Vic Schaefer chalks it up to experience.
The maturation of point guard Jazzmun Holmes had been a much more involved process than that through the last three-plus years. There were adjustments at the beginning, but throughout that time Holmes served as an apprentice to backcourt mate Morgan William. She learned, she pushed, she played in plenty of big games.
This season, the No. 5 MSU women’s basketball team is reaping the rewards of Holmes’ leadership. At 7 p.m. Thursday (SEC Network+), MSU (25-2, 13-1 Southeastern Conference) will take on LSU in its regular-season home finale. In the process, MSU will honor seniors Holmes, Teaira McCowan, and Jordan Danberry in a ceremony after the game.
“She is a difference player for us, and has been for most of her career,” MSU coach Vic Schaefer said. Schaefer was answering a question about the evaluation by Dan Olson, of espnW, about Holmes during her senior season at Harrison Central High School. Olson, a former college basketball coach turned evaluator, called Holmes an “explosively athletic floor-leader with a scorer’s mentality; confident demeanor with attack mode in transition; mid-range game creator with soft touch on jumper; defends in pressure, converts off turnovers; a potential difference maker at next level with 3-point consistency.”
All of that has turned out to be the case, as Holmes is averaging 7.3 points and 2.2 rebound per game. More importantly, she is leading the team in assists (5.4 per game) and steals (57). In leading the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.5), she has handed out 145 assists and has committed only 32 turnovers.
“As a sophomore and as a junior, she played in big games and big moments, and in fourth quarters all of that,” Schaefer said. “She has had great experience and she has more than delivered, and this year tells you what she has done she has led a team to a 25-2 record and a top-five ranking in the country.”
Schaefer said all of that is even more impressive considering Holmes had to adjust her game as a new starter with two starters who are in their first year with the program. Still, MSU is averaging 87.3 points per game and shooting 49.2 percent from the field. Those marks also lead the SEC.
Schaefer said that evidence supports his claim that Holmes is the best point guard in the country. His reasoning is simple: Holmes has led the Bulldogs to 25 wins and she takes care of the basketball, which gives the Bulldogs a chance to be one of the nation’s most efficient teams.
Initially, though, Holmes had to learn how to handle the toughest position to play on a team coached by Schaefer. The veteran coach expects his point guards to value the basketball and to set the tone with their energy on both ends of the floor. He said Holmes had to understand how to handle the increased pressure she faced in her initial season in Division I basketball, but he said she grew more and more comfortable with each game and with each season.
As Holmes grew from a freshman to a sophomore and to a junior, Schaefer said he saw her test William more and more. He said the Bulldogs were fortunate to have two guards as quick as William and Holmes and ones who challenged each other so much in practice. He hopes Holmes has provided similar leadership to Myah Taylor, a redshirt freshman guard, who has apprenticed under Holmes this season.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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