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WVU is entering into a potentially uncomfortable situation with Bob Huggins.  If WVU misses the tournament this season (right now squarely on the bubble) then that will make 3 out of the last 5 seasons it has missed the NCAAs (I give him the 2020 season because we were comfortably in had the tournament been played).

Since 2019, WVU has finished dead last in the conference twice and is 33-53 in Big 12 games in that time span.  He’s a HOF, loves the state and university, and has had a lot of success during his time here.

The way his contract is currently structured is he is slated to coach through next season and then take on an emeritus type role with the school.  The deadline to extend his coaching career here is May 1 this year.  I’m of the opinion the contract should stand as currently constructed, give Huggs a nice send off, and prepare for a basketball program without him at the helm.  The fanbase is probably split on that though.  Many people think as long as Huggs wants to coach WVU should allow him to.

I love him for what he’s done here but this isn’t Coach K leaving Duke or Wooden leaving UCLA.  He’s been a really good coach here.  He hasn’t been a great coach.

It will be interesting to see how our brand new AD handles it.

I can't believe he wants to coach much longer. I wonder if he would be amenable to a victory lap season at his alma mater, with the agreement he will step down at the end.  I also think you could do a couple more years if you bring in a coach in waiting.  Not sure who that is. The best WVU alum in coaching is killing it with the Celtics right now. So you aren't getting him

The Big 12 is a meat grinder this year. WVU currently at 22nd on the FancyStats despite being 16-12. Also, is WVU basketball an attractive job? That travel schedule is a bitch. I guess they could start playing Cincinnati six times a year.

Idk.  I would say it’s a middle of the road job.  Not a blue blood school, the terrible travel schedule, and WV isn’t a bucket list destination for most people (the rumor was Beilein’s wife couldn’t wait to get out of here).  OTOH,  Beilein and Huggs have shown you can win pretty consistently here.

WVU has made it to 12 of the 17 last NCAAs and parlayed those appearances into 5 Sweet 16s, an Elite 8, and a Final Four.   As far as on court success goes that is probably pretty similar to what Purdue has done during that same time span, but I wouldn’t say it’s as attractive as Purdue.

I don't think Gene Smith has any intention of firing Holtmann this season absent him mooning the crowd. But say it does happen, or more likely, he leaves for another job. My thoughts on possible candidates.

Sean Miller, Xavier: Clearly one of the strongest candidates - he was great in his first stint at Xavier and hardly a bust at Arizona. He's doing just fine in his second stint at Xavier. He had some pretty public NCAA issues that led to his ouster at Arizona, though he received no sanctions. Given he just started at Xavier, seems unlikely he would jump ship right off the bat. 

Greg McDermott, Creighton: Had Holtmann passed in 2017, Greg McDermott would likely have been the guy. He's built a great program at Creighton, though that was after flaming out at Iowa State. The knock on him is that he's pretty similar to Holtmann. He has one Sweet Sixteen appearance and one first place tie in the Big East and one conference win in the Missouri Valley. He's probably the most gettable coach from a major conference.

Chris Mack, Popeyes: Mack is from Ohio and was great at Xavier. That led to him getting the job at Louisville, where they ran him off for reasons that are still pretty weird, at least to me. His time at Louisville wasn't great, though he had a mess to clean up in the wake of Pitino and no support from the university. In any event, he's only 52 and seems destined to take another job at some point.

Jeff Boals, Ohio: Former assistant at OSU, coached at Stony Brook and now Ohio. Has been pretty decent - one tourney appearance and a win. Also probably pretty cheap.

Chris Jent, Lakers: Played at OSU, assistant at OSU. Never been a head coach anywhere. He'd be like the no name Juwan Howard hire.

Billy Donovan, Bulls: I don't follow the NBA much, but Donovan has been there a while to little success. He had lots of success at Florida. At some point, he seems bound to go back to school, though to date he hasn't shown much interest in it and is still under contract with Chicago. I'm sure they would kick the tires here.

Jerrod Calhoun, YSU: ELA mentioned him somewhere. He had a great tenure at Div. 2 Fairmont State. He has slowly turned Youngstown State into a legitimate basketball program, which is saying something. Still, that would be a big departure from what OSU normally does in basketball hires. 

Anthony Grant, Dayton: Grant has had a pretty uneventful tenure at Alabama and Dayton, with one exception - his Dayton team was pegged to be a #1 seed when the COVID tourney was cancelled, which is a pretty big youch for a program like Dayton. He fits the profile that Gene Smith seems to like - solid guys at midmajor type schools. 

Pat Kelsey, College of Charleston: Long time coach at Winthrop who was successful there, and is currently 26-3 in his second year at the College of Charleston. Seems likely to be a hot commodity. He's from Cincinnati so that's worth something. 

I really like Calhoun.  But I can't imagine any top end power five school other than Ohio State hiring him, so I don't think you have to make a change to get him.  I think you can give Holtzman another year, and still get him next year. If it's not working out. That'll give you another year to evaluate him, whether it's another year of building at Youngstown State, or if he gets a mid major job at an MAC or MVC school

He’s a Huggs protege.  His name pops up a lot when people start mentioning possible replacements for him.

Serious question:
Does anyone other than @MaximumSam think that Holtmann should be retained?

Looking for opinions from other Ohio State guys such as @MaximumSam and myself but really, I'm more interested in more detached, dispassionate, and rational takes from neutral observers. What say you: @ELA @Kris60 @847badgerfan @boilerbanger 

@bayareabadger 
@betarhoalphadelta 

Etc?

I don't think it has reached a point where you have to fire him.  So I wouldn't fire him, and then conduct a search.  But if you've identified a target, and through back channel learned that he would take the job, then I think you do it

I'm not following close enough to know if this is a "must fire" situation, but it also doesn't appear to be a situation that I'd disagree with firing him.

Six years in. No real accomplishments.  Baseline performance below the level OSU has historically been able to reach. Team trending down rather than up, despite having talent. His best (first) season's results with a core Matta built.

People were calling for Painter to be canned after two bad seasons, but Painter had actually accomplished something prior to that, by recruiting and winning with the Baby Boilers and making the S16 twice. If Painter had Holtmann's resume when he had his two bad seasons, I would have said he was a failed experiment and canned him.

If I'm the OSU AD, I'm asking "what do I see in Chris Holtmann that makes me think he can do any better than what he's shown in his first 6 years?" And if I don't have a good answer, I find someone else.