Ohio State assistant coach leaves for rival Big Ten school

Ohio State is losing another assistant coach from Chris Holtmann’s staff.

Tony Skinn is heading to Maryland to join Kevin Willard’s new coaching staff, the Terrapins announced Thursday. Skinn, a Maryland native, just wrapped up his first season with Ohio State after three years at Seton Hall under Willard.

“Tony is a perfect fit to join our staff here at Maryland,” Willard said in a statement. “He’s a Maryland guy. A DMV guy. He grew up here, played here, coached here and is as connected to the area as any coach. He’s a great friend and we enjoyed great success at Seton Hall. He knows the Big Ten and has developed some of the most talented young players in the nation.  I’m so excited to welcome him and his family home to Maryland.”

Skinn started his college playing career at Blinn College before transferring to George Mason for his last three years. He played overseas from 2006-12 and got into coaching once he returned stateside. EYBL team NIKE Team Takeover brought him on board from 2012, and Louisiana Tech gave him his first college coaching job in 2015. He stayed with the Bulldogs until 2018 when he headed to Seton Hall.

“Coming back home to work at Maryland, a school I grew up just miles away from, is a dream come true for me,” Skinn said in a statement. “Coach Willard is going to build something very special at Maryland. I can’t wait to get out and recruit the best kids in the DMV and around the country and help them develop into stars for the Terps. Our family is thrilled to be coming home.”

More on Maryland, Ohio State

Skinn is the second assistant coach to leave Ohio State’s staff this offseason after Ryan Pedon took the head coaching job at Illinois State. That means Holtmann has two spots to fill on his staff after Ohio State’s NCAA Tournament run ended against No. 1 seed Villanova in the Round of 32 on Sunday.

Willard is preparing to take over for Mark Turgeon at Maryland after 12 years as the headman at Seton Hall. He led the Pirates to a 225-161 record over that span, including 105-113 in Big East action. Prior to his arrival at Seton Hall, Willard was the head coach at Iona and spent three years as an assistant at Louisville.

Maryland went 15-17 overall and 7-13 in Big Ten play in 2021-22 under Turgeon and interim head coach Danny Manning.