Freshmen Curtis, Holcomb give Vikings even more depth

The Puyallup High boys basketball team likes to boast a big game in the 4A South Puget Sound League South Division.

And why not when coach Scott Campbell’s style of play can pile up the points.

“Our roster is truly 11-man deep,” Campbell stated. “Everyone one on our roster can shoot it … I feel confident that our depth is really going to be a boost for us during the season.”

That’s a big claim as Puyallup looks to navigate through the South in its attempt to return to the postseason and advance beyond the district tournament.

But the truth of the matter is these Vikings can shoot the ball.

“I think (the season) will be really good — (the roster) is really deep and we have a lot of good players,” Tony Gutierrez said. “There’s no really weak links on the team.”

And the differences maker(s) this year for Puyallup could potentially become the team’s two youngest players: Kenny Curtis and Jacob Holcomb.

“First of all, they have a lot of talent, but they give a lot of a lot of effort, which I think is a huge contributor to our team,” senior Jaden Vollmen said.

These two freshman will have a lot on their plate in order to fulfill Campbell’s hopes of having a true 11-man roster capable of carrying the Vikings into the playoffs — and hopefully further.

Curtis and Holcomb aren’t your typical freshman, simply added to the roster to supplement a good balance of seniors and juniors. No, these two freshman can really dish it out on the court in their own style.

Getting their names listed on Puyallup’s roster was an expectation for these two ninth-graders.

“Hard work — that’s really it,” Curtis said. “I worked on my shot down all summer and just help out the team in creating stuff for myself and create for other people, too.”

“I was fighting to get on varsity because I felt like I could,” Holcomb added.

With Vollmen and Gutierrez set to put up big games while knocking down shots anywhere on the court, it will be Curtis’ job to be a facilitator in that process.

Coming into the season, Vollmen should see the majority of minutes at point guard, but if Curtis taps into that playmaking ability that gave Campbell the confidence in assigning a crucial position on the Vikings, Puyallup might have found a diamond for the next handful of years.

“I was used to (only) creating for myself,” Curtis admitted.

“He’s definitely a talent … I think he’ll be one of the better guards in league by his senior year,” Vollmen added, who can now play the two-guard for Puyallup with the addition of a player like Curtis who has the natural ability to deliver passes on point.

Holcomb is a different beast on the court. As Curtis is a 5-foot-7 guard, Holcomb is the typical do-it-all swingman for Puyallup.

“Getting the offense moving really … maybe (get) some layups, but it’s about playing defense — really hard defense,” Holcomb said about his intended role on the team.

Holcomb epitomizes Campbell’s three unspoken virtues about playing Puyallup basketball: play smart, play aggressive and play selfless.

Actually, Curtis can be thrown into that statement as well. But for Holcomb, it will be a different task on the court. He’ll have to handle the big boys of the South this year, and from the looks of it, he seems to be ready for it.

“The first game I will be a little nervous, but this roster’s deep,” Holcomb said.

Only time will tell just how crucial these two pickups will be for Puyallup. But if it all goes to plan, Curtis and Holcomb will truly be a find for the Vikings.

“Jacob and Kenny are both great kids (and) very good basketball players. We’re just really excited having them here,” Campbell said.

This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 11:21 AM with the headline "Freshmen Curtis, Holcomb give Vikings even more depth."