Ron Holland on G League Ignite, NBA Draft: 'I'm here to learn and lead'

FRISCO, Texas - Around a year ago, Ron Holland, one of the top players in the state of Texas, sat at a crossroad.

The former Duncanville five-star and SBLive's 2022-23 National Player of the Year was signed with Texas. He ended up opting to sign a professional contract and play with the G League Ignite, a team based out of Henderson, Nevada. 

SBLive caught up with Holland, a projected NBA Draft lottery pick, at a recent G League game in Frisco. He is sidelined with a thumb injury suffered in late January, for which he underwent surgery, but called his second trip home "a good feeling."

"It feels good to be back," he told SBLive, "knowing that everybody that had my back from the city is coming out here, supporting me still even though I'm not playing."

Holland's six-to-eight-week recovery puts him in line to be ready for the draft combine from May 13-19 in Chicago. The draft lottery is May 12 in Chicago and the NBA Draft begins June 26.

In 29 games before the injury, Holland averaged 19.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game while shooting 45.5% from the field. Still, he's the franchise leader in steals (69), 30-point games (4) and 20-point games (16) in a single season while finishing second in total points (565).

Ignite was created to four years ago to offer a chance for elite basketball players a chance to turn pro without going to college. 

In three season, it's produced nine draft picks, five in the lottery — Jalen Green (Rockets), Jonathan Kuminga (Warriors), Dyson Daniels (Pelicans) and Scoot Henderson (Trail Blazers). Five other players were drafted as well and this year’s squad will add to that list. 

(Former Fort Bend High School standout Tyler Smith is also projected first-round picks from Ignite by ESPN.)

His Ignite team features some elite talent mixed with former NBA first-round picks like Norris Cole and John Jenkins.

(Questions and answers have been edited for clarity.)

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ON THE G LEAGUE IGNITE 

SBLIVE: Going from high school straight to the pros, what has this year like for you? What's been the biggest challenges?

HOLLAND: This has been a roller coaster, a roller coaster of emotions and just a lot of learning. I've learned a lot about myself by the game of basketball, About growing up and becoming a man on and off the court. They taught us a lot, but the most I said the biggest challenge was finally figuring out a routine to keep myself stabilized and not getting too high or low with this. I feel like that was so difficult for me because I was able to just wake up and just hoop. Back in high school that was easy for me. But now it's like everybody's bigger, older, smarter, stronger. That's one thing I really need to key on; the coaches and all the training staff, they just keep really key on that.

SBLIVE: What have you adjusted in your game from last year to this year that you feel you're most proud of?

HOLLAND: Facilitating offense. I've been able to make plays for others and make plays for myself more this year. And that's one thing that I worked on coming out of high school because I knew that I wasn't going to be the tallest anymore. Everybody's taller now, but I knew my position wasn't really going to change. I was able to do that in high school, but it was just going to be more focused on it.

SBLIVE: You were playing high school basketball last year. Now you're a pro. Thinking back a year ago, how crazy is that to process?

HOLLAND: I look back at that every single day. I'm still looking at my high school highlights for sure. But like you said, I was just there last year so it really feels like yesterday. I was blessed to come to Ignite and be at a professional level be able to just learn a lot from my guys and a lot from the coaches and a lot from the staff. It's just I'm just really blessed to do this.

SBLIVE: Are you happy with your decision to choose Ignite over college?

HOLLAND: I’m definitely happy with the decision. When I stepped away from basketball, I really tried to figure out what I wanted to get out of this game. Ignite had every single thing that I was looking for in the program.

SBLIVE: So Ignite's early track record of putting guys in the NBA, and producing high draft picks was a deciding factor?

HOLLAND: It shows that Ignite knows what they're doing even though it's a new program. They know exactly what they're doing. They're not gonna just just leave you out there just to be a failure. You know, they push you every single day. They're gonna let you figure it out.

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SBLIVE: You committed to and signed with Texas. Then Texas coach Rick Barnes was fired. You ended up decommitting and choosing the G League. What was that period in between like?

HOLLAND: Mentally, it was only tough because I was going through a lot off the court when it came to my coach getting fired. Like I said, I stepped away from basketball and just really just talking to my circle and my family every single day and they calmed me down and just kept focused on high school basketball. The main thing and I was just focused on hooping every single day. I knew everything was gonna take care of itself. But like I said, once I sat down and figured out what I wanted to do with this, I found the program and it was Ignite.

SBLIVE: How hard is it not to play now?

HOLLAND: This is pretty tough, but like I said, I'm not only here to just play basketball. I'm here to learn and lead. I've been leading the other guys that’s been playing all the young guys. I feel like a vet right now, like I'm just telling them what to do and how to read the offense read the defense and it's just like, I think my time. My time playing here was it was cut short, but I think it was a it was up it was a blessing because I get to really step back and lead these guys and so what I really know on the court.

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PREPARING FOR THE NBA

SBLIVE: You've played with guys playing the league now and other guys at high-level Division I colleges. Do you get to find time to check with (Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black) or any of those guys?

HOLLAND: I definitely checked in with him knowing I was playing with him my junior year and he's in the NBA and he knows that's where I'm headed too. I always get input and knowledge on what it is up there, and what is not there. I keep up with him. (The friends playing in college), I talk to them most of time. Just to see what the college life is like, you know, I skipped that I didn’t get to live that life, but they said it's really difficult but they figuring it out just like me.

SBLIVE: Obviously guys like Anthony and how much help having a guy like that you can lean on it's kind of been through what you're gonna be going through the next couple of months probably.

HOLLAND: It helps a lot knowing that I have a guy that I'm really close with who's in the NBA. Like I said everything that I'm about to go through he's going through right now or slash has been through so it's just like I know if I ever need something or I need help with any type of emotional support or really how to figure something out I can always go to him because me and him are good friend.

SBLIVE: Are you able to watch a lot of games, NBA or college?

HOLLAND: I watch a lot of NBA games, I haven’t really kept up with college.

SBLIVE: What do you feel like you're gonna bring to the NBA?

HOLLAND: I feel like I'm gonna bring to the NBA is the same thing I have been bringing. I've been bringing a lot of energy. I know for a fact whatever team gets me they're gonna get a leader that's willing to do whatever it takes to win. They're gonna get a great energy guy. I'm gonna be in tune with the fans. I just like like I said, it's me on a day-to-day basis. I know for a fact that I do whatever it takes, and I can do whatever my coach needs me to do on the court.

SBLIVE: When did the NBA dream first happen?

HOLLAND: Since I was a kid. I was just watching LeBron James just dominate the NBA. And I've always said that I wanted to go to the NBA so I feel I felt like once I really took a step to this for me it was my sophomore year when I was ready like really like I get this thing done.

SBLIVE: It's kind of surreal you're so close to being in the NBA?

HOLLAND: It’s right there.

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ON CAREER AT DUNCANVILLE ... 

SBLIVE: Do you still keep up with Duncanville? Do you feel good where you left the program?

HOLLAND: I think I left the program in good hands. They were pretty young. So it was gonna go through some struggles obviously but they have a good coach, a great coach in Coach (David) Peavy. He's one of the best coaches I've ever had. And I know he got a staff behind him that's right along with him. They got eliminated in the second round but I mean, things happen like that. They're going to bounce back next year. Coach Peavy has been saying this to me since I was there. It was always bounce back, bounce back, bounce back. It's always something that he always said because it's just like after something like that happened. It's like you take a look in the mirror, come back and get more work. That's just what it is.

I follow them on Twitter and Instagram, every night I check in with the coach every time they play.

SBLIVE: So you went to Duncanville, famously a national football powerhouse. How did you not become another blue chip receiver from there?

HOLLAND: I played football as a kid. Really. I wanted to go to the NFL too. But when I got there, I realized I'm not a football player. This is what it is. That is what Duncanville is, we got good athletes all around and from every sport there. It was crazy.

SBLIVE: What was that like?

HOLLAND: It was good energy over there. Like just walking through the building and knowing that you have all these top players around the world, in any type of sport. It's just like, everybody shows so much love in the building, it is crazy. Like, if anybody needs anything, everybody's around and they're gonna make sure everybody's is straight.

SBLIVE: Do you still care about the Duncanville vs. DeSoto rivalry?

HOLLAND: I never really cared about it. I knew when I was in high school, DeSoto had no chance. I hate saying it like that, but DeSoto had no chance. That rivalry was It was great. It was a good high school. Love it. I went there (DeSoto) in middle school . Still in love for them but there is a level to this.

-- Cody Thorn | @sblivetx

Photos by Cody Thorn, Naji Saker, SBLive archives.