Holmes to Test Domestic Market After a Smashing European Tour

Playing professional basketball in Europe has become a popular choice for Americans. Kevin Holmes, a graduate of Cleveland High, has made the most of this option.

While other players leave the United States to play in Italy, Spain or West Germany, Holmes, who was drafted in the sixth round out of DePaul in 1986 by the Philadelphia 76ers, ended up playing professionally in Switzerland, which is not known as a basketball hotbed. For Holmes, however, things could not have worked out any better.

The Swiss refer to dunking as smashing, and the 6-foot-8, 225-pound Holmes was called “The Smasher” because of his stylish assortment of dunks. In his three seasons in Switzerland, Holmes led his club team to two league national titles in three trips to the finals.

Last season, in averaging more than four dunks a game, Holmes became a national celebrity in leading his team to a rare Swiss double, winning both the league championship and the Swiss Cup. He averaged 25 points and 10 rebounds a game.

“I would always excite the crowd with my dunks,” Holmes said of the French-speaking Swiss fans who followed his team. “I would just streak down the court to receive a lob pass and then I would just put together some funky stuff on my dunks.

“It got to the point where whenever someone noticed me in public, they would smile and say, ‘The Smasher.’ ”

When the 76ers showed renewed interest, Holmes decided that it was time for a change and signed a one-year contract with Philadelphia in August.

“When I originally went to play over in Europe,” Holmes said, “I only planned to play on a one-year basis. What happened was that I enjoyed being over there and playing turned into a learning experience for me.”

Holmes took a circuitous route to Switzerland. After being drafted by Philadelphia, he accepted an offer to play in Italy while playing on a 76ers’ summer league team.

“Things didn’t work out for me in Italy once I got there,” he said. “I ended up playing on a traveling team and not an Italian club team like I had intended. While playing on that team, a team from Switzerland saw me and became interested, which began my career playing over there.”

Holmes realized that the level of play in Switzerland was considered a step down from the other European leagues, but he also knew he would have a chance to work and improve his overall game.

“The play in Switzerland is much lower than the play in Italy and Spain,” said Holmes, who averaged 9.4 points and 5.6 rebounds a game as a senior at DePaul. “The players are not as big and for the most part they do not have the same basketball skills. The level is probably closer to the bottom half of college Division I play.

“However, I gained confidence in myself playing there because I was able to pick up a lot of skills and I was given a chance to work on things. I have always thought of myself as a good athlete, and, in Switzerland, I had room to try new things because I had the time and no one on my back to pressure me.”

One person who noticed Holmes’ improvement was his mother, Doris Marshall, who visited her son in Switzerland for three weeks last April.

“Kevin was doing things that I never saw him do before,” Marshall said. “They really let him loose. He was stealing the ball, driving up the court and dunking. It was just fantastic.”

While in Switzerland, Marshall had to adjust to the Swiss version of basketball off the court just as Kevin had to adjust on it.

“The biggest difference was sitting in the stands,” she said. “First, everyone spoke French and then, they all sat down the whole game. When Kevin did something good, I just jumped up and cheered like my normal self before I noticed that I was the only one. I tried to control myself but every now and then I jumped up anyway.

“Even though things were different over there, I really enjoyed myself. It was a great experience in a very nice atmosphere.”

Marshall may have pleasant memories about her trip to Switzerland, but she is thrilled about Holmes’ return to the United States.

“He has really worked hard and I am very glad that he is back in the States,” Marshall said. “He has come a long way, and I am already making plans to visit him in Philadelphia.”

Holmes, a two-time City Section 3-A Division Player of the Year who led Cleveland to successive 3-A titles, is realistic about his chances in the National Basketball Assn.

“I have always wanted to come back and give it one more shot,” said Holmes, who lived in Switzerland the past two years with his wife and son. “I think the timing is right for me to take that chance now.”

In order for him to sign with the 76ers, Holmes had to past several tests this summer. In July, he attended a four-day mini-camp, in which a group of players were selected to represent the 76ers in summer league play at Loyola Marymount. Only a couple of players were offered contracts.

“All summer it has been a situation where I have been surviving cuts while constantly trying to impress,” Holmes said. “At the end of the summer league, I had offers from France and Switzerland to play. I had to make a decision of going back overseas for the sure money or stay here with no guarantees.”

The 76ers, pleased that Holmes elected to stay, project that he will play both forward positions and as a backup for All-Star Charles Barkley.

“I am going in to help the team, not just make the roster,” Holmes said. “I will not be content to sit on the bench either because I am now accustomed to playing 38 minutes a game on a winning team.”