Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Western New Mexico (Exhibition) on October 27, 2026 , Win , 82, to, 59
M Basketball
vs Western New Mexico (Exhibition)
W 82-59
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
11/1/2026 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro, Lopes Insider Blog
GCU guard brings experience of 9 NCAA Tournament appearances
Tre Holloman was among the last of the Grand Canyon newcomers this summer, but he is among the fastest to adapt to his new environment.
Whether Holloman was dishing out six assists or pumping up the Havocs from the court in Tuesday night's exhibition debut, the 6-foot-2 guard has been as quick to acclimate to his new surroundings as he is with his hands and feet.
The former Michigan State and North Carolina State standout also did not need long to figure out that GCU would be the right place for him when Lopes head coach Bryce Drew was the first head coach to reach out to him.
"We talked for probably 40 minutes, and he didn't even talk basketball until about 15 minutes into the convo," said Holloman, a Minneapolis native. "He was the first head coach to reach out to me, so that meant a lot to me. It was a no-brainer. He was definitely a genuine dude. With the talk we had, it was great."
Holloman was just ahead of campus-wide August move-in, but he needed to get to studying earlier than those students because teammates and systems that had been in the works for two months at GCU Basketball Practice Facility.
As a product of winning basketball, Holloman became part of the fabric of the team with his jubilant personality and high-level experience. Holloman averaged more than nine points in each of the past two seasons for Michigan State and North Carolina State, where he made 40.2% of his 3-pointers last season.
"Tre brings leadership," Drew said. "He brings energy. He brings an edge to the court. He definitely can shoot the ball better than what he did (when he went 0 for 5 on 3-pointers Tuesday). He got tired out there, so he had some really tired plays. When he was fresh, I thought he was really good."
With GCU senior Dylan Darling out for the exhibition game, Holloman started at point guard and delivered six assists. He drove to the rim for four layups and created four layups or dunks with his playmaking, including a highlight drive-and-lob for an Amarion Dickerson alleyoop slam.
"I'm in a better system for me," Holloman said. "I like our offensive and defensive schemes because I like to guard the ball and I switch so much. Last year, I wasn't as focused. This year, I thank God to be here and playing."
Holloman is a versatile guard who racked 15 games of six assists or more at Michigan State and posted a 25-point game last season for North Carolina State. His teams have won 70% of his career games, racked up 20 to 30 wins annually and been to the NCAA Tournament each season, including an Elite Eight run at Michigan State.
He said his three years with legendary Spartans coach Tom Izzo changed his basketball IQ and made him appreciate hard coaching. Izzo turned Holloman into a gym rat and a fan favorite known as "Jiggy" to reflect his on-court energy.
"I'm a pass-first point guard who can score," Holloman said. "I play defense. I'm a leader. I like to get the crowd hyped early, so we can have them all game. I just want to win. I want to get that hype. I want the Havocs to be yelling and screaming."
Holloman did not expect to be received so welcomingly by the team as a late summer arrival in Phoenix, but he said the fit was instant and easy. Over his two months at GCU, the March Madness regular has seen enough to know the Lopes have high-end potential entering Monday night's regular-season opener against Texas Southern at Global Credit Union Arena.
"If we really, really lock in, we could be one of the top programs in the country," Holloman said. "Whether that is basketballwise or fanwise, let's all be one and go win. We got the height. We got the shooting. We got the defense. We got everything. It's just about going out there and playing hard always."
Whether Holloman was dishing out six assists or pumping up the Havocs from the court in Tuesday night's exhibition debut, the 6-foot-2 guard has been as quick to acclimate to his new surroundings as he is with his hands and feet.The former Michigan State and North Carolina State standout also did not need long to figure out that GCU would be the right place for him when Lopes head coach Bryce Drew was the first head coach to reach out to him.
"We talked for probably 40 minutes, and he didn't even talk basketball until about 15 minutes into the convo," said Holloman, a Minneapolis native. "He was the first head coach to reach out to me, so that meant a lot to me. It was a no-brainer. He was definitely a genuine dude. With the talk we had, it was great."
Holloman was just ahead of campus-wide August move-in, but he needed to get to studying earlier than those students because teammates and systems that had been in the works for two months at GCU Basketball Practice Facility.
As a product of winning basketball, Holloman became part of the fabric of the team with his jubilant personality and high-level experience. Holloman averaged more than nine points in each of the past two seasons for Michigan State and North Carolina State, where he made 40.2% of his 3-pointers last season.
"Tre brings leadership," Drew said. "He brings energy. He brings an edge to the court. He definitely can shoot the ball better than what he did (when he went 0 for 5 on 3-pointers Tuesday). He got tired out there, so he had some really tired plays. When he was fresh, I thought he was really good."With GCU senior Dylan Darling out for the exhibition game, Holloman started at point guard and delivered six assists. He drove to the rim for four layups and created four layups or dunks with his playmaking, including a highlight drive-and-lob for an Amarion Dickerson alleyoop slam.
"I'm in a better system for me," Holloman said. "I like our offensive and defensive schemes because I like to guard the ball and I switch so much. Last year, I wasn't as focused. This year, I thank God to be here and playing."
Holloman is a versatile guard who racked 15 games of six assists or more at Michigan State and posted a 25-point game last season for North Carolina State. His teams have won 70% of his career games, racked up 20 to 30 wins annually and been to the NCAA Tournament each season, including an Elite Eight run at Michigan State.
He said his three years with legendary Spartans coach Tom Izzo changed his basketball IQ and made him appreciate hard coaching. Izzo turned Holloman into a gym rat and a fan favorite known as "Jiggy" to reflect his on-court energy.
"I'm a pass-first point guard who can score," Holloman said. "I play defense. I'm a leader. I like to get the crowd hyped early, so we can have them all game. I just want to win. I want to get that hype. I want the Havocs to be yelling and screaming."
Holloman did not expect to be received so welcomingly by the team as a late summer arrival in Phoenix, but he said the fit was instant and easy. Over his two months at GCU, the March Madness regular has seen enough to know the Lopes have high-end potential entering Monday night's regular-season opener against Texas Southern at Global Credit Union Arena.
"If we really, really lock in, we could be one of the top programs in the country," Holloman said. "Whether that is basketballwise or fanwise, let's all be one and go win. We got the height. We got the shooting. We got the defense. We got everything. It's just about going out there and playing hard always."
Players Mentioned
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