Caitlyn Holmes and Sanaiiya Gray give Ellet a one-two punch
AKRON, Ohio - In the Akron City Series girls basketball championship game at Firestone on Wednesday night, the best two players on the floor were both wearing Ellet jerseys.
One of those players is the one everyone knows - junior Caitlyn Holmes. The other is also a junior, but is new to the Ellet program this season in Sanaiiya Gray. She might have been a relative unknown before the season, but that is no longer the case.
The duo both received their medals for being named first-team All-City Series Wednesday night prior to leading Ellet to a 55-41 win over Buchtel for Ellet's third straight City Series title. Holmes led all scorers with 27 points and Gray had her ninth double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
"They are great, everything they do is special, they work their butts off, they lead, they're selfless," Ellet head coach Nick Harris said. "I told them every game from here on out is a big game and they have to come out like that. And they did."
But it wasn't just the numbers the duo put up that helped Ellet to the championship game victory.
"Their intensity, their nonstop effort, their willingness to do everything was just evident the entire time," Harris said. "I thought they laid it all out there. They played smart, they played hard and they led us to victory."
After winning the Akron City Series girls basketball championship for the second straight time last season, Ellet graduated six seniors. So having Gray transfer from St. Vincent-St. Mary was a big boost and it made their star player very happy, as she knew Gray from playing together in AAU.
"I knew that she was going to help me a lot," Holmes said. "So I was very excited."
The decision to transfer for Gray was one that was made with playing time in mind after she didn't play much for the Fighting Irish.
"I knew that I would have a better opportunity here," Gray said. "I knew people here already, so I knew I would feel comfortable and welcomed."
The 5-foot-11 junior fit in right away with Ellet, showing how valuable she could be in the first three games of the season when she had 11 points and 15 rebounds at Wadsworth, 15 points and 16 rebounds against Woodridge and then 20 points and 15 rebounds against Streetsboro.
"Sanaiiya is someone that's deserved to play for a long time," Harris said. "I've known her for years and I've always loved her work ethic. Her natural God given abilities are evident every time she steps on the court, and it's really impressive how she's taken to this, but she doesn't have a lot of game experience. So for her to come in here and immediately be an impact player really speaks to her preparation, her focus and her work."
Gray's biggest impact just might be on the defensive end of the floor, as she was named the Akron City Series Defensive Player of the Year, an honor that was important to her.
"It means a lot to me because I've worked hard for what I did," Gray said. "And now that I finally got the chance to prove it, it shows."
Ellet's Caitlyn Holmes (left) and Sanaiiya Gray receive their Akron City Series Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards on January 31, 2024.
Photo by Ryan Isley
With Gray's relentless work on the defensive end, she is seemingly always around the ball and is able to create blocked shots or turnovers to help get Ellet out in transition offense, where Holmes is a magician.
"She always gets a hand on the ball, so the ball is always going everywhere," Holmes said. "I get a lot a lot of opportunities to go grab it out there and push it."
What Gray gives Ellet is something they didn't really have last season and that is a player who can rebound and contest shots in the middle, even if she is not a traditional post player.
"She's not a big, she's really a wing, maybe a stretch four at the next level," Harris said. "But she works so hard in the weight room. She's so good off her feet, her double jumps are so impressive that she's able to play wherever I need her to be."
And then there is Holmes, who picked up her second straight Akron City Series Player of the Year award on Wednesday night.
The player Harris called the best player in Northeast Ohio earlier this season has just continued to impress. She might have only scored 17.2 points per game this season, but her overall numbers are skewed by what she did in conference games, where Ellet doesn't really need her to shine as they went 10-0 and won eight of those games by 30 or more points.
She averaged just 12.4 points per game in City Series play and went over 20 only once - in the final regular season matchup with Buchtel.
But when the lights are the brightest, that's when Holmes comes to play.
She scored 35 against Wadsworth, 22 against Woodridge, 29 against Streetsboro, 26 against Archbishop Hoban, 35 against Walsh Jesuit and then 23 and 27 in the final two games against Buchtel.
"If it's a big game, there's one thing we can all rely on and that is Caitlyn Holmes is going to show up and leave her mark on it," Harris said. "She does it every dang time."
There is also the element of trust and respect the players have in one another and in their head coach and vice versa.
"(Coach Harris) pushes us to be the best that we can be at all times," Gray said. "And he's always there for us."
Holmes has played for Harris at Ellet for three years and the two have formed a special bond. One where they can joke around with each other but also be all about business when it's needed.
Holmes is also protective of her coach, and was not happy that Harris didn't give Ellet a sweep of the awards with Akron City Series Coach of the Year, an honor that went to Buchtel's Cari Guyton.
"I think (coach) Harris has impacted every team he's went to and I think he's impacted me very much," Holmes said. "Maybe I'm just biased but I think he is he deserves it and he does a lot a lot for us that nobody really sees."
Harris laughed when talking about Holmes being upset over him not winning the award but also knows that was going to fire up his best player.
"Caitlyn was so mad that I didn't get Coach of the Year and said she was gonna prove a point about it," Harris said. "And I told her I don't care because I don't do it for awards. I do it for them to get recognized and that's what's important to us. But her willingness to take on the challenge, to come out and remind everybody what real preparation work looks like, you can't speak enough."
A motivated Holmes might be the best version of the Kent State commit. And now she has a running mate that just might be able to push Ellet to that next level.
"(Sanaiiya has) changed our entire future outlook as a team," Harris said. "Obviously Caitlyn's a stud, she’s unbelievable. But Sanaiiya allows us the opportunity to really do something special the next two years."
-- Ryan Isley | ryan@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveoh
