MTSU Sidelines

Issue date: 1/14/08 Section: Sports

The Lady Raiders have a silent assassin in basketball player Amber Holt.

After having a junior year in which she averaged 16.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game, the senior has now taken that performance to another level.

Last year the Lady Raiders were loaded as they had Holt and Chrissy Givens both putting up great numbers. Now that Givens plays professional, collegiate teams can concentrate playing better defense on Holt. Well, that looks to be easier said than done.

Halfway through her senior season, Holt is leading the nation in scoring as she is torching opponents for more than 26 points a night.

One may wonder how a player can be a silent assassin when she is leading the nation in scoring. However, Holt does more than score when she is on the basketball court. The deadliest part of her game consists of things that you can't see on a stat sheet. If there was a basketball number to measure a player's dedication and the size of their heart, she could possibly lead the nation in those categories as well.

She is also recognized nationally for being in the top 50 in field goal percentage and assist-to-turnover ratio. While many fans, coaches and media outlets keep track of these statistics, Holt does not follow them herself. "It does not matter. I just leave that for mom, Jo Jo [Freeman, Assistant Media Relations Director at MTSU], and others," said Holt.

Instead of worrying about individual numbers and performances, she is more focused on what the Lady Raiders are doing as a team. She said the difference in her game from last season to this season is not scoring. The difference is that she had to step up and be a leader.

Her performance on the court is just a part of her carrying out her duties as a leader. "I have to lead by example," said Holt. This visual leadership can be seen by her teammates and coaches in practice. Head Coach Rick Insell gave her the highest praise by saying,

"No one can stop Amber one-on-one."

Fans get to see her visual leadership style every time the team is playing.

Although she brings it to the court every night, some of her best games are when she is playing the top teams in the country. Last year she scored 28 points against top ranked Maryland. This season she scored a career high 41 points in front of the home crowd as they upset the then No. 8-ranked LSU Tigers. She played so well that when LSU coach Van Chancellor was asked if he would ever play at MT again, he responded by saying, "doubt it very seriously."

Holt credits her performance in those games to being focused and playing how everybody knows she can play. She said she is not intimidated by any team.

Her style is tough and fearless. She dives for loose balls and hit the floor similar to the likes of NBA players Dwyane Wade and Allen Iverson. Those are the type of plays that her teammates take notice too and that will not appear on a stat sheet for other coaches to plan against. If their star player and leader is willing to hustle like that, the other players will eventually follow suit.

To prepare her teammates for the second half of the season, Holt tells the team, "don't be scared, play the way we play, and... lift weights."

She says the hardest part of being the leader is becoming vocal, as she has always been a soft-spoken person.

Her favorite quote is, " The speed of the leader determines the rate of the pack." If this quote holds true, the Lady Raiders may be headed to the NCAA tournament once more before their unquestionable leader, the silent assassin, packs her game up and take it to the next level.

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