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ABILENE, Texas - At the conclusion of the basketball season, an era at McMurry University that has spanned two decades will come to an end. McMurry University president Dr. John Russell announced Wednesday that Ron Holmes will step down as men's basketball coach following the postseason. Holmes will continue as athletics director, a position he was hired to serve in a dual role in February of 2009.

Over two decades as head coach of the men's basketball team, Holmes won two Texas Intercollegiate Athletics Association titles, three American Southwest Conference championships, seven ASC West Division titles, he led two-straight trips to the NCAA Division III Sweet 16, and through Saturday's win over Howard Payne, he has compiled a 346-182 record. Sixteen of his 20 seasons have ended with winning records, and he's coached seven all-Americans along with dozens of all-conference honorees.

In addition to his decision to step down as head coach, Holmes will turn over the reins to second-year assistant coach Matt Garnett. Garnett, a 2004 graduate and former all-America selection from Wayland Baptist, will take over immediately following the conclusion of the 2009-2010 season and McMurry will be his first head-coaching job.

Although Holmes said he would like this decision to be solely a celebration of Garnett's first head coaching gig, Russell said that he did not want Holmes' impact and service to the university to go without honor.

“The impact Ron Holmes has had on the young men he's coached in his twenty years at McMurry will forever be defined by his attention to their development as whole persons. Through this move, Ron will be able to devote his full attention to enhancing the role that a quality intercollegiate athletic experience has on all of the student-athletes who have chosen to study and compete at McMurry,” said Russell. “He has given McMurry a strong men's basketball program and demonstrated the promise to extend that strength throughout all 19 sports in which McMurry student-athletes currently compete.”

Although it was a tough decision to make two major announcements simultaneously, Russell said he wanted to convey to the McMurry community, its alumni, fans and current players the confidence that both he and Holmes share in Garnett as the successor.

“It's not been hard to see the character that Matt Garnett brings to his coaching duties,” Russell said. “Given the nature of NCAA Division III athletics, a coach blessed with strong fundamentals in his sport, an ability to teach and coach, and the character to serve as an appropriate role model are just the kind of attributes we looked for in a head men's basketball coach. Matt Garnett is that guy and we're proud to have him serve as our new head coach.”

Holmes' journey as McMury's head coach began in the 1990-91 season, but his ties with McMurry began as a student-athlete. Holmes played four seasons for legendary head coach Hershel Kimbrell and graduated in 1977. Kimbrell won 448 games in 31 seasons as the Indians' head coach. Holmes initially took the high school coaching route after briefly spending time as Kimbrell's assistant following his playing days. He compiled 169 wins at the high school level before he was chosen to follow his former mentor, college coach and McMurry legend, Kimbrell following the 1989-1990 season.

“Ron, when he was finished playing here, helped me coach a year. I very well knew what kind of coach he was going to be,” said Kimbrell. “I knew that he'd be very successful at every place that he wanted to coach. Then, when it came to be his time here and for me to get out of the way, I really felt like that he could more than fill my shoes, which he has.”

Holmes witnessed many successes on the basketball floor in his tenure at McMurry, but none better than the three seasons that spanned from 1998-2001. Just weeks ago on Jan. 30, Holmes welcomed back 14 members of those teams that combined for a 73-9 record. The 1999-2000 squad won a school record 27 games and lost just twice advancing all the way to the NCAA Elite Eight before losing to the eventual national champion, Calvin. The following season, McMurry posted a 25-5 record under Holmes, won its second-straight ASC Tournament Championship and made it back to the Sweet 16.

When the American Southwest Conference was formulated in 1996, McMurry joined the NCAA Division III after being part of the NAIA. Holmes, along with then-McMurry president Dr. Bob Shimp, then-Austin College athletics director Dr. Bob Mason and former Austin College president Dr. Oscar Page, laid the ground work and started the conference, which is based in Richardson and now has 15 member institutions from Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

With the ASC Postseason Tournament upcoming Feb. 26-28, McMurry will have reached the tournament 14 out of 16 times under Holmes' direction. And, with two games to spare, he has posted a combined 176-97 record against conference opponents.

In his time as head coach at McMurry, Holmes was adamant about continuing the tradition of excellence of Indian basketball for which Kimbrell set the precedent.

“You always want to leave something better than the way you found it if there's anything about you that's worthy. The spirit of McMurry basketball was captured, started and resonated through coach Kimbrell. The spirit is still here, I didn't improve on the spirit,” said Holmes. “But the physical things that you see: the wood floor, the dressing room, the transportation, things that student-athletes and prospective student-athletes would see first, I've improved. Coach Kimbrell was handcuffed on some things that I wasn't. I was able to do some things that he wanted to do.”

Garnett is one of a long string of assistant coaches that Holmes has had over 20 seasons, and when the time came for him to make the decision to step down, Holmes said there were several worthy candidates including former assistants and players that could have taken over. But Garnett was chosen because of his proven abilities and the ease of the transition.

“If we keep a smooth transition of what's going on, and it's someone who knows where everything is, can keep it going and understands the rigors and the quality where you want to keep it, then it's a natural that he would roll over into this position,” Holmes said.

Holmes said he was confident in the 27-year old Garnett as the man to carry on the torch of McMurry men's basketball.

“At his age, there's not a great deal that he can't do. He's one of the better coaches I've been around,” said Holmes. “It's because of who coached him when he was in high school and what he's learned since he's been out.  All he needs to do is get his nose bloodied once or twice and get in a fight, and he's got most of it figured out. He's going to be really good.”

In his first season as an assistant coach, Garnett helped McMurry win the ASC West Division title and the team to a 19-8 record. So far in the 2009-2010 season, with two games to spare and a guaranteed spot in the ASC Tournament, McMurry is 16-7 and stands second in the ASC West Division.

Garnett said he was both excited and humbled when he heard the news that he would be offered the head-coaching job.

“When he told me that he was stepping down, I was a little bit surprised, especially with the timing of it and just being so focused on the season right now.  As far as being named his successor, it's definitely an honor to look at this basketball program and to see that in the last 51 years it has been two guys,” Garnett said. “And to be the third one, it's an honor and it's a responsibility. It's one I'm excited about, but I'm taking it very seriously and I'm going to honor what coach Holmes and Kimbrell have built with the way I do things.”

Garnett said that while he knew Holmes would literally still be across the hall, that next season would have a different feel.

“It's an end of an era with Coach Holmes and I've loved working with him for two years,” Garnett said. “While the opportunity is a great one for me personally, it's going to be sad to not be coaching with him. I know he'll be here, but it won't be the same.”

Holmes will coach his final two games at Kimbrell Arena Thursday and Saturday when McMurry takes on Texas Lutheran and Schreiner respectively. Thursday's men's game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the game against Schreiner Saturday is scheduled for a 3 p.m. tip.