Ryan Holmes Featured in West Valley View
8/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
by Mike Russo
West Valley View
August 15, 2008
Reprinted with permission from the author.
It has been a strange odyssey, from Goodyear to Bozeman, Mont., to Phoenix and now Malibu, Calif., but Ryan Holmes has finally found basketball tranquility.
Holmes, who starred at Millennium High School, guiding the Tigers to the 2004 state semifinals as a senior, initially enrolled at Montana State University to begin his collegiate basketball career.
He averaged 1.6 points per game, playing 25 games for Montanan State as a true freshman.
Holmes started the first four games of his sophomore year before becoming disenchanted with a reduced role and withdrawing from school.
Returning to the Valley, Holmes played for Phoenix College, where he averaged 14.9 points, 3.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals as a redshirt sophomore.
His outstanding play for the Bears caught the eye of the Pepperdine coaching staff and Holmes was offered a scholarship to play for the Waves.
However, it was a season of turmoil for Pepperdine in 2007-08. Coach Vance Walberg guided the Waves to a 6-12 overall and 0-2 record in the West Coast Conference before abruptly resigning, effective immediately, Jan. 17.
"When we were going through a losing streak, you could tell there was something wrong with the coach," Holmes said. "It was building up all year, and we struggled."
Assistant coach Eric Bridgeland took the reins for the rest of the season as the Waves finished with an 11-21 record, 4-10 in the West Coast Conference.
Holmes briefly wondered if he had made the right decision to attend Pepperdine.
"I had some second thoughts but I thought everything happens for a reason," Holmes said.
Holmes stuck it out, and when Bridgeland took over, things picked up for Holmes.
"Coach Bridgeland changed the offense," Holmes said. "He let us take 3-pointers and we weren't pressing all the time. I was able to get more shots in the new offense."
Walberg's offense had been much more structured, Holmes said.
"He didn't want us taking 3-point shots," Holmes said.
"We played full-court defense under Walberg," Holmes added. "We would play hard for two minutes then he would sub us out, rest us on the bench and then go back in. We couldn't build any continuity. It was a weird system.
"The interim coach [Bridgeland] stressed being a team, We returned more to basics."
Although Walberg's sudden departure caused some problems, Holmes said he harbored no ill will toward his former coach.
"Coach Walberg was a good guy," he said. "He taught me a lot about toughness."
Ample playing time
Holmes ended up playing in 31 games, starting 25 of them, at point guard. He averaged 26.9 minutes per game, the second highest average on the team.
"I was pleased with the amount of playing time I got," Holmes said. "It was not a situation like Montana State."
At Montana State, Holmes had seen his playing diminished as additional playing time was given to Casey Durham, son of head coach Mick Durham.
Holmes averaged 6.0 points per game during his initial season with the Waves, but the average increased in conference play to 8.1 He also pulled down 2.5 rebounds per contest and dished out 2.1 assists.
His season scoring high was 15 points, which he twice achieved against Loyola Marymount.
"I enjoyed playing against Loyola Marymount," Holmes said. "Loyola would extend their defense man-to-man. That allowed us to dribble the ball and dish. We were able to spread them out and get good shots."
New coach
Coach Tom Asbury, one of the most successful coaches in school history, returns to the Pepperdine bench this year.
Asbury coached the Waves to a string of postseason appearances from 1989 to 1994. He was 125-59 during those six seasons with three NCAA and two NIT appearances.
Holmes said he is looking forward to playing for Asbury.
"Coach Asbury has a more normal system," he said.
Holmes became closely acquainted with the new coaching staff while serving as a host for recruits during the spring.
"As a host, I got to get close to the new coaches," he said.
Holmes is one of five holdovers from last season Asbury will be counting on. Joining him on the roster are veterans Rico Tucker, Mychel Thompson, Mike Hornbuckle and Gus Clardy.
Pepperdine faces a very challenging schedule this year, but Holmes said he is especially looking forward to a pair of road trips.
The Waves will play at Arizona State University on Nov. 23 and will also compete in the Rainbow Classic in Honolulu in late December.
"I'm definitely looking forward to coming back home to play in front of family and friends," Holmes said.
He also is excited about traveling to Hawaii.
"I've never been there," he said. "I'm looking forward to it."
Holmes is pursuing a bachelor's degree in business administration. Having lost some credits after transferring from Phoenix College and Montana State before that, Holmes has about two years of classroom work before earning a bachelor's degree.
"I will stay at Pepperdine to get my degree," he said. "It is a very prestigious school.
"I'm enjoying myself at Pepperdine," he added. "I've learned a lot, and this is a beautiful area."
