James Holmes Named Head Men’s Basketball Coach At John Jay College

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NEW YORK – James Holmes has been named the new head coach of the John Jay College Men’s Basketball Team, John Jay Interim Director of Athletics Brandon Fieland announced on Friday afternoon.

 

Coach Holmes comes to John Jay after serving the last two seasons as assistant coach of the Tufts University men’s basketball team, where the Jumbos posted a combined 43-14 overall record while reaching the second round of the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Tournament a season ago after finishing 22-6 and 8-2 in conference. The 22 wins were the most in program history and were ranked No. 8 in the country.

 

“We are thrilled to have James Holmes take over the reins of our men’s basketball program,” commented Fieland. “We’ve built a successful model and culture under former head coach Ryan Hyland, and Coach Holmes fully understands that and embraces the championship expectations we have here at John Jay. His relentless work ethic, recruiting ties in the region, and passion for the game make him the right leader. The program is moving in a great direction, and I’m confident he’ll continue to build on that success.”

 

Coach Holmes joined the Tufts University men’s basketball staff in the summer of 2023. In his first season as top assistant, Holmes led the Jumbos to a 21-8 overall record, including a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Jumbos finished the season ranked 14th in the country and ranked No. 5 in the national poll.

 

“I am incredibly honored and humbled to be named the next head men’s basketball coach at John Jay College,” said Holmes. “I want to thank Interim Director of Athletics Brandon Fieland, Interim Vice President Daniel Matos, and the search committee for this amazing opportunity. I want to thank Ryan Hyland for his incredible service to the men’s basketball program, as he did a terrific job in laying a strong foundation that I am excited to build on. I am thrilled to begin working with our student-athletes and helping them reach their goals both on and off the court. I can’t wait to join the John Jay College athletic department and community.”

 

During his two-year tenure at Tufts, he mentored Scott Gyimesi into a NESCAC First Team All-Conference selection while also garnering NABC/D3hoops.com All-Region Honors after posting 14 double-doubles, good for 13th in the nation. He ranked 15th in the country in rebounds with 277 while placing among the top-25 in field-goal percentage at 58.5 percent. Additionally, he guided James Morakis, who earned Second Team All-NESCAC honors while being named to the D3hoops.com All-Region squad as Tufts leading scorer during the 2024-25 season. 

 

Collectively, the Jumbos ranked among the top-20 in the nation in blocks per game (4.9)and rebounding margin (8.5) while placing among the top-25 in field goal percentage defense (39.4) and rebounds per game (41.43).

 

Before joining Tufts, Holmes served as an assistant coach at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for two seasons. At RPI, he guided the Engineers to 42 wins, including an appearance in the Sweet 16 in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. For his efforts, he was part of the coaching staff that collected the 2022 Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year after RPI finished the year ranked No. 21 in the D3hoops.com poll.

 

Holmes was an assistant for two seasons at Oswego State, helping the Lakers to a Sweet 16 appearance in 2019 after the team won the SUNYAC regular-season and tournament championships. He mentored four First-Team All-SUNYAC Selections during his time in Oswego, NY. He began his coaching tenure as a graduate assistant and student assistant at SUNY Oneonta.

 

Before his time at RPI, Holmes was an assistant for two seasons at Oswego State in Oswego, NY, where he helped the Lakers to an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 2019 along with a SUNYAC title. Holmes also had a two-year stint as a graduate assistant and student assistant at his alma mater, SUNY Oneonta.

 

Holmes has worked at several prominent basketball camps hosted by the University of Albany, Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Yale University, the University of Virginia, Skidmore College, and the University of Rochester.

 

Holmes holds a bachelor’s degree in history in 2016 and a Master’s in school counseling in 2018, both from Oneonta.

 

No stranger to athletics, Holmes played basketball and baseball at Shaker High School, where he comes from a family lineage of basketball coaches. His father, Jeff, coached the boys’ varsity team for over 25 years and was inducted into the Upstate New York Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022, his uncle, Steve Holmes, was a coach at SUNY Geneseo and Salisbury University during the 1990s-2000s; and his grandfather, Ray Holmes, was the long-time high school boys’ coach in the Plattsburgh and Potsdam areas while also being named to multiple Athletic Hall of Fames and was named to the 2025 New York State Basketball Hall of Fame. 

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