Coaches’ Christmas wish: deck the opponents, then the halls
Here’s a list for Santa:
Trim that facial hair.
Quit eating cookies everywhere you go.
Lose 15 pounds.
Spend more time in the gym.
It’s easy to imagine a coach, naughty or nice, making such a list. It reflects the code of coaching: always demand more and hold people accountable.
Even if it’s Christmas, who has time for peace on Earth and good will toward men?
Ohio State Coach Chris Holtmann acknowledged that his Christmas season did not begin in earnest until after his Buckeyes beat UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday.
“I just turned my car radio setting to exclusive Christmas music,” he said during a telephone conversation Sunday afternoon. “So I’m heading in that direction.”
Holtmann, a native of Jessamine County, said that he does not shop for presents until after his team plays its last pre-Christmas game.
“I’m a basketball coach,” he said. “So the 24th was always Christmas shopping. . . . I’ve got a great wife who manages a lot of it. But I don’t start shopping for her or my daughter until we’re done playing.”
His wife’s reaction to Holtmann’s annual last-minute rush for presents?
“She doesn’t think much of it, I can say,” Holtmann said.
After losing that last pre-Christmas game, it can be more difficult to pass the eggnog and sing carols. North Carolina Coach Roy Williams made this point as he began his postgame news conference after Kentucky beat his Tar Heels 80-72 in the second game of the CBS Sports Classic.
“I hope everybody has a better Christmas than I’m going to have,” he told reporters. “Mine is not going to be as smooth as I’d like it to be.”
Like all coaches, Holtmann, 47, could relate. He recalled how North Carolina beat Ohio State in last year’s CBS Sports Classic in New Orleans two days before Christmas.
“You’re just sick for a couple days,” he said. “Then you begin coming around. But about that time Christmas is over.”
Even with a loss fresh in mind, Holtmann said his reaction to Christmas never reaches the level of bah humbug.
“When you have an 8-year-old daughter, she’s not going to allow for that,” Holtmann said of his daughter, Nora. “Kids have a way of reminding you that the world is bigger than your world. So enjoy Christmas.”
Ohio State’s holiday schedule matches Kentucky’s. After the CBS Sports Classic, the players went home Saturday night. They are to report back to campus on Wednesday.
Being a coach, Holtmann cautioned against a basketball-free holiday for the players.
“I did say something to our guys about that,” he said. “Just a reminder to spend a day or two in some type of cardio. Whether it’s a run or a workout, it’s in their best interest probably to do that once or twice.”
Holtmann’s Christmas this year broke a family tradition. From wherever coaching post he was stationed, he would always return to Jessamine County to be with family at Christmas.
“It’s a pretty setting,” he said. “There’s hills and a lot of country. So we’ll go for a walk or even a ride. Those are some of my fondest memories.”
This year the mountain came to Muhammad, so to speak. About 15 to 20 family members came to Columbus to celebrate Christmas.
Why the change? His mother and father, Patty and John Holtmann, had always shouldered the load of planning and preparing for holiday get-togethers. This year they passed the torch to a younger generation.
“My wife is excited about it and looking forward to it,” Holtmann said. “But she did ask me last night when we got home: ‘Are you going to miss not getting back to Kentucky?’ I said, ‘I think I will. It’s been such a tradition for so many years. This is the first time I can remember not being in Kentucky.’”
As his coaching years have increased, Holtmann said he’s gained a greater appreciation for the value of spending time with family and away from basketball. “Important for your players and your staff and for you,” he said. “It brings perspective to your life. It centers you in a lot of ways.”
Not that this comes easy. Holtmann acknowledged feeling guilty if he’s thinking of X-and-0 strategies instead of Xmas.
“We can get so consumed with the progress of our teams,” he said.
That’s when Lori Holtmann will do some coaching of her own. “My wife will call me out when I appear to be distracted,” the Ohio State coach said.