RAMSEY: Holland loses his ‘Three o'clock' shadow

You know how nicknames work. You end up with the ones you don't want.

Last season, Matt Holland earned the nickname "Three o'clock shooter." In 3 p.m. afternoon practices, he seldom missed.

But he never brought that ease and rhythm to the night hours, when the shots really mattered. He was a great practice player and a mediocre game player. And that's not what anybody wants to be.

It's time to banish the "Three o'clock shooter" nickname. Holland was the main reason the Air Force Falcons drubbed Northern Illinois, 67-55, in front of a half-full yet still loud Clune Arena.

Holland, a senior, delivered one of the more economical 21-point performances on record. He took only 10 shots and made eight, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range.

When Northern Illinois' Huskies drew close, Holland shot them down. Time after time, he calmly dropped his line-drive threes.

Over the past five games, Holland 30 of 43 (69.8) from the field and 16 of 25 (64.0) from 3-point range.

These are the nights he has long awaited. Holland didn't dazzle during his first two seasons at AFA. He saw no action as a freshman and played only 69 minutes as a sophomore.

But he always was working. Holland shoots 1,000 jumpers every day. That has been his habit for years.

And in practice he fought against Danny Nwaelele and Jacob Burtschi. He absorbed their work ethic, learned their little tricks.

Instead of getting down about his place at the end of the bench, he focused on the future.
He talked with his parents, Steve and Sarah, every day and they repeated the same words over and over.

They talked about the rewards of hard work. They talked about perseverance. They talked about faith in God and faith in self.

"I'm fortunate," Holland said. "I was given great words of advice."

There's still plenty for Holland to dream about. The Falcons have been erratic this season, struggling to beat Western State and getting pounded by Stanford.

They lack size, might, ballhandling and depth. The ride through the Mountain West could be long and brutal.

And yet ...

Last season's squad was just as limited and still scratched its way to an 8-8 conference record. Seldom has mediocrity been so impressive.

This team has the core to again surprise the conference. Holland, Andrew Henke, Anwar Johnson and Evan Washington should be among the top quartets in the MWC.

If two or three role players emerge, the Falcons could again be respectable, if not sensational.

Henke is optimistic.

"Maybe it's stupid confidence on my part," he said, "but I think if we play defense and knock down shots and share the ball, we can win games against anybody."

Well, not anybody. The Falcons wouldn't fly too high against, say, North Carolina, but there's every reason to hope for wins over the vast middle of the MWC.

"We're really coming together," Holland said. "We're a very confident team right now."

It was time for the player formerly known as "Three o'clock shooter" to depart. He needed to get back to his dorm.

So he could call his parents.

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Contact the writer: Columnist David Ramsey can be reached at 476-4895 or david.ramsey@gazette.com. Check out David's blog at http://daveramseysez.freedomblogging.com