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 eighth 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 both a season and 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.

Falkenberg, a 5-foot-11 senior guard from Wadsworth, Ohio, has definitely made his mark during his four years with the Cougars. The former Wadsworth High School star is averaging a team-best 18.9 points this year. He ranks second in NAIA Division II in free throw percentage (93.2), eighth in three-point percentage (50.4) and three-pointers made per game (3.6), and 12th in assists per game (5.2). He is also shooting 52.8 percent from the field overall (103-for-195).

For his career, Falkenberg has played in 115 games as the team has posted an 87-29 overall record (.750 winning percentage) that includes three straight trips to the NAIA Division II National Tournament. He ranks second in school history in points (2,319 - only 19 from tying the school record) and three-pointers made (415), third in free throws made (386 - at a an 89.8 percent clip), fifth in field goals made (759), and tenth in assists (363). He also ranks fourth in Ohio college basketball history in career three-pointers made and 25th in career points scored, and he holds six other school records.

Among the many honors that Falkenberg has received during his career at MVNU, he was named the AMC South Division Newcomer of the Year in 2006 and the AMC South Division Player of the Year in 2007. He was also a two-time AMC South Division First Team, National Christian College Athlete Association All-American First Team, and NAIA Division II All-American First Team selection as both a sophomore and junior.

In the classroom, Falkenberg has also achieved success as a Biology major with a 3.8 grade point average. He has been named to the ESPN The Magazine® Academic All-America College Division Second Team twice and was the NAIA’s Emil S. Liston Award recipient as the nation’s top junior men’s basketball player on the court and in the classroom.

"Ben is well on his way to being one of the most outstanding players in our program’s history,” said MVNU coach Scott Flemming, who also coached Holmes. "The conference coaches thought so much of his abilities and his character that they voted for him to receive this prestigious award. He has been a very gifted offensive player since his freshman year and has now developed into a complete player. He can take over a game individually or make his teammates better around him if the situation calls for it.”

"Ben has some similar qualities that Ron had,” Flemming continued. "He has been a very good teammate and is well-respected by our other players as well as the other students on our campus. He goes out of his way to befriend many students outside of the athletic teams. He is also an outstanding student. I have had professors on our campus mention to me what a privilege it was to have him in their classes. He is a young man of integrity, and his Christian faith is a priority in his life. When it is all said and done, Ben will be one of the greatest student-athletes to graduate from MVNU. He has made a positive impact on and off the court.”

Falkenberg becomes the fifth Cougar to receive this award in its 16th year of existence. Former MVNU standouts Kenny Chaffin (2000), Phil Argento (2002), Andrew Thompson (2005), and Mark Hess (2006) were previous recipients.

The game between MVNU, which is currently 12-5 overall, 2-1 in the AMC, and received votes in the latest NAIA Division II poll, and No. 5 Cedarville (18-1, 3-0 AMC) will tip off at 7:30 p.m. in the Physical Education Center on Tuesday.

Ron Holmes Memorial Award Recipients