Q&A with Kendria Holmes

Holmes, 20, enrolled in summer school on Monday, her first day as a member of the Charlotte 49ers' women's basketball team. A former Big East all-freshman team member in 2007 and prep standout at Charlotte Victory Christian, Holmes transferred from Providence and will be eligible to play for the 49ers beginning with the 2009-2010 season.

Q: What prompted your decision to leave Providence?
Holmes: I think our coaching staff was headed in the wrong direction and I wanted a change in environment. I averaged about 37 minutes a game, so there was not a question about playing time or anything like that.

Q: What enticed you to go to Providence and what were you looking at when you decided to leave?
Holmes: Well college basketball recruiting is a lot about selling people to get them to come to your program, telling them this, telling them that. The coach that recruited me, she got fired this year and that had a lot to do with why I decided to leave.
Charlotte wasn't even on the radar to be honest. I came home one weekend. My cousin (Tonya Phifer) went to Charlotte and told me to go up and see how it is just for her. I started talking to the coaches and ended up liking it. Out of high school, they didn't recruit me so that's why I didn't really view it as an option.

Q: What did you think after making a visit?
Holmes: It was a pretty good experience. Coach (Karen) Aston and her staff are great people. She told me the truth, she didn't sugarcoat anything. She didn't tell me what I needed to hear. She told me what she needed and what I could do for them. I commend her for that. I lot of college coaches will sugarcoat things and just tell you what they think you want to hear.

Q: Did you feel this decision was important enough that you were willing to sit out a year for the transfer?
Holmes: I think so. I'm going to look at the year as time for me to get better and work on my education, my academics and things like that. When I come back to the court, I'll be ready to rock and roll.

Q: This was coach Aston's first year. What did you think of her?
Holmes: Considering where she came from - she had been at Baylor and at Texas -- I know she has a good feel for the game and she knows what she's doing. A big part of it was she wants to become a running team. To do that, you have to have a point guard who can run the show. When playing pickup during my visit, we ran the fast break a lot when I was out there.

Q: It's been a while since you were back in Charlotte. What was your time like at Victory Christian and how have you changed since you were here?
Holmes: At Victory, as a person, it helped me a lot. I became a better person. Basketball-wise, in high school it's pretty much get the ball and go. We had plays but it's all about score, score, score. In college, it's a much faster game. You have to learn when to go fast, when to slow it down. You have players around you that you have to focus on, especially when you are the point guard.