We've seen many a great name come and go in college basketball. It's a yearly tradition; for whatever reason, college basketball (along with college football) produces some of the wackiest, strangest, awesomest names you'll ever see. It never fails.
Very rarely, however, do we see a player change his name. Even rarer is a name change like this: Xavier point guard Terrell Holloway is now officially listed as "Tu Holloway," a Xavier spokesman told ESPN.com. (For the record, "Tu" is pronounced "two.") Apparently, Terrell was given the nickname "Tu-Tu" as a child. In high school, "Tu-Tu" was shortened to "Tu," and the moniker has stuck ever since.
So why wasn't Tu-Tu Tu in 2009-10? (Say that five times fast.) Because Xavier coach Chris Mack wanted incentive for the name change. From Xavier's press release:
“Coach Mack said I had to earn the right to make the change,” Holloway said.
“Tu has earned the respect of his teammates and coaches,” Xavier head coach Chris Mack said. “His name is as unique as his talent and potential."
Mack is as excited about Holloway's junior season as Holloway seems to be about the name change, and for good reason. Holloway is Xavier's leading returning scorer. That designation means even more given the NBA departure of shooting guard Jordan Crawford, who developed into a offensive star during Xavier's sprint to the Sweet 16 in 2009-10. Holloway will have to shoulder much of Crawford's bygone scoring load -- all the while handling point guard responsibilities -- if Xavier wants to continue its impressive streak of tournament runs. The man with a suddenly tiny name will have to play very big.
And as an added bonus, "Tu" provides all sorts of fun headline possibilities. "Sock It 'Tu' Me: Xavier Junior Scores 20 In Rout." "Get 'Tu' The Point: Holloway Takes Over Lead Role." "'Tu' You Really Want 'Tu' Hurt Me?: Imaginary Headline Writer Has No Idea Why He Chose A Boy George Reference But Let's Just Go With It."
This is going to be way Tu much fun.