Senior Farewell: Stephen Holt
By Simon Tryzna
In his senior year, Holt couldn’t lead the Gaels back to the Tourney.
Mills. McConnell. Dellavedova. Holt.
Those are the last four starting point guards for Saint Mary’s Gaels. Of the four, only Stephen Holt couldn’t lead the Gaels to the tournament. Was it his fault? Absolutely not.
I’m not much for “what if?” moments, but there are two that I think of whenever I think of Stephen Holt’s time at SMC: 1. What if he doesn’t get injured in 2012? 2. What if Cullen Neal came to Saint Mary’s and ran point this past year?
Thinking about Number 2 is interesting – while Holt put up solid numbers as a point guard, it is his off-ball movement and his ability to catch and shoot is what made him lethal. Playing alongside Dellavedova, his change of pace was one of the reason he was so successful. By not running the offense, he was able to save a good chunk of energy for his defense, and he was a shut-down defender at the top of his game. It’s the number 1 “what if?” moment that truly explains Holt’s importance to the Gaels.
When Stephen Holt went down with a knee injury against LMU, the entire arena deflated. The Gaels fought valiantly, but ended up being upset by LMU, on senior night. Their quest for a perfect home slate needed one last win and they couldn’t get it. Three days later, the Gaels journeyed to Kentucky, to face Murray State on a prime-time, national television match up and lost, primarily because the Racers guards couldn’t miss. Had Holt never went down, perhaps the Gaels beat LMU, and perhaps they even beat Murray State. And perhaps, then, they aren’t a seven-seed facing a tough Purdue team. Maybe they are a five-seed and can make a run to the Sweet 16. What if. What if?
Stephen Holt will go down as one of the best to wear a Gaels uniform. He was a huge part of two NCAA teams and the only team in the last decade to unseat the Zags as the West Coast Conference Champions. But ultimately, he was a huge part of improving the Gaels program, helping the Gaels to becoming a premier mid-major. He left the program with plenty of memories and in better shape than when he came in. That’s all a fan can ask for.