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WVU's Holmes Poised to Realize WNBA Dream
April 14, 2016 04:59 PM | Women's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Becoming a professional basketball player was never something Bria Holmes really thought about while growing up in New Haven, Connecticut.
She played basketball, and played it well, but turning it into something more than just having fun with her friends was never really a consideration.
“I started playing when I was five, but I really didn’t start taking it seriously until I actually got to high school,” Holmes recalled this afternoon. “I used to do it for fun in elementary and middle school, but everybody used to tell me I was going to be good - I was going to be great.”
However, Bria always had a hard time believing them, even when she was dominating in high school and eventually was invited to play in the McDonald’s All-America All-Star game as one of the nation’s top college prospects.
“I really used to doubt myself growing up,” she admitted. “I thought I was never as good as everybody claimed I was and I really didn’t start noticing until I got to college and I was seeing that I could play with people bigger than me, smaller than me or better than me.”
Following a very successful four-year career at West Virginia University that saw her become only the third women’s player in school history to score more than 2,000 points - while playing in one of the toughest basketball conferences in the country - Holmes is about to take the next step in her basketball journey: playing in the WNBA.
Holmes is expected to be taken some time during tonight’s WNBA draft, which begins at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. Television coverage switches over to ESPNU at 8 p.m. when the first round culminates. A total of 36 players will be selected in tonight's three-round event.
Holmes could possibly find her name called late in the first round, or, early in the second round.
“Most of the people calling me about Bria are saying they need a big wing,” West Virginia coach Mike Carey said.
Holmes admits her knowledge of the WNBA is not really that extensive because she was usually doing something whenever the games were being played during the summertime.
Feeling A Draft
| Player | Year | Team | Round | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kate Bulger | 2004 | Minnesota | 3rd | 38th |
| Yolanda Paige | 2005 | Indiana | 2nd | 16th |
| Olayinka Sanni | 2008 | Detroit | 2nd | 18th |
| Asya Bussie | 2014 | Minnesota | 2nd | 15th |
“I was playing AAU (basketball) or doing a lot of activities during the summer,” she said. “But when I got a chance to watch, I did and I’ve been to a couple of Connecticut Sun games before.”
The WNBA is a little different than the NBA in that there are fewer roster spots available for college players, meaning the players being picked tonight most likely must be game ready.
In other words, there are not many teams drafting players for developmental purposes.
“They are really looking for need and if a particular team doesn’t have a need, even though you are a good player, sometimes you don’t even get drafted,” Carey noted.
The veteran coach has had four players selected in the draft, most recently center Asya Bussie in 2014. Two drafted players, guard Yolanda Paige in 2005 and Olayinka Sanni in 2008, made WNBA rosters.
Center Yelena Leuchanka also played in the WNBA, although she signed as a free agent after beginning her professional career overseas.
Now, odds are pretty high that Holmes is going to become the fourth Mountaineer to play in the league. Carey said he took calls last summer from a number of pro scouts informing him that she was a potential first-round pick if she improved certain parts of her game.
Carey tried to help her do so.
“You want her to get better in those areas so she has the opportunity to get drafted,” he said.
“My pull-up game, keeping my dribble tighter and just being more efficient with stuff,” added Holmes of what she needed to improve most.
Tonight, the time has finally come for all of her hard work to pay off.
“I just want to pursue my dreams and keep going,” she said.
“It’s great for Bria and I’m really excited for her,” Carey said. “It’s also great for our program when players are taken in the draft. Recruits want to see that we are putting people in the draft.”
Enjoyed watching West Virginia's Bria Holmes grow her game in Big 12, now she has chance to do that with Atlanta.
— Mechelle Voepel (@MechelleV) April 15, 2016
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