Providence Basketball: Emmitt Holt cleared to play

Providence received great news as starting forward Emmitt Holt has been cleared to play after missing all of last season with an illness. How does Holt fit into the Friars 2018-2019 roster?

After missing all of last season with a serious illness, Providence power forward Emmitt Holt has been cleared to play. Holt’s absence had a bigger impact than many expected as the Friars sorely missed his versatile scoring ability, his veteran leadership, and the stability he brought to the frontcourt.

The timing of this news is very surprising because many people seemed uncertain if he would fully recover in time for next season. Maybe they were simply tempering expectations, but it seemed like Holt’s status would not be resolved for some time.

Providence turned to multiple players to replace Holt’s starting center role. Kalif Young and Nate Watson split the position for most of the season but were not able to match his production. You could easily see the impact of Holt’s loss by comparing him to his replacements.

Young is an energetic defender and an emerging presence on the defensive glass, but he struggles to finish around the basket. Watson made encouraging strides towards the end of the season and has shown great touch in the post, but his defense was inconsistent early on and his rebounding was non-existent.

The Friars experienced a great deal of success with a small ball lineup that featured Rodney Bullock at the center position. Bullock was able to space the floor and add some much-needed scoring for an often offensively challenged Providence squad.

Holt played a similar role as a small ball center in 16-17 and was also quite effective. He had a quickness advantage against opposing centers which allowed him to create space around the basket and draw fouls by attacking from the high post.

His ability to shoot from three-point range made him a dangerous pick-and-pop threat and he provided floor spacing that was often missing in traditional lineups this season. While Holt is not a true center, he is more physically equipped to defend bigger players than Bullock is which allowed Providence to maintain quality spacing.

Holt will likely move from that undersized center role to his more natural position, PF. Providence loses Bullock and Jalen Lindsey who earned most of the minutes at PF. This plus Watson’s emergence at center means that Holt will likely be shifted. The Friars can still utilize a small lineup with Holt at center and Isaiah Jackson and Alpha Diallo at the forward positions, but Watson will play significant minutes regardless.

This means he will no longer enjoy a quickness advantage which could alter his numbers and decrease his effectiveness. He averaged 12.5ppg and 5.4rpg while shooting 34% from three as a junior, but will be competing with many players in a deep and contested frontcourt.

Between Young, Watson, and redshirt freshman Dajour Dickens there are a lot of mouths to feed at center. Freshmen Kris Monroe and Jimmy Nichols will likely be behind Holt in the rotation, but Jackson and Diallo should see playing time as a small ball PF. Even if Holt is playing to his capabilities, Coach Cooley could opt for a bigger rotation which would decrease his minutes.

On the other hand, there is a reasonable argument that his numbers could actually increase as he will be one of the featured offensive players and should earn more touches. Holt is a very good shooter and this trait will be highly coveted on next season’s Friar team as many players have struggled to consistently knock down jumpers.

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Regardless of his stats, the impact of Holt’s return cannot be overstated. He will play a huge role, if healthy, but it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to a new role. Providence’s foreign trip comes at the perfect time as there are so many new faces in the program. The Friars have the potential to return to the NCAA Tournament for a sixth straight season, but they will need Holt to return to form.

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