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Schalick's Mike Holloway making his own name

07/25/2014, 2:00pm EDT

By Josh Verlin

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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Literally and figuratively, Mike Holloway has always just been Rashaan Holloway’s little brother.

That was true up through last year, when his older brother was blowing up both at Schalick HS and with the Philly Ballhawks to the point where he would eventually accept a scholarship from Massachusetts over ones from Temple and others last fall. And at 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds, Mike is tough to miss–unless he’s standing next to his 6-9, 280-pound brother.

As recently as June, the younger Holloway brother was getting ready to watch his older brother head off to college while still waiting on his first Division I offer.

“I never really felt that I was in his shadow,” he said. “I know people see him and they were like ‘Rashaan, Rashaan, Rashaan,’ so that just motivated me to get better and get out into the light and just play my game.”

This July, Mike finally has established himself as a legitimate Division I prospect in his own right. The muscular power forward has bullied other forwards in the paint, routinely approaching the 20-point mark for the Ballhawks in tournament after tournament, and the offers have steadily come in.

First came a great showing at the Hoop Group’s Elite Camp, earning him offers from Winthrop, Wagner, Fairfield and Canisius. At the Elevate Hoops Showdown, Fairleigh Dickinson and LIU-Brooklyn extended offers; by the end of the second July Live Period, Tennessee Tech and Saint Peter’s had done the same.

“It was very exciting, it was like a dream come true,” Holloway said. “It’s what I’ve been working for, and it’s been exciting to get the first offer and a lot more.”

And most of where Mike has been, Rashaan has followed. The incoming Minuteman forward has been seen at all of his brother’s tournaments, cheering him on game after game–and he’s very impressed with what he’s seeing.

“He’s definitely improved his game,” Rashaan said. “This year it was just him getting loose and playing the game, he stopped being nervous.

“He came a long way. He always played up, always played against higher age groups, and now all of his talent is coming out, it’s showing. This live period, watching him, he’s been a real good player.”

Holloway’s strong play continued at the Elevate Hoops’ Live in A.C. this week, where despite his 18-point performance the Ballhawks lost in the second round of the 17U bracket. He’s definitely got some similarities to his brother, with a solid frame, good athleticism for his size and good footwork, but he’s definitely more of a bruiser than Rashaan is.

What’s most noticeable is the transformation he’s undergone with his body, shedding some extra fat and adding plenty of muscle. While he was somewhere around 230 pounds last summer, he’s over 240 now and hopes to be a solid 255 by the time he gets to his senior year.

“I always told people last year that he hit the weight room probably more than I did, and it definitely pays off out here,” Rashaan said. “Watching him out here, you can see how that went.”

Now the next step for Mike, once he finishes up his final AAU tournament this weekend in King of Prussia, is to focus on which of those eight schools–or any others that might offer in the coming days and weeks–will be his ultimate destination next fall. He knows he wants to visit Murray State (one of two schools, along with Chattanooga, who he said was calling him but had yet to offer) as well as LIU-Brooklyn, as well as some others who he’s yet to decide on.

“Finish out this last week and then August, go on visits and just weigh my options from the visits,” he said. “What I like, what I don’t like.”