East Texas A&M University Athletics

A.J. Holland joined the Lion coaching staff in June of 2022.

While at East Texas A&M, the Lions have been able to finish in the Top 20 percent of the country in turnover rate. After establishing himself as a relentless recruiter and high-level evaluator of talent, Holland was recognized on Silver Waves Media's "75 Rising Stars: Impactful Men's Mid-Major Assistants" list and was an honored guest at the "Elite 50 Power Future Head Coaches Invitational" in April 2025.

Holland joined the Lions after spending two seasons as an assistant coach working under head coach Cinco Boone at Angelo State University. There, he helped the Rams earn an at large bid to the 2021-22 NCAA Tournament while also being ranked as high as #12 in the country. During his stint in San Angelo, Holland coached five All-Conference Selections, along with an All-Defensive team member.

Prior to Angelo State, Holland was an assistant at the University of Texas Permian Basin from 2018-20. Holland helped the Falcons reach the conference playoffs each year while coaching the conference’s leading scoring offense at 85.3 points per game. He coached three All-Conference selections including Jacob Ledoux who was named the Newcomer of the Year in the 2018-19 season, and a transfer guard who scored the second most single season points in program history (702).

Before following Head Coach Josh Newman to UTPB, Holland began his coaching career as an assistant coach at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. Under his watch, the #4 nationally ranked program UAFS posted the best record in Division II school history at 24-6 on their way to a Heartland Conference championship and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. He coached three All Conference selections including the Conference MVP and Newcomer of the Year during his time at UAFS.

Before beginning his collegiate coaching career, Holland served as a skills trainer and was the NIKE Southeast Regional Camp Director in Atlanta, GA. There, he developed many high-level players including two first-round NBA draft picks. During his four years, Holland trained over 50 players in the Metro Atlanta area who earned collegiate scholarships and trained multiple state championship and Final Four teams in Georgia and Alabama. While building a major network in metro Atlanta, Holland played a key role in helping the company generate a revenue of over $875,000.

As a player, Holland began his career at Rice University in Conference USA before transferring to College of Central Florida. At CCF, he won a region championship and set a school record for wins at 28-6. He finished his playing career at the University of Sioux Falls, helping his team to a 20-win season while leading the program in assists and averaging 10.6 points per game.

The 2013 graduate of the University of Sioux Falls, Holland received his degree in Sports Management with a concentration in coaching.

Holland is a native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he was the 9th ranked player in the state of Alabama and a was a standout point guard at Paul W. Bryant High School. Holland and his wife Traci have two daughters, Trinity and Lia.