College basketball recruiting: Ellet's Caitlyn Holmes verbally commits to Kent State

Ellet junior Caitlyn Holmes had a day and night to remember on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023.

Holmes started her day by verbally committing in the morning to play basketball on scholarship at Kent State University and then took to the court in the evening to surpass 1,000 career points in a 77-38 win over North.

"I like how close everyone is at Kent State and they offered me first," Holmes said Thursday night. "I really connected with the coaches."

Holmes also has scholarship offers from Akron, Ball State, Cleveland State, Dayton, Western Michigan and California-Irvine.

"Kent State is 20 minutes away, so I can go home whenever I want," Holmes said. "I wanted to stay home. All of the schools that offered me, I told them I wanted to stay pretty close to home. ... I am happy with this commitment. They were my No. 1."

Holmes, who is a 5-foot-6½ guard, is averaging around 25 points, six rebounds and four assists this season.

"I am super excited for Caitlyn," Ellet coach Nick Harris said. "This is a place that is local. That is something that I know has always been important to her. I am excited selfishly to be able to watch her. I can drive over and catch a game. I think she is going to be special at Kent State. I know she has the possibility to make a huge impact at that level. I think she has a chance to play early, which I know is important to her.

"She loves competing, and having an opportunity to play and earn those minutes, which I think Kent allows her the opportunity. They have a history of that. Their sophomore guard, Corynne Hauser, started as a freshman. Coach Todd Starkey has had Mid-American Conference All-Freshmen Team players year after year."

Caitlyn Holmes leads Ellet to girls basketball success

Holmes, 16, has a 3.4 cumulative GPA. She said she started playing competitive basketball in sixth grade after competing in soccer and football as a kid growing up in the Ellet community.

"Caitlyn is an elite player and an elite person," Harris said. "Honestly, for a teenager, she exceeds expectations."

Holmes led Ellet to City Series postseason title wins over Kenmore-Garfield as a freshman and Firestone as a sophomore. She was named the league player of the year as a sophomore.

"She is 25-1 in the City Series," Harris said. "The only loss was by one point [to Kenmore-Garfield], which she avenged in the City Series [postseason] championship where she dropped 29 points. She has done nothing but get better every year.

"This year, she is easily the best she has ever been. Last year, she had a huge year and was second-team All-Ohio in Division I. The game has slowed down for her. She is a more vocal leader. She has always led by effort. She is someone who is there in the gym first and is the last to leave."

Ellet (5-3, 4-0) has league wins over East, Firestone, Buchtel and North and a non-league win over Woodridge this season.

Holmes joins juniors Jaeda Tavares, Sanaiiya Gray and Dacai Singletary and freshman Royalty Crooks in Ellet's starting lineup. The top reserves are freshmen Kenadie Keith and Saniya Williams and junior Eren Harmon.

"We lost to Wadsworth, Streetsboro and Hoban by a total of 15 points," Harris said. "... Those three teams have a 17-1 record, with Wadsworth's one loss to Stow. Caitlyn played very well in the non-league games with 35 points at Wadsworth, 29 points at Streetsboro, 22 points versus Woodridge and 26 points against Hoban. She has about 350 career points in the City Series and about 650 career points out of conference."

Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Caitlyn Holmes of Ellet verbally commits to Kent State basketball