Ohio State’s Chris Holtmann Calls Postgame Handshake Lines A “Worthwhile Exercise”

Michigan's Juwan Howard was suspended for throwing a punch after Sunday's loss at Wisconsin.

In the wake of the incident that led to Michigan head coach Juwan Howard being suspended for the rest of the regular season, there has been debate on whether or not the postgame handshake line is necessary in college basketball. 

Included in that conversation is Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann, who acknowledged during his radio show on Tuesday afternoon that postgame handshakes can be emotional, especially when the Buckeyes lose, but doesn’t think they should be eliminated from the game.

“One of the most miserable things to do in life – after you’ve just got your butt kicked – is go shake the hand of the person who kicked your butt,” Holtmann said on 97.1 The Fan. “It’s a worthwhile exercise for adults and young adults. It’s not enjoyable. No one likes it, but it’s a worthwhile exercise for all of us to do.

“After a win, I try to keep it very brief because I don’t want to talk to the opposing coach after I’ve lost. I want to go back with my team, but I do think it's important to shake his hand, win or lose. I understand why adults and adult leagues maybe don’t do it, but I think it’s important exercise for people – grade school, high school, college – who are still growing.. There’s nothing wrong with swallowing your ego for a moment and saying, ‘You were better than us tonight and deserve the credit.’”

Howard was visibly upset when Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard called a timeout with 15 seconds remaining in Sunday’s 77-63 loss to the Badgers. The two exchanged words after Gard grabbed Howard’s right arm in an alleged attempt to explain the timeout, with Howard then grabbing Gard’s shirt and pointing his finger in his face.

As players attempted to separate the two coaches, Howard threw an open-fisted punch and connected with the face of Wisconsin assistant Joe Krabbenhoft. Pushing and shoving between the two teams ensued, with Michigan forward Moussa Diabate and Terrance Williams and Wisconsin guard Jahcobi Neath also appearing to throw punches.

Howard was ultimately fined $40,000 and suspended for five games, while Gard received a $10,000 fine. Diabate, Williams and Neath were also suspended for one game each.

“February is an emotional month,” Holtmann said. “What I would caution against as much as anything in the knee-jerk reactions we sometimes have on social media when people make errors of judgment. I get it. Nuance on social media doesn’t work. They want to read these takes that are significantly weighted one way or the other because we knew that’s what get clicks. That’s what gets energy on the Twitter platform. It’s basically become a gripe design or session of extreme takes. There’s no place for nuance.

“What I would caution against is any type of reaction. In these situations, there’s an element of grace that’s important. People make mistakes. We’re emotional. You hope people respond – when they make a mistake – the right way.”

Howard will notably miss Michigan’s regular-season finale against Ohio State on March 6, which wraps up a critical stretch for the Wolverines as they hope to make a late push for the NCAA Tournament. That will certainly help the Buckeyes’ chances in that game, but Holtmann is hopeful that all parties can move on once Howard returns to the sidelines.

“Every coach in the Big Ten understand we represent something bigger than ourselves,” Holtmann said. “When we screw up, we’ve got great coaches in this league who all take accountability when we screw up. We’re representing our universities.

“Hopefully, across the board, we can put this behind us and guys can move forward. I’ve got a lot of respect for both those coaches. Nobody wants that for the league, but we can put it behind us and move forward.”

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