Photo by: Matthew Mitchell
Hard-Working Hollie Earns Time To Shine
2/8/2020 12:08:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Spartan senior forward inherited work ethic and drive from her grandfather, putting that to good use as team leader.
It's 4 a.m. on a cold Minneapolis winter morning, and much of the world is still asleep. For Michigan State basketball senior forward Nia Hollie's grandfather, it is time for him to go to work. His job is to make sure his garbage truck business – the biggest in Minnesota – is doing its job serving others.
Jesse Hollie's work ethic and drive taught his grandaughter a lot, things she has carried to play basketball for the Spartans. In her first three seasons at MSU, Nia Hollie was a role player. She came off the bench and played wherever and when ever needed. As the 2016 Minnesota Miss Basketball, it was difficult transitioning from playing nearly every minute in high school to much less in college.
"I remember talking to (my grandfather) about kind of wanting to quit or wanting to transfer and not really knowing my role. He just broke it down to me very smoothly like, 'You don't have quit in your blood. I wake up still every day and I'm 86; cold, winter, snow, whatever,'" Hollie said. "When he said that to me, I was like, 'You know, you're right. If you're 86 and you can still do it, you're right'."
Hollie's patience has paid off, as she is now starting for MSU. After years of waiting not-so-quietly for her chance, learning and working hard, she finally has her chance to shine.
"It's tough, it's tough as hell being in college and coming in from starting every game to being a role player, but learning your role is the most important thing," Hollie said. "It's really about what you learn in those three, four years instead of taking it for granted, because I wanted to be on the court.Â
"Sometimes you want to be on the court but these players are good out here, especially in the Big Ten."
If her grandfather taught her anything, it is to never give up: she had to finish what she started.
"This should be easy, this is something that every kid dreams of, to be at a BCS school like Michigan State," Hollie said. "I should appreciate my opportunity and continue to be grateful for it, and continue to go through it because you never know how that could help in the long run."
The Spartans have suffered through a slew of injuries, making every player important now for big minutes. Hollie is highly regarded on the team for being one of the most vocal leaders, and now her leadership is on the floor from the start of the game.Â
The difference between starting and coming off the bench might seem subtle. But in reality, being on the bench gives players chances to learn during a game that they might not get if they were starting.
"When you're sitting on the bench and you're waiting to go in, you're really seeing everything develop more often," Hollie, a sport psychology major, said. "You're seeing who's on early on, and who's off. Their best player could be off and so you see which way you can defend them, which way you can go in and make an impact. That was the big thing for me coming off the bench so using that to fuel me obviously starting-wise, we're kind of like the test dummies in a way, so I make sure that I make a good example out there on defense for people to come in and know which way to play defense in and how to be an impact player."
When Hollie speaks, people listen. Not only because her voice carries across the court, but because over the last four years, she has earned the respect of her teammates and coaches. She remembers being an impressionable MSU freshman, so she uses those memories help the younger players grow. She gives them real, constructive criticism, intended to help.
Freshman forward Taiyier Parks said she has already learned so much from Hollie, who hopes to coach college basketball herself one day. Lesson one: always have fun in what you are doing, and that is a great way to help the team to stay energized and keep everyone's spirits up. When Hollie isn't around to energize the team, there is an audible difference.
"She's most definitely vocal," Parks said. "All she does is talk, that's what everyone loves about her. If she's gone at practice, you can tell something's missing.
"There's big shoes to fill. (Hollie and the seniors) are leaving a legacy behind, they play so hard, they play for each other. It's amazing to watch and be a part of."
Hollie and Parks are a part of a Spartan team that continues to fight, despite being short-handed with some injuries, but they continue to stick together and work hard.
Â
Jesse Hollie's work ethic and drive taught his grandaughter a lot, things she has carried to play basketball for the Spartans. In her first three seasons at MSU, Nia Hollie was a role player. She came off the bench and played wherever and when ever needed. As the 2016 Minnesota Miss Basketball, it was difficult transitioning from playing nearly every minute in high school to much less in college.
"I remember talking to (my grandfather) about kind of wanting to quit or wanting to transfer and not really knowing my role. He just broke it down to me very smoothly like, 'You don't have quit in your blood. I wake up still every day and I'm 86; cold, winter, snow, whatever,'" Hollie said. "When he said that to me, I was like, 'You know, you're right. If you're 86 and you can still do it, you're right'."
Hollie's patience has paid off, as she is now starting for MSU. After years of waiting not-so-quietly for her chance, learning and working hard, she finally has her chance to shine.
"It's tough, it's tough as hell being in college and coming in from starting every game to being a role player, but learning your role is the most important thing," Hollie said. "It's really about what you learn in those three, four years instead of taking it for granted, because I wanted to be on the court.Â
"Sometimes you want to be on the court but these players are good out here, especially in the Big Ten."
If her grandfather taught her anything, it is to never give up: she had to finish what she started.
"This should be easy, this is something that every kid dreams of, to be at a BCS school like Michigan State," Hollie said. "I should appreciate my opportunity and continue to be grateful for it, and continue to go through it because you never know how that could help in the long run."
The Spartans have suffered through a slew of injuries, making every player important now for big minutes. Hollie is highly regarded on the team for being one of the most vocal leaders, and now her leadership is on the floor from the start of the game.Â
The difference between starting and coming off the bench might seem subtle. But in reality, being on the bench gives players chances to learn during a game that they might not get if they were starting.
"When you're sitting on the bench and you're waiting to go in, you're really seeing everything develop more often," Hollie, a sport psychology major, said. "You're seeing who's on early on, and who's off. Their best player could be off and so you see which way you can defend them, which way you can go in and make an impact. That was the big thing for me coming off the bench so using that to fuel me obviously starting-wise, we're kind of like the test dummies in a way, so I make sure that I make a good example out there on defense for people to come in and know which way to play defense in and how to be an impact player."
When Hollie speaks, people listen. Not only because her voice carries across the court, but because over the last four years, she has earned the respect of her teammates and coaches. She remembers being an impressionable MSU freshman, so she uses those memories help the younger players grow. She gives them real, constructive criticism, intended to help.
Freshman forward Taiyier Parks said she has already learned so much from Hollie, who hopes to coach college basketball herself one day. Lesson one: always have fun in what you are doing, and that is a great way to help the team to stay energized and keep everyone's spirits up. When Hollie isn't around to energize the team, there is an audible difference.
"She's most definitely vocal," Parks said. "All she does is talk, that's what everyone loves about her. If she's gone at practice, you can tell something's missing.
"There's big shoes to fill. (Hollie and the seniors) are leaving a legacy behind, they play so hard, they play for each other. It's amazing to watch and be a part of."
Hollie and Parks are a part of a Spartan team that continues to fight, despite being short-handed with some injuries, but they continue to stick together and work hard.
Â
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