North Carolina's Holman still has ties to Baltimore
Friday’s edition of The Sun included an article on North Carolina freshman attackman Marcus Holman, who is slated to start in the No. 3 Tar Heels’ game against No. 12 Johns Hopkins this Saturday.
The Holman family has a strong connection to Baltimore. Holman’s father was a three-time All-American goalkeeper at Johns Hopkins and coached there for seven years before coaching at Boys’ Latin and the Breakers Club Lacrosse Team.
When Joe Breschi became the head coach at North Carolina after the 2008 season, Brian Holman was hired as a volunteer assistant coach to tutor the goalies. But leaving Baltimore was tough, he said.
"It was not easy," said Holman, adding that he’s fielded several requests for tickets from friends. "My family was firmly entrenched in Baltimore. Laurie and I had lived in the same house for 20 years, and my kids were in Gilman and Bryn Mawr and the same church. Yeah, it was hard. But having the opportunity to come down here with Coach Breschi and really being able to have an impact with a program right from the start, the good Lord sort of led us this way, and we followed it. I can tell you that we’ve been blessed. … It was not an easy position. Lots of tears shed, and we kind of fought through it, but it sure has been worth it."
Marcus Holman emphasized that he chose the Tar Heels over Johns Hopkins, Princeton and Notre Dame prior to his dad getting the job in Chapel Hill, N.C. He said he and his father are frequently asked about being in such close proximity to each other on a daily basis.
"It’s not weird at all," Holman said. "I keep telling people that it’s a dream come true for me. For some reason, even when I was younger, I never envisioned it any other way. I always felt like my dad would always be there with me on the sidelines, somehow. And when the opportunity arose and he got the job down here at Carolina, I was just thrilled because he’s so positive and he loves the game and he loves seeing us be successful. … We’re on different ends of the field during practice, but it’s always great to have him there because he’s always encouraging me whenever he gets the chance. I’m just so grateful for his presence."
Added his father: "To be quite honest, we don’t talk that much at all. I see him every day, which is a blessing, but he’s busy and I’m busy. After practice is over, they hit the weight room and he’s going to class. He loves being on campus. So I see him about the same as I see every other kid on the team. And it’s nice. He obviously doesn’t want to have his father hanging around him, and we have such a great relationship, all my kids really. I’ve coached Marcus since he was a little kid, so we’re very clear on where the dad and the coach responsibilities lie. It’s a blessing. I’m very, very lucky."
Marcus Holman is the middle child of three. His older brother Matt is a sophomore goalkeeper at UMBC. Brian and Marcus Holman met up with Matt when North Carolina defeated the Retrievers, 12-7, on March 6.
"It was a little bit weird," Marcus Holman said of playing against his brother. "We were teammates at Gilman. In my junior year, he was a senior and the starting goalie on our team. That was such an amazing feeling playing with my brother. And I was a little weird seeing him on the sideline in a different colored jersey. But after the game, we hugged each other. That was good."
Their sister Sydney is a freshman at East Chapel Hill High School, and if you believe Marcus Holman, she may be the most talented lacrosse player in the family.
"As much as it pains me to admit it, I think she got the best lax genes from our family," Holman said. "That’s ok. That’s just something I’ll have to live with."
