Tre Holloman’s Message: NC State Pushes Back, and It Might Just Be a Turning Point
Sometimes, a single play says more than a stat sheet ever could. Midway through NC State’s clash with Clemson, Tre Holloman delivered one of those moments - a statement that echoed far beyond the whistle that followed.
Let’s set the stage. Clemson came into this game with a clear plan: dominate the paint.
With a front line stacked with size - three players 6’9” or taller - they saw an opportunity to bully NC State down low. After all, the scouting report was out.
NC State? Undersized.
Maybe a little soft. Just ask Georgia Tech.
And early on, it looked like Clemson’s plan was working. They were getting what they wanted offensively, hitting 6 of their first 9 shots. The Tigers were imposing their will in the paint, and the Wolfpack needed to respond - fast.
Enter Tre Holloman.
Holloman, a Michigan State transfer, comes from a program where toughness isn’t optional - it’s baked into the DNA. Tom Izzo guys don’t shy away from contact.
They embrace it. So when Holloman delivered a hard forearm to Clemson’s 6’9 Carter Wellington, it wasn’t subtle, and it wasn’t accidental.
It was deliberate. It was a message.
Yes, it was a flagrant foul. But it wasn’t dirty.
It wasn’t sneaky. It was bold, right out in the open.
A calculated decision to say, “If you think you’re going to push us around, think again.”
And something shifted in that moment.
From that point forward, Clemson’s offense stalled. After shooting 67% to start the game, they finished at just 40% from the field.
NC State’s defense turned up the intensity. The guards swarmed, the bigs battled, and suddenly, the mismatches Clemson had hoped to exploit flipped the other way.
Watch the tape and you’ll see it. Clemson struggled to get clean looks.
On one possession, McNeil Jr. fought tooth and nail to deny a post entry to Godfrey. On another, Lubin bodied up Porter with the kind of physicality that said, “Not today.”
This wasn’t just a reaction - it was a full-on identity shift. NC State didn’t just match Clemson’s physicality. They exceeded it.
And that’s what makes Holloman’s foul so significant. It wasn’t just a moment of frustration.
It was a tone-setter. The kind of play that rallies a locker room and sends a message to the rest of the conference: this team isn’t backing down.
It brought to mind that iconic moment from the 2008 Olympics, when Kobe Bryant - playing for Team USA - bulldozed through Pau Gasol on a screen. It was a foul, sure.
But it was also a message. Team USA had been criticized for lacking toughness.
Kobe made sure the world knew that narrative was over.
That’s what Holloman did for NC State. He flipped the script.
And if you’ve been following the chatter online - on X, Instagram, message boards - you know fans have been calling for this kind of edge. Complaints about toughness, about grit, about not having enough “dogs” on the roster. Well, here’s your answer.
Because if you want dogs, you have to accept that sometimes they bite back.
What we saw against Clemson wasn’t just a win. It was a statement.
A team that had been questioned for its physicality stood toe-to-toe with a bigger opponent and didn’t blink. They fought.
They scrapped. And they walked away with the kind of win that could redefine their season.
Is this the grit head coach Will Wade has been asking for? Is this the moment the Wolfpack finds its true identity?
Time will tell. But one thing’s clear: Tre Holloman didn’t just commit a foul - he might’ve sparked a transformation.