HOUSTON, TEXAS (April 21, 2009) After signing a pair of power forwards, a wing player and a combo guard during last November’s early signing period, Rice University rounded out its signing class Wednesday when the Owls inked 6-2 point guard A.J. Holland.
Holland prepped at Paul W. Bryant High School in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where he averaged 12 points, five rebounds and five assists as a senior. He also led the Stampede with 71 steals and 41 three-pointers made. Named his high school team’s captain, Holland also received the school’s top perimeter player award as a senior.
“A.J. is the consummate team player,” said Rice coach Ben Braun. “He is like a coach on the floor and he makes his teammates better.”
Among others, Holland was recruited by South Florida, Southern Cal, William & Mary, Air Force, San Diego and Boston University.
Holland was an honor roll student at Paul W. Bryant High School where he was a school Ambassador as well as a member of Key Club.
He is the son of a coach. His father, James Holland, has been a collegiate coach since the mid-1980s and has been a member of coaching staffs at South Carolina, Georgia, UTEP and Alabama.
Holland joins a signing class at Rice which includes 6-7 power forward Egheosa Edomwony (Princeton, N.J./The Hun School of Princeton), 6-5 wing Chris Eversley (Chicago, Ill./Walter Payton College Prep), 6-8 power forward Arsalan Kazemi (Isfahan, Iran/The Patterson School) and 6-2 combo guard Tamir Jackson (Paterson, N.J./St. Benedict’s Prep).
“I feel our first recruiting class has excellent balance and diversity which should help us considerably next year,” Braun said. “In addition to being solid basketball players, this is also a class of outstanding young men. They will fit in very well at Rice.”
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