How Chris Holtmann can learn from Kerry Coombs

Chris Holtmann just had another disappointing end to an Ohio State basketball season. While calls for his job grow louder, here’s what he can learn from a former embattled Ohio State coach.

The Ohio State basketball team fell to Villanova 71-61 on Sunday afternoon, ending their season. It will be the fifth straight year that Chris Holtmann has failed to make it past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. He has yet to win a Big Ten title in that span as well.

Calls for his job have grown louder since the Buckeyes’ late-season slide that began earlier this month. Now he is firmly on the hot seat heading into next season. What can he learn from this to make something like this turn into a positive for him and his family?

Look no further than former Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs. Coombs also had calls for his job after the Buckeyes’ embarrassing defensive performance against Oregon. He took a demotion, didn’t like it, but still finished the season with the best effort he could put forward.

During that incredibly tough time for Coombs, he showed what kind of man he is repeatedly. He showed Buckeye nation that he is an incredible human being even if the role he was in was probably too big for him. Even though he’s no longer with Ohio State, fans still love him.

Holtmann has to do the same thing. He’s a good man and has been great for the community since he arrived in Columbus. But make no mistake, this is a results-oriented business. He needs to take the criticism head-on and find a way to take a hard look at what he can do better.

That’s really the only way that he can keep his job. Another performance like this next season will certainly have him looking for another position somewhere else. Holtmann gets one last shot. Let’s see if he can learn something from someone who went down swinging.