New Coach Williams Excited About Chance To Take Over Holt Boys Basketball Team

When then- assistant basketball coach Johnnie Williams heard at that the Holt High head coaching job had opened up at the start of the school year, the resident thought he might be a good fit for the job.

And once he got the job, Williams felt like he had landed in the perfect spot for a brand-new coach to have some success.

“This is a great school to be at,” Williams said. “It’s a nice area. They’ve got 1,600 kids here, so there’s a lot of good, talented kids out here to work with. And I live out here, so I was excited they gave me the chance.”

Then the first day of practice came along and the new coach realized something else about the great tradition of athletics—most of the top athletes in the school go out for the wrestling team instead of playing basketball. 

“I was surprised with how low the numbers were when we got started,” Williams said. “I knew wrestling was big out here. They have a great tradition of churning out state champions. But it didn’t realize till that first day, that I was going to have my work cut out for me in getting some of these kids to play basketball.”

Last season, it was easy to get kids to join the basketball team. 

The Indians had arguably the best post player in the state in 6-foot-6-inch on the team, and just about everybody wanted to play on the team with him.

And boy, did the Indians win a lot, going 18-5 last season, and winning a share of the GAC South championship.

But this year, Daniels is now a star college freshman at Southern Illinois University, and Holt is back to square one in its program development, with a new coach and a new-look team hoping to prove last year wasn’t all about the superstar power forward in the middle.

“I like the team we have,” Williams said. “We only have 11 points a game coming back from last year. And we might even get off to a slow start. But it just depends on how quick we gel.

“I’m a little more detail-oriented than what I think these guys are used to, but we’re working through it. It’s been good so far. And I expect us to just get better throughout the year.”

Holt’s top two players this year will be returning seniors Tre Vaughn and Mitch Wilfer.

Vaughn, a 6-foot guard, who can handle the ball and shoot from the perimeter, is a terrific athlete who can score in lots of ways.

While Wilfer, a 6-foot-7, 225-pound post player, will be asked to control the paint, score near the basket, and rebound like crazy for a team that doesn’t have a lot of size.

Holt also expects to get big contributions from sophomore point guard Justin Davis, as well as talented outside shooters Eric Peyton and Brett Smith.

6-foot-7-inchsenior Sam Stix is also in the mix for a possible starting position this season.

“We’re definitely going to need to two seniors (Vaughn and Wilfer) to be leaders for us,” Williams said. “But I really think we have a better group coming back this year than we did last year. 

“Nobody’s going to replace what the big man did last year. But I really believe this group, collectively, is better. Now, we’ve just got to prove it.”

Holt will get its season started the Monday after Thanksgiving, with an appearance in the prestigious Pattonville tournament, beginning with a matchup against preseason No. 1-ranked on Nov. 28.

That game will be played at in Maryland Heights, and is slated for an 8:15 p.m. tipoff as the final game on the opening day of the tournament.

“We get to find out right away where we stand against the best competition,” Williams said. “They’re really good. I know a lot of those guys. It’ll be a tough test to start the year." 

Holt’s first home game this year is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 12, when the Indians varsity and JV will host games against at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.