DETROIT (1/14/2020) -- The honoring of some great Titans on and off the court will continue during champions week as the University of Detroit Mercy Department of Athletics has announced that Eli Holman's jersey will be retired on Jan. 25.
The ceremony will take place pregame before the 1 p.m. tip against UIC.
"Eli was a standout Titan and a member of some great, championship teams that helped bring Detroit Mercy back to the top" said Director of Athletics Robert C. Vowels, Jr. "He has shown his dedication to making Titan athletics a top priority and helping our student-athletes and facilities with his generous contributions."
Holman was part of the biggest turnaround in school history as Detroit Mercy went from 7-23 in 2008-09 to 20-14 the following year and a trip to the Horizon League Championship semifinals and an eventual Horizon League Championship and NCAA Tournament bid as a senior.
He became 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 61.0 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 HL All-Newcomer Team after averaging 11.8 points and a team and HL best 8.9 rebounds per game with 11 double-doubles. 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.
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 Horizon League 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.
After graduation, he went on to play in the NBA Summer League and has had an outstanding career playing overseas.
In 2016, he showed his appreciation to his alma mater by helping to finalize the Thomas and Arvie McNamara Family Student-Athlete Academic Center with the Eli Holman Study Hall with a generous gift and has made contributions to women's basketball, women's soccer and men's lacrosse.
