Ohio State AD Gene Smith 'Confident' in Coach Chris Holtmann

Despite a subpar season, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith is confident in head coach Chris Holtmann

Matt Galatzan | Feb 4, 2023

To say the Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team has been disappointing in 2023 would be an understatement.

The Buckeyes currently sit with an 11-11 overall record and come in at 12th place in the Big 10 with a 3-8 conference record.

They have also lost eight of their last 10 games, including three-straight losses.

However, despite those struggles Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith has not wavered on the school's commitment to head coach Chris Holtmann, giving him his vote of confidence in a recent interview with the Columbus Dispatch.

“I’m confident in what Chris is doing,” Smith told the Dispatch. “Chris is our coach of the future. He’s doing an outstanding job."

Holtmann has earned that confidence as well, 118-67 record and five NCAA Tournament bids in each of his first five seasons with the program (2019-20 canceled for COVID-19).

He has also won at least 20 games in every season with the Buckeyes.

Where the struggles have come have largely come in the NCAA Tournament, where the Buckeyes have failed to advance past the second round in any of their tournament appearances under Holtmann.

This past May, Holtman signed a three-year extension that is set to run through the 2027-28 season, paying him $3.5 million annually.

The Buckeyes are set to hit the floor again on Sunday in Ann Arbor against their arch-rivals, the Michigan Wolverines.

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Published Feb 4, 2023

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com, AllAggies.com, and the Managing Editor of BuckeyesNow.com and TheGroveReport.com He is also the Editor-In-Chief of RamDigest.com and TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com