Mitchell Holmes, the 2024 big from Texas, is deciding on the college of his choice this upcoming Friday. Providence is one of five schools in the mix alongside SMU, Rice, Auburn, and TCU. Holmes did take an official visit to Providence a few weeks back.
Providence has a massive need in the frontcourt for the 2024 season and beyond, which is why I’m shocked more recruits aren’t knocking down the door to come play for Kim English. Josh Oduro will be out of eligibility after this season, and the only true frontcourt players on the roster beyond this year are Rafael Castro and Eli DeLaurier. A 2024 big man recruit can step on campus and know he’ll be getting immediate playing time. It’s a nice selling point for Kim English, but it also makes me incredibly nervous heading into next season. I predict that English will land one college transfer big and one high school big in 2024.
Providence is in the mix with other 2024 big men, notably Luke Bamgboye and recently Amdy Ndiaye. It may be a “first come, first serve” with these 2024 bigs, but I honestly wouldn’t be opposed to bringing in two big men in the 2024 class on top of a college transfer. The cupboard needs to be restocked.
Below, we analyze the game of Holmes and discuss how he’d fit within the Friar program.
https://x.com/247HSHoops/status/1711805528215580759?s=20
Recruiting Profile
https://247sports.com/player/mitchell-holmes-46108903/
Holmes is listed anywhere from 6’8 to 6’11 and around 200lb. While originally in the 2023 recruiting class, he reclassified back into 2024, and this decision appears to have paid off with a litany of high major offers. He also made the move to playing for Link Academy, which has the reputation for playing a challenging schedule nationwide and is routinely a top 10 program in the nation.
Holmes is listed as a 3 star on 247, and the 247Composite has him as the 259th overall player in the country. This may be one where you trust the evaluation of coaches in his recruitment more so than the ranking. I’ll trust TCU’s Jamie Dixon any day of the week.
An interesting fact is that it appears Holmes places a high priority on academics. Rice and Stanford are two of his many offers, which illustrates his academic standing.
Player Analysis
Holmes is a modern 4, in my opinion. He can rebound well for his size and get off the floor quickly for second chance opportunities and defensive stops. He has long arms and can protect the rim, which is what Providence needs. He has the ability to handle the ball in the open floor and finish in transition. That is pretty rare for somebody of his size. He can also knock down a perimeter shot consistently enough for it to have to be defended.
He also does show a few post moves, although working in the half court isolation in the post is something he’ll have to improve upon at the college level. I wouldn’t want him being my full time 5, but he can play there in a pinch.
The jump up to playing at Link Academy will do wonders for his development. His competition at Oakridge in Texas left a bit to be desired, and he seemed to be able to dominate without putting in a ton of effort. You want to see somebody play with a high motor, and I didn’t see that in the clips I saw of Holmes. I’ll chalk that up to him being levels above his opposition, and we can hopefully get a clearer view of that this upcoming high school season.
Program Fit – Providence
English seems to want to recruit big men who can run the floor and knock down an open shot. Holmes fits that billing. Holmes and Bamgboye are similar in that regard, and it is clear English has a type of frontcourt player he wants on his roster. I personally would welcome both of them into the program, as there is a dire need for bodies in the frontcourt.
Holmes is a developmental type prospect. We likely wouldn’t see the rewards of this recruitment until he is an upperclassmen. The issue with that is he may be thrust into immediate action before he is fully ready due to the roster composition. With all that said, adding mass and strength in a college strength and conditioning program will have this wiry player ready to compete in the trenches of the Big East when the time is right.
I still would like to see English add a true 5, but that may just be the old-school basketball fan in me. I get that basketball is shying away from 7 footers who just anchor themselves in the post and do nothing else, but I think we will find that that skillset is still very much needed in the Big East when going up against the likes of Kalkbrenner, Soriano, Clingan, etc.
In my ideal world, we land Holmes/Bamgboye and complement them with a true big, as I think both players are ideally suited playing the four and small stretches of the game at the 5 when the opposition allows for it.
https://x.com/BWMcGair03/status/1710073331318243384?s=20
Providence Crier Recruiting Articles
2024 Luke Bamgboye – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/09/18/crier-recruiting-corner-introducing-2024-big-man-luke-bamgboye/
Eli DeLaurier Commits to Providence & Reclassifies – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/09/06/eli-delaurier-reclassifies-and-joins-friars-for-upcoming-season/
Ryan Mela Commits to Providence – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/08/01/friars-add-3-star-wing-ryan-mela-to-2024-recruiting-class/
Daquan Davis Commits to Providence – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/06/24/the-flag-has-been-planted-2024-dmv-pg-daquan-davis-commits-to-providence-coach-kim-english/
2025 Recruiting Primer, Version 2.0 – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/04/30/2025-providence-college-high-school-recruiting-primer-version-1-0/
Crier Recruiting Corner – Del Jones – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/06/03/crier-recruiting-corner-del-jones/
Crier Recruiting Corner – Patrick Ngonba II – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/05/06/crier-recruiting-corner-introducing-2024-center-patrick-ngonba-ii/#more-6900
Crier Recruiting Corner – Guard Daquan Davis –https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/05/06/24-recruiting-spotlight-daquan-davis/#more-6898
2024 Recruiting Primer, Version 6.0:https://theprovidencecrier.com/2023/03/27/providence-college-basketball-recruiting-class-of-2024/