University of North Carolina Athletics
Jonathan Holmes Combines Academics & Athletics
December 7, 1999 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 7, 1999
By Ryan McDonough
Athletic Media Relations Student Assistant
Freshman point guard Jonathan Holmes' high school accomplishments appear to be a blueprint for what the ideal student-athlete may try to achieve. On the court, Holmes was a two-time, first team all-state selection and the runner-up for Indiana's Mr. Basketball award his senior year. Holmes played in several major tournaments. including the Nike All-American camp, the ACC/SEC challenge, and the Derby festival in Louisville. Holmes also excelled in the classroom, posting a 4.0 grade point average, which tied him for the top academic ranking in his class.
Holmes is a student to the game as well. He had the opportunity to play for his father, J.R., throughout his high school and AAU careers.
"Playing for my father was a wonderful experience that I'll cherish for the rest of my life," the younger Holmes says. "All the things that I had ever learned in the game of basketball before I got here were from my father."
His experience against top competition in AAU and invitational tournaments also have helped Holmes improve his game. Holmes points out that playing at high level of competition in high school and tournaments helped push him to succeed.
"I think it was very beneficial," he says. "I got a lot of experience playing against the best competition in the country. I saw how many great players there were out there, and that I would have to work hard every day to try to get better."
After being heavily recruited in high school, Holmes decided on Carolina. Thus far, he couldn't be any happier with his decision.
"Everybody here has been receptive," he says. "They go out of their way to make you feel welcome. The people here are extremely nice, and very polite. The whole experience at the University is something that I wish everybody could experience."
As a senior in high school, Holmes knew what Carolina had to offer. When a scholarship was extended to him by the basketball staff, he didn't think twice.
"As soon as Coach Guthridge called and offered a scholarship I didn't hesitate (to accept)," says Holmes. "I knew this is where I wanted to be."
Holmes got the combination of athletics and academics that he wanted, as well as an environment in which he felt always felt comfortable.
"The coaching staff was very nice and the players made me feel welcome. And when it comes down to basketball tradition, there's nothing better."
As you may expect from such an accomplished young man, Holmes enjoys the pressure and responsibility that go along with playing the point guard position.
"You're running the show, you're in control, you're the leader out there," he says. "Alot of the focus is on you because you have to get the team in the spots on offense and you have to call the defenses."
Holmes credits his father as well as growing up in and around the gym for his success playing the point. He also says that helping his teammates succeed is perhaps his favorite aspect of the position.
"It's all about getting your teammates open shots and making them look better because they make you look good when they knock shots down."
Holmes also has a good sense of his individual strengths and weaknesses: "My leadership is one of my top attributes, along with ballhandling and my knowledge of the game."
Holmes points out that growing up in Indiana, a state that takes all levels of basketball very seriously, helped his game become well-rounded.
"Alot of the time you get a point guard who is strictly a passer or a defender, but growing up in Indiana you've got to be a shooter too," he says. "As I get older, I'll work to get stronger and quicker. I'm trying to improve in every area. You never can be too good in an area, so I'm trying to work on everything."
Holmes relies on his religious background and family for support on and off the court. His basketball role models include Pete Maravich and Bobby Hurley.
"I saw their size, and how effective they were," Holmes explains. "I modeled my game after the way they played."
Away from the game, Holmes looks to his parents and religion for guidance.
"My family and I are real close," he says. "They've been down here for almost every game. I really look to my family, church, and God for my support because that's where alot of my strength comes from."
Throughout his career, Holmes has accomplished a great deal in the game of basketball. But when you ask him to name his proudest moments, two immediately come to his mind.
"Definitely playing for my father in high school, and putting on the Carolina jersey for the first time."
The game of basketball has been such a part of Holmes life that he says he can't see letting it go once his Carolina playing days are over.
"I'd like to continue playing professionally somewhere, whether it be in the NBA or over seas," Holmes admits. "Growing up a coaches kid, its just a part of you. I just can't see myself getting out of basketball . . . ever."
Holmes realizes how unique his basketball career has been thus far.
"Few people get the chance to play for their father. It was one of the great experiences of my life. And now I'm playing at Carolina."
His father's influence is perhaps most apparent in the work ethic that has been instilled in him since he was young. Now, as in the past, Holmes insists that there is nothing that he'd rather be doing than playing the game.
"I enjoy playing, I play all the time," he says. "I'm always trying to find games, always trying to improve. Ther's no better place for me to be than at Carolina."
