After an up-and-down search, Ohio State has officially announced the hiring of Butler’s Chris Holtmann. Now, the Bulldogs are looking internally to replace the highly successful coach.
Holtmann is heading to Ohio State after three years as head coach at Butler, where he replaced Brandon Miller, who had to step aside due to medical issues.
According to FanRag Sports’ Jon Rothstein, Butler assistants Terry Johnson and Ryan Pedon are front-runners for the job: Johnson for the continuity and his familiarity with Butler basketball, and Pedon for his recruiting acumen.
From FanRag Sports:
“Continuity is very important in this thing,” a separate source said. “Johnson has been a big part of the fabric and the Butler culture.”
Pedon meanwhile, had a major hand in Butler’s six-man recruiting class, featuring four-star prospects Kyle Young, Christian David, Aaron Thompson, and Jerald Butler.
Johnson has been a Butler assistant since 2007, while Pedon joined the staff in 2015. They’re not the only Butler-connected coaches in contention, according to Rothstein:
Other potential candidates within the Bulldogs’ family are Boston Celtics assistant Micah Shrewsberry, South Alabama’s Matthew Graves, Nebraska assistant Mike Lewis, and Milwaukee’s LaVall Jordan.
With Brad Stevens, Holtmann, and interestingly enough, Thad Matta coming through Indianapolis as head coaches since 2000, the Bulldogs have a strong track record of hiring coaches.