Holtmann will lead Buckeyes
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Chris Holtmann will replace Thad Matta as head coach of the Ohio State men’s basketball team, the university announced Friday morning.
Ohio State said Holtmann, who spent the past three seasons leading Butler and is the reigning Big East coach of the year, will be paid about $3 million a year under an eight-year deal, though details still have to be hammered out. The school will hold a news conference Monday to formally introduce him.
Matta was fired this past Monday, nearly three months after Ohio State missed the NCAA tournament for the second straight season. He had three years remaining on a contract extension he signed in 2012.
Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said Holtmann is a good fit to be the 14th coach in program history.
“Chris is focused on academics, is a high integrity person, a relentless recruiter with Midwestern ties and a proven winner,” Smith said.
Holtmann, 45, took Butler to the NCAA tournament every year he was in Indianapolis, with the Bulldogs going 25-9 and reaching the Sweet 16 last season. He was 70-31 overall at Butler and is 114-85 overall as a head coach.
“Chris is a tremendous basketball coach, but more importantly, he is a great man who has led our program well and embodied the Butler way during his time with us,” said Butler vice president and athletic director Barry Collier.
Holtmann, who previously coached at Gardner-Webb, was an assistant at Butler when he was named the interim head coach in October 2014 after Brandon Miller took a medical leave of absence. The interim tag was removed in January 2015. In April, Holtmann signed a contract extension through the 2024-25 season.
Matta’s teams won at least 20 games in 12 consecutive seasons, making him the program’s career leader in wins and games, and he won five regular-season Big Ten titles and four league tournaments, the most championships of any league coach over the last 13 seasons.
However, Ohio State was 17-15 last season, including 7-11 in the Big Ten, and Smith said recruiting had fallen behind under Matta, who was not getting the best players in Ohio.