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Chris Holtmann (ex-tOSU Bball coach, HC at DePaul)

I'm wondering how many of the current class stays, and how many of the 2023 class reconsider their commitments.

That's my biggest concern, if everyone stays on board next year could be great. But the more likely outcome to me by keeping CH is current players leaving and commitments going somewhere else. Even with a connection with the staff, hard to ignore this shit show. I hope not because next year could be good even under CH.

We have seen Holtmann's ceiling and it ain't that great. If we return to that next season and keeps his job, I'm guessing Gene is okay with a "meh" basketball program and we're gonna have to deal with it.

That's my precise worry, accepting mediocrity. A winning season and an early a tourney exit being the ceiling is just not ok. I realize most seasons a top-third finish in the conference and a win or two in the Tourney is fine. However, we're not at that level with CH and I don't think it'll get any better over the course of time (as I presume you are also surmising).

I want to want to watch. Shit is boring and bad.

I watched today because of the rivalry. Waste of two hours. It's so bad that I just can't watch anymore. I hate that wrestling and basketball are so bad, my winter sports are practically boned.
 
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Yeah, I was part of the “be careful what you wish for” crowd for a while, but that was under the assumption better days were ahead. I’ve said countless times, the primo Matta years were an anomaly and should not be the expectation. BUT, expecting a team that can get out of the tournament’s opening weekend and maybe fielding a top-10 team once every few years is reasonable. From what I’ve seen, I don’t think we get that with CH. Thre are good young coaches out there that would leap at the chance to come to Columbus. Sure it’s a risk, but you gotta take the bat off your shoulder sometimes to advance the runners. With Holtmann, we‘re just taking pitches hoping for a walk.
 
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That's my precise worry, accepting mediocrity. A winning season and an early a tourney exit being the ceiling is just not ok. I realize most seasons a top-third finish in the conference and a win or two in the Tourney is fine. However, we're not at that level with CH and I don't think it'll get any better over the course of time (as I presume you are also surmising).
Yep, pretty much exactly my feeling. Pretty confident we‘ve seen CH’s ceiling and it‘s 20-21 wins and maybe a win in the round of 64. That shouldn’t be good enough at Ohio State. I’m not asking for 25-30 wins, a high seed, and deep tourney runs every year, but one every few years with some other nice years around it isn’t unrealistic. We’re in year six and he has zero titles of any kind, zero Sweet-16’s and a very “meh” track record coupled with this years‘s disaster. Expecting much more than we’ve seen out of him doesn’t seem like a good bet.
 
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When CH was brought in, I envisioned a Tony Bennett/UVA type of program. We wouldn't bring in the top recruits in the country year after year, but we would be fundamentally sound. I'm not sure if he is not finding the right guys or his system just isn't working, but either way it's on him.
Weird thing is that he is recruiting really well on paper, but not getting results. I'm not sure what his system is, but the talent level is certainly there. I expected a transition year after losing Branham and Liddell, but this is just unacceptable... especially after seeing glimpses of what this team could be earlier in the year. Next year we will be absolutely loaded presuming no transfers or decommitments, so there will be legit no excuses at that point.
 
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Fruitless exercise but I am a fan of the recent trend of getting a top assistant coach from a good/great program.

See- Tommy Lloyd, Arizona (former Gonzaga asst). Jerome Tang, Kansas St. (former Baylor asst). Not sure who else fits that bill - the guys at Kansas and other top 5 teams seem like lifers.

That said…

Dante Jackson (Xavier asst), former X player, young (34), Columbus native

Michael Lewis (Ball State head coach), former IU player late 1990s, coached at UCLA before coming back to midwest. Turning Cardinals around quick.

Dennis Gates (Missouri head coach), just hired at Mizzou after 3 years at Cleve State, won Horizon his last 2 years. Chicago native, 43 years old.

Bryan Mullins (Southern Illinois head coach), having a good 4th season, Illinois guy.

Can Groce handle the Big Ten a 2nd time? Go steal Drake’s coach or Toledo’s had a fun team recently. Heck, there’s a Sullinger on Kent State’s staff and they have a decent record.

I’m at the point where I’m thinking, do your worst because it has to be better than this year.

Or just hope Chris saves his own ass next year. Which, I would love to root for because I like him.
 
The worrying thing is how many of these games are close in the mid-late 2nd half and we can't coach or motivate our way to wins. That's a direct critique of the coaching.

I would understand if the University moves on after this season if we miss the tournament.
This is what motivated my comment above.
 
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I did not know this, probably because 8 of them were prior to 1970. There was also the vacated one in 1999.

It's interesting that OSU made a final four the same year they won a national championship in football (1968).

 
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