Ohio State shooting coach Chris Holtmann, who is nearing the end of his seventh year in Columbus, is the Buckeyes' first major school on the board for a new coach for the 2024 offseason, and they will begin the search, according to a statement. school, following the completion of OSU's 2023-24 campaign.
Among the unknowns is what incoming athletic director Ross Bjork will value on a candidate. Not only will this be his first big move at Ohio State, it will be one of his first. He begins March 1 as a senior advisor to the athletic director, reporting to the president before taking the job this summer.
Here is a list of possible candidates in alphabetical order.
Jeff Boles, Ohio
Boles, a former Ohio State associate head coach during the Thad Matta era, was with the Buckeyes from 2009-16 before taking the head coaching job at Stony Brook. He went 55-41 in three seasons there before taking the job at his alma mater in 2019. In 2021, he led the Bobcats to the NCAA Tournament, winning the Mid-American Conference tournament and defeating eventual national champion Virginia in the first round. .
Dennis Gates, Missouri
Gates, 44, spent eight years as Leonard Hamilton's assistant at Florida State before becoming head coach at Cleveland State for the 2019-20 season. In three years there, Gates won 50 games and was 39-19 in his final two seasons. He was named conference coach of the year in each of his first two seasons and coached the school to its first NCAA Tournament victory in 12 years in 2021.
Gates took over a 12-win Missouri team in 2021-22 and was named SEC Coach of the Year after going 25-10 in his first season. This year, the Tigers are 8-16 overall and 0-11 in the league.
Pat Kelsey, College of Charleston
A Cincinnati native who played at Wyoming and Xavier, Kelsey has been an assistant at Wake Forest, associate head coach at Xavier and head coach at both Winthrop and Charleston. He was named Big South coach of the year in 2021 and won four conference championships before moving to Charleston in 2021. There, he led the Cougars to a 31-4 record, including a 28-game winning streak in his second season.
He is one of four active Division I men's basketball coaches with at least 203 wins in 10 seasons or fewer, a list that includes Chris Beard, Archie Miller and Bryce Drew.
Dusty May, Florida Atlantic
One of the most recognizable names in the business, May led Florida Atlantic to a historic Final Four run last season and is running on the same roster again this year. The Owls were 35-4 last year and were 19-5 as of Wednesday.
He signed a 10-year contract extension with FAU last April. May was a student manager at Indiana.
Greg McDermott, Creighton
The Buckeyes pursued McDermott before hiring Holtman, and Smith flew in a private jet to meet with him before returning to Columbus and officially signing Holtman less than 24 hours later. He is now in his 14th season with the Bluejays. In his first 13 years, he was 300-150.
Before taking the Creighton job, McDermott spent four years as Iowa State's head coach and won 59 games.
Sean Miller, Xavier
Now in his second stint with the Musketeers, Miller spent 12 offseasons in Arizona. He has made eight trips to the Sweet 16 and four to the Elite Eight. He helped the Musketeers go 27-10 in his first season back at Xavier.
He has an indirect connection to Ohio State: Miller was Todd Matta's associate head coach at Xavier from 2001-04 and took over the job full-time when Matta left for the Buckeyes.
Wes Miller, Cincinnati
Miller is in his third season with the Bearcats. Prior to that, he coached at UNC Greensboro for 10 years. He won 217 games before turning 40, 15th most all-time since 1970 and seventh among coaches. In May 2020, ESPN named him the No. 1 coach under 40.
Miller won 185 games at UNC Greensboro and made two NCAA Tournament appearances while in the Southern Conference. He also played collegiately for Roy Williams at North Carolina, where he was the team captain for the 2006–07 season.
Nate Oates, Alabama
In five years with the Crimson Tide, where he turned Alabama into one of the SEC's best teams, Oates established himself as a coach who used a high-tempo, fast-paced style.
He was the head coach at Buffalo for four years before joining Alabama in 2019, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament twice. His teams have finished in the top 20 in tempo and seven consecutive top 40 in offensive efficiency. KenPom.com.
He received a contract extension through 2021 and is signed with Alabama through March 14, 2027.
Lamont Paris, South Carolina
A native of Findlay, Ohio, Parris played four seasons at Wooster before climbing the coaching ladder. Paris was an assistant at Akron for five years, then moved to Wisconsin, where he was an assistant for eight years.
Parise took over at Chattanooga for the 2017-18 season and reached the 2022 NCAA Tournament before being hired by South Carolina for the 2022-23 season. The Gamecocks are 21-3 this season and 9-2 in the SEC, putting him in the running for National Coach of the Year honors.
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Buzz Williams, Texas A&M
Ohio State showed some interest in Williams before Holtman was hired. He was at Virginia Tech at the time, where he made the 2019 Sweet 16 before taking a job at Texas A&M ahead of Bjork's arrival. With the Aggies, Williams has a winning record in three of his first four seasons during the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Williams spent one year in New Orleans, six years at Marquette (with two Sweet 16 finishes and one Elite Eight) and five years at Virginia Tech.
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