GopherHole Q&A: Tre Holloman Talks Gophers, Spartans and Recruiting

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GopherHole Q&A: Tre Holloman Talks Gophers, Spartans and Recruiting
By Chris Monter


Tre Holloman, a 6-foot-3 rising senior guard from St. Paul (MN) Cretin-Derham Hall, is considered the top player in Minnesota in both basketball and football in the Class of 2022.

Holloman averaged 20.3 points, 9.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 4.2 steals per game this past season. He scored in double figures in 22 of 23 games, including a season-high 30 points versus Forest Lake. Holloman scored 20 to 29 points eleven times. He shot 49% from the field, 33.8% from three-point range and 82.4% from the charity stripe.

Holloman helped lead the Raiders to a 18-6 mark, losing to Wayzata 75-61 in the Class AAAA title game.

GopherHole caught up with Holloman last Sunday at the Breakdown Summer Series to learn the latest on his recruitment and upcoming senior year.

GopherHole: You are starting to play with your high school team this summer now. How are things looking for the upcoming season for Cretin-Derham Hall?

Tre Holloman: Things are looking good. We are coming back with a whole new team again. We’ve got some transfers that I think will be doing good. We are just looking forward to this next season and we have some big expectations to getting back to the state championship.

GopherHole: Is that kind of nice that you get to play a little bit this month to get to know each other and build some chemistry?

Tre Holloman: Yes, for sure, because we are going to need that chemistry when the season starts.

GopherHole: What is the latest on your recruitment right now?

Tre Holloman: Oklahoma State is starting to hit me up with Coach (Larry) Blunt. Michigan State, Marquette, Michigan. Kansas has been hitting me up. Dayton. It has been going good. It has been going kind of slow, but it is going good, though.

GopherHole: Last year was kind of a tough year with COVID. Are you glad that things are starting to get back to somewhat normal?

Tre Holloman: Yeah, man, because the masks they wasn’t doing no justice for us playing, so it is just getting back to normal.

GopherHole: You visited Michigan State recently. What was that visit like?

Tre Holloman: That was a great visit. It was a legendary coach, Coach Izzo. The campus was good. It was all close together. It wasn’t split apart, so it was right there and the facilities were great like any other, so it was just good.

GopherHole:
You also recently visited Minnesota. What was that like?

Tre Holloman: The basketball coaching staff, I just met them in person, like all of them, so it was good getting to know them guys and the football coaches, too. They are all some great guys. Great coaches and I would be looking forward to seeing them more.

GopherHole: I know that you enjoy playing both football and basketball. Is it going to be tough to choose just one sport? Obviously, the seasons overlap probably too much for you ever to do both in college.

Tre Holloman: Yes. Very tough. Very tough, because I don’t know if I could give up football and I don’t know if I can give up basketball, so it is just going to be a hard, hard and tough decision to make.

GopherHole:
Is that going to make you appreciate this year, even a little bit more, because you know that this might be your last year of playing both?

Tre Holloman: For sure. I am just going to give it all, give it my all for both and then sit down and talk with my parents and see what is good for me.

GopherHole: Have you thought about when you might try to decide on a school? Will you try to sign in the fall or have you even thought that far yet?

Tre Holloman: I think that I am going to cut down my list, probably in a couple weeks. Just to narrow it down to make it more slower, but more meaningful.

GopherHole: How many would you like to cut it down to?

Tre Holloman: Probably like seven or six.

GopherHole: Are there schools that you know are definitely going to be in that Top seven?

Tre Holloman: Probably Michigan State, Minnesota and Marquette.

GopherHole: What are going to be the main factors that make you pick School A over School B or C?

Tre Holloman: Probably just the coaching. Probably just the coaching. The head coach, see if he trusts me and if the place is a fit for me.

GopherHole: I know that Coach Johnson has made trying to get Minnesota kids to stay in-state a premium. Is that something that he has talked to you about, trying to get the top local kids to play the Gophers?

Tre Holloman: He’s been on me heavy about talking to some of the other guys in my class to go there, too, but I am the main priority for them on football and basketball.

GopherHole: The Gophers offered Nolan Winter, who plays for the Howard Pulley 16’s. Does that make it a little more appealing that they are offering some guys that you plat with or are in the same organization with?

Tre Holloman: Yes, kind of, but it’s still up to me and my decision. That is like a step forward.
 

Wow- quite the difference in the answers between the two visits.

3 guarantees in life- death, taxes, and Cretin getting transfers!
 


Coach Johnson is asking Tre to lean on other mn kids. You do that with kids who are locked down - not kids who are undecided.
Or he's proving to Tre that he truly trusts giving him the keys to the car, to prove he's not joking about how much he wants him.
 





Coach Johnson is asking Tre to lean on other mn kids. You do that with kids who are locked down - not kids who are undecided.
Or he is selling a vision to Tre on how attractive and special this could be. He has to sell what he has and what he can see. Every coach building up from mediocrity does this. All kinds of guys were sold the idea of building something special at UVA way before they got great. Let us see if BJ can get that done here. The last guy did not have a good plan.
 

Or he is selling a vision to Tre on how attractive and special this could be. He has to sell what he has and what he can see. Every coach building up from mediocrity does this. All kinds of guys were sold the idea of building something special at UVA way before they got great. Let us see if BJ can get that done here. The last guy did not have a good plan.
I think Ben is selling it the right way, it’s just hard to tell if Tre is buying it and wanting to be that leader for this recruiting class - at least from this interview. I’ve always thought we had a good shot at Tre because I could see him as a Carter Coughlin-type leader that believed and got others to believe, but he also has Izzo out there probably convincing him he can do the same at MSU with a lot more winning and better players.
 




GopherHole: You visited Michigan State recently. What was that visit like?

Tre Holloman: That was a great visit.

GopherHole:
You also recently visited Minnesota. What was that like?

Tre Holloman: The basketball coaching staff, I just met them in person, like all of them, so it was good getting to know them guys and the football coaches, too


This makes me sad, but I don't think we land Tre based on this.
 

GopherHole: You visited Michigan State recently. What was that visit like?

Tre Holloman: That was a great visit.

GopherHole:
You also recently visited Minnesota. What was that like?

Tre Holloman: The basketball coaching staff, I just met them in person, like all of them, so it was good getting to know them guys and the football coaches, too


This makes me sad, but I don't think we land Tre based on this.
Since the steam with MSU started picking up with him I figured it was a lost cause, Chatman in 2023 will be the first real test for this staff.
 

Since the steam with MSU started picking up with him I figured it was a lost cause, Chatman in 2023 will be the first real test for this staff.
The staff is still putting in major effort with Tre so they must think they are still in it (and they probably are), but I wonder at one point do they start making Chatman the priority (can’t imagine Chatman and Holloman will choose to play at the same school) and go to Plan B for 2022.
 



The staff is still putting in major effort with Tre so they must think they are still in it (and they probably are), but I wonder at one point do they start making Chatman the priority (can’t imagine Chatman and Holloman will choose to play at the same school) and go to Plan B for 2022.
I'm sure they are doing all they can, I just don't think it's a big miss by the staff if he doesn't commit. Holloman has been a known prospect for years and this staff is way behind through no fault of their own.
 

The staff is still putting in major effort with Tre so they must think they are still in it (and they probably are), but I wonder at one point do they start making Chatman the priority (can’t imagine Chatman and Holloman will choose to play at the same school) and go to Plan B for 2022.
Can't Holloman and Chatman coexist in the same backcourt?
 


GopherHole: You visited Michigan State recently. What was that visit like?

Tre Holloman: That was a great visit.

GopherHole:
You also recently visited Minnesota. What was that like?

Tre Holloman: The basketball coaching staff, I just met them in person, like all of them, so it was good getting to know them guys and the football coaches, too


This makes me sad, but I don't think we land Tre based on this.
Not to mention he said Izzo was a legendary coach and that coaching was his number 1 priority
 

If MSU was the lock as some of you proclaim then why didn’t he announce the commitment while on his official visit or shortly after?
The longer he waits the better our chances.
 

If MSU was the lock as some of you proclaim then why didn’t he announce the commitment while on his official visit or shortly after?
The longer he waits the better our chances.
Articles were written about that last year, typically if the Gophers do not sign them by August leading into their senior year, they are gone. If he is not committed prior to September probability for us is low, not committed by fall signing, probability almost non-existent for us. He could be the one to break the mold, we shall see.
 

Articles were written about that last year, typically if the Gophers do not sign them by August leading into their senior year, they are gone. If he is not committed prior to September probability for us is low, not committed by fall signing, probability almost non-existent for us. He could be the one to break the mold, we shall see.
It’s good in the sense that he did not pull a Cam Heide (and we’ll see what happens with Watson this next week), but I agree we don’t want his recruitment dragging on forever. Mostly because they would have to move to a Plan B quickly.
 

If MSU was the lock as some of you proclaim then why didn’t he announce the commitment while on his official visit or shortly after?
The longer he waits the better our chances.

It’s good in the sense that he did not pull a Cam Heide (and we’ll see what happens with Watson this next week), but I agree we don’t want his recruitment dragging on forever. Mostly because they would have to move to a Plan B quickly.
Agreed, would much rather see a Cam Heide situation (early commit) than what we recently went through with Garcia and Walton. Definitely doesn't help when they drag on like that.
 

Articles were written about that last year, typically if the Gophers do not sign them by August leading into their senior year, they are gone. If he is not committed prior to September probability for us is low, not committed by fall signing, probability almost non-existent for us. He could be the one to break the mold, we shall see.
Don’t think those articles apply in this case since it’s a new coach. Hoping Tre waits to see what type of sets that Ben runs, how he handles players in game and then can unofficial visit again to talk about the role he would have.
Wins in the early games might help some but the offensive and defensive philosophies that are shown will be more important.
 


I think MN needs to get a commitment soon - and the higher-rated the kid, the better.

Some guys may be reluctant to commit without knowing whether anybody else is 'in the pool.'

once the first domino falls, the second one falls easier.
Absolutely. But doesn’t seem like anybody is ready to commit to MN yet. Hopefully by the end of July. I’ll go with Payne as first to commit.
 



I think MN needs to get a commitment soon - and the higher-rated the kid, the better.

Some guys may be reluctant to commit without knowing whether anybody else is 'in the pool.'

once the first domino falls, the second one falls easier.
Absolutely. I understand the perspective that recruiting in three months is difficult, but Ben was offered the job based on the potential of reaching and keeping home Big Ten quality talent. I think the honeymoon period is much shorter for him than it might be for an "outside" hire because of that.

There is time, but so far what he is selling is not being purchased by local recruits. That's discouraging. The big difference I see between our program and Iowa State's is that they have a coach with a track record as a head coach. We don't. Ben needs some momentum push in class of 22 soon. A mid grade commit helps, but doesn't move the needle much. Tre moves the needle a lot, and starts the dominoes falling.
 

He could be the next Isaiah Dahlman .
If he is also considering football, he will not be the next Isaiah Dahlman. One of the factors hurting him in B1G was he was not physically capable and never made himself so. Tre at least has the body strength to compete.
 

Or he's proving to Tre that he truly trusts giving him the keys to the car, to prove he's not joking about how much he wants him.
I wish I had never read that the coach was on Tre heavy to convince kids to come to MN. SMH
 

Absolutely. I understand the perspective that recruiting in three months is difficult, but Ben was offered the job based on the potential of reaching and keeping home Big Ten quality talent. I think the honeymoon period is much shorter for him than it might be for an "outside" hire because of that.

There is time, but so far what he is selling is not being purchased by local recruits. That's discouraging. The big difference I see between our program and Iowa State's is that they have a coach with a track record as a head coach. We don't. Ben needs some momentum push in class of 22 soon. A mid grade commit helps, but doesn't move the needle much. Tre moves the needle a lot, and starts the dominoes falling.
I'm going with the idea that Ben is selling the program really hard, but has said something along the lines of, "I understand your skepticism with signing here because I am a first year coach, if that is the case take your time and see how we play, compete and coach, then you can commit here."
The longer that Holloman, Payne, Carrington, Watson don't commit somewhere the better our chances are of landing them.
 




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