IHA's Holden bounces back

Monday, August 23, 2005

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

SUFFERN, N.Y. -- Immaculate Heart Academy had been a basketball powerhouse in the midst of its best season in the history of the program. Vanessa Holden, the Blue Eagles starting center, was in the midst of a dream season of her own as an integral part of a 24-0 team that was the top-ranked team in the state, and getting ready for the state tournament. This was where she would not only get a shot a state title but also showcase herself in front of a slew of Division 1 coaches. But in a few long, agonizing days, her whole world changed.

Under New York rules, an athlete can start playing varsity sports in the seventh grade. Holden, a Suffern, New York resident, reached the varsity level in the eighth grade before transferring to IHA before her freshman year. Under New Jersey rules, an athlete cannot play more than eight consecutive semesters. After several legal battles, IHA was stripped of all of but two of its victories and had its season ended.

After the grieving period began to fade, Holden knew she was under the gun as far as where to play in college. Although there was interest, she did not have an offer on the table and was anxious about continuing her passion on the collegiate level. Her father, Michael, stood by his daughter through the whole ordeal and turned to The Recruiting Network on NorthJerseySports.com when he felt he needed help in making a highlight video.

With footage from several games, the video production team, turned out the video and in two weeks, it was going out to colleges all over the East Coast. Within weeks, Holden accepted a full scholarship to Division 2 LeMoyne College in upstate New York to continue her studies and her basketball career.

"I'm so happy to be going there, and I think the video helped make it all possible," said Vanessa Holden, who was second on the team this past year with a 9.7 points per game average. "I was definitely under some pressure without much time. It was nerve-wracking. But once I saw the video, I knew that it would definitely help me and show coaches what I could do on the court.

"I watched it three times the first night I got it. It was just awesome, I loved the music and the slo-motion shots."

Once Michael Holden knew that his daughter was not going to get a shot to play in the state tournament, he realized that he had to work quickly to get something done. While he had video footage of IHA games during the year that he had shot himself, he did not know how to package her individual highlights onto one tape. After asking around, he was recommended to The Recruiting Network on NorthJerseySports.com.

"There wasn't much time left and I wanted her to continue to game she loved playing," said Michael Holden. "So I asked around and was recommended by several people to turn to NorthJerseySports.com and see what they could do. I did not know what to expect because it was my own camera and there was tons of footage to go through."

He contacted NorthJerseySports.com and explained his situation and was curious if and how we could turn those tapes into a highlight reel. The video production team picked out highlights on both ends of the floor, put background music in, and added several features to the video. In two weeks' time, the Holden family had their video and they were able to mail them out college coaching staffs from New York all the way down to Georgia.

"To get such a high-quality video edited and put out in just two weeks is simply amazing," added Michael Holden. "The only shame of it is that I wish I knew about these services earlier. I would have definitely had it done during Vanessa's junior year. But the fact that so late in the process she was able to show coaches what she could do on the court through the video and get a full scholarship is incredible."

For Vanessa, the past year has been an up-and-down roller coaster the likes of which she might never see again. From the highs of being considered one of the best teams in the state, to the lows of the disappointing end to the season and appeal process that followed.

"Going through everything at the end of the season was very, very rough for me emotionally," said Vanessa Holden. "Our team was on a mission and we felt we were the best team in the state. But us as a team and myself individually never got a chance to showcase our talents on the big stage.

"It was crucial for me because I had not decided on a school as of yet. When I went to watch the Tournament of Champions, I just saw all of these college coaches and I knew I wasn't able to showcase myself abilities in front of them."

But through the sweat on the court and the mental anguish off of it, Holden feels the ordeal has made her a stronger person and it remarkably has brought her high school teammates even closer together.

"When I was faced with adversity like I was, I realized who my friends were and who cared for me," she added. "Our team so was so close before everything happened and we have become so much closer since then. I would have liked to get the chance to play in the state tournament. But if anything came good out of it, it showed me how much my friends and family care about me and I'll never forget all the support I received."

NorthJerseySports.com Information Box:

QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS, PROBLEMS OR QUESTIONS?
We want to hear from you! Let us know what you thought of this story just click here to send an e-mail to the author.

CHECK OUT OUR COLLECTIBLE COVERAGE:
BUY PICTURES | BUY STORY PRINT | ORDER A VIDEO

Rich Barton