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PVI's Holloway Picks Mason

By Marcus Helton, 03/08/11, 12:00AM EST

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Paul VI Catholic High School guard Patrick Holloway commutes to the Fairfax school from his family’s home in Stafford every day. He’ll be hanging around the area full-time for his college career.

After taking his second visit to George Mason University on Monday, Holloway committed to the Patriots and new coach Paul Hewitt on Wednesday morning.

“The coaching staff, they made me feel like I was wanted there and they made me feel like they needed me,” Holloway said Wednesday. “So I felt like it was a good fit for me. They told me my role, my position and how I fit into that system, and I always felt good about what they were saying to me. My family, we really liked what they were doing, and I think George Mason has the potential to be one of the better teams in the country, and they’re on their way, so I just want to help out.”

Mason went 27-7 last season, finising second in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. They defeated Villanova in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Ohio State.

Holloway, a 6-foot-1, 150-pound rising senior guard, picked Mason over St. Joseph’s, Delaware, George Washington and Kent State. He also received scholarship offers from Hofstra, Manhattan and Towson, as well as interest from Georgetown and Boston College.



Patrick Holloway goes up for a shot in a game against DeMatha last season.

Mason originally offered Holloway under former coach Jim Larranaga, who left in April to take the head coaching job at Miami (Fla.). Hewitt was hired shortly therafter.

“When Larranaga was there, I guess I wasn’t too focused on the whole recruiting process,” Holloway said, “just because I was young and I was still trying to make my decision about what I was going to do and that kind of stuff. So, I mean, wasn’t too focused on the whole recruiting thing. When he left, I knew my offer wasn’t still there at that time, so I was a little shook up about it, but I just kind of kept playing and I knew new offers would come, and sure enough the new staff, soon after they got there they expressed interest for me.”

Holloway averaged just over 16 points per game last year for the Panthers, who finished third in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. He shot 48 percent from 3-point range while making 85 long-range shots.

“Coach Hewitt, as soon as he got the job he made Patrick a priority,” Paul VI coach Glenn Farrello said. “He liked his shooting ability – his ability to score the ball. I think it’s just a great fit, you know? It’s a great coaching staff, and Patrick and his family felt very comfortable with them from Day 1. It’s close to home, and it’s always great to be able to have that comfort. We’re excited, and we think it’s going to be a great opportunity for him.”

Holloway said he originally planned on picking a school in September, but simply didn’t feel he needed to wait any longer after visiting Mason on Monday. He had a strong summer on the AAU circuit for Team Takeover and for PVI, which won the Elite Hoops Summer League at DeMatha last month.

“I feel really relieved, actually,” he said. “It feels like I can just really focus on my grades now and focus on getting after this senior season. We have a big season ahead of us; our team’s good and a lot of our top players are doing some pretty good things right now and getting exposure as well, but at the end of the month, they’re all going to come together and play together again and its going to be a good look. We have a lot of talent, so we’re looking to be the No. 1 team in the conference and have a strong season.”

Paul VI brings back all five starters and nine of the top 10 players from last year’s 21-win team. Among the Panthers’ other standouts are juniors Stanford Robinson and Jamall Robinson (no relation), senior forward Coleman Johnson and senior guard Tilman Dunbar.

“We’d like to take that next step,” Farrello said. “… The expectations are very high, and kids are working hard. Patrick’s a huge part of that, and we’re looking forward to having him make a lot more shots for us this next year and we’re excited that he’s staying in Fairfax for another four years.”





Holloway shoots over DeMatha's Jerami Grant.