Small ball: Holmstead lighting it up for SLCC women's hoops

TAYLORSVILLE — Finding a way to contain Haley Holmstead is a nightmare for just about any team that plays Salt Lake Community College these days.

Holmstead, a freshman guard from American Fork, can overwhelm opponents in a hurry with her ability to score at will. Things reached an apex earlier this month when she dropped 40 points to lift the Bruins to an 80-62 victory over the College of Southern Idaho.

That 40-point outburst represented a personal best for Holmstead, who admits she is having a great deal of fun putting together these types of games for the Bruins.

"You just feel like you're in the flow," Holmstead said. "Everything is falling your way. You can't help but smile."

Holmstead is putting smiles on more than a few faces, given how she has performed for SLCC so far this season. Through 10 games, she leads the Bruins in scoring with 22.9 points per game and ranks second in rebounding and third in assists.

SLCC coach Betsy Specketer said that Holmstead is having a major impact because she is the type of player who involves herself in everything on the court.

"She's active," Specketer said. "Most active players handle the ball a lot. They're around the ball a lot. It either goes to them or through them."

Initially, Holmstead did not envision making her mark at the junior college level. She had talked to a few NCAA Division I schools, but no firm scholarship offers ever came her way. For a brief time, Holmstead considered walking on at the University of Utah. Ultimately, she decided that going to play for the Bruins was the best option to further her basketball career.

Holmstead feels like she made the right choice.

"It's a step up from high school," Holmstead said. "It's fun. I'm learning new things every day."

One thing Holmstead is working on is extending her shooting range. She can drive to the rim and has a mid-range jumper that rivals about any player in the Scenic West Athletic Conference. But she tends to shy away from the perimeter. In her first eight games for the Bruins, Holmstead attempted just five three-pointers.

Even with a limited outside game, she is dangerous just about everywhere else on the floor.

"What she brings is she's just a scorer," Specketer said. "She finds a way to score."

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