The glass slipper girl didn’t have a better coming out party than did the Raiders 6-foot-6 freshman forward from Hamilton High School who made his college hoops debut in glorious fashion.
After spending WSU’s first 15 games of the season as a redshirt, Holden finally was invited to the hoops party against the Phoenix and quickly became a Cinder Fella.
He made 5 of 6 field goal attempts for 11 points, while grabbing seven rebounds, making three steals and blocking two shots — all in just over 21 minutes.
Most of all, he infused life into his team, which had been struggling through a three-game losing streak that helped account for their disappointing 7-8 record coming into the game.
“He gave us a good burst of energy tonight,” said Brandon Noel, the 6-foot-8 backbone of the team who led the way with 20 points. “He brings a lot of effort and enthusiasm. I haven’t seen some of that enthusiasm on the court, especially in these last few games.
“Refreshing…that’s a good word I’ll use here.”
For the past two months, Holden has served strictly as a practice player. On game nights, he’d sit on the bench in street clothes.
“Usually, I’d wear my black and white dunks with my black, blue and lemon pants and a Wright State hoodie,” he said. “It was stressful, sitting on the sideline, knowing my team needed something and I couldn’t do nothing to help.”
His mom, Shameka Parrow, would make the 40-minute drive from their Hamilton home every game, even though he never got on the court. She’d sit in the stands wearing one of the several customized shirts she’d had made, featuring pictures of Andrea in action.
Thursday night she was joined by his sister, Anijah, a senior at Hamilton; his grandma Monica Bullock, who’s visiting from Michigan; and his high school coach Kevin Higgins (now at LaSalle) and his wife and son.
Holden starred at Hamilton, but when it came time for college, he — like the fairy-tale girl — was being left at home.
“Coaches would recruit me forever and then, just never talk to me again,” he said quietly as he sat just off the Nutter Center court — still in uniform — nearly 30 minutes after the game ended. “They probably just didn’t believe in me.”
His mom said she thought part of the problem was his GPA.
“I did commit to one school — Tiffin, a Division II school — but then the coach left,” he said.
Finally, near the end of May, Wright State made an offer, but it would require him to redshirt at first so, as head coach Clint Sargent put it, he could acclimate to college: academically, socially and on the basketball court.
Holden built that foundation in the first semester and didn’t mope in practice even though redshirting had not been what he initially expected.
“I was kind of upset, but I know it’s a process,” he said.
“He had good energy in practice and was fun to play with,” said the Raiders redshirt senior transfer Michael Imariagbe, who had 12 rebounds Thursday night.
Sargent expounded on that:
“It’s just been hard around here. Some of our older guys are carrying some of that (struggle) with them in game competitiveness. They’re making it way harder than it should be.
“Andrea though is just free spirited. He brings energy and he just has that ability to compete. He never lets the last play affect him.
“He might be a little undersized inside, but he’s raw and physical and he’s going to fight you and make another effort after that.
“That’s his gift.”
And it’s that after-Christmas present that most helped the Raiders put an end to their three-game skid.
“A day or two ago, we had like one of the greatest practices we had all year and afterward Coach asked me if I wanted to play next game,” Holden said.
Sargent discussed the move with Andrea and his mom and decided “the timing was perfect.”
So, at 12:45 of the first half, Sargent sent No. 20 — Holden — into his first Wright State game ever.
Late start on the court
Holden said his mom moved them here from Davenport, Iowa, a little over five years ago.
“We lived with my uncle in Cincinnati until she found a place in Hamilton,” he said.
“It’s a long story,” Shameka said in edited explanation, except to note she’s a single mom with four kids.
Andrea said he didn’t pick up a basketball until ninth grade: “I was distracted by other things and basketball wasn’t one of my options.”
By sophomore year he was getting some starts on the Hamilton varsity, while also spending time with the JV team.
His final two years he was as starter for the Big Blue and had some big games: 19 points against St Xavier as a junior; 26 with 14 rebounds against Fairfield as a senior.
He averaged 12.2 points and 7.9 rebounds a game last year at Hamilton which won its first district title since 2004. He ended up with first-team All Greater Midwest Conference honors and was honorable mention All-Ohio.
With his glory days initially put on hold at WSU, his mom gave him some good advice:
“I told him to just keep going; that sitting out may be what you need. You can come back next year, stronger and bigger.
“And in the meantime, you have to keep your head up. You’ve still got to be positive. You’ve still got to be a good teammate.”
Swagger for the Raiders
He was that — and more — Thursday night.
Some 80 seconds after he got into the game, he blocked a layup by Green Bay’s Mac Wrecke, though the play was nullified by an Alex Huibregtse foul.
A minute after that he stole the ball from Phoenix forward Marcus Hall and 47 seconds later he did it again.
His first score didn’t come until just 2:20 was left in the half. He was under the basket, faked, then hesitated, went up and was coming back down when he hoisted an off-balance shot that cleared a defender and went in.
That signaled what was to come.
“Yeah, I went 5 for 6 in my first college game, I’ll remember that,” he said.
His baskets included everything from an alley oop tip-in over a defender who had position to fast break layups and even a hook shot.
Only one thing was missing said his mom:
“I would loved to have seen one of his dunks!”
“Yeah, they get everyone hyped,” said Anijah.
The points though weren’t his most important contribution. It’s the way he took over the game with all-out efforts during one-minute spurts.
After those back-to-back steals in the first half, there was a 47-second span in the second half where he blocked two shots in a row, added his own hook shot and then stole the ball again.
If you read the box score the only glitch would seem to be the technical foul he was assessed, though it really that was a plus, too.
“I think that brought energy to the game, too,” he admitted.
“So what happened?” he was asked.
He hesitated, then shrugged: “I talked some trash after I blocked a shot.”
“What did you say?’
He shook his head and looked down: “I’m not gonna repeat it. I can’t repeat it.”
“He wouldn’t tell me either,” his mom said later.
When pressed in private again, he cupped his hands around his mouth and whispered: “I said, ‘Get that (expletive) out of here!’”
After the way things have gone for the Raiders lately, they needed some physical play and swagger, and he provided it.
No one appreciated his performance more than the small group who came to support him.
“Tonight, I almost cried in the stands,” his mom said.
As for Grandma, she made an admission:
“I don’t understand basketball, so I just clapped when everybody else did. And I did a lot of clappin’ for him tonight. I’m proud of him.”
She might not understand the game, but she did realize one thing.
She had just watched a fairy tale come to life.
About the Author