STARKVILLE — Aric Holman isn’t afraid of a challenge.
In September before the season began, the Mississippi State freshman had micro fracture surgery to repair a patellofemoral disorder that caused pain in the front of his knee. He had been in pain for awhile, but never told his coaches. It got too much for him to bear, so the surgery was inevitable.
The surgery put Holman’s first season at MSU in jeopardy and the coaching staff was unsure if they would get Holman back for any of the season. But he put his head down and began to rehab and returned to the team in December and played in his first game Dec. 23 against Northern Colorado. Holman has been a much needed presence in the post for the Bulldogs since his return.
Holman and the Bulldogs (9-11, 2-6 Southeastern Conference) play host to the Alabama Crimson Tide (11-9, 2-6) 8 p.m. (SEC Network) today inside Humphrey Coliseum.
“I just had that mentality to where I’m not going to let anything hold me back, I’m still going to try to make the best of my injury,” Holman said.
The Owensboro, Kentucky, native said he never entertained the idea of redshirting and wanted to be a part of the team this season.
Although Holman is still getting used to the strains of college basketball, his teammates are impressed with how far he has come since September.
“Coming off his knee injury, I thought he wasn’t going to be 100 percent, but he’s really showing that he’s ready to play,” fellow freshman Quinndary Weatherspoon said.
Weatherspoon and freshman Malik Newman have been leading the team the last few games and Holman said he is trying to catch up to them. However, he said the duo of guards are about 40 practices ahead of him and it has been hard to make up that ground.
With a lack of depth in the post, Bulldog coach Ben Howland needed the 6-foot-10 Holman to recover quickly and begin the process of getting acclimated to college basketball.
Like Weatherspoon, Howland agrees that Holman has been a quick learner.
“He’s getting more comfortable,” Howland said. “It’s hard to make up being out three and a half months in the middle of the season, leading up to the season and in the season. I think he’s getting better and better.”
Holman has yet to play more than 16 minutes in a game and that came in a 76-62 win at Missouri this past Saturday. He started for Gavin Ware who did not make the trip to Columbia, Missouri, because of a concussion. He scored just two points and was 1 of 7 from the field, but he pulled down five rebounds and blocked two shots. Howland was especially impressed with Holman’s defense at the rim and said they need that to continue.
But offensively, Howland wants Holman to do more. He said he has seen the 212-pound forward score on Ware in practice and that it is encouraging. But in games, he said Holman is not aggressive enough.
“He’s looking to score more,” Howland said. “He’s such a pass first guy, we almost have to really implore him to look to score. Sometimes in practice, it’s like pulling teeth just to get him to shoot a shot because he wants to pass.”
When Holman signed with the Bulldogs in the summer, Howland raved about Holman’s passing ability, and Holman said he would rather hit a wide open teammate cutting to the basket instead of taking a contested shot.
Holman said as of right now a wide open shot is the main shot he is considering taking, but he proved in high school he can be a scoring threat anywhere on the court. He has scored just 11 points this season, but he averaged 15.9 points as a senior last season at Owensboro High School on his way to being a finalist for Kentucky Mr. Basketball.
Holman said he has been staying late in the gym and working on his offense and trying to improve day by day. He said the offense will come more and more as the season wears on because he has found a rhythm with his teammates and in the offense.
“They do look for me to score more because they know I have the tools,” Holman said. “My confidence just wasn’t there at first, but as I’m starting to get into the flow of things, it’s starting to come back.”
Moving forward, Holman will play more and more in the post because the Bulldogs have a solid group of guards with Newman, Weatherspoon, Craig Sword, I.J. Ready and Fred Thomas.
His post offense is what needs to improve, something the Bulldogs need.
“I’ve seen him finally learn how to make some face up to the basket type moves,” Weatherspoon said. “I thought he was a perimeter guy, but he’s shown he can go down low and score.”
While being out for the first part of the season, Holman didn’t sit idly by. He said he watched practice and games intently and was able to recognize how much faster the college game was than high school.
This season has been a roller coaster for Holman and it’s not over. He said he is surprised that he is able to play right now because he thought it was going to take him more time to get over his injury and the surgery.
Howland said the minimal time Holman gets this season will only benefit him next season. Holman agrees and is glad he took on the challenge of coming back this season.
“It’s kind of giving me an early step into the door for next year,” Holman said. “I already know what I’m going to expect next year, so I’m not going to be shocked like I was when I first started playing.”
n In other basketball news, Holwand said both Ware and Ready are questionable for the Crimson Tide.
Ware, a Starkville native, missed the Missouri game with a concussion. Howland said he is going through the concussion protocol and believes Ware, who leads the team with 15.7 points per game, will be able to play.
Ready, who is averaging 10.2 points per game, has a sprained foot and ankle, an injury he suffered last Tuesday at South Carolina. He didn’t practice leading into the Missouri game, but played 22 minutes off the bench.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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