The Ron Holmes Memorial Award is given each year by the AMC in honor of the former MVNU basketball standout who was tragically killed in a car accident prior to his senior season in 1991. Holmes, who is regarded by many as the best player in Cougar basketball history, was just 418 points shy of becoming the program’s all-time leading scorer. He still ranks sixth in career points (1,824) and holds the school record for best career scoring average at 18.2 points per game. He also holds the school records for free throws made and attempted in a season and in a career.

The Ron Holmes Memorial Award was implemented on behalf of the conference coaches to recognize a player who exhibits the same outstanding basketball ability, character, and academic achievements that Holmes did. The recipient is selected following his sophomore or junior season, and the award is presented at a game during the following year at MVNU.

Hess, a 6-foot-6 senior post from Ashland, Ohio, is in the midst of closing out a stellar career for the Cougars. The former Ashland High School star is averaging 11.4 points and 6.0 rebounds. He is also shooting 56.0 percent from the field (84-for-150) and 67.3 percent from the free throw line (37-for-55), and he has recorded 39 assists and 10 steals while nailing his only three-point attempt.

For his career, Hess has seen action in 119 games as the team has posted a 90-37 overall record (.709 winning percentage). He ranks eighth in school history with 1,721 career points, fourth in career rebounds (910), fifth in career free throws made (308), and eighth in career field goals made (702). He has also recorded 48 blocked shots and 220 assists. He helped lead the Cougars to the NAIA Division II national tournament last year where the team advanced to the Elite Eight before finishing with a 27-9 record to tie the school wins mark.

Among the many honors that Hess has received during his career at MVNU, he was selected as the AMC South Division Freshman of the Year in 2004 and has twice been named to the AMC South Division First Team, the National Christian College Athletic Association East Region First Team, the NCCAA All-American Second Team, and the NAIA Division II Honorable Mention All-American Team.

A standout in the classroom as well, Hess has posted a 3.656 grade point average as an Integrated Math Education major. He was named to the NAIA Division II and NCCAA All-America Scholar-Athlete Teams and the CoSIDA Academic All-District IV First Team as a junior and is up for each of these honors again this season.

Hess becomes the fourth Cougar to receive this award in its fourteenth year of existence. Former MVNU standouts Kenny Chaffin (1999-2000), Phil Argento (2001-2002), and Andrew Thompson (2004-2005) were previous recipients.

The Cougars, who are currently 19-4 overall and 11-2 in the AMC South Division and are ranked 12th in the latest NAIA Division II poll, can reach the 20-win mark for the sixth straight season with a win over the Redmen on Saturday. MVNU posted a 96-85 victory at Rio Grande earlier this season on January 9th.