by Kristie Boudwin
Daily Lobo
The UNM men's basketball roster will be one line shorter than anticipated this season.
Junior college transfer Justin Holt proved exemplary athleticism is not enough to make The Pit his new home.
Holt parted ways with the men's basketball team last week after failing to meet academic expectations over the summer.
"Justin is a good person working hard to meet expectations," McKay said. "Unfortunately, he didn't get it done."
McKay said Holt was aware of the academic assistance offered by the UNM athletic department and had the opportunity to utilize the services.
"I cannot comment on specifics about his academics," McKay said. "We have expectations for each one of our guys, and in this case the expectations were not met."
Team co-captain and senior Mark Walters said losing Holt for academic reasons definitely reinforces the importance of meeting academic standards.
"It opens up every guy's eyes on the team," Walters said. "They realize they have to take it seriously. He isn't here now, because he didn't perform in the classroom."
Holt would have had two years of eligibility to play Division I ball at UNM. McKay said Holt could be picked up by a Division II school for the upcoming season and will be eligible right away.
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The next institution the 20-year-old Holt commits to will be his seventh school since he graduated from high school in 2002.
This was the second time Holt almost played for McKay. Holt committed to play for McKay at Oregon State out of high school. McKay left to coach at UNM, and Holt transferred to Tacoma Community College.
Three Division I schools and two community colleges later, Holt joined McKay again as a Lobo. Holt committed to UNM this spring out of Indian Hills Community College in Iowa. The 6-foot-7-inch Holt averaged 13.5 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game last season for Indian Hills.
Holt received one of 12 scholarships offered by the men's basketball program when he signed this year. McKay said he will not sign another recruit to fill Holt's place, but rather award the scholarship to a player that is already on the team and did not initially receive a scholarship.
Walters said Holt was coming along well in the UNM program, but he said he does not think losing him will hurt the team or this year's recruiting class.
"Justin was very talented, but every guy that was recruited can play and will help the team," Walters said.
McKay agrees that Holt is a good player and said he wished him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.
"Nonetheless, we are excited about our team and the upcoming season," McKay said. "We have great chemistry and are looking forward to competing for another conference championship."
