Hall of Fame Story
Eli Holman was part of the biggest turnaround in school history as Detroit Mercy went from 7-23 in 2008-09 to 20 the following year and a trip to the Horizon League Championship semifinals and to an eventual championship and NCAA Tournament bid as a senior.
He was the 34th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points as he averaged 11.5 points and 8.6 rebounds with 29 double-doubles in his three years, while shooting a school-record 61 percent from the field. He was also one of the best defensive players in the league as his 163 blocks in the Motor City stand second in school history.
In his first season with the Titans, he was named to the All-Newcomer Team and was honored with the Norm Swanson Top Newcomer Award as well as the Larry Doyle Most Dedicated Titan accolade at the annual team banquet after averaging 11.8 points and a team and HL best 8.9 rebounds per game. He posted 11 double-doubles on the season and was in double figures in scoring 22 times, while pulling down double digits in rebounds 12 times and recorded three or more blocks in 14 games. His 2.5 blocks per game led the Horizon League and was third in school history, while his 77 total blocks were the fourth most in a single season in the record book. He grabbed a career-high 18 caroms vs. Milwaukee and tied career mark with six blocks at Loyola during conference play and was the MVP of the 2K Sports Classic Coaches vs. Cancer Albany subregional after averaging 16.6 points, 12.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game as the Titans defeated Robert Morris, Albany and Alcorn State, all by double digits.
As a junior, he was selected the team's Robert Calihan co-Most Valuable Player and was an All-Horizon League Second Team honoree and a member of the All-Defensive Team as well as a CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Defensive All-America selection after topping the league in both offensive and defensive rebounds and tallying a Horizon League-best 13 double-doubles.
It all came together in his final campaign as he was the Horizon League Sixth Player of the Year and selected as one of 21 honorees on the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Defensive All-America team. He averaged 10.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game and led the team in field goal percentage and rebounding, while finishing second with 35 total blocks. In the championship run, he started the tournament with a team-high 20 points against Loyola in the first round and then had a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards against Youngstown State in the quarterfinals. In the NCAA Tournament, he ended his career as the big man he was for three years, posting another double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds against nationally-ranked Kansas.
Following his graduation, he played in the NBA Summer League and has had an ousting career playing overseas as one of the best players in China.
His gifts also led to the completion of the Thomas and Arvie McNamara Family Student-Athlete Academic Center with the Eli Holman Study Hall.
