Holton draws third postseason nod, selected for ECAC All-Star squad
COLCHESTER, Vt. - Saint Michael's College men's basketball sophomore Mike Holton Jr. (Portland, Ore./The Winchendon School) nabbed his third 2011-12 postseason honor, being named to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) All-Star second team this week. He was among 10 players honored, and one of just three underclassmen.
Holton, who was also named to the NE-10 All-Conference first team and to the Daktronics East All-Region second squad following his standout sophomore season, was among three NE-10 student-athletes lauded by the ECAC.
Holton led the Purple Knights in scoring 17 times in 26 games, as the 6-foot-1 guard turned in 17.0 points and 2.7 assists while shooting 84.5 percent on free throws and knocking down 48 three-pointers. Holton was second in NE-10 in free throws (120) - finishing six behind the leader, who played eight more games - as well as taking second in scoring and free throw shooting. After notching a program-rookie-record 442 points in 2010-11, he matched that total as a sophomore, turning in career highs in scoring average, rebounding (3.9), assists (70), field goal shooting and three-point shooting.
One of the biggest shots of Holton's season came on Feb. 11, as he knocked down a jumper with less than two seconds left to earn his team a 66-64 victory at Stonehill College, which recently advanced to the NCAA Tournament Final Four. That had been the Skyhawks' most recent setback prior to falling in yesterday's national semifinals.
In three contests against NE-10 regular-season co-champions Adelphi University and Franklin Pierce University - also two teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament - Holton averaged 23.0 points on 54.1 percent shooting, including 56.3 percent (9-for-16) from three-point range and 95.2 percent (20-of-21) on free throws. Heading into his junior year, Holton has 884 points, good for a 16.4-point average, as he aims to become the 14th Saint Michael's junior to reach the 1,000-point plateau. He is second in program annals in free throw percentage (84.5%).
