Gene Smith gave Chris Holtmann a vote of confidence last week.
Despite a disastrous stretch for the Ohio State men's basketball program, the Buckeye athletic director told the Columbus Dispatch that Holtmann is "our coach of the future" and thinks he's doing "an outstanding job."
Smith made those comments as the Buckeyes had dropped seven of their past eight games, and they've gone on to lose three more games consecutively since. But when asked about Smith's recent comments during a Zoom interview session Friday, Holtmann said he's had an understanding with the OSU AD dating back months about the challenges his team could face this season and that both see brighter days on the horizon for the program.
"Conversations that I had with Gene, there was an understanding months ago about how we wanted to shape the roster moving forward. And those conversations, they're not public because they're conversations that you have," Holtmann said. "But there was an understanding there. And certainly some of the challenges we've had have been just that, very challenging. But I think if you were to come and look at our practice, you would see how engaged our players are and how engaged our young guys are. And that creates excitement about what we can finish here. And that's only our focus right now.”
Holtmann said he hasn't paid much attention to outside noise in the midst of an 11-13 season, although there's been a lot of it as Ohio State continues to slide late in the season. But Holtmann said there's still plenty of hope from both his staff and the Buckeye administration for what Ohio State's roster can grow into and the recent success the program's enjoyed on the recruiting trail.
“When you're in the season, you're so invested in each and every practice, game plan, prep. You're so invested in that, you're really not thinking about anything else," Holtmann said. "And you're in some ways oblivious to the outside world and what's going on. You just are. It's the reality of it. I've always had a great relationship and respect for Gene and the leadership here. And I know how much they want us to continue to grow."
That doesn't make the current state of affairs any less difficult to stomach, but Holtmann said excitement about the future remains nonetheless.
"And I think there is a level of excitement about what this class, this young class, can grow into. We feel that as a staff as hard as it is right now, and certainly are excited about how we're recruiting," Holtmann said. "But the reality is, it doesn't take the sting away from the challenges we face right now. So I think what I could tell you is, we're always in concert in terms of conversations. But the focus really is on preparing our group here."
