Ohio State basketball: Chris Holtmann looks to deliver on high expectations

Chris Holtmann has helped rejuvenate the Ohio State basketball program following a couple of down years at the end of the Thad Matta era. Holtmann was hired on June 9, 2017 and proceeded to win the 2018 Big Ten Coach of the Year. A few years later, Ohio State is preparing to deliver on expectations to win championships in March. 

Prior to his time with the Buckeyes, Holtmann was the head coach at Gardner-Webb and Butler after a handful of assistant coaching stints. Holtmann led Gardner-Webb to a school-record 21 wins in 2012-13 before joining Brand Miller’s staff at Butler. He went on to take over as head coach in 2015 and make three straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

“Going into our senior year, there was a lot of uncertainty. Holtmann was an interim coach at the time and his biggest thing was we had to improve our body language,” said Alex Barlow, who played at Butler from 2012-2015. “We can’t have negative body language because it makes it harder to overcome adversity. That was really his biggest message.”

Barlow also mentioned Holtmann’s calming coaching style: “I think one of the best abilities coach Holtmann has is his ability to remain calm. When he feels like he needs to get you more motivated or bring more energy out of you, he knows how to light that fire under you. Some coaches are just always turned up. He has that ability to stay calm.”

After leading Butler to a 25-9 record and a berth in the 2017 Sweet Sixteen, Holtmann was hired by Ohio State to re-energize the team. He did just that, finishing second in the Big Ten with a 15-3 conference record. Ohio State fell to Gonzaga 90-84 in the Round of 32 after beating South Dakota State 81-73 in the Round of 64.

“When Holtmann came in, he implemented a new culture and tried to build that family atmosphere within the program. That was awesome for the program and it got us on the right track,” said Danny Hummer, Ohio State graduate assistant. “We ended up making a great run that year. We weren’t expected to do a whole lot but we almost won the Big Ten.”

Hummer played for Holtmann for three years and joined the staff as a graduate assistant prior to this season: “I’ve had a great experience… I’ve gotten to see all sides of it. I think we’re one of the most connected teams in the Big Ten and that shows on and off the court. Holt does a great and fantastic job at that.”

The Ohio State basketball team is projected to be a 2-seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN’s Bracketology, and they could climb even higher with a deep run in the Big Ten Tournament this weekend. Holtmann had high expectations coming into Columbus and he has a chance to deliver the Buckeyes their first conference tournament title since 2013.

“One of the reasons you come to a place like this is because you understand that expectations come with it. We’re certainly not going to shy away from that,” Holtmann said in his introductory press conference. “This is a proud program that’s used to competing for championships, that’s used to competing in the NCAA Tournament.”