No. 1 recruit Ron Holland has potential to be ‘one of the best’
DUNCANVILLE, Texas (BVM) — Duncanville Panthers head basketball coach David Peavy always knew he wanted to be a basketball coach, and he’s been able to mentor talented players like Micah Peavy, Anthony Black and Jahmi’us Ramsey. He’s also had the pleasure of looking over another gifted player in Ron Holland, who’s become the best high school prospect in the nation.
“We really thought he could be a top-10 kid,” Peavy said. “He surpassed all of our expectations, but he did become a better player than I expected … Everything he does translates to what he’s trying to do and where he’s trying to go.”
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During the 2022-23 season, Holland averaged 20.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists, led the Duncanville Panthers to a 29-1 record and helped them become the No. 3 nationally ranked high school team. He also showed the nation why he’s one of the best young stars in the sport.
“Everybody knows Ron’s No. 1 skill is his motor,” Peavy said. “He flies around, he works hard too, so he’s consistently finding ways to get better and has the potential to be one of the best defenders in the country … I don’t know how many people will be surprised [by his play]. I think a lot of people see those things in him, and when he works on his balance, a lot of things will come together.”
With his outstanding play this past season, Holland received the Gatorade Texas Basketball Player of the Year award.
“I thought he deserved it,” Peavy said. “We were not shocked. As good as he is and how high he’s ranked, it’s not a given. There’s a lot of good players in Texas, so for him to get it is a great honor. We’re very proud of what he’s accomplished.”
Holland is also the No. 1 overall prospect, according to 247Sports, which led him to receive interest from plenty of D-I schools such as Texas, Arkansas and UCLA. He was committed to the Longhorns, but Holland decided to reopen his recruitment on April 28.
— _ronhoops (@ron2kholland) April 28, 2023
Going through a recruiting process again could be challenging, but for a player like Holland, it can help build confidence, and it’s only a matter of time before he starts the next chapter of his athletic career.
“Ron is a tough one, but he’s very caring, he loves his teammates, he’s very passionate and he’s fun to coach,” Peavy said. “He’s going to graduate at 17, but he has become pretty mature.”
Along with becoming a mature player, Holland will also look to learn more about his game in college and overcome the obstacles that come with playing on a bigger stage.
“Talking with college coaches, I guess the biggest hurdle would be physicality,” Peavy said. “He’s going to be at a disadvantage physically, even though he is very well put together and a very strong kid for his age, but grown man strength is different.”
Regardless of where Holland begins his collegiate journey, he’s sure to find success, and like Holland, Duncanville will also look to continue its mission of helping players pursue their basketball dreams.
“We’ve been very consistent with developing good players,” Peavy said. “It seems like a factory. We work them [players] really hard, we teach them a lot, we get in the weight room and we work hard to help these kids achieve their goals. They step on campus, and most of them say they want to be pros, and all of them say they want to play college ball, and I think we’re doing a good job of helping these guys achieve their goals.”
