Ohio State Buckeyes hire Chris Holtmann away from Butler
By Josh Hill
Ohio State has found its next basketball head coach, poaching Butler’s Chris Holtmann with an 8-year deal.
If you want your basketball coaching dream job, Butler might be the place for you. Chris Holtmann, who has held the position of head coach with the Bulldogs since it was vacated in 2014, has agreed to become the next basketball head coach at Ohio State.
Butler is in of itself a great job, but the last two coaches to hold top rank on the coaching staff have graduated to better jobs. First it was Brad Stevens moving to the NBA and the Boston Celtics, now it’s his replacement Chris Holtmann moving roughly 300 miles west to a Power Five school.
Ohio State has agreed to deal with Butler’s Chris Holtmann, sources told ESPN. It’s an 8-year deal. News conference not expected today.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) June 9, 2017
The news comes on the heels of reports that Creighton’s Greg McDermott would not be accepting the job, despite an offer. There were also rumblings — much to the joy of Chicago Bulls fans — that Fred Hoiberg was up for the job.
In the end it’s Holtmann, who seems to be the type of uninspired hire that could work out. That’s grossly unfair to say about a guy who is a two-time conference Coach of the Year (Big South in 2014, Big East last year).
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He’s not a well known name, hence the appearance of being uninspired but he has the talent to help the Buckeyes not miss a beat in the transition from Thad Matta to Holtmann. Not having the fire power of a well known name isn’t a good reason to doubt a guy’s ability to be a head coach in a big spot. Ohio State needed to find the right guy, not the most popular, and Holtmann has the qualities of the previous that will no doubt ensure he becomes the latter.