Princeton's Edwin Holmes named Courier & Press All-Southwestern Indiana Player of the Year

Edwin Holmes was the piece that turned Princeton from a good team into a regional champion. The Princeton High School forward was named the Courier & Press All-Southwestern Indiana Player of the Year after a season that finished with 16.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, plus a place in the 1,000-point club.

The numbers were never empty calories. Holmes put up 25 points and nine rebounds in Princeton's 48-46 sectional semifinal win over Gibson Southern, the kind of close-game production that kept the Tigers alive when every possession mattered. He stayed central in the postseason grind as Princeton averaged 19.5 points and 7.5 rebounds from him in sectional victories over Gibson Southern and Washington, a stretch that showed how often the offense ran through one forward who could score, rebound and create.

That run carried Princeton to a 61-48 win over Jennings County at Memorial Gymnasium in Huntingburg for the 2025 IHSAA Class 3A regional championship. It was the Tigers' first trip beyond the second week of the state tournament since 2009, and it came on the heels of back-to-back Pocket Athletic Conference championships. Princeton never lost to a PAC opponent or any other Southwestern Indiana team, a clean sweep that underlined how far the program had climbed.

Holmes was also part of a rare milestone season for Princeton, which finished with two 1,000-point career scorers on the roster. He reached the mark during the year and was listed as an All-State forward, while also drawing attention as a possible Indiana Junior All-Star candidate. For a program that had spent years trying to regain its place at the top of the area, Holmes became the face of the climb.

That is why this honor mattered beyond the trophy case. Princeton's rise was built on a player who showed up in the box score every night, but also helped reset what the Tigers expected from themselves. In Southwestern Indiana, where program identity is measured in sectional wins, regional banners and the respect that follows them, Holmes left Princeton with all three.