Reggie Holmes has a simple explanation for the chemistry he has developed with point guard Jermaine “Itchy” Bolden.
“I guess we have that Baltimore connection,” the former St. Frances standout said. “I guess he feels me. He’s our leader, and as he goes, we go. That’s the same old Itchy I always knew.”
But teams in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference are just getting to know the first-year starter, as Bolden has the Bears (10-9, 5-1) in first place and over .500 for the first time this season.
Nicknamed ‘Itchy’ by his mother because he was fidgety as a toddler, Bolden’s leadership and exceptional passing have helped transform Holmes from a reliable scorer off the bench to the conference’s fourth-leading scorer at 16.6 points per game.
“I just try to keep my energy up and keep the team going,” Bolden, a former standout at Douglass High, said. “I am starting to know the offense a little bit better and knowing my players. I just know Reggie always is trailing behind me, and I am looking for him to get him hot, get him his shots.”
But Bolden has been getting everyone good looks at the basket.
The senior is averaging 8.2 points and a league-high 4.8 assists per game — nearly one more than anybody else — and his assist-to-turnover ratio is second in the conference at 1.7. In a 78-56 win over Howard this past Saturday, Bolden finished with 11 points, nine assists and only one turnover in a team-high 33 minutes. Holmes scored a game-high 22 points.
And Bolden will have to be just as good tonight at 7:30 against Hampton (9-9, 3-2) at Hill Field House if the Bears are to remain in sole possession of first place.
The Pirates, who are coming off a 61-60 loss at Coppin State on Saturday, lead the conference in turnover margin at plus-2.33, forcing an average of more than 17 per game. They average 8.2 steals per game.
“I have been getting a lot of comments lately of people noticing Itchy and how he controls the flow,” Morgan State coach Todd Bozeman said. “It took some time, but he is coming into his own and growing into the position.”
