You're almost there.
Just this one last Skull Session stands between you and your Monday morning reunion with one Donald J. Byrnes, the man who left you to channel his inner Meriwether Lewis, accompanied by his fair-haired Sacagawea.
So yesterday was pretty fun, right?
After days of commentary about Gene Smith hosing up the job search, loyal former player(s) still salty over Thad Matta's dismissal and paralyzing fear that Creighton's Doug Greg, no wait, Doug McDermott might actually take the job, Smith ended up landing Butler's Chris Holtmann, who was one of the top realistic targets on his original list.
Since I've got the mic, let me say I'm very pleased with the hire. Holtmann has the potential to be Thad 2.0 and with his Ohio recruiting connections, work ethic, ability to relate to players and lack of ego, he seems like Matta in many ways. He's one of the legit rising stars in the business.
Matta may have elevated Ohio State's program but this still isn't a gig in which true A-list coaches fall all over themselves for. It never has been. Ohio State has never lured a real-time A-lister to run the hoops program.
Fred Taylor took the job after one year as an assistant in Columbus, Eldon Miller came here via Western Michigan, Gary Williams took over after three seasons at Boston College and while he did compile two Sweet Sixteen trips in his four years there, he was below .500 in the Big East (31-33) and finished 7th in the regular season conference standings in his final season (13-15).
Randy Ayers had never been a collegiate head coach before taking over the program in 1989 and Jim O'Brien went 65-114 in Big East play, making the NCAA tournament just three times during 10 seasons at Boston College. After O'Brien brought the OSU program to its knees, Matta arrived in Columbus as a rising star following three successful years at Xavier featuring a 78-23 overall record with three Dance bids including an Elite Eight run.
While Matta turned out to be an exceptional hire and some of the others certainly paid varying degrees of dividends, the fact Ohio State doesn't hire already proven A-list coaches holds true so it really didn't make much sense for some fans to expect Billy Donovan, Sean Miller or Brad Stevens (FFS) to walk through the door.
Anyhoo, in case you missed our coverage of the hire, here's the goods to get you caught up:
- Ohio State makes it official.
- Expect Ohio State basketball to have a larger presence on social media.
- There's at least a puncher's chance top-100 prospect Kyle Young, a Butler signee and Massillon native, could ask out of his LOI and join Holtmann in Columbus.
- Holtmann bringing The Butler Way to Ohio State is a good thing.
- The Holtmann file.
- A sampling of national media perspective on the Holtmann hire.
CLASS IS IN SESSION. By all accounts Ohio State is getting a first class person in Holtmann. Numerous media types including those based in Indianapolis covering the Butler hoops program have raved about Holtmann the person.
Of everything I've read on him so far, however, this story from Gary Parrish sits at the top.
My wife and I were expecting last year -- and our doctor's son was a high school senior getting ready to graduate and enroll at Butler. Big basketball fan, obviously. So one day our doctor mentioned he and his son were going to Indianapolis for a game, at which point I said, "You know, you should meet Chris Holtmann while you're there. You'd like him. I'll tell him you might hang around after the game. I'm sure he'd be happy to shake your hand or snap a picture or something."
They thought that was amazing.
So I texted Holtmann and just said, "Hey, this father and son I know are coming to Tuesday's game. It's our doctor and his son. If you could just say hello, it would make their day. But if not, totally understand. Holtmann's response: "Have the dad text me."
Next thing I knew, Holtmann had personally invited them to, and hosted them at, Butler's shootaround -- and given them a private tour of Hinkle Fieldhouse before what turned out to be an 87-76 win over Georgetown. Blew them away. And what I later found out, sadly, is that this all happened one day after Butler assistant Emerson Kampen's 6-month-old son died from a terminal genetic disease -- meaning Holtmann had every reason in the world to cancel. He was dealing with a tragedy. Something truly awful. But he so badly wanted to not cancel that he just put on a happy face and gave them a memory nobody else could've given them.
I'd say that speaks to the quality and lack of ego in a man that went from Butler assistant coach to Ohio State head coach in 33 months.
EIGHT IS ENOUGH. Holtmann knew what he had at Butler. And he knew there were only a handful of jobs that could make him consider leaving such a great situation in Indianapolis.
From Gregg Doyel over at Indystar.com:
Holtmann didn’t want to leave. He had so many chances, so many great chances. Four big-time schools have come after him – Georgia Tech and Tennessee in recent years, Missouri and North Carolina State in recent months – and talks got serious with all but Tennessee. Offers that would have doubled Holtmann’s salary were made, and rejected. He wanted to stay.
...
It was after Holtmann said no to those two schools that we were talking about those decisions, and I remember exactly where I was: Driving on I-70, heading east from Indianapolis for a story in New Castle, when Holtmann said something that scared me to death:
“But there are some jobs you have to take,” he said, and he mentioned one by name:
Ohio State.
While Ohio State made his must-take list, Doyel goes on to confirm Smith approached Holtmann early in the week and was rebuffed. After McDermott was out of the mix, Smith came back to Holtmann with a six-year offer. Wanting greater commitment, Holtmann said no. Seven years? No. Finally, eight years was enough for him to commit to Ohio State.
ON SCARLET POND. Ohio State's Board of Trustees approved an expanded renovation Mirror Lake plan, increasing the project's cost by $2.5 million but the upgrades will be funded via private donations.
Via Ohio State:
One of the goals for the new Mirror Lake is to create a more natural and sustainable lake. The stone and concrete liner that forms the base of the current lake will be removed in favor of a more natural design.
The new Mirror Lake will have more landscaping around the edges of the water and a gradual slope into the lake to make it safer. The depth of the new Mirror Lake will be about four feet and a drain will make it possible to empty the lake in an hour or less.
The extra cheddar will be used to erect overlooks at Oval Drive and Neil Avenue as well as other enhancements.
WHAT A RACKET. Buckeye tennis stalwarts Mikael Torpegaard, Herkko Pollanen and Hugo Di Feo earned All-American honors yesterday marking just the second time in school history Ohio State tallied three or more All-Americans in a single-season.
Torpegaard and Pollanen won the honor as a doubles team, the eighth such honor in OSU annals. The pair went 23-7 on the season finishing No. 8 in the country.
In singles, Torpegaard captured his second-straight All-American nod becoming only the sixth Buckeye to snag such honors in both singles and doubles in the same season. Ranked No.1 or No. 2 all season, Torpegaard went 38-5.
Finally, Di Feo scored his first All-American selection after posting a 31-6 mark during his final season for the Buckeyes.
Aces, fellas.
#TGIF. Just last week Drew Brees raved about the speed of Ted Ginn Jr. following a recent New Orleans Saints practice.
Ginn, now with his fifth NFL team, put up back-to-back years of 700+ receiving yards with Carolina, good for the 2nd and 3rd-best seasons of his 10-year career, before signing with the Saints in March.
Entering his 11th pro season, Ginn is still a burner, just ask Saints strength coach Dan Dalrymple, as told by head coach Sean Peyton:
#TGIF
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) June 9, 2017
Ted. Ginn. Is. Fast pic.twitter.com/QbcnTjFNIk
PEBBLES AND MARBLES. Sneak peek at MGoBlog's template for long-rumored site facelift... Minimum hourly wage needed to afford a two-bedroom rental in each state... Gene Smith late Wednesday night, Gene Smith late Friday afternoon... Historical US County/State Boundary Changes... Life inside the 'coffin cubicles' of Hong Kong... "You're absolutely naked, my man. Not normal."... This skully sponsored by Phish's 2nd set from 12/31/13, the Beastie Boys' - The In Sounds From Way Out and 3 Floyds Gumballhead.
