Butler coach Chris Holtmann gets contract extension
Interest from other schools didn't hurt Chris Holtmann's negotiating position. But Butler athletic director Barry Collier said talks about extending the basketball coach's contract have been ongoing since the Bulldogs' season ended.
"It's probably accurate to say that others see his ability," Collier said. "But it would be a stretch to say we reacted to anything else other than our good play this season and our desire to have him as our coach for many years to come."
Whatever the reason, the Butler coach has his contract extension and it figures to be popular move among the Bulldogs faithful.
The school announced late Monday afternoon that Holtmann has signed a new deal that runs through the 2020-21 season. Butler is a private school and seldom divulges contract details, but it mentioned the contract's length in a news release announcing the extension.
"It's not something we're going to do every year," Collier said. "But obviously, there's a lot of interest from the student-athletes on our team now, recruits that are coming in and recruits that we're looking to have join us. I think Butler fans appreciate that and think he's a great fit."
Holtmann was a Butler assistant during the 2013-14 season. He took over as interim head coach just before the start of preseason practice in October when Brandon Miller took a medical leave of absence and was named coach on a permanent basis on Jan. 2.
The Bulldogs were picked to finish seventh in the Big East in a preseason poll of the league's coaches, but they finished 23-11 and tied for second in the conference standings. Butler had six wins over teams ranked in the top 50 of the Rating Percentage Index (RPI), including a 56-48 win over Texas in its NCAA tournament opener.
That success figured to make Holtmann an attractive candidate for programs with deeper financial pockets than Butler. Reports linked him to the Tennessee job late last week. Butler officials hope Monday's announcement squashes much of that talk and helps the school's recruiting.
"As I've said one from day one, it's a great honor to coach here," Holtmann said. "I don't say that with anything other than heartfelt sincerity. It's a great honor, dating back to Tony Hinkle and the lineage of coaches I've had a chance to follow.
"We understand that we have tremendous work and challenges ahead of us. That's the reality of it. We're in a terrific league."
The six-year extension appears long at first glance, but Dayton's Archie Miller – another up and coming coach who led the Flyers to the NCAA tournament's Elite Eight in 2014 -- signed a seven-year extension last week.
Holtmann was the head coach for three years at Gardner-Webb before coming to Butler. He noted he had at least five years on his contract every season he was there. Gardner-Webb's record improved in every season.
"I think that security helped to build something at what had been a challenging job," he said.
Holtmann declined to comment on whether other schools had reached out to him but added he feels comfortable at Butler.
"Throughout this process, I've felt Barry has been very fair and upfront and honest and supportive of the direction we feel like the program needs to go," he said. "I've been grateful for that. To be quite honest, it's rewarding. I want to show those that showed good faith in early January that we're more than capable of performing at a high level."
Butler should be good again next season. Returning starters Kellen Dunham, Roosevelt Jones and Andrew Chrabascz will be one of the best returning trios in the Big East.
"We think this is a very appropriate endorsement of Chris' accomplishments and of his ability," Collier said. "It maybe speaks more to what we think is an extremely good fit at Butler."
Follow Star reporter Michael Pointer on Twitter: @michaelpointer.