The movements between Kenya Holiday and Rachel Lia on the basketball court seem choreographed, almost as if the entire game was rehearsed ahead of time — a display fun for spectators, maddening for opponents.
The pairing of junior Kenya Holiday and sophomore Rachel Lia is not only extremely talented — the duo currently accounts for more than 50 percent of Lafayette’s points this season — but also has a history that spans roughly 10 years.
The swagger Holiday and Lia share on the court was not developed overnight, but rather grew over years of playing with each other on the travel basketball circuit starting with the now-defunct Colonial Capital Basketball Club (CCBC) when both were in elementary school.
“I was so intimidated by her,” Lia said of Holiday. “I was a year younger and I heard all these rumors that she had been playing AAU since she was like six. I was scared of her.”
Lia eventually got past her trepidation of the older Holiday and the two became good friends.
As the two played and practiced together, their chemistry on and off the court became undeniable and borderline unstoppable. The duo and their teams were formidable in their youth basketball days, winning half of the tournaments they entered while at CCBC, including tournaments against opponents as much as two years older.
Like all good things, CCBC eventually came to an end, forcing Holiday and Lia to go their separate ways. Holiday played for multiple AAU teams before eventually settling in with a Boo Williams-sponsored team in Hampton during her freshman year; Lia spent time playing for the Toano Storm and later the Spectrum Sports Academy, which is based in Roanoke.
Following the disbanding of CCBC, Holiday and Lia saw their camaraderie as teammates transform into a healthy rivalry as the two repeatedly squared off in AAU tournaments as opponents.
“We saw each other a lot because we both played AAU and a lot of the tournaments go on at Boo Williams,” Holiday said. “Our teams traveled to the same places.”
“We’re both very competitive people so that was bound to happen,” Lia said about her burgeoning AAU rivalry with Holiday.
The rivalry between Lia and Holiday on the AAU helped push both girls to improve their basketball skills, not that the two have ever needed motivation. Both girls have been described as “career gym rats,” a title each girl proudly wears.
After moving to Williamsburg from Atlanta in 2005, second-year Lafayette girls coach Chris Brown started coaching Lia privately. Lia was in the third grade when the two began working together. Having spent so much time coaching Lia, Brown has extensively praised her work ethic and desire to get better.
Even after the two stopped working together privately, Brown followed Lia’s progress through the AAU circuit as she competed with and against Holiday.
Despite living in Williamsburg her whole life, Lia had attended Hampton Roads Academy since the fourth grade. After years of making the roughly 30-minute commute to and from school, Lia decided it was time for a change.
“That half an hour drive on I-64 was becoming absolutely ridiculous,” Lia said about making the daily trips to HRA. “I was playing three sports a year, trying to keep my grades up and doing a lot of social stuff. It wasn’t fair for me. I wasn’t getting any sleep and it definitely wasn’t fair for my parents.”
Lia made her final decision about transferring to Lafayette in July 2014. Among the many factors that went into the decision, the main one being distance, was the possibility of reuniting with her former teammate Holiday.
When asked about her reaction to when she learned Lia was going to be a teammate of hers again, Holiday’s face shone like she was learning the news again for the first time.
“When she told me, we were at an AAU tournament,” Holiday said. “We ran around Boo Williams just yelling, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re going to play together!’ In my mind I could just think back to the old days: ‘It’s going to be just the same.’”
“Her reaction was exactly what I hoped for,” Lia said. “It was great.”
Once the two began practicing together again the process became less about rebuilding the chemistry between the two and more about shaking off the cobwebs.
“I believe our chemistry never left,” Holiday said. “It was always there. It took us a minute to flow because we’ve got to get our chemistry mixed with everybody else, but overall our chemistry never left. I can close my eyes and tell you where she’s going to be on the floor.”
More frustrating for any team that faces Lafayette is both girls share similar skill sets. Brown, the head of the newly formed basketball triumvirate, recognizes the luxury of his situation.
“It’s a beautiful thing,” Brown said of the chemistry between Holiday and Lia on the court. “They’re putting in the work and they’re getting to know each other’s game as they have both matured. The sky is the limit. Their best days are ahead of them.”
And therein lies perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the Lafayette teammates — neither girl is a senior.
Brown, Holiday and Lia are all optimistic about the future of Lafayette girls basketball. With the cast of role players filling up the rest of the roster, the Rams could have something special in the works.
As good as Lafayette looks this season — the Rams are 7-1 with Holiday and Lia combining for 30 points per game — the Rams have plenty to be excited about as Holiday and Lia grow and play together for another year.
“I think with the chemistry we have now, having known each other for so long and as we mature over this year and have more experience playing together, it’s going to be great next year,” Lia said about her outlook for the Rams over the coming years. “I feel really good about it this year, but I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like next year.”
The only thing that remains is to see whether Holiday and Lia can meet the sky-high expectations they have set for themselves. As both girls expect to play basketball in college, every game can be considered an audition for potential collegiate suitors.
And just as it is in theater, it’s always best to audition with someone you trust.
