Ohio State’s search for a new head basketball coach certainly hasn’t lacked twists and turns.
Every day — hour, even — it seems there is a new wrinkle or development. That’s how coaching searches work, though. Information — and misinformation — gets tossed around and it becomes increasingly difficult to see what’s real and what’s not.
Following Gene Smith’s quest to find a replacement for Thad Matta has been anything but easy. Since Matta was relieved Monday it seems like every day there has been a new hot-named candidate, and Thursday was no different.
If you were paying attention, you probably noticed a lot of discussion regarding Bulter head coach Chris Holtmann. And, as things stand right now, Holtmann is the leading candidate for this job.
Chris Holtmann Butler Bulldogs
45 Years-Old, 1994 Graduate of Taylor University
Bio | Wikipedia | @ChrisHoltmann
70–31 (.693) in three seasons at Butler, 114–85 (.573) overall, 4–3 in the NCAA Tournament
Trend:Up
One of the hot young coaches available, things between Ohio State and Holtmann seemed at a stalemate, but no longer.
Holtmann and Ohio State were scheduled to meet in some capacity Thursday, Eleven Warriors learned. The specifics of the meeting were not nailed down and it’s still unclear if it actually took place because things got awfully quiet in Columbus early Thursday evening.
There was a reason for that, though, because late Thursday night it was reported Holtmann was the frontrunner for the Ohio State job. The Indianapolis Star reported the two sides were "in talks" but no deal had been reached.
By the way this week went, it probably feels like Holtmann was way down Smith's wishlist. That's not necessarily the case, though. Eleven Warriors learned there was early contact between the two sides but midweek, things hit a slight delay. Things picked back up Thursday, however, and led us to the current situation.
Still, no deal is official until it's official. It would be surprising if Holtmann does not end up as Ohio State's next head coach, but there are still a few other candidates worth mentioning.
Buzz Williams Virginia Tech Hokies
44 Years-Old, 1994 Graduate of Oklahoma State University
Bio | Wikipedia | @TeamCoachBuzz
53–48 (.525) in three seasons at Virginia Tech, 206–134 (.606) overall, 8–6 in the NCAA Tournament
Trend:Neutral
Reportedly met with Gene Smith on Tuesday but there is no sign of a job offer. Things have been rather quiet on this front since.
This always felt somewhat like a backup plan for Smith and Ohio State. There was a meeting between the two sides, but it doesn't appear things got much further than that. Williams would have been a decent hire, but probably wasn't among Smith's top candidates.
Mike Brown Golden State Warriors
47 Years-Old, 1992 Graduate of The University of San Diego
Bio | Wikipedia
No collegiate experience; head coach for eight seasons in the nba
Trend:Neutral
His interest in coaching at the collegiate level is unclear. No contact had been made between the two sides as of Thursday evening.
This kind of came out of left field, but Brown's name was floated around by some NBA folks as a potential candidate. There was a report of a scheduled meeting Thursday, but it's unclear if that ever actually took place.
Chris Jent Ohio State Buckeyes
47 Years-Old, 1992 Graduate of The Ohio State University
Bio | Wikipedia | @CJ_CJENT
NO collegiate head-coaching experience; Four-year assistant under Thad Matta
Trend:Neutral
Seems like a last resort option as Ohio State wants to avoid the interim route.rather quiet on this front since.
Jent reportedly interviewed for the position on Wednesday, but that sort of felt like a courtesy interview to a potential interim candidate. That's probably the only chance Jent had at landing this job — an interim role for a year — but it remains a possibility he stays on staff.
Also, if a Holtmann deal falls through, this might be the move Smith has to make.
Billy Donovan Oklahoma City Thunder
52 Years-Old, 1987 Graduate of Providence College
Bio | Wikipedia | @UFCoachBillyD
467–186 (.715) IN 19 SEASONS AT FLORIDA WITH TWO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
Trend:Down
This kind of felt like a pipe dream anyway. Nothing has been said publicly yet, though, so we won’t eliminate Donovan just yet.
Yeah, this one just wasn't happening. We're going to have to keep waiting for Billy Donovan and Urban Meyer to be neighbors again.
Chris Mack Xavier University
47 Years-Old, 1983 Graduate of Xavier University
Bio | Wikipedia | @CoachChrisMack
187–91 (.673) IN eight SEASONS AT Xavier, 187-91 (.673) OVERALL, 11–7 IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Trend:Out
Once considered an early strong candidate, Mack quickly dispelled his interest with a simple tweet.
Mack would have been a no-doubt home run, but this got shot down rather quickly. The timing — firing Matta in June — just made this nearly impossible to pull off.
Greg McDermott Creighton University
52 Years-Old, 1988 Graduate of Northern Iowa University
Bio | Wikipedia | @cucoachmac
165–81 (.671) IN seven SEASONS AT Creighton, 445-276 (.617) OVERALL, 3–7 IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Trend:Out
Many believed this to be the guy, but McDermott turned down a reported offer to remain at Creighton.
The McDermott development was arguably the craziest thing to occur during this coaching search. He essentially emerged out of nowhere as a candidate and it even got to the point where multiple people believed McDermott would be the Buckeyes' next head coach.
He reportedly received a job offer — though some are disputing that — but eventually put out a statement on Twitter saying he would remain at Creighton.
Fred Hoiberg Chicago Bulls
44 Years-Old, 1995 Graduate of Iowa State University
Wikipedia | @ISUMayor32
115–56 (.673) IN five SEASONS AT Iowa State, 115–56 (.673) OVERALL, 4–4 IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Trend:Out
The interest between Ohio State and Hoiberg was real, but Hoiberg eliminated himself as a candidate Wednesday night.
Hoiberg was another name that didn't appear on many initial lists for this position but picked up steam during the middle of the week. The interest on both sides was real — and perhaps even more from Hoiberg's end — but there was never any talk of a serious meeting or a job offer. Hoiberg took himself out of the running Wednesday.
