Mackenzie Holmes' Homecoming: No. 17 Indiana at Maine Thursday Night

Following Indiana women's basketball's sweep in the Fort Myers Tip-Off last week, the Hoosiers play Maine in Mackenzie Holmes' homecoming. The Indiana forward won two high school state championships in the arena the Hoosiers will play in Thursday night.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — When Indiana forward Mackenzie Holmes returns home to Maine, whenever the fifth-year is on break from the basketball time commitment, the All-American spends time with high school friends and teammates. This past August, they all went out for breakfast together, with talk of her homecoming: Indiana plays at Maine Thursday night.

Top-25 teams don’t often travel to play the University of Maine in November.

“The only reason it's happening is because of Mackenzie,” Indiana head coach Teri Moren said Wednesday. “One of the things that we try to do with all the kids that we recruit ... (is play) where their mom and dad, families, can get to ‘em. Can watch them play. We told Mack, when we recruited her, that at some point, we’d try to get her as close as we could back home.”

Holmes played for Gorham High School and was chosen as the 2019 Maine Gatorade Player of the Year her senior season. The five-star prospect averaged about 30 points, 16 rebounds, and four blocks per game that year. Yet, Moren said that perhaps many didn't anticipate Holmes would become this Indiana superstar. 

In her high school career, Holmes and her teammates snatched two state titles and reached another. All were played at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, ME. — the site of Thursday night's game — about two hours south of Maine's campus. Gorham, Holmes’ hometown, is located only 20 minutes away from Portland. 

Holmes had many friends and family show up for the Quinnipiac game two seasons ago in Connecticut. Holmes said she has received text messages from people saying they are showing up to the Maine contest and that her dad — whose distant connection to Indiana was bringing basketball players he coached to one of Bob Knight’s camps — is handling the seating.

“This is something that not a lot of players get to experience,” Holmes said. “I'm extremely blessed that coach Moren helped make this happen, the rest of the (Indiana) staff … (Maine’s head coach) Amy Vachon as well for allowing this to happen … I'm gonna do my best to stay level headed. Obviously, it’s very exciting in an arena that means a lot to me .,.. But I’m gonna go in not trying to overthink it.”

Holmes learned about the homecoming in July, though it has “snuck up” in recent months.

“College basketball doesn't give you much time to think about a lot, other than what's right in front of you," Holmes said. "Time has moved fast, and I can't believe that this is already here."

When the team landed in Maine Wednesday evening, teammate Sydney Parrish posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she’d never witnessed Holmes that happy before. Holmes appreciates the neutral-site contest being close to home and was eager to show teammates where she grew up. Still, Moren views this as another business trip.

“Our focus has been less about homecoming for Mack and more about, we're gonna have to guard,” Moren said. “It’s less about the fanfare, I guess, and more about the work. It’s another business trip for us and I think that’s how we’re all approaching it, including Mack, including Mack. But she’s excited, as you can imagine, and I think her teammates are excited for her.”

No. 17 Indiana improved to 5-1 by sweeping the Fort Myers Tip-Off and picking up quality wins over No. 20 Tennessee and No. 25 Princeton last week. Maine is 4-3 this season, with wins over Massachusetts and Rhode Island, though the Black Bears fell in their recent road contest at Drake. Thursday's Indiana-Maine matchup tips off at 7 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN-plus.

“Some of them were at the Quinnipiac game, but it's been a while,” Holmes said. “It's going to be really exciting to see my old high school friends, teammates, AAU teammates. Those are sort of my friends that I'm going to have for life, so it'll be really cool to see them there.”

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