DePaul hires new men’s basketball coach

CHICAGO — DePaul University announced who will take over as the newest head coach of their men’s basketball team Thursday.

In an announcement on X (formerly known as Twitter), the university announced Chris Holtmann as head coach of their men’s basketball team.

“After an extensive national search, I am proud to welcome Chris Holtmann to Chicago and our Blue Demon family,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics DeWayne Peevy in a press release Thursday. “Chris’ track record as a head coach of high-level programs, demonstrated commitment to excellence on and off the court, and NCAA postseason experience made him the perfect hire for DePaul.

“Chris unmistakably shares our values and our vision for DePaul men’s basketball, recognizes our commitment to the resources required to compete at a high level, and is eager to return our program to national prominence.”

The move comes exactly one month after Holtmann was fired by Ohio State University following a school-record 18-game losing streak on the road.

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Holtmann has over 25 years of coaching experience on his resume that he brings to Lincoln Park, including 13 as head coach where he has amassed a 251-170 (.596) record and eight postseason appearances. Holtmann had a stretch of nine-straight 20-win seasons and eight-straight NCAA Tournament appearances at one point in time, including five most recently at Ohio State, where he tallied a 137-86 (.617) record.

Prior to his time as a Buckeye, Holtmann spent three seasons (2014-17) at the helm of the Butler University men’s basketball 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.

Before joining Butler, Holtmann served as the head coach at Gardner-Webb University for three seasons, where he led the Runnin’ Bulldogs to a school Division 1 record of 21 victories in his final season after taking over a program that had won just eight games in 2009-10.

Overall, 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.

“I am very excited about this opportunity to be the head men’s basketball coach at DePaul,” Holtmann said in a press release Thursday. “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!”

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