• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

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

I think as time sets in and we distance ourselves from this very impressive B1G Tourney run, we'll see a 3-1 finish doesn't overrule a 13-18 season.

We saw a lot of positives in the tourney, but also things we should have seen much, much, much earlier. The young guns should have gotten the run way earlier. It's clear if Zed returns next year he needs to come off the bench, he slows this team up way too much. The whole year this team played too damn slow.

CCH is a nice guy, I'm sure this will be hated but my ideal turn of events is he goes to Notre Dame which is a decently high profile, low pressure job and Sean Miller comes in and takes this team to their next level.

That said, this team is shaping up very well next year to have Thornton/Gayle/Middleton/Royal/Okpara start, you'd have Chatman off the bench at guard, Brown for the wing, and Key at center running with the 2nd unit which is best for him at this point. We still need another big that can run and for depth and if Etzler isn't ready for that in year 3 it's not going to happen for him here. There's hope regardless, but if CCH is back next year and hasn't made any adjustments to his style I'll feel like that GEICO commercial based off of Texas Chainsaw Massacre where the girl goes, 'Why don't we just get into the running car?!'.

I think people are going to see what they want to see and take what they want to take from this season. That seems to be a theme with the fanbase at least.

Ultimately, I still don't think CH is being held to a performance standard as closely as the fanbase wants. Gene Smith has a completely different focus, and that focus isn't solely performance based.

At the same time, it's very clear that the slump in the middle of the season can't repeat itself. Extenuating circumstances aside, this team DID grow together and CH had a big part of that because he never gave up. Sometimes that's enough to pull a bunch of kids out of the doldrums of a long season.

Next year is important, yes, and no one here is going to accept another season like this one, but I'd bet the fans are way over-stating what level of success he needs to achieve to "keep his job".
 
Upvote 0
I think people are going to see what they want to see and take what they want to take from this season. That seems to be a theme with the fanbase at least.

Ultimately, I still don't think CH is being held to a performance standard as closely as the fanbase wants. Gene Smith has a completely different focus, and that focus isn't solely performance based.

At the same time, it's very clear that the slump in the middle of the season can't repeat itself. Extenuating circumstances aside, this team DID grow together and CH had a big part of that because he never gave up. Sometimes that's enough to pull a bunch of kids out of the doldrums of a long season.

Next year is important, yes, and no one here is going to accept another season like this one, but I'd bet the fans are way over-stating what level of success he needs to achieve to "keep his job".

I'll choose to see a team that fought till the end and finished the year 5-2 in their last 7 games making the B1G semi-finals
 
Upvote 0
I think people are going to see what they want to see and take what they want to take from this season. That seems to be a theme with the fanbase at least.

Ultimately, I still don't think CH is being held to a performance standard as closely as the fanbase wants. Gene Smith has a completely different focus, and that focus isn't solely performance based.

I saw guys on Twitter reminiscing about the good old days when Ayers and O'Brien won trophies. Never mind that both got OSU put on probation, some of those trophies were vacated, and both left the program in shambles.

Holtmann doesn't have to replicate the Matta years to satisfy his employer, even if that doesn't make the fan base happy. He will have to bounce back from 16-19, and he probably will. How much of a bounce is the question.
 
Upvote 0


Just sayin': I never thought that he would even consider jumping to Notre Dame.

1) He just signed a contract extension through 2027/2028 and a buyout would probably be huge.
2) He maintained a great relationship with Gene Smith despite losing 14 out of 15 games during a stretch this last season.
3) His future looks very promising here at Ohio State; he has some great recruits coming in next year to go with this last year's outstanding class, etc.
 
Upvote 0
Just needs to figure out how to bet the most out of his guys all the time or most of the time to be a great coach. He's a good coach now but needs to get to the next level.
Yeah, but that is easier said than done. We all have to remember that these are 19 and 20 year old college kids. Basketball is not the only priority in their lives and may not be their top priority at any given time. They all have to juggle their academics, family, social life, and other personal problems with basketball. Personal things can happen that effects the players basketball performance too, as an example, see the story on Sean McNeil in his thread.

"This year, personally, has been probably the toughest year I've ever gone through for a number of reasons,” McNeil said. “One to start with my dad. Two, I had a really close personal friend that I lost. It was within 24 hours of what happened to my dad as well. On top of some other things. Just trying to find my role here, too. It's been a challenge."

In addition, Holtmann indicated that there were injuries so some players that the public wasn't aware of.
 
Upvote 0
Yeah, but that is easier said than done. We all have to remember that these are 19 and 20 year old college kids. Basketball is not the only priority in their lives and may not be their top priority at any given time. They all have to juggle their academics, family, social life, and other personal problems with basketball. Personal things can happen that effects the players basketball performance too, as an example, see the story on Sean McNeil in his thread.

"This year, personally, has been probably the toughest year I've ever gone through for a number of reasons,” McNeil said. “One to start with my dad. Two, I had a really close personal friend that I lost. It was within 24 hours of what happened to my dad as well. On top of some other things. Just trying to find my role here, too. It's been a challenge."

In addition, Holtmann indicated that there were injuries so some players that the public wasn't aware of.
Absolutely, that's why there are so few "great" coaches.
 
Upvote 0
Just sayin': I never thought that he would even consider jumping to Notre Dame.

1) He just signed a contract extension through 2027/2028 and a buyout would probably be huge.
2) He maintained a great relationship with Gene Smith despite losing 14 out of 15 games during a stretch this last season.
3) His future looks very promising here at Ohio State; he has some great recruits coming in next year to go with this last year's outstanding class, etc.

Agree on all counts. I didn't write the tweet, I just shared it. :lol:
 
Upvote 0

OHIO STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH CHRIS HOLTMANN RECEIVES "EXCELLENT" RATING FROM GENE SMITH IN PERFORMANCE REVIEW​

140848_h.jpg


Gene Smith's performance review of Chris Holtmann following last season speaks to the confidence he has in Ohio State basketball's leading man.

While he didn't feel that the team met expectations on the court, the Buckeyes' athletic director gave Holtmann a rating of "excellent" in his performance review, which was recently obtained by The Columbus Dispatch.

The overall tone of the review is one of both frustration at the squad's 16-19 record during the 2022-23 season and optimism that Ohio State can achieve its goals and return to the NCAA Tournament in the 2023-24 campaign.

The Buckeyes signed the No. 8 classes nationally in 2022 and 2023 per the 247Sports composite rankings, contributing to Smith's bright outlook for what's ahead.

"While the athletic performance of the team on the court did not meet expectations, Chris did an excellent job in all other areas," Smith wrote. "Personnel management, budget, communication with all operations, schedule improvement focus, and especially recruiting. Having two ranked classes of recruits gives the program a great chance of success on the court in the future."
 
Upvote 0
Back
Top