In high school, Randal Holt was a scorer.
As a point guard at Glenville High School, Holt’s first job was not to set up his teammates to score. A Bedford native, Holt often did a majority of the scoring himself, averaging 24.8 points as a senior.
As a freshman reserve at Kent State, Holt had to adjust the way he played. As a shooting guard, Holt had to become more of a spot-up shooter. In the past three years, he’s become the Golden Flashes’ best 3-point shooting threat.
“I was really an all-around player in high school,” said the 6-foot-1, 180-pound Holt. “But when I got to Kent State, I kind of became more of a catch shooter. It’s what they needed and I wanted to help out anyway I could. I wasn’t known for being a big 3-point shooter in high school, it’s something that I just really worked on once I got [to KSU].”
Now a junior with the Flashes, Holt has again altered his game to help his teammates. He’s playing a little bit more like the old Randal Holt.
“Coach [Rob] Senderoff and I had a talk in the offseason and we talked about the things I needed to work on,” said Holt, who leads the Flashes (15-6, 5-3 in the Mid-American Conference) in scoring at 13.0 points per game.
“One of the things we talked about was for me to try to get to the basket more, for me to draw fouls and utilize my mid-range jump shot more. So I spent a lot of time in the offseason in the gym working on that so I could incorporate that in games.”
That’s exactly what Holt’s done and the Flashes have benefited. KSU leads the league in scoring at 75.2 points per game and is shooting 49 percent.
Kent State hosts Western Michigan (10-12, 4-4) 7 p.m. tonight at the M.A.C. Center.
Despite being tied for second place in the MAC West Division, the Broncos are just 1-11 away from home this season.
The Flashes, who are fourth in the East Division, enter the game riding a three-game winning streak, including road victories at Toledo and Central Michigan last week.
Kent State’s high-powered offense features five players averaging at least 9.5 points per game. Justin Greene is the Flashes’ next highest scorer, averaging 12.9 points per game.
Despite struggling defensively two weeks ago, leading to road losses at Ohio and rival Akron, KSU is now forcing an average of 17 turnovers a game, which ranks 22nd nationally and is the most by the Flashes since 2000. The Flashes’ nine steals per game rank 12th nationally and is their highest average since the 1999 season.
It’s been the defense that has been the difference down the stretch in most games.
“Our kids just amped up their intensity level,” Senderoff said after five consecutive second-half KSU steals led to a 77-61 victory over Toledo last week. “Getting those steals and points off turnovers was the difference in the game.”
When the Flashes need a play, they’ve learned to think defense first. Then they often turn turnovers into points that deflate the opposition.
“The thing we try to do defensively is we try to speed [opponents] up and make [them] take some quick shots,” Senderoff said. “We have some tough defensive players, and now we’re starting to play the way we’re supposed to play.”
Stephanie Storm can be reached at sstorm@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow Stephanie on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/sstorm13. Follow Beacon Journal sports on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.
