Sophomore slump? Here's how Stuart Cramer girls hoops' Oshauna Holland is making an impact
Oshauna Holland made quite a splash last winter, leading the Stuart Cramer girls basketball team in scoring (18.1), assists (4.7) and steals (5.5) as a freshman en route to a Big South 3A tournament title.
While impressive, Holland wasn’t satisfied with being Gaston County’s “next big thing” in girls basketball.
“I’ve really been putting in work,” she said. “I’m in the gym every day. I’m trying to get my team (more) involved this year. I have a lot of freshmen on my team (this year), so I have to get them right and become more of a leader.
“Consistency is where I struggled last year, but getting in the gym more and working on my craft has helped.”
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As the calendar prepares to flip to February, it’s fair to say Holland is on her way to meeting those goals.
Dispelling the notion of a sophomore slump, Holland’s play is a big reason Stuart Cramer girls hoops is in position to claim its first league championship in program history. Heading into play on Tuesday, the Storm hold a one-game lead in the Big South 3A standings over rival South Point.
“It’s something we want to stay ahead of, because we know our conference is tough. I just hope we can keep it rolling,” said Stuart Cramer girls basketball coach Carey Pohlman. “I think we’ve done a better job at practice of going hard, trying to give ourselves full-speed looks and working on our dribbling when pressure is applied. More importantly, we’re attacking the basket more, so things are looking good for us.”
Everything for the Storm starts with Holland, though, Pohlman readily admitting the sophomore guard has become an extension of her coaches on the floor.
“Oshauna is very unselfish; that’s how she’s always been. She looks to pass first, even when I feel like she has opportunities to score. She does it all for us, including taking command and calling plays,” he said. “I can go on and on for hours about her, and the job she does in getting us in the right spots and facilitating our offense.”
Holland added: “(It’s things like) getting my big involved, learning everyone’s specialties and what they do well, and expanding on that.”
While getting others involved, Holland has done her share of “eating” as well.
Through 18 games, the Cramer sophomore standout is scoring just shy of 27 points per game, shooting 42% from the field. She also leads her team in assists (5.3) and steals (6.8), along with 9.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.
According to Holland, a subtle tweak has allowed her to thrive this season.
“Last year, it was a little tough because I could only score at two levels,” she said. “But I got my 3-point shot and some range too. (It makes it harder on opponents) when someone can take control of the game (from anywhere on the court). It’s hard to stop them.”
Holland has scored 30 points on five occasions this season. She set a career-high last Friday, though, going for 47 points in a 76-19 rout of Kings Mountain. She followed Tuesday with her first triple-double, going for 28 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds the same night in which she reached 1,000 career points.
According to Pohlman, such couldn’t be happening for a better person.
“She’s just an all-around good person,” he said. “Her play has made her teammates better and our team better. She really makes our team go, and hopefully with her help we can go a long way.”
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: NCHSAA basketball: Stuart Cramer's Oshauna Holland making an impact
