Richaun Holmes, the domineering big man controlling the orange paint in Bowling Green, comes in at number seven on our list of the top 25 players in the MAC for the 2014-2015 season. The 6-foot-8, 245 pound senior is a force to be reckoned with at the Stroh Center.
The Falcons' all-time leading shot-blocker, a third-team All-MAC performer a year ago when he blocked 88 shots (three per game), was second on the team in scoring with thirteen points per game and tied teammate Cameron Black with eight boards per game. With Black gone after graduation, even more of the defensive load will be placed upon Holmes' broad shoulders.
Holmes posted a string of twelve straight games last season where he scored in double figures. That, and a string of other impressive feats, is worth checking out on Holmes' profile page on BG's athletic page.
Heck, why not just learn a little more about Holmes' background? He notes about his shot-blocking abilities in this video from the Sentinal-Tribune, "Whatever they ask me to do I'm going to do to try to help this team win, and it's just blocking shots, ya know I've always been good at it, it's something I've always done, but I never thought I'd come right in and break records," and "I like to make my statements on the defensive end."
And that's what Holmes does well. He can jump-start this BG team on the defensive end, which is key for a squad that is known to hold MAC opponents to low point totals. Games like BG's 36-45 loss to Northern Illinois and the team's 58-56 victory in the Convocation Center in Athens were not atypical.
BG nerd Matt Daley (used to write for us, now he's hanging out in the comments section; you'd know him if you saw him) had the following to say about Holmes:
"I think what really stands out about his game is his athleticism, especially for someone of his size. He's still pretty raw technique-wise. But his natural athletic ability allows him to make plays."
BG will need the senior's contributions if it is to finish higher than the expectations placed upon the team as a whole in the preseason, (the team was selected to finish fifth in the East Division in the MAC preseason poll). Holmes has been named to the preseason All-MAC team. We're not at all opposed to that selection. Watch out for even bigger things on the horizon for this fella.