If there was any doubt whether or not Chris Holmann can coach, it is certainly gone now. Coach Holmann has engineered a seamless transition from coach Thad Matta over a short period of one year. Last year the team got off to a fast start and overachieved given the expectations of the first year coach. This year the team has fully bought into his mantra of “do it the right way” and seems to have command over his players in a way that hides their weaknesses and accentuates their skills.
Keita Bates-Diop is now in the NBA and he can attest to Holtmann’s ability to develop and utilize talent. Holtmann’s serious and yet caring demeanor has unlocked the potential of many players while yet forging a team-first mentality as the basis for winning.
What is most surprising is that a lot of the players that are in the locker room currently are not players that he recruited to OSU. Bates-Diop is a prime example of his ability to adapt to a skillset and the talent that is in his locker room. Some coaches are successful because they find players that fit their system but better coaches can both find players who fit a mold but also adapt their system and their players to an optimal confluence between the two.
Holtmann most importantly is a man of character and has backed up his “do it the right way” mantra. Recently a list of 20 schools that had violated NCAA recruiting rules and Both Butler and Ohio State were both not on that list. This is a testament to both Thad Matta and Chris Holtmann’s core values. Character always wins in the long-run and shines brightly in an age where quick success often replaces the long-term and above-board approaches. While some may dispute the validity of college athletes being compensated, a discussion certainly worth having given their contributions to athletic programs, willingness to break rules in one area often leads to other areas falling victim to shortcuts. Thankfully, coach Holtmann has built his success over time and looks to build the Buckeyes into upstanding men on and off of the court.