(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption: HE’S DE MAN: DeQuan Holman flies to the hoop in action last winter for the Princeton High boys’ basketball team. This summer, Holman is starring for Princeton Youth Sports, the PHS entry in Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League. Last Friday, Holman poured in a game-high 19 points as PYS routed Where2Ball.com 59-34 to improve to 1-1 on the summer.

With Maturing Holman Leading the Way, PYS Emerging as Summer Hoops Threat

Bill Alden

Youth has not served the Princeton High boys’ basketball team well as it has competed in the Princeton Recreation Department Men’s Summer Basketball League over the last few years.

The squad, which has played as the Princeton Youth Sports (PYS) entry in the league, has lost most of its games on the Community Park courts in the contests of boys against men.

But last Friday, the team’s young legs and its aggressive play paid dividends when PYS faced an undermanned Where2Ball.com squad.

Noting that its foe only had five players on hand, PYS pressed on defense and played an up-tempo offensive style.

With rising senior DeQuan Holman leading the way, PYS jumped out to a 25-6 lead and never looked back in posting an impressive 59-34 victory to improve to 1-1 on the summer.

Afterward, Holman, who poured in a game-high 19 points, said that PYS was looking to run Where2Ball off the court.

“They only had five guys so that was our philosophy,” said Holman, referring to the team’s run-and-gun approach. “We wanted to get them out of breath; we wanted to push the tempo.”

Although PYS opened the summer with a loss to defending champion Northwestern Financial 67-56 on June 16, it was proud of that effort.

“That was a big confidence builder, they are a very tough team,” said Holman.

“We just came out and played hard tonight; we figured we could take this one. We got good experience from that game.”

In action last Monday, It’s A Grind improved to 2-1 with a 51-48 win over Cool Runnings (1-2) while National Pools (1-2) posted a 36-31 victory over Where2Ball.com (0-3) and Prime Time Camps (3-0) cruised to a 49-32 triumph over Windstreet Energy (0-3).

In Holman’s view, PYS is building on the success that PHS experienced this winter as it rode a late surge to make the state tournament for the first time since 2001.

“We know how to play with each other; we know what we are doing out there,” said Holman, who averaged 15.3 points a game last winter to help PHS finish with a 12-11 record. “We have a good shooting team; it is just confidence with us. We have good coaching; we have a lot of chemistry.

Playing in the men’s league is helping PYS gain even more confidence.

“You get the toughness; you get tougher,” said Holman. “You can get blown out by 50 one night and then you can squeeze out a win.”

Holman feels he is getting tougher individually by playing against the men.

“It helps me tremendously; playing against stronger, tougher guys like Derick Grant [of Northwestern Financial] and a couple other good players out of college,” said Holman.

“It helps my confidence tremendously, knowing I can go out and play against those guys and then play against high school players.”

PHS head coach Jason Carter likes the toughness he is seeing from Holman. “He’s really grown up; he’s really matured,” said Carter, who also coaches the PYS team.

“He wants to play at the next level and I think he has the talent. It’s a matter of trying to put all the other pieces together. I’m really proud of the effort that he’s put forth. He’s leading our team on and off the court.”

In Carter’s view, his team is growing closer as a result of its battles with the men at Community Park.

“I think this is great in preparing us for the season,” said Carter, whose team is also playing in a high school league in Ewing.

“We are starting to build a little bit of chemistry and camaraderie on the bench. We are sharing jokes and having fun. I think that the biggest part of building a successful program is that they want to be with each other.”

The PHS players are also developing some mental toughness that should lead to more success in the upcoming season.

“The physicality of this league helps them in being able to compete and not be afraid,” added Carter.

“If you can compete against Derick Grant and my brother (Wanny Carter) and Christian Burns, you should be able to compete against Trenton High. I just want to give them the opportunity to be successful.”

PYS guard Josh Gordon, who fired in 16 points in the win over Where2Ball, is taking advantage of his opportunities this summer.

“Josh has been a spark off the bench,” said Carter with a smile. “He’s been hot; he’s athletic as heck. He ran track this spring and that really helped him with his quickness. It’s also about being ready to compete. Track is something where it is on an individual basis; when that gun goes off, you have to be ready to compete. That’s helped him immensely; when he goes in, he’s ready to go.”

PYS appears ready to do some more damage this summer. “They have confidence in each other; they are doing it and I’m happy to be a part of it,” said Carter, whose team plays Cool Runnings on June 25, Coldwell Banker on June 27, and Windstreet Energy on June 30 in upcoming men’s league action.

“We are definitely the underdog. Our objective is not to necessarily win games because we have a lot of players that need to get experience. We want to mature and compete. I don’t mind if young guys are coming in and making young mistakes. I’d rather have them make mistakes in this league before we go into the year.”

Holman, for his part, believes PYS can keep maturing the rest of the summer.

“There is no pressure on us; we can just go out there and play,” added Holman. “They aren’t going to take us lightly. Now we have a ‘w’ under our belt and we want to continue from here.”

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