Made for the game

Anthony Holmes is just enjoying his time at Clay-Chalkville High School.

“It’s been amazing,” Holmes said of his experience as a player in the Cougars’ basketball program. “I couldn’t picture myself in any other place. I love this team.”

Holmes transferred to Clay-Chalkville for his sophomore season, but he did not see game action until midway through his junior season because of various hoops and hurdles dealing with his eligibility. While that would deter many student-athletes, Holmes put his head down and worked hard.

Finally able to step on the court midway through last year, Holmes’ ability immediately made a positive impact on the Cougars.

“Anthony kind of does it all,” third-year Clay-Chalkville coach Jeremy Monceaux said. “He rebounds; he defends; he blocks shots; he runs the floor.”

Monceaux remembers the first time he saw Holmes with a basketball in his hands.

 “We didn’t really know much about him, because he was a new student in my PE class,” he said. “He came down, and they were just playing around, and he dunks it two hands, and I was like, ‘Holy cow.’ He showed a natural athletic ability that got us excited.”

Holmes has been as advertised for the Cougars. He has continually improved his game since he stepped on campus.

“When he got here, he didn’t shoot it very well, and his ball-handling was a little weak. We have summer workouts, and we work on that, but he’s done the extra it takes to really improve on that, to make himself an all-around player,” Monceaux said.

The work ethic Holmes has shown is just one reason teammates gravitate toward the senior, despite having just played a little more than a full season’s worth of games in his high school career.

“His teammates have a great respect for him, mainly because he’s earned it,” Monceaux said. “He quietly goes about his business. He brings it every time. He’s not necessarily a perfect player, but he loves the game of basketball.”

Early in the season, Clay-Chalkville was competing in the North Shelby Tip-Off Classic at Chelsea High School. One day during that week, Holmes was involved in an automobile accident with a fellow teammate. Despite a trip to the hospital, Holmes wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He wanted to play that night.

“I was fully ready to just go without him,” Monceaux said. “I think that speaks to just his love for wanting to compete and wanting to play and not wanting to let his teammates down. He put a headband over his Band-Aid [and played].”

He played that night, and wound up on the all-tournament team, as Clay-Chalkville won the event.

“You’re not promised anything, and I don’t even know if I’m going to play in college. So I want to play each and every game this season,” Holmes said.

That makes for an ideal scenario for Clay-Chalkville’s basketball program, because Holmes has established himself as a leader, and he’s one who has bought into the principles of the program.

“At Clay-Chalkville, we’re a defensive team,” Holmes said. “We’re going to lock you up before we score 100.”

While high-flying offenses grab headlines around all sports and is generally viewed as the most attractive aspect of the game, Monceaux’s defense-first mantra is proven to work, and getting his players to believe that is an important step to a successful team year-in and year-out.

“The thing that’s great about Anthony is he’s been bought in,” Monceaux said. “Even when he wasn’t playing — he was having to come duke it out every day and then sit in a warm up on the sideline — he was bought in. You can see the guys kind of migrate to him, in the tough times, in practice and on the floor.”

Monceaux said the Cougars will go as far as leaders such as Holmes and Jalen Jordan take the team. One thing is sure: Holmes will show up to play each and every night.

“I want to be great,” Holmes said.