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Longstanding relationship with Chris Holtmann helped lead Nick Kellogg to Ohio State
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- Longstanding relationship with Chris Holtmann helped lead Nick Kellogg to Ohio State
There are bloodlines tying Nick Kellogg to the Ohio State men's basketball program , but it was a more recent connection that brought him to the Buckeyes.
A prep standout at Columbus DeSales, Kellogg enjoyed a four-year career at Ohio University leading into a multiyear professional career overseas. His path to the Bobcats was partially due to an assistant coach who recruited him but moved onto another job before Kellogg's arrival in 2010.
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His name was Chris Holtmann and now, 12 years later, the Ohio State coach has hired Kellogg as a member of his support staff. The son of program legend Clark Kellogg , Nick will serve as the new assistant to the head coach/director of scouting after having spent the last two years as video coordinator for the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks.
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The decision to move from the professional level to the college ranks was one Kellogg said he made primarily due to his relationship with Holtmann.
"He actually reached out to me trying to gauge my interest, trying to see if it would be something I'd be open to hearing about," Kellogg said. "As we continued to talk and talk about the position and the responsibilities and the value he thought I could add, it kind of lined up perfectly with what I want to do and with the experience I already had with the Bucks. We continued to talk and I ultimately decided this was a good move."
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After his collegiate career, Kellogg's professional one came to a close as the COVID-19 pandemic began and he abruptly returned home from France. While back in the United States, Kellogg said he began to plan for a life after his playing career that would still involve basketball.
He called Shaka Smart, now the Marquette coach, about an opening he saw on his staff at Texas. The job had been filled, Smart said, but he put Kellogg in touch with contacts he had with the Boston Celtics and the Bucks. Kellogg interviewed with both and accepted the video coordinator job with Milwaukee.
It was his first foray into the coaching side of the game, but it wasn't the first time he'd been approached. Years earlier, Holtmann pursued Kellogg.
"(During) his stint at Butler, he actually offered me a (graduate assistant) spot there so we talked quite a bit during one of those summers about potentially doing that," he said. "From that point it was always checking in, seeing how I was doing and vice versa."
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Holtmann's staff underwent a makeover following the 2021-22 season when assistant coaches Ryan Pedon and Tony Skinn left for jobs as the Illinois State head coach and Maryland assistant coach, respectively. Jack Owens was hired for one of the positions and the other went to Mike Netti, who had been Ohio State's special assistant to the head coach for the previous five years.
That left an opening that Kellogg said will be built around relationship-building with the current players, something his experiences both as a player overseas and as a support staff member for the 2021 NBA champions can help with.
"That's the biggest piece for me, the relationship-building and then any other odds and ends he has me do," he said. "Maybe some video work that I did. I did a lot of video with the Bucks."
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There is an obvious emotional tie to the job as well for Kellogg, who said he would typically get to come home only during summer months in between seasons.
"It feels great to be close to my family (and) friends," he said. "To be able to be a Buckeye and wear the scarlet and gray, it's special."
That was true for his father as well. When it came time to discuss the job with him, Nick Kellogg said his dad tried to remain neutral in his advice until he accepted the job.
"He didn't try to sway me one way or the other, but he was just excited for the opportunity," he said. "For me to be back home and to represent the school that he went to and has so much love and admiration for was definitely a good combo. I'm thrilled. He's thrilled. My mom as well."
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The eventual goal is to be a coach in some capacity, whether it's on the sideline or in player development.
"I do love being around the game," he said. "I love being on the court, helping guys just get better and ultimately helping teams try to win. Nothing concrete long-term but that's kind of the path and direction I'm on."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Here's what called Nick Kellogg from the NBA to Ohio State
