Millennium High School (Goodyear) reached the Arizona Class 5A state championship last spring, thanks in large part to the efforts of then-sophomore forward DaRon Holmes II, who has emerged as a top target of the University of Virginia within the past several months.

Holmes, a 6’8.5”, 200-pound junior, received a scholarship offer from Cavalier head coach Tony Bennett in early October. Impressed by the offer and Bennett’s interest in a prospect almost entirely across country, the consensus 4-star prospect decided to take a closer look at UVA. Accompanied by his parents, Holmes made an official visit to Virginia the weekend of November 8-10.

“I did already know a lot about the basketball program. A lot of what the program does as a whole,” Holmes said when asked what he knew about UVA prior to the trip. “I’ve never been out there before, so this was my first time. It was great to be able to see it up close.”

Summarizing his experience, Holmes said: “I can tell everything the basketball program does is effective. It’s a high academic school. The academics and everything on and off the court is great. Coach Bennett is a player’s coach.”

Holmes concluded his official by watching the Hoos defeat James Madison in John Paul Jones Arena on Sunday, November 10. He knew about UVA’s defense-first emphasis coming in, but he had positive things to say about UVA’s system as a whole and his potential fit.

“I don’t think the pace is a bad thing at all. They are a smart team and they want to win,” Holmes noted.

“A lot of people who live in Arizona think I wouldn’t really fit there because the way I play is to get up and down the court fast, but me and my coach disagree,” Holmes said. “I’ve seen what [Bennett] did with Klay Thompson and other players. I don’t think it would be a big deal.”

Holmes & Family Impressed With Bennett & Company

Arizona, Arizona State, California, Kansas, Marquette, Oklahoma, USC, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest join Virginia in having offered Holmes, who made unofficial visits to Arizona and Kansas as well as an official visit to Marquette prior to his trip to Charlottesville.

Of the coaches he has met with, Holmes said “Coach Bennett was definitely the most detailed. He is also the only coach who broke down my personal tape. Other schools would say what position they would see me playing.”

Bennett is known for sitting down with recruits and evaluating film during official visits. With Holmes, UVA’s head man broke down some AAU highlights of the versatile and athletic forward.

“He sees me as a 3/4 or 4/3 type of player, kind of like De’Andre Hunter or Mamadi Diakite,” Holmes said. “He thinks I have the same potential as both of those players if I earn it.”

The straightforward approach of Bennett and his staff also impressed Holmes.

“All of the coaching staff is amazing,” Holmes said. “When I went there everyone at the school is down to earth. They are honest about everything. They weren’t going to lie like some coaches do with recruits. They told me what I can work on and improve on. They showed me the areas I need to improve.”

The Virginia staff apparently impressed Holmes’ parents as well.

“They really enjoyed it,” Holmes said. “My dad ... I’ve never seen him react that way to a school.”

As for the players, Holmes admits he didn’t get to spend as much time with the current Hoos as he did with the coaching staff. However, he was complimentary of the players and seemed to enjoy the time he did spend with them, most of which came inside JPJ.

“We got along really well,” Holmes said. “They are all really nice. They have great character ... every single one of them.”

What’s Next?

By this time next year, Holmes believes he will have made his college decision. Though he doesn’t have a clear favorite, he does know some schools that appeal to him right now. Asked which schools he feels are in his recruitment race to stay, Holmes answered: “Virginia, U of A, Arizona State, [Texas] Tech, UCLA, Wake Forest, USC ... those are the ones that contact me a lot.”

The well-traveled Holmes, who was born in Kansas and grew up in Tennessee before moving to Arizona “four or five years ago,” knows what he is looking for in his ultimate school of choice.

“The most important thing is seeing where I fit best and can help the team as much as possible,” Holmes said. “I want to see all of the recruits coming in. I’m not afraid of competition, but I don’t want to be in the mix with a lot of other kids at the same position in my class. I just want to go to a school where I can be able to help out the team and wing games. I want to play team basketball with my teammates.”

As Holmes embarks on figuring out where he will spend his collegiate career, his primary focus is his junior season, which officially gets underway on November 27 with the regular season opener at Urbana (IL). As mentioned, Holmes and his teammates reached the 5A state title game last season. They fell short of their ultimate goal of a state title, but they return a terrific nucleus led by Holmes and point guard Justus Jackson.

Holmes averaged 19.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 4.2 blocks per game for head coach Ty Amundsen last season. He registered 13 blocks in a playoff win, a stat Coach Bennett no doubt enjoyed seeing. Holmes, who attended the 2019 USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team minicamp this fall, will certainly be a marked man. It’s a role he welcomes, however.

“It’s pretty cool,” Holmes said. “There is a lot of work I still have to do. I have a chip on my shoulder to be the best I can be. I want to make sure I stay humble and get better.”

EDGE Outlook

Virginia did not receive a commitment from Holmes, who I don’t think is intent on ending his recruitment in the near future, but the Cavaliers appear to have established themselves as a top contender in this race. It’ll be interesting to see if distance plays a factor or not. Holmes did not seem impacted by it following his official visit. Plus, Holmes has family who live roughly two hours from Charlottesville (they came up to the JMU game to spend time with him and his parents).

Virginia has zero commitments in the class of 2021. Holmes is a “combo forward” type of prospect with the ability to play the 3 or the 4. I see Bennett taking a few post prospects in this class, and Holmes, Caleb Furst and Efton Reid are early top targets. The latter was on his official at UVA the same weekend as Holmes.