DePaul men’s basketball head coach Chris Holtmann received the Skip Prosser Man of the Year award today. It was announced by CollegeInsider.com.
According to CollegeInsider.com, the award is presented annually to the Division I coach who wins with integrity on and off the court.
The award “honors those who not only achieve success on the basketball court but who display moral integrity on and off it as well,” the release said. The award is named after Skip Prosser, who coached at Wake Forest, Xavier and Loyola University Maryland.
The Blue Demons finished the 2025-26 season with a 16-16 overall record and an 8-12 record in Big East play. The eight Big East conference wins mark the most since the 2006-07 season and the second most Big East wins in program history.
Their No. 6 seed in the 2026 Big East tournament was the highest Big East tournament seed ever for the Blue Demons.
Before Holtmann’s arrival to DePaul, the Blue Demons finished with no Big East Conference wins and a 3-29 overall record in the 2023-24 season.
In the first year with Holtmann at the helm (the 2024-25 season), the Blue Demons improved to 4-16 in conference play and a 14-20 overall record before taking another step forward this year.
Holtmann has purchased lunch for students the day after home victories. He and his wife, Lori Holtmann, also provided lunch and dinner for the two buses of students who attended the away game versus Marquette on March 1.
“Chris Holtmann has won at every stop in his career,” said Angela Lento, vice president of College Insider, Inc. and member of the Skip Prosser award voting panel in the release. “He’s a winner and first-class individual on and off the court. There is no doubt in my mind that he will get the Blue Demons back to the NCAA Tournament.”
Holtmann has made the NCAA Tournament seven times during his collegiate head coaching career: four times with Ohio State and three times with Butler.
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- Drinks, Lunch and Dunks: Men’s basketball draws student engagement during 2025-26 season
- ‘We are a part of DePaul’: Kelly’s Pub is a Blue Demon staple, steps away from campus
- DePaul rolls out retro threads and program pride
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