Why was Chris Holtmann fired? Exploring possible factors that led to Ohio State HC removal
The Ohio State Buckeyes fired basketball coach Chris Holtmann on Wednesday. Holtmann had been the Buckeyes coach since 2017, but after OSU's struggles this season, the school decided to let him go.
The Buckeyes are 14-11 and coming off a 62-54 loss to Wisconsin on Tuesday. After the defeat, Ohio State decided to part ways with the coach, according to reporter Jeff Goodman.
"BREAKING: Ohio State has parted ways with Chris Holtmann, source told @TheFieldOf68," Goodman posted on X. "Holtmann went to the NCAA tourney in each of his first 4 years with the Buckeyes, and was set to go the year the tourney was canceled.
"Went all 3 years at Butler and went to Sweet 16. Buckeyes has taken nose-dive the last two years and Gene Smith decided to make move now."
Why was Chris Holtmann fired?
Although the definite reason behind the firing has not been revealed, fans have speculated one factor that could've played a part in the veteran head coach getting kicked out. Holtmann was most likely fired due to Ohio State's struggles this season, as the Buckeyes may not even make the NCAA Tournament.
The Ohio State Buckeyes did pick up a big home win over Maryland on Saturday as OSU won 79-75. However, the Buckeyes fell flat against Wisconsin on the road, barely managing to put together 60 points, in a 62-54 loss. This was OSU's 11th loss of the season as they stare at another March without any hopes of a trophy.
Chris Holtmann thought win over Maryland would turn season around
After the win against Maryland, Chris Holtmann thought that would be the victory that would turn the season around, which ended up not happening as he was fired a game later.
“I love some of what we’ve had from our guys that we’ve talked about that are kind of the foundational pieces of our team and our program,” Holtmann said, via ON3.
“A guy like Bruce [Thornton], in terms of how he’s led in practice the past couple of days, but Roddy [Gayle’s] ability to impact the game in a different way, even a guy like Dale [Bonner] who’s in his first year but his mindset has been so good in terms of helping this group both in practice and in games, even though he’s a quieter guy.
"Evan [Mahaffey], Felix [Okpara], we’ve had a lot of guys who have had the right approach. And, as a coach, you’re just glad that they finally found the reward of a win.”
As of right now, it's uncertain who will replace Chirs Holtmann as the Ohio State basketball coach.
The Buckeyes will return to the court on Sunday as OSU hosts the second-ranked Purdue.