Chris Holtmann officially fired as head coach of Ohio State basketball

It’s officially over. Chris Holtmann has been fired as the head coach of the Ohio State basketball program after almost seven seasons at the helm. His last two seasons are what did him in. He was 30-29 over the final two seasons, including a sub .500 record in the Big Ten over those two years.

Holtmann also never made it past the second round of the NCAA Tournament when his teams did qualify for the Big Dance. He is fired on the heels of another road loss. That loss was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Gene Smith decided to fire a basketball coach in the middle of the season for the first time ever. He leaves with Ohio State owing him in excess of $17 million in a buyout.

Who will lead the Ohio State basketball team now?

Now that Holtmann is gone, who will lead the team? We have to get through this season first. While no reports have confirmed who will take over, I bet it’s Jake Diebler. Diebler has acted as head coach before when Holtmann was out with COVID. He will likely guide the Buckeyes through their last handful of games.

Once the season is over, Ross Bjork and Smith will find someone from outside the program to take over. They will likely let the new guy decide on the current assistants, but I think it’s best if they all move on. This Ohio State basketball program needs a clean break from everyone who was involved in it from a coaching standpoint.

There will likely be a rash of transfers from this move, which is fine. There aren’t that many valuable players on this roster anyway. We’ll see what happens at the end of the Big Ten Tournament, which should only last one game for the Buckeyes. That’s when moves will officially start to happen.

It’s a new era for Ohio State basketball. Fans are pleased.