By JACOB POLACHECK
Considered among the best two-sport athletes in the class of 2022, Trejuan Holloman continues to impress college basketball coaches, scouts and spectators with high-energy and a pass-first mentality.
Ranked by 247Sports.com as the No. 12 point guard and No. 69 overall basketball prospect in the class of 2022, Holloman is an elite defender that distributes the ball well.
“I make the people around me better,” Holloman told ZAGSBLOG Friday. “I’m a great on-ball defender and I jump the passing lanes well. I’m just a team point guard, a true point guard.”
The 6-foot-1, 165-pound point guard and cornerback from Cretin Durham (MN) Hall and the Howard Pulley AAU Program, recently named a top six of Oklahoma State, Dayton, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan State and Marquette.
“I felt like these six schools have the best situation for me,” he said. “These schools have been in the most contact with me and have very great coaches. They are the places where I think I could see myself.”
He broke down each school for ZAGSBLOG:
Oklahoma State: “They just came in two weeks ago, but they’ve been making me a top priority for them. They were very blunt. Coach Mike Boynton and the staff really like my game and could see me there. They’ve had some good guard play from the last few years. That’s a great situation for me, I think.”
Dayton: “Coach (James) Kane, who was at Iowa State, has been recruiting me for such a long time. We have a great relationship. Coach (Anthony Grant) just won coach of the year (in 2020) and he’s been there for a few years. That would be a good situation for me too.”
Illinois: “Coach (Chester) Frazier has been contacting me a lot. They think that (Andre) Curbelo is going to leave after this next year, so they want me to come right in, play and take that spot.”
Minnesota: “They’ve got a great coaching staff over there. Coach (Ben) Johnson really likes me. They love me and they want me to take the keys to the car. Minnesota would be a great situation for me too because I could come in and play right away under a good head coach. That would be good for me and it’s my hometown.”
Holloman has already taken his first two official visits, kicking off his visit tour with a trip to Michigan State from June 3-5.
“They’ve got nice facilities over there,” Holloman said. “It’s a beautiful campus. Coach (Tom) Izzo and coach (Doug) Wojcik have been contacting me since my freshman year. They’ve been contacting me the longest. Coach Izzo is a Hall of Fame coach and he’s just a great coach. They’ve got some great guys over there. I think I would be a great fit over there.”
Holloman made his second official visit trip to Marquette earlier this week from June 30-July 1.
“I like the coaching staff there, too,” he said. “They are some funny guys over there. They’ve got energy just like Michigan State. They have a good play style and I just like coach (Shaka) Smart because he’s a great guy and they have a point guard style of play.”
On both of his official visits, coaches at Michigan State and Marquette pitched their programs’ plans for navigating the new world of name, image and likeness in college basketball, officially put in place on July 1.
“They did talk about that, but kids shouldn’t really stress on that or be too worried about that because if you’re already playing well then the sponsors and stuff should be coming in,” he said. “They talked to me about it for sure.”
While each of the six schools have offered Holloman a basketball scholarship, Minnesota and Michigan State are the only two that have offered him for football.
Holloman previously said he would like to make his college decision after August, but now says it’s more likely he’ll commit during the basketball season, which is also when he expects to choose what sport he will play at the next level.
“I don’t know what I’m going to play right now,” he said. “I’m still deciding.”
When it comes to his college decision, Holloman listed three factors involved: his relationship with the head coach, finding a place he could live and finding quality minutes.
“If the head coach can trust me and if we can build that relationship, that would be great from these schools,” he said. “Second, if it’s a place where I could live, where I could see myself being.
“And then, if I’m going to play. If I’m just going to be there to sit the bench, then that’s not good, but if I can come in and play right away, that would be great. I would get some quality minutes and be the point guard leader of the team.”
Wherever he ends up, Holloman has one main focus on his mind.
“I just want to be remembered for my name – Trejaun Holloman – and not being the next somebody else, just being myself,” he said. “Just being a loyal person, an honest person and that’s it. Just being myself. Remember that – Trejaun Holloman.”
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