Chris Holtmann Leaves Gardner Webb to Join Butler's Staff

[xubrew]

I don't think this is the best of moves. Chris Holtmann had a pretty good gig at Gardner Webb, and they were expected to be good again this year. I would imagine he would have been in a position to move up to a better job rather quickly.

So....he opts to leave in the middle of July to become an assistant at Butler??? Oooookkaaay.

He has more head coaching experience, and is more proven, than the guy he'll be working for. Had he left Gardner Webb to take the assistant job at North Carolina, I would have thought it somewhat strange.


http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9479007/butler-bulldogs-lure-top-big-south-coach-chris-holtmann-gardner-webb


I feel a little bad for Gardner Webb.

[smileyy]

A CIT "invite" isn't a big resume-polisher. If he's the #1 assistant at Butler, I'd say that's definitely a higher profile, higher upside job than HC at Gardner-Webb.

[xubrew]

I can think of one case where a div1 head coach left to take an assistant's job.

The one I can think of is this one.

I guess Matt Painter, but that was a little different.

[ballyhoohoo]

I can think of one case where a div1 head coach left to take an assistant's job.

The one I can think of is this one.

I guess Matt Painter, but that was a little different.

Painter wasn't who I thought you were going with. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dane_Fife

[GIMMFD]

I don't really know much about this guy, but I guess an assistant job at Butler can get his name out to more people? I don't know, it's a little bizarre, but I've seen stranger things.

[xubrew]

I don't really know much about this guy, but I guess an assistant job at Butler can get his name out to more people? I don't know, it's a little bizarre, but I've seen stranger things.

I think he already had his name out there, though.

The year before he got to Gardner Webb, they were 5-21. People can downplay the CIT all they want, but to get there after starting with a team who was 5-21 is pretty damn good. It was a pretty drastic turnaround for a team that flat out sucked before he got there. Maybe the fans didn't notice, but a lot of administrators already knew who he was.

Being the #2 guy at Butler isn't a bad gig. It's just that he already had a head coaching job, his team was trending up in a hurry, and it wouldn't have been long before he would have been a candidate for a higher level #1 job.

[smileyy]

The Big South was 27th out of 33 conferences according to Sagarin last year. The next gig he'd be in line for is probably a mid-major job.

If you asked me who'd be making more in 5 years, the Gardner Webb head coach, or the Butler Assistant, I'd probably go with a Butler Assistant.

[Juice]

I can think of one case where a div1 head coach left to take an assistant's job.

The one I can think of is this one.

I guess Matt Painter, but that was a little different.

Another is Dane Fife left his job at IPFW to be an assistant for Izzo at Michigan State

[xubrew]

The former Butler first assistant is at South Alabama, whereas Greg Marshall is doing pretty well for himself. I think Holtmann was more along the lines of Greg Marshall.

It's odd to take an assistant job after being successful as a head coach at any level of div1.