Holmes junior point guard James “Beetle” Bolden will play college basketball for the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Bolden made his announcement Wednesday at the high school’s library. He thanked God, his coaches, and his teammates.
“This wasn’t earned in one day. It was something earned with years and years of hard work and I’m thankful to those who helped me,” Bolden said. He was joined on either side by his father and head basketball coach Jason Booher.
Bolden will have one more season at Holmes before heading to Morgantown.
“We’re really proud of him and excited about his senior year,” Booher said. “Coach (Bob) Huggins is getting a really good player.”
Huggins, the head coach at West Virginia, held that same position at the University of Cincinnati for many years. The Mountaineers were a Final Four team in 2010.
As the starting point guard at Holmes, Bolden has led the Bulldogs to a 60-9 record. He averaged more than 20 points per game last season which saw the Bulldogs reach the 9th Region finals before falling to eventual state champion Covington Catholic. Holmes won the 9th Region and made it to the state tournament’s second round the year before.
At West Virginia, Bolden will play for a team in the Big 12 conference where the regular foes include basketball blue blood programs such as Kansas.
Story & photos by Michael Monks, editor & publisher of The River City News