Former Chattanooga Christian High School basketball star Jason Holwerda recently received the prestigious Roy Skinner Award at Vanderbilt University.
Holwerda, who recently completed his senior season, was honored for his excellence in leadership, perseverance and performance to the best of his potential during his career. It was the 16th season the Roy Skinner awards have been presented.
Also honored by the Kiwanis Club of Nashville during a ceremony at the Vanderbilt Stadium Club were women's players Ashley Earley and Abi Ramsey.
"This is truly an honor,'' Holwerda said. "It's a privilege to just be associated with coach Skinner's name because of the way he conducted himself.''
Holwerda finished his career ranked among Vanderbilt’s top 10 players in career assists (313) and steals (138). He ranked first in the Southeastern Conference with a 2.45-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio during league play for the 2005 season. He also was selected to the 2004 and 2005 SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll and the 2003 and 2005 SEC Good Works Team for his work in the Nashville community.
Holwerda will graduate from Vanderbilt on May 13 with a degree in human and organizational development.
"Right now, I'm done with my playing days and I'm looking for a job,'' Holwerda said. "I've got an interview for a job in Akron, Ohio next week.
"I might want to coach some day, but for now I want to try my hand in the business world and see how I can do in that field.''
Holwerda said the highlight of his career came in his final game in Memorial Gym in an NIT victory over Wichita State this season.
With the game tied at 63 with 0.7 seconds left, Holwerda threw a length of the court pass to an open Corey Smith, who caught the ball and laid it in as time expired, touching off a wild celebration on the Memorial Gym floor.
"I couldn't have scripted a better ending to my career in Memorial Gym,'' he said.
During his four years at Vanderbilt, the Commodores played in two NIT tournaments and advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 his junior season.
(E-mail Stan Crawley at wscrawley@earthlink.net)