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 seventh 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 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.

Short, a 6-foot-2 senior guard from Springfield, Ohio, is currently averaging 13.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists for the Yellow Jackets, who are 10-3 overall and ranked 19th in the latest NAIA Division II national poll. The former Shawnee High School standout is shooting 52.5 percent from the field (73-for-139) and 27.6 percent from three-point range (8-for-29). He also leads the team with 17 steals.

As a junior in 2006-2007, Short averaged 16.0 points and 4.9 rebounds as he was named to the NAIA Division II All-America Third Team and the NCCAA All-America First Team. He also became the 44th player in Cedarville history to top the 1,000-point mark in career scoring, and he received the prestigious NAIA Emil S. Liston Award, which goes each year to one junior basketball player who has excelled in scholarship, character, and playing ability.

For his career, Short has played in all 113 games for the Yellow Jackets with 96 starts as the Yellow Jackets have posted an 81-32 record with two trips to the NAIA Division II National Tournament including a Final Four appearance in 2005. He ranks 19th in school history with 1,430 career points.

A standout in the classroom as well, Short has posted a 3.90 grade point average as an Exercise Science major. He was named to the NAIA Division II and NCCAA All-America Scholar-Athlete Teams as a junior. He has helped with a Hurricane Katrina relief trip, has traveled to Costa Rica and Jamaica for mission trips, and is involved in youth basketball camps.

Tuesday’s game between MVNU and Cedarville will feature a battle between two nationally-ranked teams as the Cougars are currently 12-1 overall and ranked seventh in the most recent poll. The two teams combined with Walsh University to each claim a share of the AMC South Division crown last year with identical 15-3 conference records, and that trio was selected as the preseason top three in the annual AMC coaches’ poll with Cedarville being the early favorite to win this year’s title.