Anthony Holtzclaw, a 6’3”, 160-pound senior at Glenwood School, had the kind of season last year most young players can only dream about. His Gators went 29-3 and won an Alabama Independent Schools Association (AISA) 3A state championship. Tournament organizers awarded him the MVP of the state title game and he was later named AISA Player of the Year. That would have been a good way to end a career, to move on to something bigger and better. But Holtzclaw was just a junior then. He has one more year with the Gators and he would like to make the most of his final season.
Holtzclaw originally enrolled at Hardaway High School when his high school career began. He stayed at Hardaway for one year then moved to Kendrick. Two of his friends went to Glenwood during Holtzclaw’s sophomore year. He went over to Smiths Station and played with some of the guys at Glenwood that fall. He enjoyed being around the team and liked the vibe of the school. So he left Kendrick in November of his sophomore year and went to Glenwood. That season, the Gators went 26-4 and laid the foundation for their 2012-2013 state title run.
Last season, Holtzclaw averaged almost 17 points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists per game. His production was a big reason why the Gators won the championship but Holtzclaw is quick to deflect any attention away from himself. “We had a great team last year. Without all of us, we wouldn’t have won the title,” he says.
Holtzclaw was a steady and consistent player all of last season. He demonstrated during each game that he was one of the state’s best players. Then, when he had the opportunity to step up his game on the biggest night of his life, he made the most of the opportunity. In the state title game, the Gators were playing Lee Scott. Holtzclaw found himself in foul trouble early on and had to sit out part of the second and third periods. With about five minutes left in the third quarter, Holtzclaw returned to the floor. His Gators were behind and he had the chance to turn around his team’s fortunes. As soon as Holtzclaw stepped on the court, the atmosphere of the game changed. He took charge and started scoring. The Gators narrowed the gap and eventually took the lead. They won the game, 51-44. Holtzclaw finished with 23 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter. And that’s what earned him MVP of the state title game. “I felt like I just took charge physically. Things really picked up in the fourth quarter and I was able to start scoring,” he says.
After a year like that, what’s left to accomplish? Holtzclaw was adamant that he is still hungry, still fueled by an intense desire to keep winning. He doesn’t want to sit around and enjoy what he did last year. There is still room in trophy cases at his house and at Glenwood and he would like to add a little more hardware to those shelves. At the time of this interview, it was still very early in the season. Glenwood, however, was looking good yet again. The Gators had just returned from a tournament in Tennessee when In the Game spoke with Holtzclaw; Glenwood had placed third in the tournament. The Gators were 8-2 on the young season and Holtzclaw was averaging nearly 18 points, five rebounds, four steals, and two assists per game.
That kind of production translates into a bright future for the Glenwood guard. He will play basketball in college – he just isn’t sure where right now. Holtzclaw has offers on the table from several schools at the Division I and Division II levels. He hasn’t made a decision yet as to where he will play. “I knew I would have a future in basketball when I was in the eighth grade. Even back then I felt like I would one day play college basketball,” he says.
At the time of this interview, Anthony Holtzclaw was 82 points away from scoring 1,000 points for his career at Glenwood. When he reached that milestone, he became the first player in Glenwood history to score 1,000 points in three years. How does he stay humble when the focus is always on him? “I have a lot of help. My coaches and my father help keep me grounded. I just try to focus on playing basketball and doing well in school.”
Favorites:
• Player: Kyrie Irving
• Team: New York Knicks and Duke Blue Devils
• Best movie in the last year: Fast and Furious 6
• Last song downloaded: “Tuscan Leather” by Drake
• Superpower: Super strength
• Coke or Pepsi? “Neither. I don’t drink sodas.”
• Person to meet: Jabari Parker
Player Spotlight/Columbus Valley/February 2014
Anthony Holtzclaw
Glenwood School
Smiths Station, Alabama
Robert Preston Jr.
Photography by: Jerry Christianson
