He talked about the way he handled himself, calling it a “lost art” and “old fashioned.”
Goodwin was referring to the way the 6-foot-10 sophomore plays inside, leveraging himself, sealing off defenders and mastering the angles like a pool shark.
But the Capital coach just as well could have been describing the way Holmes approaches things off the court:
The way he’s embraced a loyalty to UD over enticements from Power 5 poachers with fat-cat boosters, more lucrative NIL deals, a bigger conference stage and a chance to pad a bank account, not just a box score.
Credit: David Jablonski
And all this now can be done with ease, thanks to the revolving door transfer portal.
In today’s world, loyalty sometimes seems like a quaint term from another era, something as outdated as knee pads, high-water shorts and the two-handed set shot.
In the summer of 2021 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the NCAA and made it permissible for college players to earn money off their name, image and likeness.
While the concept is fine, it’s turned into a Wild West venture and, as is always the case, the biggest, richest and most-trumpeted programs often grab everything in sight.
On his Twitter account, South Florida billionaire John Ruiz announced that he signed Kansas State transfer guard Nijel Peck to a 2-year, $400,000 deal when he agreed to play for the University of Miami.
In return, Peck will endorse two of Ruiz’s companies: LifeWallet, a healthcare business, and the Cigarette (boat) Racing Team.
The Kentucky Wildcats’ 6-foot-9 Oscar Tshiebwe decided he’d stay in college rather than jump to the NBA because of all the NIL money he’s making. Sports Illustrated estimated it to be as much as $2 million this season.
But in taking a page out of the Holmes’ book, Boston College’s Zac Flowers – a two-time, All ACC receiver – told ESPN’s Pete Thamel that he refused to enter the transfer portal and jump to another school that was offering – through intermediaries – some $600,000 in NIL deals.
Holmes admitted last summer he was approached by another school’s proxy (he won’t name the school) who said if he transferred he would have a bigger stage and get better NIL deals.
“It wasn’t six figures,” he said.
But even if it had been, he said he wasn’t interested.
“Chasing the money isn’t worth it,” he said. “I’d rather have the true love.
“Loyalty really does mean something to me.”
‘We’re like a big family’
Holmes said that’s the way he was taught by his parents and it’s also the byproduct that’s come as this team has been built.
“As a team, we’ve all connected really well and are learning from each other. We’re like a big family. And I think you can see that,” Holmes said.
The Flyers returned all their starters from last season, as well as some of their top bench players, and especially have added heralded 6-foot-8 freshman guard Mike Sharavjamts, who already looks to be a master of the no-look pass.
They’re picked to win the Atlantic 10 this season and open the season ranked No. 24 in the Associated Press poll.
Such buildup has the local basketball community abuzz and for the second season in a row, every game is sold out before the opener.
Even Saturday night’s exhibition against the Division III Comets was a sellout.
Against that backdrop, there are some NIL dollars to be had here.
Holmes does have deals with Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken and the White Allen Auto Group and the entire team has one with Premier Health.
And just last week Dayton 6th – a group that includes former Flyers Brian Roberts, Keith Waleskowski and George Janky on the board – was launched to expand and promote NIL deals for UD athletes.
It keeps Dayton competitive, though it’s not in the rarefied air of some elite Power 5 football programs where, as Sports Illustrated reported, it’s expected that each player on the team (Ohio State lists 119) and the recruits will be paid $50,000 to $100,000 a year.
When all that was brought up, Holmes just shakes his head: “I feel like Dayton is an underrated school and we have a great coaching staff that does a good job making sure we’re the best we can be, head to toe. Dayton is the perfect opportunity for me.”
He needs to look no further than Obi Toppin – the National College Player of the Year three seasons ago who became a first-round NBA pick of the New York Knicks – to know that Dayton offers a path to whatever he’s looking for in the future.
Like Toppin, he has shown development from his first season, though he ended his freshman year on a far higher note when he was named the A-10′s Rookie of the Year.
Early last season veteran post players on mediocre opposing teams were able to push Holmes around and exploit him, but he learned quickly to hold his own and ended the season with a freshman record 81 blocked shots.
Saturday night – albeit against a smaller, Division III team – he showed a mastery of maneuvering inside and finished with 15 points, six dunks and two blocked shots. Fellow inside presence Toumani Camara led the way with 16 points and eight rebounds.
‘It’s a special place’
Goodwin, who scored 1,191 points for the Flyers in the mid-1980s, is in the UD Hall of Fame and was a teammate of and remains a dear friend of UD coach Anthony Grant, had high praise for Holmes after the game:
“He is such a position guy. He does a good job with his backside and legs. He does such a good job of sealing off and putting guys in a bad position. It’s almost a lost art to be honest.
“Post guys like that are now an oddity. He’s an old fashioned positon post player. You don’t see that in today’s game.
“He’s going to be a man among boys in the A-10.”
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
Goodwin’s son, Dane, is about to start his fifth season at Notre Dame. He’s already scored 1,341 points.
“I get to watch a lot of ACC basketball because of my son and (Dayton) reminds me of an ACC team,” he said. “They’re going to be a tough matchup in their league. They have to be the most athletic in their league.
“And I can’t imagine any A-10 team being as athletic and lengthy and deep as UD.”
The other thing that continues to impress him about Dayton basketball is the crowd, not just its size, but its unwavering embrace of the Flyers, just like it was in his day.
“Yes, it’s a special place,” he said. “It’s an experience our kids aren’t going to get any other place. They don’t understand the whole atmosphere and importance that basketball is to this community. It was great for them to see that tonight.”
Actually, the Capital players got to experience quite a lot Saturday night.
They got an up close view of the No. 24 team in the nation.
They heard the roar of a sellout crowd of 13,407.
And they witnessed the embodiment of an “old fashioned” concept, a “lost art.”
They saw DaRon Holmes II.
They got to see loyalty in action.
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