What considerations influenced Ohio State’s decision to end Chris Holtmann’s tenure as head coach?
Ohio State terminated the contract of Chris Holtmann, their basketball coach of seven years, on Wednesday due to the team’s ongoing struggles in the current season.
Associate head coach Jake Diebler will take over coaching duties for the remainder of the season, with plans for a new head coach search to follow,
according to Ohio State athletics director Gene Smith. Smith expressed that the decision was made in the best interest of the program’s future success, acknowledging the need for a change to ignite momentum.
Ohio State’s recent performance has been lackluster, with a record of 14-11 overall and 4-10 in the Big Ten conference, including a string of losses. Holtmann, once regarded as a promising coach,
had a record of 137-86 during his tenure but struggled in recent seasons amidst the changing landscape of college basketball, marked by issues like the transfer portal and NIL concerns.
Despite leading the team to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2021 and 2022, Ohio State failed to advance beyond the first weekend under Holtmann’s leadership. Furthermore, the team did not secure any regular season titles or conference tournament victories during his time as head coach.
Smith, who is retiring in July, stated that the search for Holtmann’s replacement would be overseen by incoming athletics director Ross Bjork. Holtmann, who signed a contract extension in 2022 worth approximately $3.5 million annually, will be entitled to the remaining $12.8 million on his contract.
