The students packed in early Tuesday night. The noise swelled. The roar almost felt surreal — especially to someone who remembers when the seats were mostly empty and the climb still just beginning.
Holmes, now in his fourth season on the Miami men’s basketball staff and his third as associate head coach, hasn’t been taking those moments lightly. He’s seen what building looks like from the ground up. He’s lived the long version of the journey — the one without shortcuts.
“I’ll walk out before warmups and just kind of stop for a second,” Holmes said. “You see the students. You see the crowd. You hear it. And you think, ‘Man, this didn’t happen overnight.’”
That perspective was earned over decades — from Indiana gyms to overseas leagues, from small NAIA programs to Power Five arenas, and finally back to the Midwest, where basketball has always felt like home.
Holmes grew up in Indiana, the son of a legend. His father, J.R. Holmes, is the all-time winningest high school basketball coach in state history, now in his 56th season on the sidelines.
“Basketball was just … life,” Holmes said after Miami’s raucous win over UMass, sitting in a quiet area just outside the men’s basketball coaching offices inside Millett Hall.
“I grew up in gyms. I was around winning. I didn’t really know anything else.”
A four-year starter at Bloomington South, Holmes finished as the 1999 Indiana Mr. Basketball runner-up, a Nike High School All-American and a McDonald’s All-American nominee. He went on to play at North Carolina, earning a degree in communications while sharing locker rooms with future pros and NCAA champions.
After college, he played professionally in England and Denmark — an experience he calls eye-opening and humbling.
“I thought I’d play forever. I really did,” Holmes said.
“But after my second year overseas, I just knew. Something changed.”
That realization led him back to the game in a different role.
His first coaching job came at Montreat College, an NAIA school tucked into the mountains of North Carolina. There, Holmes swept floors, taught classes, coached JV games and learned the unglamorous side of the profession.
“I thought playing at North Carolina and overseas meant I’d have doors open,” he said. “It didn’t work like that. But looking back, it was the best thing that could’ve happened to me.”
From Montreat to Francis Marion, then to William & Mary, Holmes steadily built his résumé — and his reputation.
At William & Mary, he spent 11 seasons helping guide the program through its most successful era, including multiple 20-win seasons, two NIT appearances and a CAA regular-season title. Along the way, he helped develop future NBA forward Nathan Knight, multiple All-CAA selections and one of the league’s strongest academic cultures.
Holmes didn’t just coach basketball. He built programs.
And when the next chapter arrived, it came with a familiar voice on the other end of the phone.
THE FIT: HOW HOLMES AND STEELE FOUND EACH OTHER
When Travis Steele took over the Miami program in 2022, he already knew who he wanted.
He just had to wait.
Steele and Holmes have had connections that stem from basketball.
Holmes said they both played against each other in high school. They became especially connected when Steele was at Xavier and Holmes at William & Mary. Holmes’ father in high school even coached Dee Davis, who was a former player on Steele’s team at Xavier.
Holmes was finishing his run at Elon, where he’d helped guide the Phoenix to a CAA championship game and earned recognition as one of the nation’s top mid-major assistants. When Elon’s head coaching job opened, Holmes was a candidate — and Steele respected that process enough to step back.
“I told him to run his race,” Steele said. “He deserved that opportunity. But I also knew, if I could get him, it would be a huge win for us.”
Steele waited nearly a month before filling out his staff, working solo while others wondered why he wasn’t rushing the process.
“I wasn’t going to miss on this,” Steele said. “Jonathan checks every box — intelligence, work ethic, relationships, player development. He fits who we are.”
When Holmes finally joined the staff in May 2022, the fit was immediate.
Both Steele and Holmes had worked at academically driven institutions. Both valued development over shortcuts. Both believed culture had to come before results.
And slowly, the results followed.
In Holmes’ first season, Miami went 12-20 but finished strong, winning four straight games late and earning a MAC Tournament berth after being picked 11th in the preseason.
By year two, the defense had become one of the best in the conference. By year three, the offense exploded.
The RedHawks averaged 80.6 points per game in 2024–25 — up from 70.6 the year prior — finishing second in the MAC. They led the league in field goal percentage (48.1%) and 3-point shooting (39.7%), while setting program records for total points, field goals, 3s and assists.
Players flourished.
Peter Suder became a First-Team All-MAC selection. Brant Byers was named MAC Freshman of the Year. Eian Elmer earned league recognition.
Steele credits Holmes with much of that growth.
“He’s one of the best developers I’ve been around,” Steele said. “He connects. He teaches. He builds relationships.
“And guys trust him — the most important thing.”
That trust shows up in subtle ways — in practice habits, in late-game execution, in how players respond when adversity hits.
“Jonathan is as good as they come,” Steele said.
THE PROCESS, THE PEOPLE, AND WHAT’S STILL AHEAD
Holmes doesn’t chase credit. He rarely talks about awards — even when they come.
This season, Silver Waves Media named him one of the nation’s top mid-major assistant coaches, a recognition he’s earned before.
As usual, he shrugs it off.
“That stuff is nice,” Holmes said. “But I’ve been around long enough to know it’s really about the people you’re with.”
He talks more about development than wins. More about habits than highlights. More about culture than records.
And maybe that’s why Miami’s rise feels sustainable.
“Winning is a byproduct,” Holmes said. “It starts with the culture. The habits. The daily work. You can’t skip steps.”
That philosophy mirrors Steele’s — and it’s why their partnership works.
They spend countless hours together recruiting, scouting, traveling, planning. They share the same vision by building it the right way, brick by brick.
Holmes sees it in the players.
He sees it in growth, maturity and development. He sees it on a roster that doesn’t rely on rentals from an inevitable transfer portal, but improvement.
And now, he sees it in the stands.
“I remember our first game here,” Holmes said. “There might’ve been 50 people. Now you walk out and it’s packed. That’s special.”
It’s also personal.
Holmes’ parents can make the short drive from Indiana to Oxford. His father, still coaching in his late 70s can watch from the stands on a day off — occasionally offering advice and always being proud.
“It’s funny,” Holmes said with quick laugh. “It used to be coach and player. Now it’s coach and coach.”
And for a man who has spent his life in gyms, on buses, in locker rooms and film rooms, that full-circle moment means something.
“I’ve been really fortunate,” Holmes said. “To do this for a living. To do it near home. To be part of something that’s growing.”
He paused and had a brief conversation with Steele around midnight after Miami upped its record to 21-0.
“Our guys are stepping up. They figure it out, don’t they?” Steele said to Holmes. “Our guys are so resilient. It’s a testament to what’s going on here.”
“This is incredible,” Holmes responded. “And I think we’re just getting started.”
Next game
Who: Northern Illinois at Miami
When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 980-AM, 1450-AM, 101.5-FM
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