Ohio State officially announces Jake Diebler as men’s basketball head coach

Ohio State has officially hired Jake Diebler as its full-time men’s basketball coach.

Named the interim coach with six games left in the regular season, Diebler helped lead the Buckeyes to a 5-1 finish, a first-round Big Ten Tournament bye and a win against Iowa that helped put them into the NCAA Tournament conversation.

"Jake Diebler possesses all of the characteristics we were seeking as we conducted a very comprehensive and thorough search for a new head coach," incoming athletic director Ross 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."

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It is the first head coaching job for Diebler, 37, an Ohio native who is in his second stint with the program. Hired as an assistant for the 2018-19 season, Diebler has been associate head coach for the past two seasons before being promoted to interim coach when Chris Holtmann was fired on Valentine’s Day. Later that day, retiring athletic director Gene Smith said the move was made to give the Buckeyes a spark with roughly a third of the season remaining.

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Diebler has signed a five-year contract. He is the first Ohioan to be named the men's basketball head coach since Randy Ayers, a Springfield native, was promoted from assistant to head coach in 1989.

"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 (Ted) 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."

The decision marks the official end to a coaching search that included phone calls to a number of coaches. Florida Atlantic’s Dusty May, Xavier’s Sean Miller, Creighton’s Greg McDermott, Alabama’s Nate Oats, South Carolina’s Lamont Paris and even Butler’s Thad Matta were all considered candidates to varying degrees. In recent days, May and Diebler were seen as the most-discussed candidates, but the Buckeyes seemed to dialing in on Diebler as soon as Friday morning before they played Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.

"Throughout the search, every time we analyzed what was best for the program, our decision kept leading right back to Jake," Bjork said. "The way he has led the program since February 14 has been exemplary and is only the beginning of what lies ahead for Buckeye Basketball. The future is exciting, and I cannot wait to watch him lead this program.”

A contingent of former players stretching across the last several decades were mounting a campaign on behalf of former player and two-time assistant Chris Jent, currently an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers. Jent has spoken with Bjork, but it is not known how formally they discussed the job. He formally interviewed for the job in 2017 before Smith hired Holtmann.

Ohio State is expected to be selected for the NIT on Sunday night. The transfer portal also opens Monday, and Diebler will be immediately tasked with trying to keep the Buckeyes together as the postseason begins.

The Buckeyes are 6-2 under Diebler, and after Friday's loss to Illinois, freshman Scotty Middleton said he didn't feel that things changed with the coach when he moved from associate to interim coach.

"If I’m being completely honest, I don’t think he did anything out of the ordinary," he told The Dispatch inside the Target Center. "That’s just him. That’s him on an everyday basis. Whether the cameras are on or off, he’s just a great guy, a great man and he loves to be himself.

"That’s the best part about him and his coaching style: Being himself and always wanting the best out of everybody."

A well-renowned recruiter with ties throughout Ohio, Diebler was the primary recruiter for nearly the entire roster. Before coming to Ohio State, he recruited and signed Darius Garland to Vanderbilt, where he was on staff from 2017-19.

Diebler has also been at Ohio State as a video coordinator from 2013-14 through the 2015-16 season before moving on to Vanderbilt. After a four-year career at Valparaiso, Diebler started coaching there in 2008-09 as a graduate assistant and worked up to director of operations and then assistant coach for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons before joining Matta's staff at Ohio State.

“Our Buckeyes have rallied and shown true grit on the court with Coach Diebler, who has exhibited impressive leadership with the team,” Carter said. “In addition to his multiple wins since being named interim head coach, he’s been an inspiration to the players. I’ve gotten to know Jake and I’m confident he will continue to lead the team admirably.”