CHICAGO - There is no question that Stephen Holt deserved to be the No.1 overall pick in this year's PBA Rookie Draft.
His credentials did the talking for him: Four years of Division 1 play in the US NCAA. A stint in the NBA G League. And multiple tours of duty in six other countries besides America,
So far, though, Holt has been anything but spectacular. And Terrafirma, which was supposed to be the recipient of manna from basketball heaven, still sucks.
Unimpressive numbers
After a 2-1 start in the ongoing Commissioner's Cup, the Dyip dropped three in a row and have settled at a familiar 8th place in the 12-team standings.
Through six agonizing games, the 6-foot-4, 195-pound Holt, who turned 32 today, is averaging 10.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5 assists per game.
Outside of making 87.5 percent of his free throws, Holt's shooting has been poor: 31.3 percent from the field (21-of-67) and 19 percent from long distance (5-for-26.)
In other words, Stephen hasn't been exactly a great Holt of fire.
To his credit, the Fil-Am from Portland, Oregon has been a workhorse, averaging 38.3 minutes a contest while doing an excellent job of taking care of the ball by coughing only a stingy 9 turnovers in six starts.
That's called being a pro, plowing through games despite adverse conditions.
In the end, however, the digits that matter the most are 2-4, Terrafirma's record. The way they're going, this Dyip ain't traveling the highway that leads to the playoffs.
Again, like usual.
LEADER OF THE BAND
To be fair, Holt shouldn't be blamed solely for Terrafirma's current losing spell. That roster has 11 other dudes. Most of them didn't show up in a 133-93 pounding at the hands of TNT last November 22 at the Araneta Coliseum.
As one of the guards, the lead driver, Stephen has some culpability. But also take note that the keys he inherited were old and decrepit, with arguably a faulty ignition.
So what grade does he get?
At least temporarily, an F for failure to meet expectations worthy of a No. 1 pick. But the B word - for bust - doesn't apply. His body of work has shown that once he gets his footing, Holt is an excellent performer.
In his final year in college at St. Mary's he averaged 15.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in 34 outings. At the super competitive G League he averaged 10.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 49 games with the then-named Canton Charge, an affiliate of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers.
It's taking him time, but eventually, he'll get there.
I wanted to ask Holt what's slowing him in the PBA. Is it the physical play? The manner of officiating? The teammates? And, I dare ask, the coaching?
Unfortunately, multiple attempts to reach him through his agent, Marvin Espiritu, were unsuccessful.
Here's hoping Holt gets back on track and delivers the promise his potential brought.
For now we're stuck seeing some things that are unsightly: Less of Holt's greatness and a whole lot more of the misery we're used to with Terrafirma basketball.
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