For a basketball head coach, not all nuances are strategic; rather, some carry emotional weight. And for DePaul’s head coach, Chris Holtmann, it was one that turned him into an epicenter for the fans. Now, a couple of months after the incident, the head coach himself has shared his two cents on the viral gesture.

The incident occurred following the home game against Marquette in January. The game in itself was a talking point, with DePaul eventually clinching an 80-75 win in a tightrope game. The excitement of this win was so strong that Holtmann decided to thank the students’ section of the fanbase with beverages at local pubs.

“We all know that’s an easy way to get on the good side of the students,” Holtmann said of this incident at the Wake Up Barstool talk show. “That’s an easy thing to do, I love it. We had the most students at Wintrust for that Marquette game. We had the most students in the history of Wintrust, and it was packed. It was a back-and-forth game. We were down 8 at half, and their energy really provided a big-time boost.”

The enormity of the win gave Holtmann and the DePaul entourage the perfect occasion for a celebration. Notably, it was the first time in over a decade that the Blue Demons had clinched three wins in conference play so early in January. And the DePaul student section didn’t hesitate to create an electric atmosphere at the Wintrust Arena as the game saw the highest student attendance.

“I literally was at the coaches’ meeting after the game, and I said, hey, listen, I think I’m gonna tweet that I’m gonna buy every student who came to the game a beer. It turned out to be a great thing.”

The gesture bridged the gap perfectly between Holtmann and the DePaul fans. Additionally, it was a significant pivot for both the head coach and the program. With Chris Holtmann’s arrival, the program has seen a glimmer of hope after a few rough years, and the records lend it weight.

On the court, the Marquette game was defined by CJ Gunn’s brilliance. The DePaul guard scored 31 points in 39 minutes, with 11 of 23 from the field. The Blue Demons were down the entire first half of the game. Holtmann’s team’s first 20 minutes were at times plagued by cold shooting. They concluded their first half being 8 points down. But in the second half, the tables turned for DePaul as they moved each ball by precision with intent.

Gunn, Brendon Maclin, and NJ Benson combined to help Holtmann’s team score 44 points in the second half. This quick turnover from being down in the first 20 minutes added more weight to the win’s significance and eventually culminated in the DePaul head coach’s bar gesture. But since that win, Chris Holtmann’s team hasn’t gone through the best of stretches.

DePaul Hits a Rough Patch Before the Postseason

Since the win over Marquette at Wintrust Arena, the DePaul Blue Demons have dropped 7 of their last 12 games. After being 3-4 in Big East play, Holtmann’s team is currently 8-11. From a broader perspective, these straight defeats have been immensely damaging to their conference rankings and, eventually, conference tournament seedings.

Chris Holtmann’s team is currently sixth in the conference. With just one game remaining, they can improve the rankings slightly, but the head coach isn’t much concerned about the Big East conference tournament.

“I think anytime you can get the highest seed possible, that’s a good thing,” he said. “I also have never minded playing early in the conference tournaments just to get a game under my belt. I’ve been in situations where I played both. I’ve played early and had success, and have had a buy and have success. So, I don’t know if there’s an advantage either way.”

The DePaul Blue Demons will face Butler at the Wintrust Arena for the second time this season. The Blue Demons lost the earlier contest against the Bulldogs and will be up for revenge this time around. The game is set to tip off on March 07.

Surprisingly, the Bulldogs are slight favorites with 50.7% chances of winning the game. Who are you cheering for in this game? Do let us know in the comments.