COLUMBUS, Ohio –– It started with a text from an unknown number.

Next, then-Seton Hall assistant coach Tony Skinn got a call from Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann about a vacancy on his coaching staff following the departure of long-time assistant Terry Johnson in late April.

When Skinn didn’t hear back from Holtmann for a few days though, he assumed he had blown his chance.

“I was excited when I initially got the phone call. Maybe a little too overexcited,” Skinn said at a press conference Thursday. “These jobs are very hard to get, and when the seed is being planted as you go through the process, you’re going back and forth, ‘Am I gonna get the job? Do I have a chance? Who am I going up against?”

It turns out Skinn had more than a chance after all.

Holtmann called back for a follow-up conversation when Skinn was on vacation with his family, a back-and-forth that the former George Mason guard said was organic and relaxed. Skinn said the call lasted almost an hour, and unlike other opportunities he’d had in the past, it didn’t feel forced.

“When he called and offered me the job, it was a no-brainer. ‘Yes,’” Skinn said.

His first month on the job has been a “whirlwind,” which has involved house-hunting, playing catch-up with recruits and bringing two or three on campus each day this month. But Skinn, who has also held posts as an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech and as a high school athletic director in Washington D.C., feels confident about what he brings to the table.

While Ryan Pedon and Jake Diebler, Holtmann’s other two assistant coaches, both hail from Ohio, Skinn offers a different perspective and insights into a new geographical landscape as it pertains to recruiting.

“From my standpoint, I think I bring something different outside of his coaching tree,” Skinn said. “Diebler’s from Ohio and the midwest, and having the opportunity to get a guy like myself from the rich DMV –– I’m a little biased, so I have to say the ‘rich’ DMV –– it’s a positive thing to be able to get a guy like myself that knows that region, that’s maybe been untapped a little bit.”

As far as the current roster is concerned, Skinn, who worked closely with the Seton Hall backcourt over the past three seasons, said he’s been spending most of his time with Ohio State forward Justin Ahrens and guards Jimmy Sotos and Eugene Brown.

Skinn has reached out to All-Big Ten performers E.J. Liddell and Duane Washington since joining the staff, but said he is giving both Buckeyes space as they explore the draft process.

Skinn said he’s still “the new guy” on staff, and has to sit back and learn about the program this offseason. However, with what Skinn describes as a “nonstop” schedule since coming aboard, it seems likely that he’ll get acclimated rather quickly.

Even if that happens before Skinn has found a house in Columbus.