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Ria’n Holland dunked four times this season. Just wait until his diet of peanut butter sandwiches kicks in.
Holland, a 6-foot guard from South View (N.C.), weighs 145 pounds. His goal is to gain 10 by the time he comes to Wichita State in June for summer school and basketball. Protein, good food, peanut butter and Muscle Milk headline his strategy for bulking up.
“I’ve got to hit the weights hard,” he said.
South View coach Wendell Wise mentions the new-found dunking ability as evidence Holland is getting stronger.
“That weight room has really paid off,” Wise said. “We’ve got to get some meat on him.”
Holland’s skills seem to be ready for college. He averaged 23.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists as a senior, making 50 percent of his shots, 43 percent of his three-pointers and 78 percent of his foul shots. He scored 1,636 points for his career, finishing second behind Jeff Capel at South View.
He was named Mid South Conference Player of the Year and will play in the Carolinas Classic all-star game, matching North Carolina vs. South Carolina, on March 23.
South View (23-5) finished its season in the second round of the Class 4A playoffs.
“Everybody prepared for him and he found a way to put the ball in the hole,” Wise said.
Holland played point guard as senior, a position he played more of each season at South View. At WSU, he will likely play both guard spots.
“I improved my dribbling and my awareness,” he said. “I learned how to be a scoring point guard, but how to pass it when needed.”
• Shaq Morris, a 6-foot-8 center from Edmond (Okla.) Memorial, earned MVP honors in the Class 6A tournament after averaging 19.3 points.
Memorial defeated Midwest City 49-48 in the title game with Morris scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
Back to work — WSU spent the week without knowing its next opponent.
Coach Gregg Marshall is used to this break between the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and postseason play. The Shockers will be in either the NIT or the NCAA for the fourth straight season.
WSU practiced Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday and lifted weights on Friday. Practices followed a normal routine, with some scrimmaging and some work on situations.
“Keep them in shape and fine-tune our stuff,” Marshall said. “Get a little competitive edge working.”
Ready for red — WSU finalized details of its spring volleyball schedule.
The match against Nebraska is at 5 p.m. April 20 at Koch Arena. Tickets are $5. On March 30, WSU will scrimmage Kansas and Colorado State in Colby, with morning play at Colby High and afternoon in the Colby Community Building.
WSU also plays in the F.A.S.T. Complex Spring College Tournament on March 23 in Houston. On April 20, it plays at Texas in a noon match shown on The Longhorn Network.
• WSU’s banquet is April 18 at Koch Arena. Deadline to purchase tickets ($18) is April 12.
