Gene Smith on Chris Holtmann: 'I'm looking forward to seeing how this (season) turns out'
Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith says he is not ready to make any big-picture decisions about the men’s basketball program and coach Chris Holtmann.
“We have a lot of this season left to play, and we have coaches and players that are focused on winning every day,” Smith told The Dispatch. “I’m looking forward to seeing how this turns out.”
Signed to an extension during the summer of 2022 that has him under contract through 2027-28, Holtmann is in his seventh year at Ohio State. The Buckeyes missed out on the NCAA Tournament last year after a stretch of 14 losses in 15 games, marking the first time they had not participated in March Madness during his tenure. (Ohio State was projected as at least a five seed in 2020 before COVID-19 canceled the event.)
Amid that season’s struggles, Smith was vocal about his support for Holtmann and his belief in the long-term vision under the coach.
“I’m confident in what Chris is doing,” Smith said that February. “Chris is our coach of the future. He’s doing an outstanding job.”
This year, Ohio State started 12-2 and was 2-1 in the Big Ten after a 76-72 home win against Rutgers on Jan. 3, but the Buckeyes then lost three straight games and have now lost five of six. This week, Ohio State took a 14-point loss at Nebraska and trailed by as many as 35 points in Saturday night’s 83-58 loss at Northwestern.
Standing outside the visitors’ locker room at Welsh-Ryan Arena, Holtmann was asked about his confidence in his ability to lead the Buckeyes out of this stretch.
“You coach long enough, you have moments that are certainly really humbling and that’s part of being in a profession like this,” he said. “For all of us, we’ve got to find a way to get them in a better mindset and prepare to play better than what we’ve played. I don’t think we played nearly this poorly during this (entire) stretch, but we certainly have this last game and a half. We’ve got to figure out how to correct it here quickly.”
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Smith is preparing for retirement after nearly two decades at Ohio State. His final day will be June 30, and Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork will replace him the next day. At a press conference introducing Bjork, Ohio State president Ted Carter made it clear that Smith will remain the department’s decision-maker until the end of June.
On Jan. 22, Holtmann said he’d spoken with Bjork since he was announced as the program's new boss.
“Had a great conversation,” he said. “Kind of introductory and just had a really good conversation. Heard really good things about his ability for fundraising and NIL in this new space. Talked to some industry people who have all said really positive things. Looking forward to it.”
Should Ohio State want to terminate Holtmann’s contract prior to 2028, he would be owed his full remaining salary. Right now, that would be around $14 million.
Ohio State will host No. 10 Illinois on Tuesday night.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Gene Smith voices commitment to Ohio State basketball's Chris Holtmann
