(back)

'Little things' paying off for ex-CdS athlete

By Brian Gomez

Former Corona del Sol High School boys basketball player Anthony Hollins was surrounded by history last year at Washington University in St. Louis.

Hollins played at Washington University Field House, where the Bears have posted a 208-39 record (.842) since a complete renovation took place during the 1983-84 season.

The 6-foot-5, 195-pound sophomore stepped foot on the site of the 1904 Olympic Games, the first international competition held in the Western Hemisphere.

And he dribbled a basketball on the same grounds that the first debate of the 1992 presidential campaign and the third debate of the 2000 campaign were held.

But while Hollins has absorbed the sights and sounds of the hilltop campus, he is just beginning to become part of them.

“It’s a learning experience,” Hollins said. “It’s a little bit faster (than high school) and it is more physical. Guys are better shooters and are stronger players. When you drive, you have to be a little stronger going to the hoop.”

Hollins averaged a mere 4.8 minutes, 2.3 points and 1.8 rebounds per game during his freshman season.

He was 10-for-21 (47.6 percent) from the field and made 7 of 12 attempts (58.3 percent) at the free-throw line in 12 games.

“I enjoyed myself even though I didn’t get to play as much as I would have liked,” Hollins said. “I didn’t really score much. I just tried to do the little things.”

After not receiving a scholarship, Hollins paid his way to Washington instead of trying his luck at the University of San Diego or at the community college level.

The jump from high school to Division III college basketball proved quite severe for Hollins who, as a regular starter during his final two seasons on the varsity team, helped lead the Aztecs to a 42-12 record and a pair of Central Region titles. Hollins didn’t make any starts this past year.

“I would be on the bench cold and not stretched. I couldn’t really run,” Hollins said. “I didn’t worry about how I did. I just went out and played.”

The transition was even more difficult because Hollins, who spent his entire high school career as a guard, was forced to play forward. With 10 guards on their active roster, the No. 1-ranked Bears (18-0, 7-0 University Athletic Association) are well-stocked in the backcourt.

“It was a big difference because I had never posted up and I was always on the top,” Hollins said.

“I was so tired after the first couple of weeks trying to get adjusted. Midway through the season, I started to feel a little more comfortable.”

This year, Washington returned all 19 players, including five other sophomores, and also added a few newcomers. Head coach Mark Edwards welcomed back a senior-dominated starting lineup that consists of guards Matt Tabash and Dustin Tylka, forwards Joel Parrott and Chris Jeffries and center Jarriot Rook.

With a little patience, Hollins could soon find himself somewhere in the mix. The Bears will lose nine seniors to graduation this spring, meaning many holes will have to be filled.

Although Hollins played sparingly last year, he still garnered more minutes than four of the other newcomers and also was part of the 12-man traveling roster.

“This year, we’re counting on him a lot. We anticipate he’s going to be a big part of our program,” Edwards said.

“With his athleticism and quickness, he is just really gaining confidence every day out there. He is the type of kid that makes good programs even better.”

Hollins is averaging 4.8 points and 3.1 rebounds through 18 games this season. He is also shooting 48 percent (36-for-75) from the field, something he credits to the vast improvement in his jump shot.

“It’s not quite where I want it to be, but it’s a lot better than it was in high school,” Hollins said. “I’m a lot more confident with it because I have to use it more often.”

Hollins is optimistic that he will learn the tools needed to succeed under the guidance of Edwards, the school’s all-time most winning coach with a 368-198 record (.650) in 21-plus seasons at the helm.

Since returning to Washington in 1981 to spark new life into a men’s basketball program that was dropped because of financial reasons, Edwards has taken his teams to 10 postseason berths.

The Bears have strung together a school-record 18 consecutive winning seasons and have advanced to the postseason in six of the past eight years. Edwards is the most successful men’s basketball coach in the UAA, winning a league-best six conference titles and tallying a 166-48 mark (.776) in league play since the conference’s inception in 1987.
Hollins has adapted well to Edward’s fast-paced offense, which consists of numerous screens and back picks. He also likes the man-to-man defense similar to the one used by Corona head coach Joe Maisel.

Washington, which finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the nation’s Division III polls by Basketball America and the National Basketball Coaches Association, earned an automatic bid to the playoffs after two lopsided road victories over Brandeis University and New York University. Led by Jeffries and Rook, both of whom combined to average more than 30 points per game during the regular season, the Bears celebrated a 71-57 win against Maryville (Tenn.) College, before falling a week later to DePauw University.

“We expected to win it all,” Hollins said. “When we didn’t, it was pretty tough.”

After marking victories in four of its first five games, Washington triumphed in a school-record 21 straight outings. Washington’s lone regular-season loss came in the form of a 63-55 setback at Hanover (Ind.) College.

The Bears, who averaged 81.9 points per game, set new school records for the most single-season wins and the highest winning percentage (.926) in a season. The 25 wins also marked the most at Washington for Edwards, whose team went 23-4 the previous year.

The Bears became only the second team in UAA history to finish the conference season undefeated. The University of Chicago accomplished the feat twice in the 1997-98 and 1999-2000 seasons. Washington amassed an unblemished 14-0 record at the 3,000-seat WU Field House, marking the first time it had gone unbeaten there since the 1995-96 campaign.

“We were just playing really well together,” Hollins said. “Even when we were playing bad, we were able to keep going.”

The Bears won the Lopata Basketball Classic for the 12th time in the past 18 years with a pair of convincing wins over Middlebury College and Whiteman College. They opened this season with victories in the annual event against Wesleyan University and Pomona-Pitzer Colleges.

Since then, Washington has recorded 16 straight wins, seven of which have come away from home. The Bears emerged victorious in their first seven conference outings by an average margin of 21.4 points per game.

On Feb. 16, Washington is scheduled to face Case Western Reserve University ¾ the team Hollins had one of his biggest games against last year. Hollins tossed in five points in his team's 82-49 win over the Spartans and he also scored five points in a victory against Brandeis.

“He’s got to work on more post moves. He’ll be able to play both in and out,” said Hollins’ father, Lionel, an assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies. “I’m sure he’ll be a starter before he graduates. His athleticism stands out like a sore thumb.”

Hollins averaged 13.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.7 steals per game during his senior season at Corona, while also earning first-team all-region, all-city, all-East Valley and team Most Valuable Player honors. He lettered twice in track and field, was a Scholar-Athlete Award winner and was named the school’s Player of the Year in 2000-01.

“I could have been more prepared, but I felt pretty confident coming out,” Hollins said. “I felt ready to go to the next level.”

Hollins, a native of La Jolla, Calif., is majoring in biology at Washington in the College of Arts & Sciences. He had a little trouble adjusting to college life last year, evidenced by the fact that his grade-point average dropped well below a 3.0.

“It’s a lot of work and nobody tells you that you have to do it,” Hollins said. “You just have to be focused. You have enough time, it’s just a matter of managing it and not hanging out too much.”

Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@wranglernews.com.

(back)