UTM head men’s basketball coach Anthony Stewart has announced the signings of Eden Holt and Ksuan Casey to the 2020-21 Skyhawk roster.
Holt is a 5-10, 175-pound guard who will have three years of eligibility remaining at UTM while Casey is a 6-9, 275-pound center who will join the Skyhawks as a freshman next season.
Holt comes to UTM from Williston State College in Williston, North Dakota, as the dynamic playmaker was an All-Mon-Dak Athletic Conference honoree under head coach Rylee Hernandez last season. Holt led the MDAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.8) and also ranked in the league’s top-10 in free throw percentage (.829, second), scoring (18.8 points per game, third), three-point field goals made (93, fourth), three-point field goal percentage (.431, fourth), assists (4.4 per game, fifth), field goals made (189, fifth) and free throws made (92, eighth). Holt also averaged 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals over a span of 30 games.
The Houston, Texas native increased his scoring production to 20.3 points per outing in league play, helping lead the Tetons to the NJCAA Region XIII Tournament semifinals. Overall, Holt went off for at least 20 points on 13 different occasions – including a trio of 30-plus point performances. His career-high of 34 points came at Lake Region State College on Feb. 23, aided largely by a career-best eight 3-pointers (one of seven games where he knocked down at least five treys).
Holt divvied out at least six assists eight different times, including a career-best nine dimes against Casper College on Nov. 15. His career-high of seven rebounds came on Nov. 2 against Lake Region State College and again on Nov. 22 at Western Nebraska Community College. He additionally provided a dozen multi-steal games last season (including a career-best five swipes against Bismarck State College on Jan. 16).
Before his time at Williston State College, Holt was an all-district standout in high school. He spent the 2018-19 season playing on the prep circuit under head coach Tristan Wilchcombe at Redemption Christian Academy in Troy, NY. Prior to that, Holt played for head coach Bobby Sanders at Tompkins High School, helping the Falcons to 31 wins and a 6A state runner-up finish in the program’s first-ever state tournament appearance after winning Region 3 and District 19 championships as a senior. He set the THS school record for three-pointers (seven) against Cy-Springs as part of several big games during the 2017-18 campaign. One year earlier, he helped lead Fort Bend Austin High School to its first playoff berth since 1999 while playing under head coach James Black.
“Eden is a consummate, true point guard who knows how to run a team,” Stewart said. “He’s a heady, intelligent player who ranked in the top-five in the national junior college ranks in pick-and-roll efficiency as a ball-handler. With that said, he can also really shoot the basketball and he gets to the free throw line as well.”
Casey is ranked by ESPN as the fourth-best Class of 2020 prospect in the state of Kentucky and the 46th ranked center in the nation. Over his four-year varsity career at Madisonville-North Hopkins High School, he tossed in 1,897 points – ranking second in school history in all-time scoring behind only current Saint Louis University head coach Travis Ford. He also hauled in 1,213 career rebounds and led the Maroons to a remarkable 97 victories in his tenure.
The Madisonville, Kentucky native earned all-state accolades as a senior after averaging 18.5 points and 10.8 rebounds per game under head coach Matt Beshear. Casey helped pace the Maroons to a 31-3 overall record – the most victories at the tradition-rich program since 1984 –and their second straight Region 2 championship, ending the season on a 20-game winning streak.
Casey had a knack for big games during his senior season, posting 27 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks in the regional quarterfinals against Henderson County. He also delivered a career-best 34 points in the district semifinals against Dawson Springs.
Casey was selected to take part in the annual Kentucky/Ohio Senior All-Star Game but the game was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He did participate in the 2019 Kentucky-Indiana High School All-Star Game, registering 12 points in the yearly summer event.
As a junior, Casey collected averages of 15.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest – leading MNHS in both of those statistical categories. He guided the Maroons to their first state tournament appearance since 2001 and helped notch the program’s first state tournament victory since 1989. That came after he averaged a team-high 15.9 points to go along with 9.3 rebounds per outing as a sophomore.
“Ksuan had a storied career at one of the best high school programs in the state of Kentucky,” Stewart said. “He has great intangibles – his footwork and his hands are very advanced for his age and for his position. He goes hard and plays with a high motor on every trip down the floor.”
Holt and Casey join Jaron Williams (Rock Hill, SC/College of Central Florida) in UTM’s 2020-21 recruiting class.
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