Bucknell University Athletics
Several Bison Alums Competing on Big Stages
7/9/2002 8:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
July 9, 2002
LEWISBURG, Pa. - While summer break continues at Bucknell University, several former and current Bison student-athletes are competing against top competition. Former Bucknell basketball star J.R. Holden is currently playing with the New Orleans Hornets summer league team, while two Bucknell graduates and one current Bison are playing in the World Lacrosse Championship in Perth, Australia.
Holden, a 1998 Bucknell graduate and one of the top guards ever to come through the program, is with the Hornets in the Orlando Summer Professional League. The New Orleans team, which recently relocated from Charlotte, opens their five-game summer slate today against the Detroit Pistons. The Hornets will also face the Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat over the next five days.
Among Holden's teammates are former Indiana Hoosier Kirk Haston, former UCLA Bruin Jerome Moiso and former Washington Wizard Mike Smith.
Holden is a former Christy Mathewson Award winner who led the Bison in scoring and assists as a junior and senior. He ranks ninth on Bucknell's all-time scoring list with 1,327 points and is fifth in steals (142) and sixth in assists (308).
A star player with AEK Athens in Greece, Holden averaged 16.0 points per game to lead his team to the 2001-02 Greek championship. In 2000-01 he played in Belgium and led Telindus Oostende to the Belgian Cup and league championship, averaging 18.7 points per game. He played in the 2001 Belgian League All-Star Game. In his first year away from Bucknell, Holden played in Latvia and averaged 19.8 points per game while leading Broceni Riga to the Latvian League championship.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, former Bucknell lacrosse lettermen Taro Yoshitome and Koichiro Oe have helped the Japanese national team jump out to a 3-0 start at the World Lacrosse Championship in Australia. Current Bison sophomore Darryl Seymour is with the Iroquois national team, which is 1-2 in a tough division that also includes the United States, Canada, Australia and England.
Yoshitome is the captain of the Japanese team and a two-time All-Patriot League defenseman during his days at Bucknell. He played in the North-South All-Star game following his senior year in 1999, when he graduated with a 3.2 grade-point average, despite language barriers. Yoshitome was a member of Bucknell's record-setting 12-0 team in 1996.
Oe played for the Bison in 1997 and 1998, totaling eight goals and three assists from his midfield position. Seymour was a reserve defenseman as a freshman for Bucknell in 2002, appearing in six contests.
