Holland rounding into form

It’s no mystery that John Holland can score. A 38-point offensive showcase against the University of Hartford his freshman year shed enough light on his offensive talents to last him a collegiate career.

He can shoot, he can drive, he can finish and, as he showed in the Boston University men’s basketball team’s 67-62 victory over St. Peter’s College Saturday at Case Gymnasium, Holland can flush an alley-oop with seismic force.

But in his America East Rookie of the Year-winning campaign last season, Holland showed more promise in the other areas of the game than he ultimately brought to the court on a consistent basis. Three games into this season, his game appears to be rounding out.

Playing against two of his former teammates from St. Benedict’s Prep (Ismalia Traore and Ryan Bacon), Holland dropped a cool 26 points in 24 minutes against the Peacocks. And though the rest of his line ‘-‘- two rebounds, 0 blocks, 0 steals and 0 assists ‘-‘- might lead you to believe otherwise, Holland was a different player than those teammates might remember.

Last year, Holland led the Terriers with 44 steals, but a large majority of those came from his gambling in the passing lanes and deflecting balls ‘-‘- an attractive option considering those steals tend to lead to fastbreak opportunities.

But Saturday afternoon, Holland shied away from the easy and risky steals and played fundamental, man-up defense. Considering his length and speed, Holland’s commitment to defense offers BU coach Dennis Wolff a formidable weapon.

‘Just being more disciplined on defense,’ Holland said of his new strategy. ‘A lot of times you play the passing lanes and you don’t get the ball and you get beat, so just trying to be more disciplined on my defensive approach.’

Already a good rebounder ‘-‘- Holland was second on the team with five per game last season ‘-‘- the sophomore has displayed an increased motor on the offensive glass. Though not reflective of his overall effort in the paint, both of Holland’s rebounds Saturday were off BU misses, and of his 16 boards this season, eight of those came near the Terrier basket.

‘The coaches really emphasize trying to crash the boards, so that’s what we really try and do on this team,’ Holland said.

The irony is that for all the maturation of the less glamorous parts of his game, the Terriers’ leading scorer (20 points per game) still has things to work on when he has the ball in his hands.

With the Terriers holding a seven-point lead late in the second half, Holland took a quick, contested 3 from the left corner. It went in, but just like overplaying a passing lane, the risk of coming up short was letting the Peacocks back in the game.

‘I didn’t like that three he shot in front of the bench when we were up seven with three minutes to go,’ Wolff said. ‘I think that was too quick, but he made it. I don’t think that time and score dictated those shots. I think we should have been a little more patient there.’

A little more than a year ago, Holland seemed like he might be the type of player with whom patience should be stressed. By the end of that season, he showed he can be a major scorer for his team. At the beginning of this one, he’s looking like he’s ready to be much more.