Chris Holtmann coaches the Ohio State men’s basketball team against Penn State. Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor
The Ohio State Buckeyes have parted ways with head coach Chris Holtmann, according to a release from the athletic department. This season, Holtmann rallied the Buckeyes to a 14-11 record overall, going just 4-11 in the Big Ten.
Holtmann has been at the helm of Buckeye basketball since 2017 when he was originally hired as its head coach.
“I want to express my appreciation toward Chris for the first-class program, and the well-respected program, he has run here at Ohio State,” Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith said in the release. “He and his wife, Lori, are wonderful people. I thank each of them for their seven years here in Columbus and I wish them well.”
Holtmann had a career record of 137-85 at Ohio State, with the team’s most recent loss being a 62-54 defeat against No. 20 Wisconsin, making it Ohio State’s 17th consecutive road loss — tying a program record.
Holtmann has had a variety of coaching accomplishments during his time in Columbus. At Ohio State, he was a two-time Naismith National Coach of the Year Finalist (2018, 2021), as well as the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2018.
Holtmann started out his head coaching career at Gardner-Webb University, in which he served as its head coach from 2010-2013. He then stepped down and announced he would take a position as an assistant coach at Butler University.
Holtmann was named Butler’s interim head coach in October 2014 after head coach Brandon Miller requested a medical leave of absence from the university.
In January 2015, Holtmann was named by Butler University as the program’s permanent head coach, where he was until 2017.
The Ohio State athletic department has yet to announce who Ohio State’s next men’s basketball coach will be.
