‘He’s special:’ Don’t miss a chance to see Buckhorn’s Caleb Holt play high school basketball

This is an opinion piece.

Spain Park coach Chris Laatsch has seen a lot of basketball in his day.

He hasn’t seen too many players like Buckhorn’s Caleb Holt.

“At his age? I can’t think of anyone,” he said. “He’s special.”

The 6-foot-6 sophomore made Legacy Arena his playground for the second year in a row Wednesday morning.

Holt scored 37 points, pulled down seven rebounds, made six steals and had four assists in rallying the top-ranked Bucks to a 60-47 victory over a gritty Helena team.

“Athletically, he’s about as good as I’ve seen,” said former Jacksonville State head coach and Alabama Sports Hall of Fame member Bill Jones. “He’s so quick. I’m sitting on the floor behind the basket. He stole a ball right in front of me and in three dribbles he’s on the other end of the floor. He’s an exceptional talent.

“He’s one of those guys that, at the next level, I’m not sure what position he’ll play. But I know this: He’ll play.”

Jones said the only comparison he can think of for Holt is possibly former Alabama and NBA star Gerald Wallace. Wallace was special at the high school level as well, but Holt is a guy who can take your breath away if you love the game of basketball.

“Unbelievable,” Laatsch said. “His body control, his burst, his ability to use both hands and to explode with his first step. He’s unique, fun to watch.”

Holt almost single handedly turned Wednesday’s game around. Helena led throughout the first three quarters until Holt’s layup gave Buckhorn a 40-39 lead heading to the fourth. The Bucks then stretched it out in the final eight minutes to earn a chance to repeat as 6A state champs Saturday.

“It’s win or go home,” Holt said. “And I hate to lose. I’m going to do whatever it takes to win. I don’t want to let my team down. I wanted to do whatever I could to get to the next game. That’s what I was thinking in the second half.”

Holt didn’t score in the first quarter and seemingly was willing to allow his teammates to jumpstart the Bucks. But, when Buckhorn fell behind 19-9 in the second quarter, it was Caleb Holt time.

“Caleb had another special performance where we relied on him to get into the paint and make plays,” Buckhorn coach Patrick Harding said.

Holt is not selfish. He’s also not just a scorer.

When his team needed points, he got them.

When his team needed a defensive stop, he got that as well whether it was a steal, a block or taking a charge. He did all three of those things – one time on consecutive possessions.

“The thing I like about Caleb is that everyone recognizes he’s a tremendous offensive player, but the things he does on the defensive end is what makes him different,” Jones said. “A lot of guys who can score don’t participate much on the other end. That’s not him.”

Former Winfield and Mississippi State sharpshooter Bart Hyche has given Holt the nickname “Switch” because he seemingly can turn his scoring on whenever needed. However, his defense is never turned off.

“He doesn’t take days off,” Harding said. “He practices really hard. He has a strong desire to win.”

Holt played most of the game after picking up two early fouls. It didn’t affect him.

“We tried to put some length on him,” Helena coach Lucas McDonald said. “We had a hard time staying in front of him in the second half. He’s so good, and they have so many pieces around him. We wanted to double him and get the ball out of his hands and make someone else make plays. Maybe it worked a little in the first half, but he settled in and started getting downhill.”

Then it was over.

Holt and company will be back on the floor for the state title game at 2:15 p.m. Saturday. If you haven’t seen him play, I can’t urge strong enough that you take some time on Saturday.

He is indeed special.

Ben Thomas is the high school sportswriter at AL.com. He has been named one of the 50 legends of the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Follow him on twitter at @BenThomasPreps or email him at bthomas@al.com. He can be heard weekly on “Inside High School Sports” on SportsTalk 99.5 FM in Mobile or on the free IHeart Radio App at 2 p.m. Wednesdays.