JH2K

He forced me to come out of semi-retirement. He's simply too good.

John Holland reached 2,000 career points a couple of games ago. Only one other player in BU history has reached that plateau, the mythical and godlike Tunji. A game after that, he passed TJ Sorrentine, Malik Rose and Speedy Claxton, all of whom are America East legends. In the case of Rose and Claxton, NBA players who I knew about way before I knew what the America East was. And Sorrentine has his own spot in college basketball lore.

He's not going to pass Tunji, and he's not going to reach the Top 5 in all-time AE scoring. But he's passing genuine conference legends. Does that make John Holland a legend?

In short, my answer is: I don't think so. He can't do it on scoring alone. The knock on JH23 his whole career has been his inability to put everyone on his back and will his team to victory in the most important games.

He's missing 2 things that would cement his place in legend:
1. A Conference Player of the Year Award - it's tough to be one of the greatest ever if you were never the greatest in any single year.
2. An NCAA Appearance - he needs to prove that he can win the big one. Vin Baker is a legend who never made the dance, but he had skills and stats that went way beyond anyone else. John needs a tourney berth to seal his legacy.

At this point, John is closer to #1 than #2. As Maine fades and Troy Barnies' case for POY fades, John is getting stronger and stronger down the stretch. If BU finishes the year in the same way they've been playing, Holland takes this award.

Getting to the Dance is the big question mark. BU is playing well now, and has the explosive capability to get past anyone in the conference. But they're also young and undisciplined at times, leading to lapses and losses to inferior teams. They need to put everything together and play their best basketball if we're to see them in the NCAA Tournament.

And that means John Holland putting the Terriers on his back and carrying them across the finish line.