Chris Holtmann

Christopher Adam Holtmann (born November 11, 1971) is an American college basketball coach who is currently the head coach at DePaul University.

Holtmann grew up in Nicholasville, Kentucky, and started his college playing career in-state at Brescia College in Owensboro. After two seasons, he transferred to Taylor University, where he played for his final two seasons. In 1994, his senior year, he earned All-America honors and Taylor hit number one in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) rankings. Holtmann got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant at Taylor in 1997. The next year, he became an assistant coach at Geneva College, then returned to his alma mater as an assistant in 1999.

Holtmann joined Gardner-Webb's staff in 2002 and spent the next five seasons there, first as an assistant coach and then as associate head coach. After two seasons as an assistant at Ohio, he returned to Gardner-Webb as head coach. At Gardner-Webb, he led a successful rebuilding effort culminating in the school's first Division I postseason appearance in 2013. He was named conference and district coach of the year for his efforts.

In July 2013, Holtmann left Gardner-Webb to become an assistant coach at Butler. In October 2014, he took over the program as interim head coach when Brandon Miller requested a medical leave of absence from the university; the following January, Holtmann was named the permanent head coach.

On June 9, 2017, Holtmann left Butler to become the head coach at Ohio State.

On February 14, 2024, Chris Holtmann parted ways with Ohio State mid-way through the 2023–24 season. On March 14, 2024, Holtmann was hired by DePaul to be their head coach.

Early life and college Born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, Holtmann moved with his family to nearby Nicholasville after eighth grade. Holtmann was a fan of University of Kentucky basketball growing up.

He played high school basketball at Jessamine County High School, and was recruited by NAIA Hall of Fame coach Paul Patterson to play at Taylor University, but initially attended and played at Brescia College before transferring to Taylor in 1992. In 1994, Holtmann earned All-America honors as the captain of Taylor, which hit number one on the NAIA rankings. At Taylor, he played alongside his future boss, John Groce.

Holtmann graduated from Taylor in 1994 with a degree in psychology. In 2000, he earned a master's degree in athletic administration from Ball State. After the season, Holtmann left Ohio to accept the head coaching position at Gardner-Webb for the 2010–11 season. At the time, Groce called him "an exceptional coach but an even better person."

In the 2012–13 season, Holtmann led Gardner-Webb to a school-record (since joining Division I in 2002) 21 wins, including wins in 10 of their last 11 regular-season games. Gardner-Webb lost by three points in the semi-finals of the conference tournament, but was selected to participate in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). Holtmann won Big South Coach of the Year honors, and was named as the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District 3 Coach of the Year. He was also a finalist for the Hugh Durham Award for mid-major coach of the year.

Butler On July 15, 2013, Holtmann left Gardner-Webb to join the Butler staff as an assistant coach under Brandon Miller. Upon his departure, Gardner-Webb described Holtmann's tenure as a successful major rebuilding effort. Athletic Director Chuck Burch remarked, "We are grateful for the resurgence Chris created here at Gardner-Webb. He will be sorely missed, both on and off the court." On the basis of the strong start, Butler was ranked as high as #15 in the AP Poll. On January 2, 2015, the interim tag was removed and Holtmann became the 23rd head coach of the Butler University men's basketball team. Announcing the decision, athletic director Barry Collier said Holtmann had "coached successfully in a difficult situation" and embodied The Butler Way as interim coach.

Upon receiving the job, Holtmann commented "The Butler Way resonates with who I am, who I want to be, who I'm trying to be, and with my family and our values."

Jeff Goodman of ESPN has described Holtmann as "a guy who just flat-out gets it. He has a tremendous work ethic, connects with his players, can recruit and also knows the game."

The Bulldogs surged into the polls in the early portion of the 2016–17 season, beating eventual NCAA Tournament teams Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Cincinnati, Arizona, Bucknell, and Vermont en route to an 11–1 non-conference start. Holtmann won Big East Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Bulldogs to a second-place finish (they were picked in the preseason to finish sixth ), which included a season sweep of defending champion Villanova. Butler's 12–6 mark in conference play was the best of their four-season history in the Big East. The Bulldogs also earned a 4th seed, their highest seed in program history, in the 2017 NCAA tournament.

Ohio State

Holtmann became the 14th head coach in Ohio State history on June 9, 2017, replacing Thad Matta.

The criticism of Holtmann continued in the 2022–23 season, as after starting the season with 10 wins in 13 games, the Buckeyes went into an extended tailspin, losing 14 of 15 games. On February 12, the Buckeyes scored just 41 points in a home loss to Michigan State, the program's lowest point total in 27 years. The Buckeyes finished the season 16–19 overall and 5–15 in Big Ten play.

On February 14, 2024, following a school record-setting 18-game road losing streak, Holtmann was fired midway through the 2023–24 season. Assistant coach Jake Diebler took over coaching duties.

DePaul In March 2024, Holtmann was named the new head coach of the DePaul Blue Demons on a six-year deal. Chris Holtmann created the only coaching staff in the country that has 5 coaches with head coaching experience. Chris Holtmann (Gardner Webb, Butler Ohio State), Lavall Jordan(Milwaukee, Butler), Bryan Mullins (Southern Illinois), Jack Owens (Miami OH), and Brandon Bailey (Maine Red Claws). Holtmann brought in a top 5 freshman scorer in Jacob Meyer, who is the team leader in points through 11 games with 14.4 points per game. He also got Conor Enright from Drake. Through 11 games, Holtmann has the Blue Demons with an 8–3 record. They are 0–2 in Big East play with losses to Providence and St. John's.

Personal life Holtmann is married to his wife, Lori (née Bedi), and they have a daughter, born in 2010.

Head coaching record