A familiar face to Abilene sports fans is making his return to the coaching ranks as an assistant coach at Abilene Christian University.
ACU men’s basketball head coach Joe Golding announced Wednesday that he has hired former McMurry men’s head coach Ron Holmes as an assistant coach to fill out his team’s staff. Holmes replaces former assistant coach Patrice Days, who left ACU last month to join the staff at Wright State (Ohio). Solomon Bozeman, in his second year at ACU, has been elevated to a full-time assistant position.
Holmes – who resigned as the director of athletics at McMurry in January 2014 – will be able to go on the road to recruit and coach on the floor at practice and in games. He’ll also be on the road with the Wildcats during the season.
“Coach Holmes is a man of great faith and character, and he will help our players grow into great Christian men on and off the floor,” Golding said. “He has great passion for helping kids and his success on the floor speaks for itself.”
Holmes was named the director of athletics at McMurry in 2009, overseeing a 19-sport intercollegiate athletics program. He resigned as the men’s basketball head coach after the 2009-10 season, finishing his 20-year career at McMurry with a 347-185 record, the highest winning percentage of any McMurry men’s basketball coach with more than one season of service to the university.
He led McMurry to five conference championships and at least a share of seven American Southwest Conference West Division titles during his career. McMurry basketball has 11 20-win seasons in its history and Holmes was at the helm for six of them.
Holmes’ teams reached the NCAA Division III Elite Eight in 1999-2000 and Sweet Sixteen in 2000-2001. Those squads earned a combined record of 51-6 and only lost one regular-season ASC matchup in those two seasons. Also, Holmes guided the 1994 McMurry basketball squad that went 21-8 and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen round of the NAIA National Tournament.
“This is about kids, and who in their right mind can turn their back on kids,” Holmes said about his return to coaching. “I’ve known Joe for a long time and I want to help he and (ACU associate head coach) Brette Tanner get the ACU men’s basketball program moving forward.”
Before taking over as McMurry’s head coach in 1990, Holmes compiled a 169-67 high school coaching record. He posted a 33-19 record at Clarendon High School and then went on to an impressive 136-48 record at Brownfield High School. Holmes coached Brownfield’s 1989 squad that went 31-4 and reached the Final Four of the 3A state tournament.
Holmes, a native of Van Horn, received a Bachelor of Science degree from McMurry in 1977 where he also played four years of basketball under the direction of legendary McMurry basketball coach and NAIA Hall of Fame member, Hershel Kimbrell. Holmes also earned a master’s of education from ACU in 1984.
Holmes has been on the sidelines for more than 25 years, and that experience is something both he and Golding believe will help the Wildcats as they begin their third season in the Southland Conference and at the NCAA Division I level.
“I’m excited to add coach Holmes to the staff,” Golding said. “He will bring many years of experience and knowledge to our team and staff. He’s been a good friend and mentor and now we get to take advantage of his experience on a daily basis.”
“I think I’m filling the role of wise old man,” Holmes said with a laugh. “Some of the kids might see me and my grey hair and see that I’ve got some wisdom. I’ve experienced a lot of things on the basketball court that I believe I can help Joe and Brette with as we go through the Southland Conference.
“At the end of the day, I’m terribly interested in watching kids mature and grown and learn through basketball,” Holmes said. “It’s a crazy world, and I want to be involved in helping get these kids ready for it.”
In January of 2012, McMurry honored Holmes by naming the floor at Kimbrell Arena in his honor. He and his wife, Leta, have two daughters: Linsey and Rachael, both graduates of McMurry.
