North Carolina State University Athletics
Holston's Numbers Do The Talking
2/24/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 24, 2012
The famous saying, “Actions speak louder than words” is something that NC State star women’s basketball player Bonae Holston plays by. On-and-off the court she doesn't say a whole lot, but rather allows her playing to do the talking for her. And because of that, her opponents know all too well just how loud her game can be.
“I feel my role is to lead by example,” Holston said. “If there’s something I know and there’s somebody else that doesn’t know, then I will step up.”
Holston has filled that role perfectly as she is a double threat for opposing teams by not only scoring the ball, but has also been one of the top rebounders in the ACC throughout her college career.
Junior guard Marissa Kastanek has been impressed with Holston ever since she got on campus three seasons ago.
“Bonae is a very talented player,” Kastanek said. “She has the role of being our leader by example. It’s always been her role. If something needs to be said, she’ll say it. She’s one of the best leading by example (players) I’ve ever seen and that’s what carries this team.”
Holston made an immediate impact as a freshman. In her first collegiate game against Milwaukee, the Newport News, Va., native scored 18 points as a reserve.
“It’s your first college game and you’re anxious,” Holston said. “But, when I stepped on that court, I just played and didn’t think about anything else and did what I could.”
That was just the tip of the iceberg for Holston. Her fantastic freshman season saw her lead all rookies in conference play in scoring and rebounding with 12.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. As a result, Holston was named the ACC Sixth Player of the Year and to the five-player All-Freshman team.
Overall, her numbers dipped a bit for the season with 9.6 points and 5.7 rebounds in all games her freshman season, but those figures still ranked among the top first-year numbers in NC State history.
Holston placed in the top-15 all-time in four categories - blocked shots (8th), rebounds (9th), points (12th) and scoring average (13th).
Kastanek, who joined the program as Holston was beginning her second campaign in Raleigh, was impressed with the 5-11 forward from the get go.
“I was just amazed with everything she did,” Kastanek said of Holston’s freshman season. “For how tall she is and who she plays against, its impressive to everyone the numbers she puts up game in and game out. It’s just amazing how talented a player she is.”
Given her choice, Holston prefers to mix it up down low and rebound the ball over scoring.
“I like to rebound because it seems everybody can score, but rebounding, it’s something that takes a lot of discipline,” Holston said.
But, what impressed head coach Kellie Harper the most when she first came to NC State was Holston's ability to put the ball in the hoop.
“I was very quick to recognize that she had a knack for scoring and that was her specialty,” Harper said. “She can get shots off against bigger people and it was automatic from 15-feet in. That’s a gift that she has that ability.”
Given her expertise on both ends of the court, its no wonder she can be a matchup nightmare for opposing teams.
“She’s very versatile,” explained Kastanek. “She can get people open just by being who she is. She can post up on the block, she can shoot from the field or she can drive."
And with that skill set, Kastanek realizes that getting the ball to Bonae determines the success that the Wolfpack has on the court.
“Getting Bonae the ball, is probably the number one key to winning the game because it takes the focus off the perimeter and put's it on the inside,” Kastanek said. “But at the same time, we’ll bring the focus out on the perimeter because we can go inside and out.”
Holston’s success at NC State did not come without improving herself year-by-year. The biggest change according to Harper is how much better conditioned she has become over the years.
“She’s in better shape than she used to be, more fit,” Harper said. “She plays harder, she doesn’t take plays off and defensively she’s really coming around and is much more alert than she used to be.”
Coming into her final season with the Wolfpack, Holston recorded back-to-back outstanding seasons, building off the momentum she started as a freshman. In fact, she is just the eighth player in school history to lead the team in scoring and rebounding in consecutive seasons, doing so in both her sophomore and junior campaigns.
After missing the first game of her career in the season-opener, Holston didn't skip a beat as her always consistent play saw her notch at least 10 points and eight rebounds in each of the first eight games, something no other player in the ACC could manage over the same stretch.
During that time, Holston averaged nearly a double-double and along the way had her first career game-winning shot at any level of competitive basketball against South Carolina in early December.
As the final weeks of her college basketball career tick away, Holston is joining some elite company in the program's record book. She will likely finish among the top-10 scorers and rebounders in Wolfpack history, a feat that only six others have ever accomplished, and four of those players have their jersey hanging from the Reynolds Coliseum rafters.
“It feels good to be in the record books,” Holston said. “Hopefully, I can stay in there a long time and have people not surpass me, but I never thought I would have had this much of an impact. I thought coming into college that I would be a good role player, but things happened and I ended up being one of the good players.”
Holston is on track to graduate in May with a degree in technology education-license concentration. But she isn't ready to hang up her game shoes quite yet. She has professional basketball overseas firmly in her sights once her time in Raleigh has expired.
By Will Toman, NC State Media Relations
