Mackenzie Holmes, the former star player at Gorham High, and Indiana University will play the University of Maine on Thursday night in Portland. AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Mackenzie Holmes remembers when she was talking with friends over the summer, looking ahead to when she and her Indiana University women’s basketball team would be making an in-season visit to Maine.
That conversation was months ago. For Holmes, it doesn’t feel that way.
“This has honestly snuck up on me,” she said. “Things move fast in college basketball, it doesn’t give you much time to think about a lot, other than what’s right in front of you. Times move fast, and I can’t believe this is already here.”
Indeed, the former Gorham High standout and current All-American for Indiana will make her homecoming Thursday when the Hoosiers, the No. 17 team in the country, face the University of Maine at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland. Limited tickets were still available as of Wednesday night.
When Holmes takes the Portland court with her Hoosier teammates, she’ll be stepping on the same floor on which she played in two state championships and won one, roughly 10 miles from where she grew up. For the Indiana star, it’s an anticipated opportunity.
“This is something that not a lot of players get to experience, and I’m extremely blessed,” Holmes said. “I talk about Maine a lot, so for (my IU teammates) to finally get to see where I grew up … (and) something that’s really near and dear to my heart is really, really special.”
Since arriving at Indiana, Holmes has followed a career path unlike any other player from the state. She was a first-team All-American last year, she was named the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year, and she’s been a first-team All-Big Ten pick in two of the last three seasons. This year, she’s averaging 17.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, while shooting 58.7% from the field.
Now, she’ll get to showcase those abilities in front of the people that watched her when playing college basketball was still only a dream.
“(My friends) haven’t seen me play in real life, (or) it’s been a while,” she said. “It’s going to be really exciting to see my old high school friends, teammates, AAU teammates. Those are some of my friends I’m going to have for life.”
It will be the first time the Black Bears (4-3) host a team in the AP Top 25 poll since November 2018, when they played No. 20 Duke in Bangor. The game was set in motion when Maine Coach Amy Vachon reached out to Indiana. And Hoosiers Coach Teri Moren, who likes to give out-of-state players a game close to home, obliged.
“I think it’s special any time you can play in front of your home state. We say that to recruits all the time,” Vachon said. “From what I’ve heard it’s going to be a really great crowd, and I hope it’s just a really great night for Maine basketball. For Mackenzie to come home, I think that’s wonderful. … I’m a Mackenzie Holmes fan, except for Thursday night.”
The Maine players weren’t expecting to hear that a national power was coming to them.
“When we first found out, we were surprised and shocked that we were actually hosting,” guard Anne Simon said. “You don’t always get the opportunity to play a ranked team. … Knowing that there’s going to be so many people, it’s definitely something to look forward to.”
The game will provide the Black Bears with a stiff challenge. Since dropping a lopsided game to Stanford, Indiana has won four straight, including a 71-57 win over No. 19 Tennessee.
“If we make the NCAA tournament, these are the kinds of teams we’re going to play,” Vachon said. “It gives us a look at what that team looks like, instead of just watching them on television or seeing them on the ESPN ticker or anything like that. You actually get to play against them, so that’s exciting.”
Part of that challenge will be coming up with an answer for the 6-foot-3 Holmes, a task that has left even the top teams in the country perplexed.
“You can’t play her 1-on-1. Anyone who has has struggled,” Vachon said. “You have her, and then her creating that double team is tough because you have everyone around her that can shoot.”
The Black Bears are confident nerves won’t be an issue.
“We have nothing to lose. I think no one in the country would ever think we’re able to pull the win over Indiana,” Simon said. “Once the game starts, our focus is really on the game and there aren’t any factors that really change that.”
Handling the moment could actually be a challenge for the Hoosiers – and the homecoming Holmes in particular.
“It’s great that we can take Mack back to her roots, and have her have the opportunity to play in front of family and friends,” Moren said. “She’ll be overhyped. The biggest thing for Mackenzie is just to be Mack. She doesn’t have to be extraordinary. She needs to stay out of foul trouble. That’s what she needs to do.”
Holmes is up for the task.
“I don’t think we’re treating this unlike any other game,” she said. “We’re taking this as another game, but also understanding it’s going to be a really exciting one, too.”
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