The reports were already out there, but now we have official word from Ohio State that the basketball program has hired Tony Skinn as its third assistant coach. The vacancy came when former assistant Terry Johnson left the program to become an assistant at Purdue under Matt Painter.
“We are really excited about the addition of Tony Skinn as an assistant coach,” head coach Chris Holtmann said. “Tony comes highly recommended from every level – NBA, college, AAU and high school. Tony was an outstanding player on a Final Four team, and as a professional. He has developed a reputation in his coaching career as being a tremendous worker, he’s detailed oriented, builds excellent relationships with players and is an outstanding recruiter. He has strong ties in the DC Metro area and has worked with some highly successful high school, AAU and college programs. We can’t wait for him to get started. A big welcome to Tony, Weyni, Isaiah, Liam and Noelle to our program and The Ohio State University.”
For Skinn’s part, he seemed excited and grateful for the chance to be a part of the OSU program.
“The opportunity to come to a program like Ohio State is very unique, and I’m grateful that Coach Holtmann has given me this opportunity,” said Skinn. “As a fan of basketball, the Ohio State brand is second to none and I’m excited to get to work. This is a very good team and program, and I hope with the experiences that I had as a player and now as a coach, that I can make a big impact. I’m not too far removed from the process of being a player. I know the culture and the mentality of the day-to-day grind, and I can put myself in their shoes and help them become a better basketball player.”
Welcome to Buckeye Nation, @CoachTonySkinn!
Coach Skinn joins Ohio State staff as Assistant Coach.
📰:https://t.co/UY7D71NMMj #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/Ke5twoXhtI
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) May 27, 2021
Skinn has been with Seton Hall as an assistant developing some good guards. He also was a part of the George Mason Final Four squad from 2006 and played professionally overseas.
Holtmann said there was significant interest when the position became available, and from all indications, OSU got a good one with the hire of Skinn.
