Tony Skinn, then a Seton Hall assistant coach, didn’t know it was Chris Holtmann’s number when he saw an introductory and exploratory text message pop up on his phone a few months ago. Without a background in Ohio, he wouldn’t have even known that the 614 digits meant it was coming from somebody in Columbus.
The two assistant coaches already on staff wouldn't have had such questions. Jake Diebler is a native of Ohio who previously worked for the Buckeyes as a video coordinator under Thad Matta. Ryan Pedon grew up in Columbus and was with Holtmann at Butler before moving back to his home state.