Towson men’s basketball redshirt senior Cam Holden recently chatted with PressBox about his journey to the Tigers, his favorite memories from last season and more. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound guard averaged 13.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game for a Towson team that finished 25-9 overall and won the CAA regular-season championship. He had previously played at UT Martin and Gulf Coast State College. Holden is a native of Forsyth, Ga., and graduate of Mary Persons High School.
PressBox: How did you become interested in basketball?
Cam Holden: It started with my father. My father, [James], was a huge recreation coach back in my hometown in Georgia, so I kind of grew up into it watching him coach since I was probably 3. I used to sit on the bench just watching the team win championship after championship, so I was like, “Man, I’ve got to [win] one day.” So I got the opportunity to play for him, played under him on the rec team. He was pretty hard on me because I was his kid, so that’s kind of how I got into it from home. It was mostly my father, and also my sister, [Aleah], played. She was a big-time mid-major player also — great rebounder, she played an undersized four position. Watching those two excel kind of was my motivation. That was my path to basketball.
PB: How did you your dad and sister influence your game when you were growing up?
CH: Those two impacted me in different ways. My dad was big on making a shot, using the shot fake any time I needed. That’s kind of one of my best abilities when it comes to when you swing into me, I’ve got a great shot fake. My sister’s a great rebounder no matter who was in the way. She didn’t care if it was her own teammates in the way. Watching her play, seeing her do post moves and stuff — I kind of combined the two together. That’s what made me.
PB: Why did you choose to transfer to Towson after spending the 2020-21 season at UT Martin?
CH: Unfortunately, my coach passed away at UT Martin. Coach Anthony Stewart passed away a week before the games. After that, we had an interim coach, [Montez Robinson]. We had an OK season under the circumstances we went through, but they decided to go on to a new coach, [Ryan Ridder]. He wanted me to stay there. I’m still in contact with him today, great guy. But unfortunately, I felt like I needed a new chapter for my last two years. That’s how I got into contact with Towson.
PB: How did the situation at UT Martin impact you? How did you grow as a person in going through that season?
CH: When I heard the news, I took two weeks off of basketball just because it was kind of hard because [Stewart] was the one who recruited me. He was really the reason I went, the only reason I went because I had a great relationship with his son, [Parker], and him. When I heard the news, I was devastated. I was kind of in shock. But I knew he would want me to finish that season. I just knew it. He would want me to do it for him. So I came back to the team within two weeks. I played as hard as I could for that program. Every time I walk on the court here at Towson, I think about it.
PB: What’s your favorite memory so far at Towson?
CH: One of my great memories I have here was probably the [79-55 win at UNC Wilmington last season]. We lost to UNCW at home. I’ll never forget when they beat us at home. It was the game for the No. 1 spot in the regular season [at the time]. They celebrated to our student section a little bit. We went back to UNCW and beat them by a lot. It was just a great feeling, seeing that we get to return the favor, winning by a lot. That was a great memory, and also winning the regular-season championship here on the home court. Mostly for the program, I feel like that was just big. [It was] a big milestone in my career.
PB: Most of your team is back after falling short in the CAA tournament in March. How have you used that as motivation heading into this season?
CH: I feel like we’ve got the same guys back and I feel like it’s a different attitude for us now. We know what it takes. We want to get back in that spot. That’s what we want to do. We want to get back in that spot. We want to beat the team that [took] us out. But we’re not going to take it as a sour taste in our mouths. We’re going to take it day by day. We want to [beat] whoever’s in front of us that week. In March, we’re going to be ready to play our best basketball, but Nov. 7 is when we’re going to be ready to play.
PB: What’s your favorite thing about Towson University?
CH: I feel like I don’t have to hide my personality here. I feel like at some places, you know how you have to hide your personality? But I feel like here, they let me be me. I feel like they do that for a lot of people, even the students. I wish I was here four years. I say it all the time. I always joke about it with [head coach Pat Skerry], why he never found me. He always laughs. Blessed to get two years here, honestly.
PB: Who’s your best friend on the team and what’s a story that underscores your friendship?
CH: It would be [Nicolas Timberlake and Charles Thompson]. You’d think we’d hate each other when we talk to each other sometimes, but it’s really not like that. They’ve got the same fire and personality I’ve got when it comes to losing and winning, competitiveness. The last practice this summer, me and Nic honestly got to balling on the practice court. We had team dinner at 5. We actually rolled together to the team dinner and Coach Skerry was like, “You two are just crazy.” That’s when I knew we were going to be pretty good because if we’re competing like practice [with] two guys like that — he was the leading scorer, I was a first-team guy just like him — we were going to be pretty good. We all want the same goal. … It wasn’t personal. We were going at it. My team was down. Their team was winning. It just turned competitive. I feel like he’s my best friend. [Rahdir Hicks], I hang around him a lot. Even [Sekou Sylla], he’s new to the team. I’ve been around Sekou. He’s a great person. Actually, all the guys, we all hang with each other. That’s what makes us so good. And honestly, that’s why the ball moves. If you like the person next to you, you’ll pass the ball. I feel like that plays a big part of Towson now. I feel like personality matters when it comes to a team.
PB: Who did you look up to early in your college career?
CH: I was best friends with [Parker Stewart at UT Martin]. I learned a lot from being around Parker. His work ethic is amazing. He’s probably at a gym as we speak right now. I’ve never seen a guy get in the gym so much, put up shots. That’s why he shoots so [well] from three. … He’s just in the gym, lifting. His work ethic is out of this world, just like his father. His father’s work ethic was like that also. His father used to grab a chair and watch him shoot every 6 a.m. I’m just looking at you guys like, “I can’t wake up at 6 a.m. to get shots up.” I try to follow his footsteps. He wasn’t a vocal leader, but by example he showed that he put the work in. That’s why it shows on the court. If I had to pick one person, it’d be him. I’m still in contact with him now, making sure he’s all right because that’s my brother for life.
PB: What advice would you give to younger players?
CH: Don’t worry about level. Find the best fit. I feel like I did that everywhere I went, finding the best fit. Finding the best [school] where I could be me off the court and on the court. Don’t go by the name. They’re going to find you to play pro. That’s my mindset. … My advice to younger guys is find the best fit, find a coaching staff that truly cares about you. That’s my advice. Don’t go by the name.
PB: What are your goals for after basketball, whenever it ends?
CH: To probably get into coaching. I feel like I’ve been around basketball a lot. I’ve had the opportunity to be around three different programs also. I’ve seen the difference in how it should be run and how it should not be run. Playing in those different programs kind of opened up my eyes, and coming from a JUCO level to a mid-major, I feel like I’d love to go back and coach JUCO because that’s where I came from. That’s where I grew from the most as a person. I’d love to help younger guys going to junior college, give them my story and try to help them from there and hopefully they can be successful because that’s what happened to me. I feel like if I didn’t have the coaching staff I had at Gulf Coast, I feel like I wouldn’t be here today. They helped me, not [just] on the basketball court because I had D-I [ability] my freshman and sophomore years, but off the court I didn’t have a D-I mentality. If I can help spread that around to other younger players when they come in, I feel like I’ll be fine.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Towson Athletics
Issue 277: October/November 2022
Originally published Oct. 19, 2022