ALL-AREA GIRLS' BASKETBALL: Chargers' Holloman tabbed player-of-the-year

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on March 27, 2017 9:59 AM

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By BEN COLEY

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Jala Holloman faced a daunting challenge.

New school. New coach. New team.

It's enough to make any basketball player nervous.

But Holloman isn't just any player, as Wayne Country Day soon discovered. She's a 5-foot-2 floor general and commands attention each time she steps onto the court.

The stellar guard averaged 21 points, seven steals, five rebounds and four assists in her initial season as a Charger. Not too bad for a first season in new surroundings.  

"My teammates have a huge impact on my success playing in the game," said Holloman, who was named the 2016-17 News-Argus All-Area Girls' Basketball Player-of-the-Year. "They come for me when I'm not having a good day. They say, 'Jala, go out there and do your best. Go out there and just play your heart out.'

'Play your heart out' is quite the understatement.

The sophomore was named the Coastal Plains Independent 1-A Conference Player-of-the-Year as well as all-conference and all-state. She led WCDS to a 19-8 record, a sweep of the CPIC regular-season and conference tournament titles and a playoff win against Lawrence Academy. Holloman also surpassed 1,000 career points.

The big-hearted point guard transferred to WCDS after a two-year stint with Rosewood where she averaged 9.6 points and two assists per game. She also came in with the experience of two Carolina 1-A Conference titles and consecutive trips to the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1-A regional final.

"Basically it was just like getting us all together to go out there and play our hardest," Holloman said. "And coming from another school, it's really different."

WCDS head coach David Flowers believed Holloman fit in from the beginning. Many of the girls already knew her and playing volleyball in the fall eased the transition.

It also helped to enter a team with a strong supporting cast, such as 6-foot-1 freshman forward Lexi Jeffreys, who averaged 13 points and 13 rebounds. This gave Holloman several options on offense, which is a major reason why the Chargers led the conference with 51.1 points per game.

"I pass before I get myself a shot," Holloman. "So basically, I'm giving everybody a chance to play. I think about me last, but if it's my time to do it, then I'm gonna go ahead and do it."

Holloman points to the Cape Fear Academy Holiday Basketball Challenge in December as the moment where she truly embraced her role as a leader.

The girls' team was playing in Wilmington, but Flowers couldn't be there due to the boys' team playing in the Southern Bank/Mount Olive Pickle Winter Classic.

So Holloman decided it was her time to take the reins.

"I felt like, some of the things I said to them, maybe (Flowers) would say to us that day," she said. "So I just took the leadership role, and said we have to go out there and play hard even though coach isn't here. We have to do what he thinks we would do."

WCDS went 1-2 in the tournament, with two hard-fought losses against Cape Fear Academy and Harrells Christian Academy. But Holloman planted the seed and it began to sprout in 2017.

The Chargers finished the season winning 10 of their final 11 games.  

"It was hard," Holloman said. "Coach (Flowers) always tell us, practice hard and play hard. One practice leads to the next. When we won the conference tournament, I knew they were happy...Coming from Rosewood, I've already seen this. But for them to see it, that made me happy."

Next season will provide more obstacles for Holloman and the Chargers. WCDS returns all of its players, and will enter the year with a target firmly placed on its back. Though no one should expect any dip in play from the feisty point guard. She's received invites to basketball camps from schools such as UNC Wilmington, UNC Charlotte and East Carolina.

Holloman wants to improve her left hand, and drive to the basket more often. She also has eyes on the 2,000-point plateau. She's established herself as a leader, developed chemistry with the team and is now a key part of WCDS' culture.

As Holloman goes, so do the Chargers.

And Holloman goes pretty fast.

"I want to win more games than we did this year, which we won a great amount of games," Holloman said. "I want us to be back-to-back conference champions and win the conference tournament again.

"And this time go farther than we did in the playoffs, which is beating Trinity if they get in our way again. I just want to beat Trinity, and at least go to Charlotte."