A familiar face has returned to UNBC’s basketball court, set to help the new breed of Timberwolves transition to the university game.
Prince George’s own Emily Holmes has been brought on by the women’s team for the 2020-21 campaign in a part-time position among its coaching staff.
The 22-year-old graduated this past summer after five years as point guard in green and gold, playing an integral role in the recent success of the program.
“I had a really positive experience with the team, so it was definitely something I wanted to do, just kinds of when I can, and support the girls,” said Holmes in an interview with PrinceGeorgeMatters, noting her coaching will be earmarked for the first-year athletes expected to take on bigger leads down the road.
“I can always give a bit more advice to those first-year point guards; being able to vocalize your opinions, call plays and just be a bit of a boss out there. I remember being a first-year, being the only 17-year-old on the team and having all these fifth-years and really talented players telling me to run plays, be more decisive and be more aggressive, and to speak up as a first-year, that’s something I’m reiterating down to the new point guards this year.”
In fact, Holmes was rewarded this off-season as the recipient of the 2019-20 Leadership Award after getting the Lady T-Wolves to its fourth-straight playoff appearance and its best record, 11-9, since joining U-Sports and Canada West in 2014.
The team won eight consecutive regular-season games to reach that plateau, which led to the school’s second career playoff victory in the wild-card match against Lethbridge.
The secret to Holmes’ success, she explains, was being her coach’s voice in relaying Sergey Shchepotkin’s vision on the court, something she knows she can pass down to future UNBC point guards.
“I understood what he wanted in terms of how he wanted us to play offensively and defensively,” said Holmes.
“As a point guard, I understood how he wanted the team to play and function on the court and I think, especially in my last two years, Sergey and I worked a lot together and pitched ideas off of each other. Over the five years of playing, we built up that respect and so when he asked me if I wanted to come out and help when I can, it meant a lot.”
In addition to UNBC’s success, the women’s team has also dealt with heartbreak having never been past the quarter-final round of the Canada West Playoffs.
“I can be a bit of emotional support at times with the girls,” said Holmes.
“I went through five years of being a varsity athlete, so I understand the hard times, the tough times and the good time of being an athlete. I think I can also be a way of communication with the girls in case they don’t understand exactly what Sergey wants from them, so I can be like a second voice to reiterate what he wants on the court from them.”
When asked by PrinceGeorgeMatters if she’d accept a full-time UNBC coaching opportunity if the job presented itself, she said the idea may not be so far-fetched.
“I mean, I may be lying if I didn’t say coaching was somewhat in my blood or in my family history, so it might be a subconscious influence, but it wasn’t direct by any means,” she said referring to her parents Louise and Dave.
“Maybe if it worked with my life schedule and everything. I mean, I had an amazing experience with the Timberwolves, I’ll always be a huge supporter and if it became more of a full-time gig, I’m sure I would, but I don’t know.”
On Oct. 8, UNBC will hear from Canada West if a basketball season will go through after Jan. 1, 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
While the chances of it going through are slim given the rise in B.C. cases, Holmes hopes the girls are able to work hard, train hard and enjoy their time until they can officially lace up for league-play.
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