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NCAA Basketball: Top 5 Players that have Played for Ohio State Head Coach Chris Holtmann

By Tristan Freeman

BOISE, ID - MARCH 17: Head coach Holtmann of Ohio State. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID - MARCH 17: Head coach Holtmann of Ohio State. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 02: Head coach Chris Holtmann of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts in the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions during quarterfinals of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 2, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 02: Head coach Chris Holtmann of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts in the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions during quarterfinals of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 2, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

In just seven seasons as a head coach, Chris Holtmann has established himself as one of the best in the game. Here are the 10 best players who helped him become that.

In a continuation of my ongoing series ranking the top players of the best active head coaches, I’ve arrived at No. 21, Chris Holtmann. Of all the coaches on the list, he’s had the shortest tenure (seven seasons). Still, his accomplishments so far have made him one of the best young coaches in all of college basketball.

He started out his coaching career in 2010 in the Big South with Gardner-Webb. After two seasons with an under .500 record, he and the Bulldogs had a 21 win season.

He became an assistant for Butler the following season and had to become an interim head coach while Brandon Miller was dealing with medical issues. Holtmann’s audition was good enough to make him the full-time head coach in early 2015, tasked with keeping the Bulldogs strong in the Big East. He was successful, taking the program to the Big Dance all three seasons that he was in charge.

Holtmann decided to make a big decision, going to Ohio State University. The Buckeyes were expected to finish near the bottom of the Big Ten Conference last season, but instead, they finished right near the top. Holtmann led Ohio State to a 25-win season and a surprising NCAA Tournament appearance.

In about 10 years, Holtmann will be climbing up in the coaching rankings. For now, I’ll stick with just the top-five players he’s coached up to this pick. Expect this list to be vastly different in several years.

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