There is no disputing what sport is the top priority at Ohio State.
Urban Meyer’s football program reigns supreme. It will always be that way, too, no matter who the head coach is. Ohio State is a football school.
Newly announced Buckeyes basketball coach Chris Holtmann knows that — and he’s OK with it. The man Holtmann succeeded, Thad Matta, proved Ohio State could be both a football and basketball school at the same time. Holtmann will try to replicate that success.
“I love it. Love it. I think it’s great,” Holtmann said during his introductory press conference. “I think it adds to this place. I think it was exciting to me, to be quite honest with you.”
“This is a proud program that’s used to competing for championships, used to competing in the NCAA tournament and we’re going to work diligently to make that happen.”– Chris Holtmann
Holtmann comes from a basketball-crazed school in Butler, so this will be a change of pace for him. Value City Arena is, well, quite different from historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. Even when the Buckeyes are really good, fans don’t necessarily fill the seats until football season ends. Holtmann said he wants to play a challenging non-conference schedule — which would be a bit different than year’s past — so that might change attendance a bit but not much.
Some might think playing second-fiddle would be unattractive to a potential coach. Holtmann felt the opposite.
“It was nothing but a positive,” Holtmann said.
There’s no doubt the two programs can work together. It can only help the football program in recruiting when the basketball program is soaring and vice versa — though Meyer doesn’t need much help in that regard.
Holtmann said Meyer contacted him after it was announced he’d be the next head coach.
“I have tremendous respect for Urban and I appreciated him reaching out a couple of days ago,” Holtmann said. “I’m excited to kind of pick his brain.”
Holtmann's program will take a backseat to Meyer's. Such is life in Columbus.
But that doesn't mean both can't have success. And it certainly doesn't mean the expectations for Ohio State basketball are any less than they have been.
Holtmann seems to understand all of that and it's a big reason why he took this job in the first place.
“I think one of the reasons you come to a place like this is because you understand that expectations come with it,” Holtmann said. “We’re certainly not going to shy away from that. We understand we have some work ahead of us and I think our guys are excited about that and I’m really excited about that.”
“This is a proud program that’s used to competing for championships, used to competing in the NCAA tournament and we’re going to work diligently to make that happen.”
