Holtmann ‘absolutely’ committed to Ohio State
The toughest season of Chris Holtmann’s coaching career found a ray of sunshine with Sunday’s win against Illinois. For the first time all month, and the first time since Jan. 21, Ohio State left the court with a win on the scoreboard and more than enough excitement to go around.
The Buckeyes snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 72-60 win against Illinois in front of 14,212 fans at Value City Arena. After singing “Carmen Ohio” on the court, players rushed to the Buckeye Nuthouse student section to high-five as many as they could on their way to the locker room.
It’s just one win against the backdrop of a difficult season, but it’s part of a process Holtmann said he remains committed to even as questions about his job security or future intentions have picked up steam in recent weeks. Although Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith told The Dispatch earlier this month that Holtmann “is our coach of the future,” the Buckeyes coach has been linked as a possible candidate for high-major openings at Notre Dame and Mississippi by national media reports.
Sunday, after a win that moved Ohio State to 12-17 overall and 4-14 in the Big Ten, Holtmann was asked if he wanted to be at Ohio State presuming that the administration wants him to return.
“Yes, absolutely,” Holtmann said. “I love it here. I love it here, and Gene and I have been very open about our plan in terms of moving forward and what our plan was after last year with somewhat of a rebuilt roster, what that was going to look like, how young we were going to be, our commitment to playing young guys to backing it up with another young class.”
The Buckeyes signed a five-man class for 2022 that ranked No. 8 nationally, and four of those players started in the win against the Illini. Ohio State has a four-man class inked for 2023 that is ranked No. 6 and features three top-50 players.
Smith and Holtmann have committed to building the roster with highly rated youth, a process they have acknowledged will have bumps along the way. This is the first season Ohio State will finish with a sub-.500 record since going 14-16 in 2003-04, and Holtmann has publicly acknowledged the frustrations. The Buckeyes have come close to bringing home hardware, missing a share of the Big Ten title by one game in his first season and losing to Illinois in overtime of the 2021 conference tournament, but have not won a trophy or title during Holtmann’s first five seasons.
Should Ohio State fire Holtmann, it would owe him a buyout of roughly $17.5 million after signing him to a three-year contract extension during the offseason that has him under contract through 2027-28 season. Should he opt to leave on his own before June 30, his buyout would be $2.5 million. That figure drops by $500,000 each subsequent year he’s employed by Ohio State.
OHIO STATE 72, ILLINOIS 60
ILLINOIS - Dainja 0-2 0-0 0, Hawkins 6-13 0-1 14, Epps 3-10 3-4 10, Shannon 3-12 4-4 10, Mayer 4-11 0-0 11, Rodgers 2-4 2-4 6, Melendez 2-2 1-1 5, Harris 1-4 0-0 2, Goode 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 22-61 10-14 60.
OHIO STATE - Sensabaugh 5-11 4-4 14, Sueing 6-14 2-2 14, Okpara 2-3 0-0 4, Gayle 1-5 0-0 2, Thornton 8-11 3-4 20, Mcneil 4-8 0-0 9, Brown 4-4 0-0 9. Totals: 30-56 9-10 72.
Halftime: Ohio State, 41-29. 3-point goals: Mayer 3, Hawkins 2, Epps; Brown, Thornton, Mcneil. Fouled out: Shannon.
Rebounds: Illinois 25 (Hawkins 7), Ohio St. 34 (Sueing 11).
Assists: Illinois 8 (Hawkins, Shannon 2), Ohio St. 10 (Sensabaugh, Sueing, Gayle, Thornton, Likekele 2). Total fouls: Illinois 13, Ohio St. 15. A: 14,212.