Unprompted by any probe from reporters, Micah Shrewsberry had something to get off his chest.
To close the opening statement of his post-game press conference after beating the Buckeyes at the Schottenstein Center Thursday, the Penn State head coach addressed the criticism that’s been lobbed at Chris Holtmann as of late. Simply put, Shreswberry doesn’t take too kindly to it.
“Before I go to answer any questions, Chris Holtmann is a hell of a coach. Anybody’s got any questions or doubts about that, you’re crazy, man,” Shrewsberry said. “That dude can coach. He’s a hell of a coach. He’s done it. Yeah, they’re struggling this year. That dude can coach, man. So that nonsense and that craziness – you can get it out my face. Don’t bring that over here to me. Not that you did or anything. Not that anybody cares what my opinion is. My opinion is he’s a hell of a coach.”
Thursday’s loss marks the ninth in a row for the Buckeyes, with just one win breaking up what would otherwise be a 15-game Ohio State skid since Jan. 5. After a stretch like that, outspoken critique is only natural, even for a program that didn’t enter the season with Final Four aspirations.
On Feb. 10, Holtmann said he’s tried to tune out the outside noise as much as possible as he works to help his team improve. Two weeks and four losses later, that remains the sixth-year Buckeye coach’s primary focus. But he openly admitted Thursday that he feels the weight of this season’s disappointment from several factions.
“As much as possible, I'm trying not to think about what has happened or – obviously, I’m excited about these young guys – but not even thinking about the future. I really am just trying to be consumed about the present and how can we help this group more,” Holtmann said. “That is it. That is really it. When you’re in these roles, you understand that a lot of people are impacted, and a lot of people feel – from former players to alumni to our fans – you carry that and you feel it. There’s no question I carry it, and I feel it. I know our staff does, and we’re just trying to stay in the present moment and focus on getting better as much as we can.”
But Shrewsberry believes Holtmann’s track record should offset some of the ill wills that have dovetailed with a disastrous season for the scarlet and gray. Shrewsberry said a team that’s struggled as much as Ohio State might have already quit on its head coach by this stage of the season.
After a contest that went down to the wire in Columbus, though, Shrewsberry said the Buckeyes hardly look like a group that has given up.
"If you’re not playing for each other, if you’re not playing for your coach, you’re gonna quit. Like, they haven’t quit. They’re still playing, they’re still playing hard."– Shrewsberry on Ohio State
“Just for a long time, he’s got a history of winning. I haven’t even gotten through year two. He has a history of winning built up everywhere he’s been,” Shrewsberry said. “Some teams, you get to this point in the season, it’s late February – I don’t know what they’ve lost, eight, nine in a row. People are ready to quit at some point in time if you’re not connected. If you’re not playing for each other, if you’re not playing for your coach, you’re gonna quit. Like, they haven’t quit. They’re still playing, they’re still playing hard.
“That’s the sign of a good coach. That’s a sign of a team that’s bought in, and that’s what I’m seeing. That’s what I’m seeing from them, from his team, and they’re gonna keep fighting. I know that much.”
Penn State, which entered the night as the 11th-place team in the Big Ten, appeared on paper to be the most winnable game remaining on Ohio State’s regular-season schedule. After all, the Buckeyes were 2.5-point favorites by the time the game tipped off and face matchups with three teams they’ve already lost to moving forward.
Given that premise, taking anything positive out of Thursday’s result is hard. Even if Ohio State only lost by four points, compared to the three straight blowouts it suffered beforehand, the bottom line remains the same.
Neither Holtmann nor the Buckeye players interviewed after the game branded the contest as any kind of meaningful step forward. The Ohio State fan base sure won’t, either. But while it’s easier for Shrewsberry to say after handing the Buckeyes their latest loss, he seemed more hopeful than most that their effort in a tight defeat could lead to better performances around the corner.
“It’s all you need is a little bit of confidence for something good to happen, and then things can get rolling,” Shrewsberry said. “We didn’t have it. We lost four straight. And it just took one small thing for us to get that confidence back and start believing we were a good team. They just need to see something good happen to them. It could be this game. … This could be the game for them. They played hard. They played together. They were in it until the end. This could be the one that flips it for them. And now they win a few in a row going into the Big Ten Tournament.”
For a program starved for a win after a 33-day drought, though, a loss of any kind may be just as likely to demoralize as it is to inspire confidence.
