For Gorham native and Indiana University star Mackenzie Holmes, making the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament is nothing new.
The former Maine Gatorade Player of the Year and 2023 first-team All-American punched her ticket to her third career Sweet 16 appearance on Monday night, dropping 29 points and six rebounds on No. 5 Oklahoma on the way to a 75-68 victory at Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
The win propelled Holmes and company to a date with the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks in Albany, New York, at 5 p.m. on Friday.
It will be an unprecedented night for fans of Maine basketball.
Holmes made the Sweet 16 in 2021 and 2022, and this time around she’ll be sharing the limelight with two more former Maine high school basketball stars — Anna DeWolfe of Greely and J.P. Estrella of South Portland.
At 2:30 p.m. in Albany, 2019 Miss Maine Basketball DeWolfe and the No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish will take on No. 3 Oregon State, and at 10:09 p.m. in Detroit, 6-foot-11 Estrella will take the court with his No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers against No. 3 Creighton.
Together, this trio of basketball stars are dancing deeper into March Madness than any Mainer has in more than a decade, taking full advantage of the opportunity to make their home state proud, and individually forge their own paths as student athletes competing on the biggest stage.
“This is something you don’t see in Maine. It’s awesome,” nine-year South Portland boys basketball head coach Kevin Millington said. “Maine is one big small town, and so you have an entire state rooting for those kids.”
The last time a Maine native made it to the Sweet 16 was in 2011, when 2007 Miss Maine Basketball Ashley Cimino made it to the Final Four with Stanford University, coming off the bench as a forward for the Cardinal.
Eight-year Greely head coach Todd Flaherty echoed Millington’s sentiments.
“It’s an amazing thing to watch — it’s must-watch TV,” Flaherty said. “It’s a [testament] to Maine basketball, and their talent and the hard work they’ve put in. It’s a great source of pride for us.”
What’s so intriguing about the present-day trio is the different paths they’ve taken to arrive at this juncture.
Four-year starting power forward and two-time All-American Holmes (20.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks per game this year) is by far the most established, and Estrella (4.7 minutes, 1.7 points per game) is the wide-eyed freshman coming off the bench.
Meanwhile, the veteran DeWolfe (8.6 ppg, 2.5 apg, 1.0 spg) is also making her March Madness debut this year, becoming Notre Dame’s starting shooting guard this offseason after starring at mid-major Fordham for four years.
More than anything, Holmes’ March Madness campaign this year will be about being a leader, and having a joyful swan song to her college career.
“I’m so proud of the joy she has playing on the court. She loves her teammates and her coaches,” veteran Gorham girls basketball head coach Laughn Berthiaume said. “Her footwork has continued to get better and better, and she can finish with an array of moves. She demands that double team, and it showed against Oklahoma.”
For DeWolfe, making the Sweet 16 with Notre Dame has been about her willingness to take on a less ball-dominant role, compared with when she was an Atlantic 10 first-teamer for Fordham.
“I enjoy watching her do the little things. Her adaptability, court sense and leadership is clear when watching her on TV,” Flaherty said. “She was our best player at Greely and took that role on. Then, she took a secondary role for Fordham, until she didn’t [need to anymore]. Now, she’s flourishing in a new role.”
Finally, for Estrella, the Big Dance will continue to be a source of inspiration, and a rite of passage.
“He’s so positive and easygoing, I’m sure he’s taking everything in and loving every second of it,” Millington said. “He’s [one of] the only freshmen on Tennessee that gets any playing time, and he doesn’t take things for granted. It’s definitely a unique experience.”
