OSU’S Holtmann helps Kentucky tornado victims
Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann wanted Buckeyes fans to take a moment to root for Kentucky.
Prior to Saturday's tipoff between his team, currently ranked No. 15, and the No. 21 Kentucky Wildcats in Las Vegas as part of the Cbssports Classic, Holtmann, a native of Nicholasville, Kentucky, asked fans to donate to a relief fund for the victims of last weekend's disastrous tornado.
“I spoke with Coach (John) Calipari on ways we as Buckeyes could help his state recover from the devastating storms of this past week,” Holtmann wrote in a message posted to Twitter. “I know John has been working incredibly hard on this effort and I really appreciate him giving me some ideas on how we can help and contribute.”
Then Holtmann shared details of a telethon benefiting those whose lives had so recently been upended.
The Kentucky United Tornado Disaster Relief Telethon ended up raising more than $3 million, $50,000 of which came from Holtmann himself. And donations were still being accepted online through the Red Cross' website.
Growing up, Holtmann starred for Jessamine County High School. His hometown is hardly a dozen miles from Rupp Arena, Kentucky's home court, and he cheered for the likes of Melvin Turpin, Kyle Macy and Sam Bowie.
His mother and father still have framed photos of former Wildcats national championship teams in their home. Despite that, when the Buckeyes faced the Wildcats in this same event two years ago, Holtmann's parents and brother said they had no conflict about which team to root for.
“Obviously, we're rooting for our son,” John Holtmann said. “We're rooting for Ohio State. That's a given. We're 100 percent behind Chris and Ohio State.”
Briefly this week, everyone was on the same team. ajardy@dispatch.com @Adamjardy