Chris Holtmann - Head Coach - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

Chris Holtmann

Title:
Head Coach

Former BIG EAST Coach of the Year, Chris Holtmann, was named as the DePaul men's basketball head coach on March 14, 2024.

Holtmann brings over 25 years of coaching experience to Lincoln Park, including 13 as head coach where he has amassed a 251-170 (.596) record and eight postseason appearances. Holtmann had an exceptional stretch of 9-straight 20-win seasons and 8-straight NCAA appearances, including five most recently at Ohio State where he tallied a 137-86 (.617) record. Holtmann is a two-time Naismith National Coach of the Year Award Finalist and three-time conference Coach of the Year, including 2017 BIG EAST Coach of the Year.

In his first season at the helm of the Blue Demon program, Holtmann led an immediate turnaround that included a 11 win increase from the previous season and saw DePaul return to the postseason for the first time since 2018-19. DePaul recorded the greatest improvement in KenPom rankings nationally from the end of the 2023-24 to the 2024-25 seasons of over 180 spots. The 2024-25 season set a new program record with 314 made three-point field goals, shattering the previous record of 273. The team also totaled 524 assists which ranked fourth all-time in program history for a single-season.

Under Holtmann's guidance, the Blue Demons ended the regular-season with back-to-back wins for the first time since 2006-07. DePaul carried it's momentum into the BIG EAST Tournament where the Blue Demons defeated Georgetown, 71-67, in the first round before dropping a double-overtime game to Creighton in the quarterfinals. DePaul ended its season as a part of the inaugural College Basketball Crown, marking the first postseason appearance since 2018-19.

In just one season, the transformation under Holtmann was evident on and off the court, including the success in the classroom. Isaiah Rivera became the fourth all-time DePaul men's basketball player to earn College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors, and the first since Max Strus in 2019.

The 2018 Big Ten Coach of the Year, Holtmann led an immediate rebuild and resurgence of the Buckeyes squad where he would go on to lead Ohio State to five tournaments in his first five seasons. Over the course of his tenure, Ohio State spent 63 weeks in the AP Top 25 and had five-straight 20-win seasons. In Holtmann’s first season, the Buckeyes were picked no better than 11th in the preseason polls. Ohio State stormed out to a 9-0 Big Ten record before finishing second place in the league. Under Holtmann’s tutelage, Keita Bates-Diop was named Big Ten Player of the Year.

“I am very excited about this opportunity to be the head men’s basketball coach at DePaul,” said Holtmann. “During this process, I was extremely impressed with the commitment, eagerness and vision of DeWayne Peevy and President Manuel to build a successful BIG EAST basketball program. My wife, Lori, and our daughter, Nora, look forward to getting to Chicago and spending time in the DePaul community. We can’t wait to get to work!”

Following the departure of an experienced squad, Holtmann displayed his recruiting expertise and led a young team to their second-consecutive Second Round appearance in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Ohio State was poised for a strong postseason run in 2019-20 after putting together a 21-10 record that included wins over four top-10 opponents and four eventual conference champions, before the season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Buckeyes climbed to as high as No. 2 in the polls after an 11-1 start to the season.

In 2020-21, Holtmann was named a Naismith National Coach of the Year finalist after leading the Buckeyes to another 20-win season and the championship game of the 2021 Big Ten Tournament. The Buckeyes national prominence continued in 2021-22 as the Buckeye staff guided E.J. Liddell to a consensus All-America selection and Malaki Branham to become the eighth Ohio State player to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors and first round NBA Draft pick.

Prior to Ohio State, Holtmann spent three seasons (2014-17) at the helm of the Butler program where he led the Bulldogs to 22 or more wins in each season and secured a NCAA Tournament win. With a 70-31 (.693) overall record, Holtmann won 34 conference games, never finishing below fourth in the league standings. His 12 conference wins in 2014-15 and 2016-17 remain the most by Butler since joining the BIG EAST. In his final season in Indianapolis, the Bulldogs advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2011. In 2015-16, Butler ranked in the Top 25 nationally, scoring 79.9 points per game.

Holtmann is one of only two coaches in Butler history to lead the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in each of his first three seasons and was also named a finalist for the 2017 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award.

Holtmann spent the 2013-14 season as an assistant coach for the Bulldogs before being named interim head coach in October 2014 and being elevated to head coach in January 2015.

Prior to his time at Butler, Holtmann served as the head coach at Gardner-Webb for three seasons where he led the Runnin’ Bulldogs to a school Division 1 record 21 victories in his final season after taking over a program that won just eight games in 2009-10. In his last season at Gardner-Webb, Holtmann garnered Big South Conference and NABC District 3 Coach of the Year accolades.

Before becoming a head coach, Holtmann served two seasons as an assistant coach at Ohio University and five seasons on the staff at Gardner-Webb.

Holtmann, from Nicholasville, Ky., was an NAIA All-American guard at Taylor University, helping guide the Trojans to a 25-9 record, a No. 1 national ranking and a berth in the NAIA National Tournament in 1993-94. After his playing days, Holtmann spent the 1997-98 season as a graduate assistant at Taylor and the 1998-99 season as an assistant at Geneva College before returning to Taylor as an assistant coach under Paul Patterson from 1999-2003. In his last two seasons as an assistant at his alma mater, Holtmann helped lead the Trojans to a 50-16 record, back-to-back conference titles and a ranking in the Top 15 nationally.

Holtmann earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Taylor in 1994 and a master’s degree in athletic administration from Ball State in 2000. He and his wife, Lori, have one daughter, Nora.

Holtmann Career Timeline:
2024-Pres: DePaul Head Coach
2017-24: Ohio State Head Coach
2014-17: Butler Head Coach
2013-14: Butler Assistant Coach
2010-13: Gardner-Webb Head Coach
2008-10: Ohio Assistant Coach
2003-08: Gardner-Webb Assistant Coach
1999-03: Taylor Assistant Coach
1998-99: Geneva Assistant Coach

Head Coaching Career

Year	Team	Record	Pct.	Conf. Record	Conf. Pct	Conf. Finish	Postseason
2010-11	Gardner-Webb	11-21	.344	6-12	.333	9th
2011-12	Gardner-Webb	12-20	.374	6-12	.333	9th
2012-13	Gardner-Webb	21-13	.618	11-5	.688	2nd	CIT First Round
2014-15	Butler	23-11	.676	12-6	.667	3rd	NCAA Second Round
2015-16	Butler	22-11	.667	10-8	.556	4th	NCAA Second Round
2016-17	Butler	25-9	.735	12-6	.667	2nd	NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2017-18	Ohio State	25-9	.735	15-3	.833	2nd	NCAA Second Round
2018-19	Ohio State	20-15	.571	8-12	.400	2nd	NCAA Second Round
2019-20	Ohio State	21-10	.677	11-9	.550	8th	Postseason Canceled
2020-21	Ohio State	21-10	.677	12-8	.600	5th	NCAA First Round
2021-22	Ohio State	20-12	.625	12-8	.600	T-4th
2022-23	Ohio State	16-19	.457	5-15	.250	13th	NCAA Second Round
2023-24*	Ohio State	14-11	.560	4-10	.286
2024-25	DePaul	14-20	.412	4-16	.200	10th	CBC First Round
TOTAL	13 Seasons	265-191	.581	128-130	.496