Lori Bedi was sitting in a Taylor University hall director staff meeting.
The scratching of a pencil disrupted her concentration.
Chris Holtmann, then a young assistant basketball coach, was drawing plays on his notepad. He was working as a hall director to make some extra cash. As any coach knows, any meeting that isn't watching film or developing a game plan is a waste of time.
Bedi was annoyed at first, but true love was eventually born.
Chris Holtmann's Wife Lori Holtmann
Tahoe. Wow. #thanksnike pic.twitter.com/SVsyh3sr5V
— Lori Holtmann (@lrholtmann) June 4, 2016
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Having accomplished his mission, Chris Holtmann ceased attending those meetings while Lori Bedi became director of residence services at Taylor.
The two went on their first date at a sports bar in God's country — Muncie, Indiana. The couple married on September 11, 1999.
Lori had little familiarity with basketball before meeting Chris. The two moved around in accordance to his job, and she became used to his sleepless nights when things didn't go well on the court.
The two welcomed a daughter, Nora Jane, on May 19, 2010.
— Lori Holtmann (@lrholtmann) July 14, 2018
Since Holtmann took the Ohio State job in 2017, Lori has naturally become a huge Buckeye fan.
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and COVID-19 outbreak, Lori organized a Christmas gathering for the team at the Holtmann's home. The get-together included food, presents, a slideshow featuring younger versions of the players, and a familial environment.
"When they come over on Christmas Eve, I would be spoiling the heck out of them if I could but there's so many limits to what we can do for them personally and even within the program," Lori Holtmann told buckeyextra. "I'm thankful we were able to have a couple things for them to unwrap here. They'll have a celebration with their families at some point and we'll get through it, but I wanted it to feel like Christmas to them."
Chris Holtmann's Coaching Career
Chris Holtmann was born on November 11, 1971 in Lexington, Kentucky. He grew up in Nicholasville, Kentucky, where he attended Jessamine County High School. He was a member of the men's basketball team at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana.
At Taylor, he played for NAIA Hall of Fame coach Paul Patterson. He graduated with a degree in psychology in 1994 and earned a Master's degree in athletic administration from Ball State in 2000.
Holtman became a graduate assistant at his alma mater in 1997. He took a brief stop at Geneva College as an assistant coach and returned to Taylor in 1999.
The college basketball coach then went to Gardner-Webb and Ohio. At Ohio, he worked under his Taylor teammate John Groce. He took over as head coach of Gardner-Webb in 2010.
He became an assistant at Butler University in 2013 and was named the Bulldogs' head coach after a short interim stint in January 2015.
— John McLendon National Coach of the Year (2017)
— Jim Phelan Award (2018)
— Big South Coach of the Year (2013)
— Big East Coach of the Year (2017)
— Big Ten Coach of the Year (2018)
Holtmann accumulated a 70-31 record in three seasons in Indianapolis. He was named the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2017.
"Chris is focused on academics, is a high-integrity person, a relentless recruiter with Midwestern ties and a proven winner," Ohio State University athletic director Gene Smith said in a statement.
Under Holtmann, OSU has been a strong competitor in the Big Ten against the likes of Illinois, Maryland, Michigan State, and rival Michigan.
Success has followed the Division I men's basketball coach wherever he lands. That trend continues in Columbus, where the Buckeyes are geared for a postseason run in the NCAA Tournament.
