Holmes’s coaching experience spans 21 years, including serving as head coach and assistant coach for middle and high school teams in New York, as head coach for programs within the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) sports organization, and as the girls basketball and volleyball coach at F.B. Leon Guerrero Middle School in Guam.

“Dana is a solid young man who will bring dedication and a positive competitive atmosphere to our basketball program and our athletes,” Athletics Director Doug Palmer said.

In his personal basketball career, Holmes was named an all-conference and all-county player as well as the Nassau County All-Conference Leading Scorer in high school. In college, he played for Sullivan County Community College, which secured a regional championship and finished runner-up in its junior college division championship, and then for Mercy College in New York. He was co-captain of both teams.

Additionally, Holmes has experience playing against former NBA players in various tournaments and has participated in semi-professional leagues around the world.

“Basketball has been a part of my life since I was very young,” Holmes said. “Through hours of practice and determination, I developed a lifelong passion for the sport that I hope to instill in the UOG Men’s Basketball Team and the community as a whole.”

Holmes comes to the University from the Guam Department of Education, where he has been employed the past two years as a middle school instructor of career education and most recently as the physical education teacher at George Washington High School.

Holmes holds a 2003 associate degree in sports management from Sullivan County Community College and a 2005 bachelor’s in psychology from Mercy College in New York. He will be entering a master’s program for physical education this spring.

The Triton’s Men’s Basketball Team will kick off its season on Oct. 14 in the five-team Triton Men’s Basketball League.