On Monday, Chris Holtmann was introduced as DePaul’s next men’s basketball coach. In the press conference, the former Ohio State program leader expressed confidence in the Blue Demons’ future.
“This city can’t wait for this program to be special again. They are so ready to rally around this program. That makes us really excited. This really is our program,” Holtmann said. “We are in what I believe is one of the best basketball conferences in college basketball. There is a real hunger for relevance in today’s ever-changing sports climate.”
Holtmann, who had a career record of 137-86 and made five NCAA Tournament appearances in his seven years as Ohio State’s head coach, was also asked about what went wrong in his final two seasons in Columbus. The Buckeyes had a 16-19 record in 2022-23 and were 14-11 overall when athletic director Gene Smith fired Holtmann.
Former Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann on what went wrong when coaching the Buckeyes the past two seasons:
— Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) March 18, 2024
...Roster construction is difficult... One thing probably I learned is gotta be a little bit older than what we were... pic.twitter.com/i3dgdMAjnx
“Well, I mean, you’re looking at one of those seasons, and they’re in the NIT right now with a 20-win season,” Holtmann said. “Roster construction is difficult. One thing probably that I learned is (that you) gotta be a little bit younger than we were. But we took great strides from starting four freshmen two years ago and now four sophomores this past season. We improved like we anticipated we would improve. But they were not the consistent NCAA Tournament teams of the previous five years.”
As Holtmann gets off the ground at DePaul, his former assistant, Jake Diebler, will move forward as Ohio State’s head coach. The Buckeyes are a No. 2 seed in the NIT and will host No. 7 seed Cornell at the Schottenstein Center on Tuesday. Holtmann said he will root for his former team this week.
Former Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann on Jake Dieblers promotion to full-time coach of the Buckeyes:
— Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) March 18, 2024
Its a great group of kids. It's obviously a unique thing, but I'm really pulling for them and happy for them. pic.twitter.com/VvhDUvjvfi
“It’s a great group of kids. It’s obviously a unique thing, but I’m really pulling for them and happy for them,” Holtmann said.
After Ohio State wraps up the NIT, Diebler will look to retain the Buckeyes’ current players, including sophomores Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle Jr., and Felix Okpara. He will also round out the roster with freshmen Juni Mobley and Colin White and transfer portal additions.
Another task for Diebler will be to build an administrative and coaching staff around him. Diebler’s current administrative assistants include director of basketball operations David Egelhoff and director of professional development Terence Dials. His coaching assistants are Mike Netti and Brandon Bailey.
In his press conference on Monday, Holtmann confirmed Jack Owens will leave Ohio State to coach with him at DePaul. Owens is the first known hire for Holtmann’s new staff.
“I have a staff member here, Jack Owens, and we are hard at work right now,” Holtmann said. “We are putting together the team, staff and program. We are really hitting the ground running. We want this program to be something that all of you who care about this university and this place take great pride in.”
DePaul was one of the worst teams in college basketball this season. The Blue Demons – who have not reached the NCAA Tournament since the 2003-04 season – went 3-29 overall (0-20 Big East). DePaul has not finished a season with a .500 record or better since 2019, when the Blue Demons went 16-16 (3-16 Big East). In the four years since, the team has a combined 33-82 record and has won only 11 league games.
