Chris Holtmann

Chris Holtmann
Name	Chris Holtmann
Birth date	30 March 1971
Birth place	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Alma mater	Taylor University; Indiana Wesleyan University
Occupation	College basketball coach
Years active	1996–present
Known for	Head coach, Ohio State Buckeyes

Chris Holtmann

Chris Holtmann is an American college basketball coach who has led the Ohio State Buckeyes of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) since 2017. He previously served as head coach at Butler University and as an assistant at programs including Butler, Miami (Ohio), and Wright State. Holtmann's career intersects with figures and institutions across Big Ten and Big East competition, and his teams have competed in the NCAA Tournament, NIT, and conference tournaments such as the Big Ten Tournament and Big East Tournament.

Early life and education

Holtmann was born in Oklahoma City and raised in Marion, Indiana, where he attended Marion High School. He matriculated at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, earning a degree while playing for the Taylor Trojans. Later, he completed graduate studies at Indiana Wesleyan University and participated in coaching clinics involving programs such as Gonzaga, Duke Blue Devils, Kansas Jayhawks, North Carolina Tar Heels, and Kentucky Wildcats coaching staffs. Holtmann’s formative years included interactions with coaches and administrators from institutions like Butler University, Wright State University, Miami University (Ohio), Marshall Thundering Herd, Indiana Hoosiers, and Purdue Boilermakers.

Playing career

As a collegiate player, Holtmann competed for the Taylor Trojans at Taylor University under coaching staffs that engaged with programs like Ball State, IPFW, Trine Thunder and regional rivals such as Anderson University and Bethel Bruins. His playing tenure put him in contact with athletes and coaches who later moved to institutions including Xavier, Butler Bulldogs, Wright State, Miami RedHawks, and Northern Illinois Huskies. Holtmann's experience as a guard informed his later coaching emphasis on perimeter play, tempo control, and defensive schemes used by teams like Creighton and Providence.

Coaching career

Holtmann began his coaching trajectory as an assistant at Taylor University and then at Wittenberg University before taking positions at Wright State University and Indiana State University affiliate programs. He joined the staff of Miami University (Ohio) under a head coach whose career overlapped with figures from Cincinnati, Dayton Flyers, and Louisville Cardinals. Holtmann later became an assistant at Butler University under Brad Stevens's successors, working alongside staffs that included future head coaches at Seton Hall, Villanova, Georgetown, and Marquette.

In 2010 Holtmann was named head coach at Gardner–Webb and then at Butler in 2014, succeeding coaches who had connections to The Summit League, Horizon League, and Missouri Valley Conference programs. At Butler he faced conference opponents such as Creighton, St. John's, and Providence Friars, before being hired by Ohio State University in 2017. At Ohio State Holtmann led teams through Big Ten campaigns against Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Purdue Boilermakers, Indiana Hoosiers, Illinois, Rutgers, Northwestern, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Penn State, Maryland, and Rutgers in regular season and tournament play.

Holtmann’s staffs have included assistants who moved to programs like UCLA, Arizona, Texas, Kansas State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Clemson, Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, Alabama, and Vanderbilt. His teams participated in the NCAA Tournament and NIT, matching up with programs such as Duke Blue Devils, North Carolina Tar Heels, Kentucky Wildcats, Kansas Jayhawks, Villanova Wildcats, Syracuse, UConn, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Seton Hall, Memphis, LSU, Rutgers, Ohio Bobcats, and Cincinnati in multi-team events and postseason matchups.

Head coaching record

Holtmann’s head coaching record spans seasons at mid-major and power conference programs, featuring conference standings in the Big East Conference, Horizon League, A-10 intercollegiate comparisons, and the Big Ten Conference. His seasons include NCAA Tournament appearances and conference tournament runs, with notable matchups against Gonzaga Bulldogs, Baylor, UCLA, Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, Villanova, Kansas, Michigan State, Purdue, Texas, Arizona, UConn Huskies, Marquette, Providence Friars, Creighton, Seton Hall, Butler, Xavier, Dayton, Saint Joseph's, VCU, Wichita State, Houston, SMU, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Colorado, Stanford, USC, Arizona State, and California Golden Bears in non-conference schedules and neutral-site classics.

Personal life

Holtmann is married with children and resides in Columbus, Ohio. His personal and philanthropic associations have connected him with regional organizations and universities including Ohio State University, Butler University, Wright State University, Miami University (Ohio), Taylor University, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion High School (Indiana), and community institutions in Marion, Indiana and Oklahoma City. He has been publicly linked through coaching networks to figures at Brad Stevens, Thad Matta, John Calipari, Mike Krzyzewski, Rick Pitino, Tom Izzo, Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim, Bill Self, Jay Wright, Bennie Seltzer, Chris Mack, Sean Miller, Billy Donovan, Bobby Hurley, Tom Crean, Matt Painter, Fran McCaffery, Pat Summitt, Geno Auriemma, and other prominent collegiate coaches.

Category:Living people Category:1971 births Category:College basketball coaches in the United States Category:Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball coaches