2008 Woodie Awards
Holt could be first MT athlete to make a splash in the pros
Chris Martin
Issue date: 4/10/08 Section: Sports
With her recent top-10 selection in the WNBA draft, Amber Holt has a chance to do something a MT athlete hasn't done in a long while-be relevant.
Holt would not be the first highly touted MT athlete to have a career in professional athletics. Jonathan Quinn, Kelly Holcomb, Tyrone Calico, Rashard Lee, Dwone Hicks, Dewon Brazelton and Chrissy Givens have all spent time on pro teams.
Holcomb made it into the NFL as an undrafted free agent and has enjoyed a moderately successful career as a backup quarterback and occasional starter, but he really hasn't made any splashes in the league.
Quinn and Calico were third and second-round picks, respectively, but both had unspectacular careers, while Lee and Hicks both left the league after only a handful of seasons.
Brazelton probably had the most hype of any MT athlete, ever. He was the third-overall pick in the 2001 MLB draft, but his career has been mired by poor performance. He was the opening-day starter for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2005, but he never lived up to his draft position, posting a 6.38 career ERA.
Givens was selected in the third round of last year's WNBA draft, but was out of the league before the season began.
Holt is just as likely to turn out as a first-round bust as any other player, but she has a chance to live up to the hype, unlike Calico and Brazelton.
The skills certainly appear to be there. She led the nation in scoring and was named the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year (How someone can be the best defender and scorer in a conference without winning the Player of the Year award is beyond me). She also has WNBA-caliber size with her six-foot frame.
Obviously the WNBA is not one of the nation's most prestigious sports leagues, but people are definitely aware of its existence. If Holt fulfills her potential and enjoys a solid career in the WNBA, it should help raise MT's athletic profile.
In fact, since the Lady Raiders have produced a WNBA draft pick for the past two years, it should help draw women's basketball prospects to Murfreesboro. If the Lady Raiders can start drawing large crowds to the Murphy Center it could have a residual effect for the men's team.
If people start getting excited about MT women's basketball, and the men's team puts together a solid season next year (which they should), there could be a larger crowd at home basketball games. This is not unprecedented, just look at the situation in Knoxville.
The Lady Vols consistently filled up Thompson-Boling Arena long before Bruce Pearl arrived with his painted chest and orange blazer. However, once Pearl worked his magic, UT saw something it hadn't seen in a long time-consistent sellouts for men's basketball. One thing that MT definitely needs is to be successful in the money sports: men's and women's basketball and football. The best way to get noticed on the national level is to excel in one of those three sports, just ask Memphis.
All of this is completely speculation and who knows, maybe Holt flops in the WNBA, but MT fans should be excited one of their own might buck the trend of MT busts.
Holt would not be the first highly touted MT athlete to have a career in professional athletics. Jonathan Quinn, Kelly Holcomb, Tyrone Calico, Rashard Lee, Dwone Hicks, Dewon Brazelton and Chrissy Givens have all spent time on pro teams.
Holcomb made it into the NFL as an undrafted free agent and has enjoyed a moderately successful career as a backup quarterback and occasional starter, but he really hasn't made any splashes in the league.
Quinn and Calico were third and second-round picks, respectively, but both had unspectacular careers, while Lee and Hicks both left the league after only a handful of seasons.
Brazelton probably had the most hype of any MT athlete, ever. He was the third-overall pick in the 2001 MLB draft, but his career has been mired by poor performance. He was the opening-day starter for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2005, but he never lived up to his draft position, posting a 6.38 career ERA.
Givens was selected in the third round of last year's WNBA draft, but was out of the league before the season began.
Holt is just as likely to turn out as a first-round bust as any other player, but she has a chance to live up to the hype, unlike Calico and Brazelton.
The skills certainly appear to be there. She led the nation in scoring and was named the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year (How someone can be the best defender and scorer in a conference without winning the Player of the Year award is beyond me). She also has WNBA-caliber size with her six-foot frame.
Obviously the WNBA is not one of the nation's most prestigious sports leagues, but people are definitely aware of its existence. If Holt fulfills her potential and enjoys a solid career in the WNBA, it should help raise MT's athletic profile.
In fact, since the Lady Raiders have produced a WNBA draft pick for the past two years, it should help draw women's basketball prospects to Murfreesboro. If the Lady Raiders can start drawing large crowds to the Murphy Center it could have a residual effect for the men's team.
If people start getting excited about MT women's basketball, and the men's team puts together a solid season next year (which they should), there could be a larger crowd at home basketball games. This is not unprecedented, just look at the situation in Knoxville.
The Lady Vols consistently filled up Thompson-Boling Arena long before Bruce Pearl arrived with his painted chest and orange blazer. However, once Pearl worked his magic, UT saw something it hadn't seen in a long time-consistent sellouts for men's basketball. One thing that MT definitely needs is to be successful in the money sports: men's and women's basketball and football. The best way to get noticed on the national level is to excel in one of those three sports, just ask Memphis.
All of this is completely speculation and who knows, maybe Holt flops in the WNBA, but MT fans should be excited one of their own might buck the trend of MT busts.
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