Chris Holtmann joins DeWayne Peevy at DePaul

Remember once upon a time when Chris Holtmann — born in Lexington and raised in Nicholasville — was a potential candidate to replace John Calipari when his time at Kentucky came to a close down the road? He had things rolling at Butler, picking up where Brad Stevens left off with three straight NCAA Tournament runs, highlighted by a Sweet 16. Then he took Ohio State to four straight Big Dances with a postseason cancellation smack dab in the middle of that five-year run after replacing Thad Matta.

And then after missing one tournament and trending toward another, he was fired midseason after a 14-11 start including 4-10 in the Big Ten.

Life comes at you fast. Fortunately for Kentucky’s own, a familiar face is there to give him his next shot. Holtmann will be joining DeWayne Peevy, former UK deputy director of athletics, at DePaul.

CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein was the first to break the news, followed by the likes of ESPN’s Pete Thamel, The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman, The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach and Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde, among others.

The move comes after the Blue Demons finished 3-29 overall and 0-20 in the Big East, ranked No. 348 among 351 total Division I teams in winning percentage (9.4%). Peevy fired coach Tony Stubblefield back in January in the middle of his third season after he went 28-54 overall. Interim coach Matt Brady took over and did not win a single game to close out the year.

Peevy started at Kentucky back in August 2008 and spent 12 seasons with John Calipari, serving as a liaison to the SEC while playing a prominent role with strategic planning and media relations — a do-it-all threat for the Wildcats. He was a connector between Calipari, Mitch Barnhart and the media. Now, he’s leading his own program — and is bringing local interest with him to Chicago in hopes of turning things around in a hurry.