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

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Define "mediocre." There are plenty of programs that wish they had a coach as "mediocre" as a guy who makes the Dance every season and wins a game more often than not when there. During Holtmann's time at OSU, OSU is one of 3 high major programs with 20 win seasons each of those years.

I totally get the frustration that the achievements are not more significant and the heights not higher. But I also get frustrated with the people who don't consider the injury impact, or act like Gene Smith could throw a dart at a board to find us a better coach. Matt McMahon is one the hottest coaching names in the country and he has two R32 appearances to his name. At a bigger school would he thrive? Maybe. Or maybe he'd be Holtmann 2.0.

Nate Oats had the luster on his name last season and this season he took a loaded Bama team to .500 in the SEC and a R64 exit.

Holtmann has some really good recruits coming in. Considering the high baseline consistency and how the injury impact was off the charts this season, I don't think you throw Holtmann and his incoming recruits away unless you have a home-run hire waiting in the wings. I have no idea who that would be for OSU... and this is where I get told "that's Gene's job." But Gene watches the same basketball we do.
 
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BuckeyeFromHecK said:
Yes. I appreciate that he runs a (supposedly) clean program. But, when push comes to shove, with the brand we have as a university, we should expect more. We should be an Elite 8 team every 4 years. We have the resources, brand name, and urban market to do so.
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This is where the criticism usually jumps the shark.

Not can do better, or that they should strive for better. It's offered up as something that should be expected at a university that just doesn't care about basketball. The athletic department might, but the fans do not. There's not an established tradition of excellence. They're kinda good occasionally, and with the right coach, they can be dangerous.

There are 6 blue bloods: UK, UNC, UCLA, Duke, Kansas and Indiana.

One of those hasn't been to the elite 8 in 18 years.

OSU has fulfilled the alleged expectation twice in their history, 1939-50, and 1960-71. They didn't do it under O'Brien. They didn't even really do it under thad, as there was a 5 year gap between the two and then it fell off a cliff after the 3rd appearance.

This mostly comes down to Michigan is doing something that OSU fans want.

The two schools are tied for 6th with the most elite eight appearances. But Michigan has plenty of valleys too, 14 years, 8 years, 12 years, 9 years without elite 8 appearances. They had no business getting in this year, but the criteria is laughable and now they'll probably talent their way into an elite 8, and his success (check's notes, barely breaking .500 on the year) will be thrown in Chris' face.
 
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Jake said:
The #FireHoltmann tag at Twitter is a regular Algonquin Roundtable. Lots of really big mad over there. I'm sure Gene Smith will get right on it. :lol:

Wins 20+ every year
Goes to the Dance every year
Doesn't embarrass the University (don't underestimate that part)

It's not about wanting more - every fan likes winning. But OSU is not going to fire a guy who ticks all of those boxes, just because he hasn't made a March Madness run yet.
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They’d better.
 
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Jake said:
I'm focusing on what the adults who run the University and Athletic Department focus on. You're looking at everything like a fan, which is fine as long as you stop projecting that view on Gene Smith and convince yourself Holtmann's job is hanging by a thread because it's been five whole years and no B1G titles.

It'd be one thing if the Bucks were losing 20 games a year and missing the postseason. Not to mention, he's never been caught groping young women in a bar, he hasn't had wins vacated for breaking NCAA rules, and he hasn't had players committing felonies - all of those things can be found looking at multiple OSU coaches just since the 90s. If you think that stuff isn't important, that's fine. I can assure you it's important to Holtmann's boss (and his boss).

If the only knocks are not enough B1G titles or tournament runs, while winning at least 20 games every year, getting to the big dance every year, and conducting himself in a manner expected of him by a proud university that gets a lot of attention, then you're going to have to get used to him.
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No, you’re just being an apologist. I’m not a “fan.” I’m a Buckeye. I know how an organization should be run and Holtmann is underperforming. Maybe you’re behaving as a fan and assuming anyone with the OSU logo on their shirt must be A-OK.

11-seed Michigan is in the Sweet Sixteen while 7-seed OSU is sitting at home. If the Bucks hadn’t choked at home on Senior Day then Michigan might not have even made the tourney. Do you find that acceptable? I don’t and I’m not going to make excuses for Holtmann just because he’s a nice guy and does things the right way. We can find someone else who does things the right way but who can also coach defense and develop his teams so they’re playing their best ball in March. Holtmann hasn’t done that yet.

Also, Holtmann’s boss should’ve been fired a decade ago.
 
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Bill Smith said:
I got ran off this board 3 years ago for simply calling Holtmann a mediocre coach.

Sometimes being honest goes further than being loyal
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I got a temporary ban for saying a crappy Buckeye basketball team that didn’t get a tournament bid didn’t deserve a tournament bid. It was before selection Sunday and I said I hoped they didn’t get a bid because they didn’t deserve one. To give them one would’ve sent them the wrong message that they had achieved some sort of success. Some anonymous mod dropped the ban hammer on me and never had the courage to identify himself.
 
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We'd all like to see more success in Men's BB.
The team is playing to the recruiting/talent level. Just not enough talent on the team to challenge for a B1G championship.
Holt has recruited 4 high-level recruits to date (with another 4 coming in next year).
Ohio is not producing enough quality recruits to field a high level B1G team, meaning
Holt needs to recruit nationally (not even just regionally) to field a high level B1G team.
This is something no OSU coach has done successfully.
 
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jwinslow said:
This mostly comes down to Michigan is doing something that OSU fans want.
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Honestly, this plays a big part to me. Why should they be doing what OSU can’t? I don’t care to compare OSU with the Basketball Bluebloods, but 5 straight Sweet 16’s up north (no matter how they do it) is gross while Ohio State can’t sniff it.

The marketing and money machine at OSU should do better to at least match/beat anything that team up north is doing.
 
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Hetuck said:
They’d better.
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Or what? You're going to withhold your annual donation to the university? You're going to stop buying season tickets? You're not going to buy any tOSU paraphernalia? Because unless a select few who do the first thing stops, or most who do the 2nd stop, or almost everyone who does the 3rd stops, Holtmann isn't going anywhere.
You want tOSU to be more like tsun? If Holtmann made the Sweet 16 but threatened an opposing coach, struck an opposing coach, and called a ref a piece of shit, would you think that was ok? Because thinking that was ok would make us more like them.
You want to criticize the man? Fine. You want to act like you're entitled to Sweet 16 status? Not cool.
 
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