After much speculation this season, Chris Holtmann is out at Ohio State. This comes after Ohio State lost at Wisconsin on Tuesday night. After starting 12-2 with a win against Alabama, things were looking up for Ohio State. Since then, the Buckeyes have gone 2-9 and have played some bad basketball.
BREAKING: Ohio State has fired head basketball coach Chris Holtmann, per @TheFieldOf68. https://t.co/y3hQyXsxDg pic.twitter.com/sKfho7A41X
— On3 (@On3sports) February 14, 2024
Chris Holtmann is Out at Ohio State
Holtmann had a promising start to his career in Columbus in the 2017/18 season. He made March Madness four seasons in a row (not including the tournament canceled due to COVID) and won a game in 3/4 tournaments. However, he was upset as a 2-seed to Oral Roberts in 2021. Last year, he missed March Madness and was on pace to miss it again in 2024. In the past month, Holtmann has won two games, which included a double-overtime win to a struggling Maryland team and a close win to a bad Penn State team.
While Holtmann’s 7-year tenure at Ohio State has been good, it is below the standards set by his predecessor Thad Matta, who made two final fours and was the national runner-up in 2007. Holtmann still had four seasons remaining on his contract after he was extended following the 2021/22 season. He was making roughly $3.5 million per year and will be owed $12.5 million in his buyout.
Potential Replacements
Lamont Paris
Lamont Paris will be the first name on the list for the position. Paris has had an incredible season at South Carolina. The Gamecocks are first in the SEC and have wins against Tennessee and Kentucky. Paris is also an Ohio native and has Big Ten experience as an assistant at Wisconsin. At 49 years old, he seems like the dream candidate for Ohio State fans.
Mick Cronin
Another Ohio native, Mick Cronin has a more decorated career than Paris. Cronin currently coaches at UCLA, who is also having a down year. However, he made the Final Four in 2021 and the Sweet Sixteen in each of the past two seasons. Cronin has experience coaching at Cincinnati so a return to Ohio could be possible.
Nate Oats
This is more of a long shot but is still somewhat realistic. Oats is a Midwesterner from Watertown, Wisconsin. He is familiar with Ohio basketball recruiting as he was head coach in the MAC at Buffalo. Although he has been great at Alabama, he may have the desire to move back to the Midwest.
The Last Word
Other names for the position will likely emerge as the season wraps up. Ohio State will be a highly-coveted job. The school is rich in basketball tradition and plays in one of the best conferences. They play in a great arena and Ohio and Kentucky are great areas for recruiting. I would expect the school to take a sitting power conference coach as it looks to rebuild its basketball brand.
