'We will get there': DePaul introduces Chris Holtmann as its head basketball coach

CHICAGO, Ill. - Chris Holtmann has his work cut out for him. He knows this.

Standing at the podium at Wintrust Arena, DePaul’s newest head men’s basketball coach was steadfast in his words and consistent in his message.

The newest era of Blue Demon’s basketball has arrived with a coach that isn’t deterred by the state of a program that has nowhere to go except for up.

DePaul introduced Holtmann as its 16th head coach in the program’s history on Monday morning. Holtmann, who was not intimidated by the mountain he had to climb in order to simply make the Blue Demons' program relevant again, ensured that relevancy will come with his introductory remarks.

"We will get there," Holtmann said. "And when we do, we'll celebrate together."

DePaul hired Holtmann last Thursday. He comes to DePaul having earned Coach of the Year honors in the Big South in 2013, in the Big East in 2017 and in the Big Ten in 2018.

Holtmann was hired by Ohio State in February, and said he was heavily leaning toward taking a year off from coaching to work in media.

He was convinced to take the DePaul job on the promise of building a program that’s meaningful and lasting in a city that has a rich basketball history, as well as the promise of an incoming state-of-the-art practice facility.

Holtmann, who found success coaching in the Big East at Butler, winning 70 games in three seasons and advancing to the NCAA Tournament each year, knows the Big East provides a difficult challenge in its current state.

The NCAA’s reigning national champion, UConn, is in the Big East. The 2024 NCAA Tournament has a No. 1 seed, No. 2 seed and No. 3 seed from the Big East in UConn, Marquette and Creighton, respectively. DePaul finished 0-18 in Big East play last season.

"There will be difficult days when you're competing at the highest level," Holtmann said.

However, in the present day age of college basketball, rosters can be rebuilt in one offseason with the transfer portal. 

With that in mind, Holtmann has already been at work since the university officially announced his hiring last Thursday.

"We're hard at work right now putting together the team, staff and program," Holtmann said. "It's been a lot of hours here the last couple days."

That work picks up exponentially on Monday, as the transfer portal officially opened for college basketball. 

It prompted a humorous aside from DePaul president Rob Manuel who turned to Holtmann during his remarks and said he was looking forward to seeing "What'cha got."

No pressure, to be sure.

But, Holtmann has been in his position before. He stressed he created success in his previous head coaching jobs in short order.

When Holtmann took over at Garner-Webb, the Bulldogs won eight games in the year prior. By his third season, Holtmann’s Garner-Webb team finished with a 21–13 overall record. At Butler, a year after the Bulldogs finished 14-17 and head coach Brandon Miller stepped down due to health concerns, Holtmann was elevated to head coach in 2014 and led Butler to a 23–11 record in his first year.

At Ohio State, the Buckeyes finished 17–15 in Thad Matta’s last season in Columbus. In Holtmann’s first year, he finished 25-9 in the first of five-straight 20-win seasons.

For these reasons, including how Holtmann has been to eight NCAA Tournaments as a head coach, DePaul DeWayne Peevy called Holtmann the "perfect hire for DePaul."

Holtmann was also complimentary of Peevy and Manuel, who both laid out their vision for the program. Holtmann said both were clear in what they wanted out of the program, and that continuity between university leaders was a deciding factor in choosing to take the job at DePaul.

It helps that Holtmann knows what DePaul can be. 

He said he remembers watching the Blue Demons of the 1980s and the success that was built at DePaul in those days with Mark Aguirre and Terry Cummings on top of the history that was in place because of Ray Meyer and George Mikan.

In a city that includes Loyola’s current and sustained success, as well as Northwestern’s rise from the dregs of the Big Ten’s basement with Illinois, the Chicago Bulls and other franchises around Chicago, Holtmann knows what DePaul can be.

He envisioned it. That promise is why Holtmann is now coaching the Blue Demons.

"This city can't wait for this program to be special again," Holtmann said.