The Grind, presented by Bank of Clarendon: Holmes siblings work to meet and surpass high bar set by generations past

In Bishopville, the last name Holmes is synonymous with basketball.

The family's elder, Perry Damon, was a championship basketball player at Bishopville High School. His children followed with a lasting legacy at Lee Central.

Patrice, Phil and Mike Holmes all followed with titles with the Stallions, the youngest of the bunch winning a pair of rings. Their cousin, Staci McDuffie, earned a pair of her own championships in the mid-2000s.

Now a new generation of Holmeses graces the halls of Lee Central in Michael Jr., a senior, and My'Keriyah, a freshman. They're trying to live up to the high expectations set by the generation before them.

"Everywhere I go (I hear), 'Ain't you Mike's daughter? Did you know your granddaddy used to be a dog?' They expect more for me," Keri said.

Mike Jr. added, "It was a lot of adults I didn't even know telling me, 'Mike, you've got to do this, you've got to do that.' I'm trying to tune them out so I can stay focused."

SETTING A HIGH BAR

The weight of expectations started when Perry won a title at Bishopville High in 1979. His siblings were all well known for their athletic prowess, so by the time Patrice made her way to Lee Central, everyone knew exactly who she was.

Patrice quickly made a name for herself. She played for three state championships, winning one with the Lady Stallions as a senior in 2001. That season, she was also named the top girls basketball player in SCHSL 2A. She went on to play basketball at Middle Tennessee State and continue her superstar path. She was a three-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and was elected to the school's Athletic Hall of Fame.

"That put pressure on them," Patrice said of winning a title before her younger brothers. "Growing up, we were always together. If I'm playing basketball, you're playing, too, and we're on the same team. There's no playing around because I like to win."

Phil and Mike came on the scene at Lee Central soon after. Phil was a year ahead of Mike as Lee Central went on a run of playing in four-straight state championship games. When Phil was a senior, they were still searching for their first ring, but they were able to come away with the 2A title in 2006.

"The experience was some of the best times in my life on a basketball level," Phil said. "It was more fun then. After high school, it becomes more of a business, but during that time, knowing that I had Mike with me. It was something that me and him talked about, we had to win. We'd been to two, and it was my senior year so if I didn't do it then, it wasn't going to happen.

"The feeling during the time was the pressure was on, but I got somebody with me that wants it as bad as I do, that was a comfort for sure."

Phil was named the 2A player of the year after his senior season, but then it was Mike's turn to shine on his own. He originally left Lee Central after committing to South Carolina but came back as the season was kicking off.

It was a good thing he did.

Mike Sr. led the Stallions to another state championship game, claiming his second title. He was named South Carolina's Mr. Basketball before taking his talent to South Carolina. He played there for two seasons before a short stint at Coastal Carolina closed out his collegiate career.

Even with all the accolades as a senior, it was the title with his brother that sticks out most to Mike Sr.

"That was the best thing in the world," Mike Sr. said. "You had both of us averaging double-doubles, we played together every day. We'd get home from school and go to the court. With me and him together, it was so easy because we knew how each other played."

Phil's life in basketball didn't end at Lee Central. He played college ball in California at Oxnard Junior College and Cal State-San Bernardino before playing semi-pro ball. Now, he's still in the world of hoops. He's a trainer with the New Orleans Pelicans working with Zion Williamson. He's able to take lessons from the NBA and feed the Holmes children.

"The level of paying attention to detail, it changes from being a kid to being a pro. The advice that I give them is hard work will always work," Phil said. "It's kinda cliché, but if you put the work in, eventually it's going to show. If you don't, you'll know who has been working and who doesn't. Even if you get to the gym and feel like you had a bad day, you're still moving towards a goal, you're not moving backwards."

THE NEXT GENERATION

Mike Jr. was the next Holmes to step out onto the court. Keri played for fun growing up, but she mostly avoided organized basketball until last season.

Mike Sr. took great pride in naming his son after himself, but also knew the pressure that came with it.

"The name Mike Holmes carries a lot of weight," said the elder Michael. "People always tell him, 'You have to be like your daddy.' But at his age, I was already 6'7" so it's kinda hard for him to adjust. I tell him every day, 'Don't worry about what other people think, you're your own Mike Holmes.'

While Patrice said her generation felt pressured to succeed, she knows she and her brothers had it easier in that regard.

"I think it's harder on them because of what we accomplished as a family," Patrice said. "I grew up with expectations because my father was a great player. For them, it's harder because the longevity."

Mike Jr. felt the pressure from the outside world, but he never felt like he was required to play basketball. It was in his blood. He and Patrice used to spend hours together honing his craft.

"Ever since I was growing up my auntie took me to the park, and we just worked and worked day and night," Mike Jr. said. "I actually worked with the varsity team when I was 10. I just loved basketball."

Keri was a little more hesitant to jump into the sport.

"When I was in like fifth grade, my auntie used to bring me up here to practice every day. I never used to understand it," Keri said. "I waited until my eighth-grade year and all of a sudden, I just got good at it."

One of her inspirations on the court was her brother. When Keri saw her brother playing despite the outside pressure, she felt confident enough to give it a try.

"When I saw him play, I thought I should go for it because it looked fun," Keri said. "Seeing him dominating out there, I knew I could do the same thing."

ADJUSTMENT PERIOD

While the siblings are three years apart, they made the jump to varsity at the same time, though it wasn't the easiest transition.

The both played their first varsity games last season, a year after COVID-19 wiped out a full year of athletics at Lee Central. Varsity experience was hard to find in any sport. With the last name Holmes, they were expected to be stars.

"It was a lot. People (were) saying, 'Just go ahead and win,'" Mike Jr. said. "It was a lot of pressure on me personally because outside, everyone knew who I was."

Keri was equally nervous, especially as an eighth-grader.

"I was nervous because I ain't played in front of a big crowd before," she said.

One blessing and a curse was her coach, none other than her aunt Patrice. While it helped to have a familiar face, Keri felt her aunt's high expectations.

"She expects more from me than anybody," Keri said. "She expects me to go hard every time I step on the court and give my all."

Patrice doesn't want to put unnecessary pressure on her niece, but she also wants her to be the best version of herself.

"I told her, 'We don't want you to feel pressured to be me or your dad, your grandfather, your brother. Just become your own player. This basketball journey is your own. You have to take it with a grain of salt and continue to work hard and develop your craft," Patrice said.

She had the same message for Mike Jr.

"I always tried to talk to him and say, 'Even though you guys have the same name, you are not your dad. You're your own man,'" Patrice said. "At the end of the day, we're proud of the player he has become. I want him to go out and do great things, whether that be playing college ball or if he just goes to college and becomes whatever it is he wants to become."

Perry is proud of the way his grandchildren have carried themselves.

"The name carries a lot of weight in Bishopville," Perry said. "They have a lot of pressure on them, but they're doing pretty well."

SEASON OF PRIDE AND SADNESS

After a learning experience last year, this season has been a rollercoaster for the Holmes family.

The girls are thriving. They just clinched the Region VIII-2A title on Monday night with a win over Andrews, as the Lady Stallions sit at 7-0 heading into their region finale against Kingstree tonight. On Tuesday, they earned a place in the SCBCA rankings for the first time this season.

"It feels good, but we have to take it one game at a time," Keri said of their season so far. "We have to stay focused and do what we've got to do as a team."

With Patrice as a coach, there was one major goal.

"Our goals were to make it to the state championship," Keri said. "It's a goal because we haven't gone to a championship in a long time. It's time now."

While the success to this point in the season is nice, having her niece on the team has made this season even more special to Patrice.

"It's very exciting to get a chance to coach her," the LCHS coach said. "We have our good days, and we have our bad days, but I treat her just like everybody else that's on the team, she doesn't get any special treatment. Some people might even say I'm even harder on her, and I would say that, too, because I know the potential that she has. She hasn't reached her ceiling, she has more to give."

The boys, meanwhile, have struggled.

While the Stallions have played better than their 0-7 record in the region might suggest, their season is defined by the final score. It's been a challenging final season for Mike Jr., who has battled injury during region play.

"It's been devastating because I know we could've won these games, we just had to have that heart and play together as one," Mike Jr. said. "It's kinda tough because they weren't expecting us to not win a region game. In Lee Central history, everyone makes the playoffs."

With a loss to Andrews on Monday, the Stallions were knocked out of the playoffs. Mike Jr. won't have a chance to join the Holmes tradition of winning championships. But his father isn't defining success on rings and awards.

"That would be real good so they can be mentioned with the great ones," Mike Sr. said of his children winning championships. "If not, life still goes on.

"I really want one for my son but, if not, in my heart he's always going to be a champion."

Keri still has plenty of time to get a ring. It could happen this year, but she hopes this season is just the beginning.

"Looking at it every day, I just can't wait until I get a ring," Keri said. "I'm trying to have multiple rings, not just one."

Patrice is looking forward to that day if it comes.

"It's the cherry on top if we win it all. I don't know the history, but I don't know if there has ever been a combination of coach and her niece winning a championship," Patrice, who would also catch Mike in the trophy department with another title, said. "That would be very special if we can finish the year off with a championship."

LIFE AFTER LEE CENTRAL

Mike Jr.'s Lee Central career will end this week. He hopes that's not the end of his life in basketball. He's trying to put his name out there with college coaches, but the last name Holmes doesn't carry the same weight outside of Bishopville.

"I want basketball to take me a long way. I want to play it at the next level, get more recognition and just live my life," Mike Jr. said. "It's pretty weird (not having college coaches immediately know me). I'm feeling like no colleges want me, but I probably have to keep reaching out."

Keri still has plenty of time, but she has high hopes for her basketball career.

"It's something more for me because every day I step on the court, I try to give my all and my best because I know college coaches are out there watching me," Keri said. "I try to dominate every time because I want to go to college, play college ball, then get drafted to the WNBA and be the first person in my family. I want to be my legacy."

In the meantime, she's not looking forward to spending three years without her brother's games following her Lady Stallions two or three times a week.

"I'm kinda upset because it's just going to be me out here now," Keri said. "I guess they're going to expect more out of me because it's just me. I've got to do what I've got to every time I step out on the court."

LOVE FOR THE STALLIONS

While the name Holmes carries a lot of weight at Lee Central, the feeling is mutual. Keri, Mike Jr. and Patrice all said the same three words when asked about the school.

"This is home," Patrice said. "We always treat it like a family atmosphere. We're very much beloved around here, and we love Lee Central. We bleed black and gold."