Three more official visits are locked in for 5-star Ron Holland; There's also the G-League
Ron Holland is the No. 3 player in the 2023 On3 Consensus. He helped lead his Duncanville (TX) High to a third consecutive state championship this season.
“I’m a positionless player,” Holland told On3. “I can do whatever you need me to do to get the job done; bring a lot of energy to the floor and do the things that basically no one likes to do. I watch a lot of Bam Adebayo and Jaylen Brown, high-level energy guys who get to their spots.”
On3’s Joe Tipton broke the news in early May that Ron Holland cut his list to eight options. On3 caught up with Holland at EYBL Louisville to see where things stood in his recruitment.
“I have already taken official visits to Memphis and UCLA,” Holland said. “I have an official visit set up with Arkansas and Kentucky coming up. I’m going to take my fifth visit to Texas.”
Holland talks recruitment
Memphis: “They have a lot of NBA experience. Penny (Hardaway) explained to me how they can really help me reach my goal of getting to the league.”
UCLA: “I fit in with their system with how they get the ball up the floor and push in transition. They have a lot of big guards; that is what the game is turning to nowadays. And they play through those guards. LA was great. I expected a lot coming out to UCLA, and they gave me a lot. Not too many schools can do that.”
Arkansas: “They have one of my former teammates from Duncanville, Anthony Black. It’s really how Coach Muss (Eric Musselman) recruits and how well he recruits. The relationship he builds. They play fast-paced, and they coach toward how I play.”
Kentucky: “They have a lot of NBA guys. I mean, they have a resume of guys they put into the league and are still in the league.”
Texas: “Coach (Chris) Beard and them talk to me about every day, and not just about basketball. They worry about what I am doing as a person or in the gym. That just sticks out to me a lot.”
“The only school that has not offered me is Kentucky, but I feel like I will get that on the visit,” Holland said.
Holland and the G-league
“Overtime and G-League have both contacted me,” Holland said. “My mom turned down Overtime, but we are still talking about the G-League. The G-League is definitely an option for me; it is a quicker way to get me to the pros and have a heavy NBA mindset because I still have a lot of growing up.”
On3’s take
It is the motor for Ron Holland; that is what you notice first. He has good positional size, but it is how hard he plays – on both ends – that gets people talking. Holland has performed at the highest levels, with Team USA, on Nike’s EYBL circuit, and at Duncanville High. Coming into his junior season, the question mark was the skill set; he has shown some improvement. While the jump shot is still below average, he can use the dribble to get downhill, and he’s developed confidence in his pull-up jumper. Holland is great in transition; he plays above the rim and has the upside to be an excellent defender – both on and off the ball. Production and winning that is what he has done for a while.