STARKVILLE — Abdul Ado was working his way through what for most would be yet another mundane summer conditioning session when he noticed something. He saw Aric Holman slowly but surely taking over the Mississippi State men’s basketball team.
Ado looked up and saw Holman ahead of the pack, in that moment in the most literal form possible, in a sprint. He’s spent a summer taking that mantle in the abstract sense.
If No. 18 MSU is going to live up to its preseason expectations, Holman believes it will need a strong leader to do so and the senior forward is positioning himself to be just that. The tam hits the floor for the first time in a 2 p.m. Sunday exhibition (SEC Network+) against Georgia Southwestern State.
“Over the past years I feel like that’s what we lacked, a leader,” Holman said. “I took that into my own hands and became more vocal, lead by example, and this happened even before they talked about rankings. Every great team needs someone like that on the team.”
Holman did so in every way available to him. On the summer day Ado remembers, it was by injecting energy into his fellow big men in conditioning. Through the summer, when the team was holding its own shooting sessions and pickup games, Holman had an eye out for when a leadership presence was needed.
“The biggest thing was being vocal. Little things, if something was going on, handling it,” Holman said.
His teammates clearly listened: “I look up to Aric a lot. Aric is a role model for me: the way he plays, the swagger he has,” Ado said.
Holman’ presence is particularly useful for the freshman class. Coach Ben Howland expects many of them to make an immediate impact and having seen them in practice, Holman expects the same. He has taken it on himself to make sure they do so with as little growing pains as possible.
“Staying positive. They expect so much of themselves as freshmen and upperclassmen expect a lot of them, too, but I don’t let them get down on themselves,” Holman said. “I talk them through things and if they ever need help, they know they can come to me with anything.”
In more tangible respects, Holman will continue to have high expectations on his shoulders. He remains one of the better shot blockers in the Southeastern Conference and will be expected to hold that standard this season; Howland has placed an emphasis on rebounding, so Holman will be asked to do more than 6.7 per game as he did last year.
Even if he is able to do it all, it’s possible his impact on a MSU appearance in the NCAA tournament may be most valuable off the floor.
“Aric’s outspoken in terms of being a leader, for the younger guys and the rest of the team,” Howland said. “He has a high basketball IQ, and that’s great for us, his understanding of what’s important and what needs to be done.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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