Ohio State coach Jake Diebler reacts to a referee’s call during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Illinois in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Conference tournament on Friday.
COLUMBUS — Jake Diebler was tasked with helping the Ohio State basketball team finish out what was looking like another disappointing season, using the opportunity to land himself a job.
The Buckeyes made it official Sunday afternoon that Diebler would be the next the Buckeyes’ next head coach. It’s the first decision Ross Bjork has made as the University’s future athletic director. Bjork will spend the next four months learning from Gene Smith in a role entitled Senior Advisor for Intercollegiate Athletics before taking over in July.
Diebler is the first Ohio native to hold the job title in 35 years when Randy Ayers was promoted in 1989.
“Jake Diebler possesses all of the characteristics we were seeking as we conducted a very comprehensive and thorough search for a new head coach,” Bjork said in a statement. “Those include coaching ability, passion, energy, program knowledge, character, integrity and ties to Ohio. As an Ohio native, the son of a longtime Ohio high school coach and with deep connections to Ohio State, Jake knows what it takes to lead this program on a championship course.
“I’d like to thank Dan Cloran, our executive associate athletic director who oversees the men’s basketball program, for his efforts throughout our search.”
He took over OSU’s program midseason in an interim role following the firing of Chris Holtmann. The Buckeyes finished the regular season with a 5-1 record jumping up to 10th in the Big Ten standings and receiving a bye in the first round of the conference tournament.
The Buckeyes won their first game in the tournament upsetting Iowa before falling to Illinois in the quarterfinal. They finished the year with a 21-13 record and 9-11 in Big Ten play.
Ohio State’s performance at the end of the season vaulted Diebler to the top of the list in a coaching search that also included Florida Atlatinc’s Dusty May. He’ll take over a roster that is still relatively young with two incoming freshmen from a 2024 recruiting class.
“It’s a blessing and a privilege to serve this program and I’m excited for this opportunity,” Diebler said. “I’d like to thank Ross Bjork and President Carter for believing in me and the vision that I have moving forward. Ohio State basketball is special and means so much to me and my family. I look forward to serving the entire Ohio State basketball family as best as I possibly can.”
Diebler played three years of high school basketball at at Fostoria High School and one year at Upper Sandusky High School where he graduated as OSHAA’s career leader in assists and steals. He then played his college years at at Valparaiso from 2006-09 before joining the Beacon’s coaching staff. He spent his first two seasons as a student assistant before joining the staff full-time from 2011-13.
After spending a few seasons as a video coordinator for the Buckeyes from 2013-16, he moved on to Vanderbilt from 2016-19 where he helped develop Darius Garland into a top-five draft pick by the Cavaliers during his final season with the Commodores.
He joined Holtmann’s staff in 2019 as head assistant making his name as a high-level recruiter while also stepping into a lead role every so often and flashing his upside as a head coach. He got to do that full-time to close out the 2023-24 season and now he’ll have the chance to build on what was an impressive end to this year
