While playing basketball for head coach Paul Patterson, Holtmann was named a NAIA All-American as a senior and helped lead his team to a 29-5 record, a No. 1 ranking in the national polls and an elite eight finish at the national tournament.
Following a brief stint at Geneva (Pa.) College as an assistant, the Nicholasville, Ky., native returned to his alma mater serving as an assistant coach from 1999-2003. In his final two seasons the Trojans won consecutive conference titles and at least 25 games each year. Those teams finished eighth and 13th in the national polls, respectively.
"I am excited for both Chris Holtmann and Gardner-Webb University," Patterson said. "Chris is a bright, energetic, tireless worker who has been a high achiever his entire career. I would expect to see the same from him in his leadership at Gardner-Webb."
Holtmann, 38, has spent the last two seasons as the lead assistant for Ohio University under former Trojan teammate John Groce ('94). The two joined forces in Athens, Ohio, and led the Bobcats to the 2010 Mid-American Conference tournament championship and an upset of No. 3 seeded Georgetown in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It was the program's first tournament win since 1983.
Holtmann is no stranger to the Runnin' Bulldogs basketball program as he spent five seasons on the sidelines as an assistant coach from 2003-08, and was the program's Associate Head Coach in four of those seasons.
Well-known for his recruiting efforts, Holtmann attracted a pair of top 100 recruiting classes to Gardner-Webb, according to Hoop Scoop, including an eventual All-American, conference player of the year, conference freshman of the year and academic All-American. He was also a key figure in recruiting the MAC's top classes in each of his seasons at Ohio, according to ESPN.com, including the 2010 MAC Freshman of the Year.
According to Patterson, characteristics of Holtmann's teams will resemble those of his mentor's. "His teams will be hard-working, well-prepared, and hard to play against every night."
History says the same. Under Holtmann's tutelage, Gardner-Webb was ranked second in field goal defense in the Atlantic Sun Conference on two separate occasions (2004-05, 2007-08) and Ohio led the MAC in defensive rebounding and assist/turnover ratio this past season.
"Coach Patterson is a very special person in my life," Holtmann said. "He is in many ways what I hope to be as a coach."
Holtmann is the fifth head coach in the 40-year senior college history of Gardner-Webb men's basketball.
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