Ohio State basketball: If Chris Holtmann is not the answer, who is?

Growing up a massive Ohio State basketball fan, I have seen the ups and downs of what a “normal” program sees throughout 20 years. They have made it to multiple Final Fours and made the NCAA Tournament nearly every year. During the Chris Holtmann era, the team has made the NCAA Tournament in 4 out of 5 opportunities, with last year being the exception. However, his squads have not been able to break through the first weekend. Many Buckeye fans have one simple answer, “Fire Holtmann”.

While I can understand that thought after last season, it is also a bit dramatic. Holtmann has a .621 winning percentage through his 6 years as the head coach. For a program with a historical winning average of .607, I would say he is doing an okay job.

Holtmann has also been a great recruiter during his time in Columbus. According to 247 Sports, every recruiting class has been ranked in the top 50, and his 2022 and 2023 classes have each been ranked 8th overall. In those recruiting classes, they have produced 4 NBA draft picks.

I am not saying Chris Holtmann is the greatest coach in the world, but who wants to come to Columbus to coach Ohio State? Other than Gary Williams (3 years) and Jim O’Brien (scandals), Ohio State hasn’t picked a coach from a P5 school to lead the team.

Granted, Thad Matta and Holtmann were coaching in the Big East, but there are still limited resources compared to other schools like Ohio State. Besides, basketball will always be second fiddle in Columbus with football, and very few people pay attention to the team until late December or early- January.

I’m not saying that Ohio State basketball doesn’t matter, but it doesn’t matter enough for a big-time head coach to come. They have to get a lower-level coach with success. And after they do that, the cycle will repeat itself.