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7 Things You Should Know About Emmitt Holt

Emmitt Holt

The surprise transfer of Paschal Chukwu last May turned a Providence team that was one of the tallest in the nation during the 2014-15 season into one of the smallest this past year.

PC was unable to add a capable big man at that late stage of the recruiting cycle and the result was a season spent both marveling at the breakout sophomore season of Ben Bentil, while simultaneously cringing whenever Bentil picked up a foul or tweaked an ankle that he first turned in December.

Providence was able reach 24 wins a season ago behind the brilliance of Bentil and All American point guard Kris Dunn, but they were exposed inside against North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Yes, Carolina was enormous and caused mismatches for virtually anyone they faced, but the Friars were particularly small. Once Bentil fouled out in the second half, a gritty, contested game turned into a runaway in favor of the Tar Heels.

Bentil was brilliant last season, but he was on an island. Ed Cooley and company took their first step toward remedying the issue on Tuesday afternoon with the commitment of 6’7 power forward Emmitt Holt.

Here are seven things to know about the newest Friar:

1. Holt has been an efficient shooter everywhere he’s played. During his final AAU season Holt made 60% of his field goals on the Nike EYBL circuit. He committed to Indiana the August before his freshman season of college and proceeded to shoot 65% with the Hoosiers.

Holt was dismissed from Indiana last year and transferred to Indian Hills CC where he once again shot over 60% — this time making 69% from the field.

2. He is immediately eligible after a season away from Division I basketball. In addition to shooting 69% at Indian Hills, he averaged 11.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game playing for head coach Hank Plona. Plona is a Providence graduate and spent time as a graduate assistant under Keno Davis.

3. The Providence coaching staff likes Holt for his ability to rebound, defend the interior, and score in the paint.

While only 6’7, Holt has a 7’3 wingspan and comes to Providence with the reputation as a player who will track down rebounds.

4. Holt averaged 19.8 points, 14.6 rebounds and 5.0 blocks for Webster Schroeder High School in New York. The Rochester native solidified his reputation playing for the Albany City Rocks — an AAU team he did not play with until after he graduated high school.

Albany City Rocks Director Jimmy Hart told Indiana website Inside the Hall, “He was our most important player. At the end of every game, if someone asked our guys who the MVP of the team was, everyone would vote for Emmitt.”

That’s telling considering his teammates included outstanding Syracuse forward Tyler Lydon and Notre Dame commits Matt Ryan and Elijah Burns.

5. He was dismissed from Indiana after a pair of off-court incidents. He was cited for illegal possession of alcohol last August, just 10 months after hitting a teammate with his car with alcohol in his system. He was the third Indiana player dismissed from the school in a matter of months.

6. Holt’s two most effective games at Indiana came against good competition. In just his third college game he made all six of his shots from the field en route to 15 points, and he grabbed 12 rebounds in the Big 10 Conference Tournament versus Maryland.

7. Watch highlights of Holt below.

Twitter: @Kevin_Farrahar

Email: kevin.farrahar@friarbasketball.com

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