“This is home.”
Last week the NCAA finally granted him a waiver to play for the Raiders this season — a big factor was him returning to the Fairborn campus this summer, taking nine credits and graduating in July — and Tuesday he spoke about all that publicly for the first time.
“When I left here, it was one of the toughest decisions I ever made in my life,” he said of his departure following his much-trumpeted efforts during the 2021-22 season.
He had had three stellar years with the Raiders, winning All-Horizon League honors each season, the last two as a first team all-conference player.
He started 90 of 91 games in his WSU career, scored 1,461 points and in that last season in Hunter Green and Gold, he averaged 20.1 points per game and had a showcase performance — 37 points, 11 rebounds — in the nationally-televised NCAA Tournament First Four victory over Bryant at UD Arena.
Not long after the Raiders lost to No. 1 Arizona in their next NCAA Tournament game, Holden shocked everyone and announced he was transferring to Ohio State, the school that once recruited him as a football player when he starred at Wheelersburg High School down along the Ohio River.
“I felt for me it would just be the right decision,” he said. “I thought it was best for me athletically, just to expand my game and play against some of the best competition. And when you get your degree from there, it means a lot to a lot of people. Overall, I thought it was a good decision for me.”
It didn’t turn out that way.
Credit: Jeff Dean
Credit: Jeff Dean
He played in 27 games for Ohio State, never started and averaged 3.6 points and 13.6 minutes a game (compared to 35.3 the season before at WSU.)
Although he had a couple of shining moments —most notably hitting the game-winning three pointer against Rutgers at the buzzer — the Buckeyes had a down season. They finished 16-19 and missed the NCAA Tournament.
Actually, when Holden had his first offer from Ohio State in high school — after he led his team to the state title as a junior, was the co-Offensive Player of the Year in Division V and a finalist for Mr. Football — he had a different view than when he jumped from WSU to the Buckeyes.
He talked to me about that soon after he came to WSU in 2019. He said he had known he’d initially have to sit out and “kind of just waste time.”
As he put it then, he didn’t want to just “chase a big name or try to get verification on Instagram or Twitter.”
There’s no denying that with OSU last season, he was with a big-name program and often on a big stage.
“I got to play in the Maui Invitational and at Madison Square Garden and Cameron Indoor,” he said. “I got to play in big-time games against big-time competition and it was cool be on national television, where thousands, millions of people are watching.
“But really, at the end of the day, all you want to do is win.
“And if you’re not winning, it doesn’t mean that much.”
Worse, after being a central figure at Wright State for three seasons, he was relegated to a sidepiece on the bench.
Although he appreciates the lessons he learned through that and the bonds and friendships he forged, he realized — maybe subconsciously, at first — where his heart lie.
He said he watched all of Wright State’s games on ESPN+ and made sure he was at the Nutter Center for Senior Night last season:
“To go through all the blood sweat and tears and grind with those guys when I was here — to have a bond with Andy Neff and Tim Finke and the guys — I wanted to watch them walk on Senior Night. That’s a special moment for any athlete.”
And because of the difference in the size of the schools and their athletic programs, Holden said he was able to make similar connections away from the court:
“At Wright State I just knew how much they care for each person on the team and in the classroom. You get more intimate classroom time at Wright State, and you can speak to the professors. They know who you are.
“And President (Susan) Edwards is great to all of us and (athletic director) Bob Grant is, too.
“It’s harder to build those relationships at Ohio State, they’ve got 36 athletic programs and that’s a lot of attention that has to be passed around.”
When he decided to transfer, he said he leaned on those closest to him: his mom and dad and his girlfriend, Kiara Tilley, who he’s known since kindergarten, started dating in high school and who now is a cosmetologist back in her mom’s shop in Wheelersburg.
He said, “We all prayed on it” and he came to one conclusion: “Wright State was where I belonged.”
He didn’t consider any other school, but before he entered the transfer portal, he said he reached out to Trey Calvin, who was the star of the WSU team last season, is a fifth-year player like him and was just named the preseason pick as this year’s Horizon League Player of the Year.
“Before I did anything, I talked to Trey because this is Trey’s team,” he said. “I wanted to get Trey’s approval and he was all for it. He just wants to win. Although we were in different situations last year, it was similar for us, too.
“With me at Ohio State, we didn’t succeed and do very well in our league. And last year here, they finished seventh (in the Horizon League.)
“Even though we were in different locations, we had the same outcome. And now we both just want to win.”
Holden is especially appreciative of head coach Scott Nagy and his staff:
“It’s a testament to them. They could have written me off, but they were gracious enough to bring me back. They opened their arms and embraced me.”
Nagy said it was simple. He said while “we all screw up” it’s right to offer another opportunity “if their head and heart are right.”
And Holden is sincere when he talks about his appreciation of Wright State, which didn’t just feature him on the court, but buoyed him when tough times hit away from the game, especially with the death of his beloved grandfather Delmas Conley, a devoted Raiders fan and a hero to his grandson, who died in January of 2022.
“Life hit me here,” he said. “I had people to lean on and I was able to grow up here. This is where I became a man.
“And that’s why deciding to come back here was the easiest decision I ever made. It’s where I needed to be; where I think God wants me to be.
“It’s the best place for me.
“It’s home.”
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