomore Jordan Hall, UMass junior Noah Fernandes, Lofton and Richmond senior Jacob Gilyard.
“Last year I struggled a bit in some games, playing the point guard,” Holmes remarked. “I think it was more so confidence, but I think I have the trust of the rest of those guys on the court now, being a ‘one’ out there in those certain situations. Again, I’m the guy that is starting out there and I’m trying to get those guys the ball. They make me look good.
“I can’t get any assists without Jalen, Dom, ‘Shoon, Linton, Quadry… they trust me to get them the ball. They’re always talking to me and if I miss them, they’re not really hard on me; they’re just kind of telling me, ‘I’m here.’ See them on the slip, see them on the seam. I’m thankful for the guys; they trust me.”
The Bonnies are 12-2 over the last three seasons when Holmes records four or more assists. Lofton is the only Bonnie with more assists in that span (only Yuri Collins and Gilyard have more assists than SBU’s regular point guard) and Holmes’s number figures to grow even higher in Lofton’s absence.
“When your leader’s out other guys have to step up, and Jaren’s done an excellent job playing out of position,” Schmidt noted. “We’re a better team when Kyle’s here; he’s the best defender we’ve got on the ball. But I thought these guys have done a really good job without him in there.”
University of Connecticut point guard R.J. Cole represents Holmes’s next test.
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