He stands at midcourt, surveying each angle of the hardwood floor that bears his name.
Wearing olive green pants below a black adidas sweatervest, he calmly watches the high school basketball players in faded purple and white practice jerseys work on shooting drills.
His six assistants stand at different baskets spread out in the Bloomington High School South gym. With a small group of players in front of them, they relay the head coach’s message on how to properly execute the fundamentals.
For J.R. Holmes — the head coach of the No. 1 team in Indiana and 2009 State Champions — continued success is built at practice.
***
Holmes grew up near Bedford and attended Needmore High School (now part of Bedford North Lawrence) with dreams of becoming a professional athlete. The only student in school to earn 16 varsity letters, he decided to take his basketball skills to Indiana State University.
But after only one year playing for the Sycamores, he realized his other passion: coaching.
Upon completion of his undergraduate studies, Holmes stayed at Indiana State for graduate school and became an assistant freshman coach on the basketball team.
At age 23, he was named head coach at Tunnelton High School in Bedford, where he stayed for two years. After 10 years as head coach at Mitchell High School in Mitchell, Ind., Holmes took the same position at BHSS.
Twenty-eight years, 625 career wins and an Indiana state title later, he still roams the sidelines in charge of the Panthers. “I was really only going to coach for about four or five years,” said Holmes, who is also the school’s athletics director. “I got a math degree and was going to use it to become rich. But this is my 40th year coaching, so I never got out.”
Forty-five minutes before the Thursday afternoon practice, 13 varsity basketball players sit attentively in the locker room on small, black fold-up chairs facing a white board. After providing each player with a piece of paper detailing Perry Meridian — the Indianapolis high school team BHSS will face Friday night — Holmes demands attention.
“We need to contain them better on the perimeter,” Holmes said. “I hope we can pressure them under control, take away dribble penetration and switch on all screens. Make them work and work and work and wear them out like we did last year.”
His voice is strong, not loud. He looks each player in the eye and scans the locker room before the completion of a sentence.
When Holmes speaks, his players listen.
Each of them is fixated on the gray-haired man, taking in every ounce of information they will need to continue their undefeated season.
The difference between Holmes and other high school basketball coaches is that he treats his players like grown men. He is quick to commend someone for a good shot or smart pass but is also not afraid to get in a player’s face and let them know what they did wrong.
Erik Fromm, a senior center committed to play for Butler next year, said the fear factor is part of Holmes’ coaching style.
“At first it is a little intimidating, but after a while you get comfortable with Coach and he really teaches you a lot,” Fromm said. “He doesn’t really praise you a lot. It’s more criticism, but it’s to get you better.”
After the five-minute scouting report, Holmes instructs the players to watch game film on Perry Meridian.
Down a flight of purple stairs and past a winding hallway below the gym is Holmes’ office. He sits down in a multicolored chair behind a desk in the center of the small room.
On the walls rest numerous awards, commemorative basketballs, framed newspaper articles and photos from his career (alongside calendars of Virginia Tech women’s tennis, where his daughter Meredith played).
Thirteen players file into the office and sit on the floor around him. Holmes and assistant coach Matt Seifers point out keys to stopping Perry Meridian on a large, mounted, flat-screen television.
“They love to push the ball upcourt fast after baskets, so you have to get back on transition defense,” Seifers said.
Immediately after his assistant coach’s comment, Holmes sits up in his chair and informs his team of certain techniques to stop the quick guards of Perry Meridian. The four decades of coaching experience is easily sensed.
Matt Carlino, a junior guard committed to play for IU, moved with his family from Arizona to Bloomington this past year. He said his development as player has grown immensely because of the coaching methods of Holmes.
“He knows how to get the most out of his team at every point of the season,” Carlino said. “He’s an offensive coach, but if you don’t play defense you aren’t going to play. That’s a real motivator.”
The intense preparation Holmes put his team through earlier in the week clearly paid off in Friday’s 75-59 win against Perry Meridian. But the Panthers were not done with their weekend schedule.
Evansville Harrison, despite not boasting a top record, would give BHSS all it had early in its Saturday afternoon showdown. Holmes’ team trailed 15-11 after one quarter and led by only three points at halftime.
As defending state champions and winners of 44 consecutive games, BHSS expects to see each opponent’s top performance.
“You get everybody’s best game,” Holmes said. “I try to make it into a challenge for the kids and say ‘If you are the best, you are going to get the best.’ We don’t have the luxury of having a bad night.”
Wearing a white polo shirt and tan pants, Holmes sits calmly in the third chair from the left of the scorer’s table.
The second half goes as planned, as BHSS jumps to a large advantage and never
relinquishes the lead.
While the Evansville Harrison coach paced back and forth screaming at the officials, Holmes sat content in his seat. His players understood the job at hand.
Once time expired in the Panthers’ 70-51 win, Holmes shook hands with opposing players and coaches. He smiled and congratulated his team as he walks off “J.R. Holmes Court.”
Another victory is in the books. Another game lies ahead.
And, as always, Holmes is ready for the challenge.
But after only one year playing for the Sycamores, he realized his other passion: coaching.
Upon completion of his undergraduate studies, Holmes stayed at Indiana State for graduate school and became an assistant freshman coach on the basketball team.
At age 23, he was named head coach at Tunnelton High School in Bedford, where he stayed for two years. After 10 years as head coach at Mitchell High School in Mitchell, Ind., Holmes took the same position at BHSS.
Twenty-eight years, 625 career wins and an Indiana state title later, he still roams the sidelines in charge of the Panthers. “I was really only going to coach for about four or five years,” said Holmes, who is also the school’s athletics director. “I got a math degree and was going to use it to become rich. But this is my 40th year coaching, so I never got out.”
Forty-five minutes before the Thursday afternoon practice, 13 varsity basketball players sit attentively in the locker room on small, black fold-up chairs facing a white board. After providing each player with a piece of paper detailing Perry Meridian — the Indianapolis high school team BHSS will face Friday night — Holmes demands attention.
“We need to contain them better on the perimeter,” Holmes said. “I hope we can pressure them under control, take away dribble penetration and switch on all screens. Make them work and work and work and wear them out like we did last year.”
His voice is strong, not loud. He looks each player in the eye and scans the locker room before the completion of a sentence.
When Holmes speaks, his players listen.
Each of them is fixated on the gray-haired man, taking in every ounce of information they will need to continue their undefeated season.
The difference between Holmes and other high school basketball coaches is that he treats his players like grown men. He is quick to commend someone for a good shot or smart pass but is also not afraid to get in a player’s face and let them know what they did wrong.
Erik Fromm, a senior center committed to play for Butler next year, said the fear factor is part of Holmes’ coaching style.
“At first it is a little intimidating, but after a while you get comfortable with Coach and he really teaches you a lot,” Fromm said. “He doesn’t really praise you a lot. It’s more criticism, but it’s to get you better.”
After the five-minute scouting report, Holmes instructs the players to watch game film on Perry Meridian.
Down a flight of purple stairs and past a winding hallway below the gym is Holmes’ office. He sits down in a multicolored chair behind a desk in the center of the small room.
On the walls rest numerous awards, commemorative basketballs, framed newspaper articles and photos from his career (alongside calendars of Virginia Tech women’s tennis, where his daughter Meredith played).
Thirteen players file into the office and sit on the floor around him. Holmes and assistant coach Matt Seifers point out keys to stopping Perry Meridian on a large, mounted, flat-screen television.
“They love to push the ball upcourt fast after baskets, so you have to get back on transition defense,” Seifers said.
Immediately after his assistant coach’s comment, Holmes sits up in his chair and informs his team of certain techniques to stop the quick guards of Perry Meridian. The four decades of coaching experience is easily sensed.
Matt Carlino, a junior guard committed to play for IU, moved with his family from Arizona to Bloomington this past year. He said his development as player has grown immensely because of the coaching methods of Holmes.
“He knows how to get the most out of his team at every point of the season,” Carlino said. “He’s an offensive coach, but if you don’t play defense you aren’t going to play. That’s a real motivator.”
The intense preparation Holmes put his team through earlier in the week clearly paid off in Friday’s 75-59 win against Perry Meridian. But the Panthers were not done with their weekend schedule.
Evansville Harrison, despite not boasting a top record, would give BHSS all it had early in its Saturday afternoon showdown. Holmes’ team trailed 15-11 after one quarter and led by only three points at halftime.
As defending state champions and winners of 44 consecutive games, BHSS expects to see each opponent’s top performance.
“You get everybody’s best game,” Holmes said. “I try to make it into a challenge for the kids and say ‘If you are the best, you are going to get the best.’ We don’t have the luxury of having a bad night.”
Wearing a white polo shirt and tan pants, Holmes sits calmly in the third chair from the left of the scorer’s table.
The second half goes as planned, as BHSS jumps to a large advantage and never
relinquishes the lead.
While the Evansville Harrison coach paced back and forth screaming at the officials, Holmes sat content in his seat. His players understood the job at hand.
Once time expired in the Panthers’ 70-51 win, Holmes shook hands with opposing players and coaches. He smiled and congratulated his team as he walks off “J.R. Holmes Court.”
Another victory is in the books. Another game lies ahead.
And, as always, Holmes is ready for the challenge.
