Yesterday the America East announced that Binghamton University’s own Andrea Holmes has been named the 2008-09 America East Rookie of the Year.
The award, plain and simple, could not have been more deserved.
Holmes has had a strong rookie campaign. She led Binghamton and was fourth in the America East with 4.1 assists per game. Holmes has also averaged 9.9 points per game, to make her Binghamton’s second leading scorer, 4.6 rebounds per game and 1.6 steals per game, tied for eighth in the conference.
Holmes showed right away this season that she can flat out score. On Jan. 5, she torched Cornell for 24 points. Four games later against Stony Brook, she put together a remarkable performance with 32 points, her career high. In another explosive performance, Holmes had 24 points in a game at Albany.
All three of these games were victories for Binghamton.
As the 2008-09 campaign progressed for the Bearcats, teams began to realize that Holmes was a devastating scorer at the point guard position. Their response has been hard double teams and trying to take the ball out of her hands. However, Holmes responded by showing her great versatility, the prime reason she has won Rookie of the Year. She has proved that she is an elite playmaker, good defender and capable rebounder for her 5-foot-6-inch frame.
Holmes has flirted with triple doubles on numerous occasions this season, the mark of a player that does many different things well.
Against New Hampshire on Jan. 28, she had 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, driving the Bearcats to a dominant 76-59 win, despite only shooting 4-11 from the field. Against Maine on Feb. 21, Holmes stood out despite not scoring a single point; with five assists and rebounds apiece and six steals, she made plays for others and defended well. Rookies like Michelle Kurowski from UMBC may score more than Holmes, but none do as much for their team as Binghamton’s point guard.
Along with her production, Holmes has been a workhorse for the Bearcats this season. In a loss to Sacred Heart on Dec. 30, Holmes played a team-high 38 minutes. Since that game, Holmes has played at least 36 minutes in all but two of her team’s games: a loss to UMBC on Jan. 24 where she fouled out after 19 minutes, and a loss to Vermont in the season finale on March 7 in a game that was rendered meaningless when the Bearcats clinched the fourth seed in the America East three days before. Holmes has started in all of her team’s 29 games as well; she leads Binghamton in minutes and just does not sit.
If you watch Binghamton women’s basketball play, you can count on one thing: Holmes will be on the court all game long.
Holmes looks to keep her magical season going today against UMBC in the America East tournament. Win or lose, 2009-10 figures to be a strong year for the Bearcats with Andrea Holmes running the show.