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The boy who has been dribbling the basketball on the Marina High hardwood court forever is now a young man.
Yet it’s been Brendan Holmes’ ability to do just that — dribble — that has been key to his evolution as a player the last couple of years for the Vikings.
Coach Roger Holmes has seen it in his son, who has already been a record-breaker in his time at the school. Brendan Holmes’ freshman year, the team set a national high school record with 437 three-pointers. His sophomore year, playing in a frenetic style know as “the system,” Brendan Holmes made 149 three-pointers, which ranked him second in California history.
Last year, Brendan Holmes made 112 behind the arc, on his way to a Sunset League-best scoring average of 22.3 points per game. Yet, his father pointed out, he also led Orange County in free throws made.
“That’s been the evolution of his game, to put the ball on the floor and be more of a threat to drive the ball to the basket,” Roger Holmes said.
Clearly Brendan Holmes can score the ball in a variety of ways. Last year was a special year for the team, as the Vikings advanced to the CIF semifinals. That run included a wild 71-70 victory over Huntington Beach in the quarterfinals.
“That was probably one of the greatest experiences of my life,” Brendan Holmes said. “Both stands full, everyone just going insane. We were sitting in the locker room before the game and you could just hear the crowd, going back-and-forth.”
The Dominican University commit hears his share of applause for his play, too. Being around the court for so long, Brendan Holmes has seen plenty on which to base his game. He remembers the Marina teams of nearly a dozen years ago, with players like Beau Brown and Scott Rivera.
“Scott [also] started as a freshman for my dad,” Brendan Holmes said. “I remember I’d always want to be like him. I always wanted to do everything like him.”
Then there were the Marina teams from earlier this decade, like the 2004 squad that advanced to the CIF finals and featured players like James Lambert and Stephen Becker. But there’s plenty of basketball knowledge at home, too.
Roger Holmes was a standout player at Fountain Valley High and later Cal State Long Beach. The 1978 Barons grad said his team went 26-2 his junior year and 20-5 his senior year. They never lost a Sunset League game in their four-year career.
It’s not lost on Ocean View High Coach Jim Harris, who coached Roger Holmes as a freshman coach at Fountain Valley in 1975.
“He was on the second team I’ve ever coached,” Harris said. “He spoiled me. His team went undefeated.”
So the families have always been close. They’ve shared some of the same life experiences; Harris’ son, Jimmy, played for him in the early 1990s and now coaches the team with his dad.
“He’s gone through the same process that my son went through,” Jim Harris said. “They become just the smartest players, because they’ve been around it for so long. Along with his skills and obvious shooting ability, Brendan is a smart player, and that’s worth its weight in gold to any coach at any level. ... Our whole family thinks a lot of this young man. He has that demeanor that nothing is going to bother him and that’s something a great scorer has to have. You have to have nerves of steel, and he does.”
This season has started well for Brendan Holmes, the captain who is averaging nearly 24 points per game. The Vikings, who also feature senior point guard Tyler James, took fourth last week at the Orange Optimist Tournament and Holmes took all-tournament honors. Big Sunset League battles await. Los Alamitos is always tough, plus Edison is also off to a hot start. The Chargers feature UC Santa Barbara-bound senior Kyle Boswell (25.5 points per game).
“He’s a good shooter and he’s quick,” Brendan Holmes said of Boswell. “He makes a little move and all of a sudden he’s by you. Once he gets going, he’s not stopping.”
But Brendan Holmes is now the same way, and the Vikings are better for it.
“It’s been great,” Roger Holmes said. “He’s the first guy in the gym, the last guy to leave. He has a great attitude. It hasn’t been stressful [coaching my son] at all.”
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