Ohio State hires Holtmann, Buzz to stay in Blacksburg

Virginia Tech Hokies fans can breathe a sigh of relief, as it appears that head men’s basketball coach Buzz Williams will remain in Blacksburg.

As first reported by Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch, Ohio State has hired Butler head coach Chris Holtmann as their new head coach, replacing Thad Matta, who was fired earlier this week. It is an eight-year deal worth around $3.1 million annually.

Exclusive: Ohio State will hold a press conference today to introduce Chris Holtmann as its new basketball coach https://t.co/uQ90kLAyv3

— Adam Jardy (@AdamJardy) June 9, 2017

Jeff Goodman of ESPN was the first to report of the two sides meeting late on Thursday night. It was the first time that Holtmann’s name emerged for the open position, as Ohio State had courted both Creighton coach Greg McDermott and Hokies head coach Buzz Williams.

Ohio State hosted McDermott on Wednesday night, but came away from the meeting fully committed to the Blue Jays (money talks).

I'm blessed and honored to be the coach at Creighton.....and am looking forward to many more great years in Omaha! #rolljays

— Coach McDermott (@cucoachmac) June 8, 2017

As mentioned, Buzz Williams’ name was heavily involved with the open position as well. According to another report from the Columbus Dispatch, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith was in Roanoke, Virginia on Tuesday to court the representatives of both Williams and West Virginia head man Bob Huggins.

“Multiple sources had told The Dispatch that Smith had been planning to interview Golden State Warriors assistant Mike Brown, who is in Cleveland for the NBA Finals. It was unclear if the meeting took place. Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams was also viewed as a candidate, while representatives for West Virginia coach Bob Huggins had quietly expressed interest in the job. On Tuesday, Smith flew to Roanoke, Virginia, which is near Virginia Tech.”

Needless to say, Williams will now remain with the Hokies for the foreseeable future, as he looks to continue building the basketball program from the ground up. There has been great progress made over Williams’ first three seasons with the program, and for now at the very least, he will look to see it through.